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Features - Wrap Up In Handmade Crafts this Christmas
Featured in the Christmas Issue December 2011
Featured in the Christmas Issue December 2011
Written By Little Floating Craft Company
When I think of Christmas, there are a lot of really vivid images that come to mind; our childhood creative crafting sessions building egg box bells with matchstick dingers all dipped in glitter, the baubles we decorated as a family, the mock-Fabergé eggs mum made one year to house the cash gifts for all my cousins… the list is endless… but what it really ends up at, is the way my mum wrapped our presents.
You’d never just get an envelope, or that nasty thin wrapping paper that’s for sure – even when she
didn’t have cash to splash around!
It’s not just a Christmas thing either; as a family we like the gift to look as much like the actual present as the surprise it holds within. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to give something a special look as you easily can clip a pretty hair slide on to a ribbon bow, or print on plain brown paper using nothing more complicated than a stamp pad and a potato – or if you’re feeling really creative you can easily make your own custom stamp by gluing
It’s not just a Christmas thing either; as a family we like the gift to look as much like the actual present as the surprise it holds within. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to give something a special look as you easily can clip a pretty hair slide on to a ribbon bow, or print on plain brown paper using nothing more complicated than a stamp pad and a potato – or if you’re feeling really creative you can easily make your own custom stamp by gluing
string onto a little block of wood.
You’ll have gift wrap that no one else on the planet will have, making your present stand out and the recipient know that you really thought about them! Isn’t that why we give gifts after all?
If you’ve no time to make your own goodies then take a look around some of the fantastic websites where you can get your paws on handmade gift tags? Folksy, Etsy, Facebook – all places where there are a huge
You’ll have gift wrap that no one else on the planet will have, making your present stand out and the recipient know that you really thought about them! Isn’t that why we give gifts after all?
If you’ve no time to make your own goodies then take a look around some of the fantastic websites where you can get your paws on handmade gift tags? Folksy, Etsy, Facebook – all places where there are a huge
range of crafters working to give you a unique celebration. There are so many different styles that you’re bound to find something that suits you – or suits the person you’re giving your gift to. I love making tags, embossing the edges with glitter, giving them the full on Christmas sparkle effect but I’m not the only one!
My own little floaty love of wrapping gets utterly indulged at Christmas and I’ve been known to festoon gifts with handmade tags and bunches of mini baubles in amongst the
My own little floaty love of wrapping gets utterly indulged at Christmas and I’ve been known to festoon gifts with handmade tags and bunches of mini baubles in amongst the
ribbon, tie voluptuous huge bows from two toned organza, and colour theme everything. But this year it’s all about brown paper, string, soft satin ribbons, and beautiful vintage style gift tags that look like I relocated them from my favourite antique shop.
They take a really long time to make as there are layers of inking and distressing on top of several layers of stamping, and then once the ink’s dry the embossing can start! There are some amazing colours/tones of sparkly embossing powders
They take a really long time to make as there are layers of inking and distressing on top of several layers of stamping, and then once the ink’s dry the embossing can start! There are some amazing colours/tones of sparkly embossing powders
available but my favourite is a really soft vintage mix of ivory and gold like I’ve used this on the edge of these gift tags.
For the presents to look their best though, you’ve got to make your tree look great. I’m not talking baubles from Harrods here though; I’m talking about giving your tree a personality. For those with youngsters, why not do what I did with my mum and make some decorations? For £1 for some glue and 50p for some glitter you can really go to town either on
cardboard shapes (cut out of cereal boxes) or make your own egg box bells? Add sequins to some cheap (and safe) plastic baubles, and streams of ribbon, perhaps even with beads tied in…. The only limit is your imagination.
These took just half an hour to make and they’re absolutely unique! With the gold, I’ve simply used a glue stick to run a line of ribbon around the middle of the bauble and then added detail with some sticky back gems! The big detail is the tassel which is
made from a few short lengths of two different ribbons. I’ve wound it around a few times at the top and secured with a couple of stitches but you could easily just glue it.
Then I’ve then stitched some vintage pearls to the ends of the strands of the tassel to give it some weight. A few of these in complimentary colours would make your tree look really expensive, but I used no more than a metre of each ribbon and a handful of beads.
The chocolate brown
Then I’ve then stitched some vintage pearls to the ends of the strands of the tassel to give it some weight. A few of these in complimentary colours would make your tree look really expensive, but I used no more than a metre of each ribbon and a handful of beads.
The chocolate brown
