I hope each of you and your families had a very Happy Thanksgiving!  We certainly did!  After the main meal and before dessert, we have a tradition of a team activity.  This year, we had our own version of the Food Channel’s “Chopped” show.  Two teams had mystery containers and were asked to create desserts.  The ingredients to work with included cream cheese, cocoa nibs, sweet potato tortilla chips, dried cranberries, lady finger cookies, and the team’s choice from six Mexican spices.  As the judges, my mom and I sampled the finished dishes.  It was a lot of fun!

If you’re like me, you’ve turned your attention to getting ready for Christmas.  Whether you’re an in-the-store shopper or an on-line shopper, you’re going to need to make gift tags for all the bargains that you find.  Today’s post focuses on the cute Merry & Bright gift tag pictured in the center of the banner picture and also pictured below.  This tag was inspired by one that Mary Fish posted.

Here are the directions and tricks for making the gift tag:

• Cut a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock to 2″ x 5 1/2″.
• Use the scalloped topper die cut from the Hometown Greetings Edgelits Dies to die cut the top of the tag.  This die cut is really cute.  The hole that is cut is in the shape of a heart!  Be sure to save the heart piece.  You never know when you may be able to use it in another project.
• Grab a scrap piece of Whisper White cardstock.  Use your choice of building scenes from the Hometown Greetings Edgelits Dies collection to die cut a scene.  I used the piece that has the church.  Determine which piece of the building scene you want to use on your tag.  Cut the building scene to 2″ wide.  Leave about 1 1/2″ of white space under the buildings to have room for your sentiment.  [Tip:  If there are extra buildings or trees in the 2″ wide section, simply use your scissors to trim out the extra pieces.  I cut out part of the building that was next to the church!]
• Stamp “Merry & Bright” from the Hearts Come Home stamp set on the bottom of the die cut piece.  I used Garden Green ink for the stamp.
• To add the scallops underneath the bottom of the die cut piece, I had to scour my die collection to find something that would work.  I used the scalloped edge die from the Window Box Thinlits collection and Real Red cardstock to make the edging.  It is so much fun to challenge yourself to look at your dies and stamps in different ways.
• To finish the tag, adhere the scalloped edge under the die cut piece and trim any excess from the sides.  Use dimensionals to attach the die cut piece to the tag.  [Tip:  The mini dimensionals are perfect for adhering the tree and church!]  Use a piece of the Quilted Christmas 1/4″ ribbon to add a bow to the top.  And, finally, add your choice of a small embellishment to the tree.

This is the perfect project to work on while you’re watching your favorite show or just winding down from the day.  I bet the tag would also look great on a card front.

Below are the main products that I used to make the gift tag.  If you click on any picture, you’ll go to my on-line store.

Happy stamping!
Laurie