Pretty Little Packaging: Cards as Gifts

Back today with the first post of a mini series I'll be doing on Pretty Little Packaging. I'm always listing packaging kits in my shop & have lots of fun packaging items for sale so I thought I would do a few posts on how you can use my products to create fun, handmade gifts + pretty little packaging to coordinate.

First up today in my mini series is Cards as Gifts. I think it's so fun to be a paper crafter because you can scrapbook, make artwork, create cards & gifts and then wrap it all up in fun packaging. With my packaging kits that I offer like my recent Fly Away Butterfly Packaging Kit, you receive sacks and other embellishing goodies to help you create fun gift wrap for cards or other small gifts. The kits are intended to be used with crafty items from your stash. Today I used some of the kit items + beautiful new My Minds Eye papers from the Miss Caroline collection, Washi tape and baker's twine.

Let's start with the packaging first since that's the main elements of the kit. I used the lined notepaper sack and layered it with a Dainty Doily, Washi tape in pretty purple and aqua, the cotton yarn and eyelash ribbon, the linen textured circle accent, small white tag and the clothespin from the kit. I first splattered a little spray mist from October Afternoon onto the sack.
I also did some stamping. I used Friendship Jar for the small white tag. For the vellum circle I stamped "mom" using Studio Calico's alphabet set that came in the Stepping Stone kit. Here's a great tip I like to give for gift packaging: I love to customize packaging with a name because I think it's so personal. But then what does someone do with the packaging? By stamping the name on a separate piece like I did (you can see below), you can attach the personalized tag to the gift with a clothespin......then that piece can be removed and the recipient can "re-gift" your packaging. It's recycling at it's best! I love to keep a few of these already made packaging items in a small basket to have on hand. They're just the right size for tucking in a few cards or other small gift items.
To go along with my packaging today I've created two cards that coordinate with the packaging. I'll keep the cards + the packaging together for a unique, hand crafted gift. I find too that the more of these little gift type items I have on hand, the more likely I am go find a reason to give a gift. Like a teacher, a friend for picking up your child, a sick relative, Mother's Day gifts, birthdays, etc. And sometimes you want to give a gift but you just don't want to spend a lot of money. Cards make the perfect gifts!

My first card features a Dainty Doily and the stamped grid label from the kit. I used My Mind's Eye Favorite Stamps from the Miss Caroline Collection for the cute sentiment + more of the MME patterned paper. The base for my cards today is Rustic White. I also used 3 colors of Washi tape, a new crafting favorite of mine. You can find them in Etsy shops or Big Cartel shops everywhere, just search for "washi tape". I also added a few tied Vintage Buttons from Papertrey + some mini staples. My envelopes are also embellished with stamps and Washi tape.
Here's my second card which uses the stamped vellum circle, stamped grid label and the punched butterfly from the kit. Both cards have a scalloped border using Papertrey's small scalloped border die. This card also features purple baker's twine.
Here you can see the tops of both cards together. I think it's fun to make sets that use coordinating product but that are a little different from each other.
And here's the bottom of the card with the stitched scalloped border.
A fun little gift set of cards with pretty little packaging to boot. Hope you give it a try.
Stay tuned for a few more posts for my Pretty Little Packaging mini blog series. Coming up next is a fun gift idea that's a favorite here on the blog.

Shop update:

I'm expecting lots of new sacks this week so I'll be posting shop update times soon. Plus I'll be adding a limited supply of the fun cotton yarn and eyelash ribbon(see the butterfly kit in the shop for examples) in lots of pretty colors.

Project Life:

My next week of Project Life will also be coming up soon which includes some fun insert pages.

Thank you for stopping by! Hope your weekend was great. It's so nice out, I'm off to walk Charlie!