Christmas Craft Challenge 2011 - Day 4

Crafting Passionz Swap - Christmas Tags
One of the things you just can't do without at Christmas time is wrapping paper, well you can if you get creative... just ask my family. You name it they have probably used it. The other thing (not counting sellotape) is a Present Tag. However yet again my family frequently ignore this unwritten rule.
They occasionally use tags - usually ones I have made or bought (in the past) and beg, steal or borrow them to use themselves. They also use a big black vivid permanent market and write directly on the parcel. And sin of all sins... they do nothing and hope they can remember on Christmas Day who the parcel belongs to. {Shakes head and walks away in shame}
Last year I made tags for the Christmas Presents. My first foray into this as a craft item received a mixed reception from me. Some I liked, some I hated. Still I loved the idea of something hand made even if the rest of the wrapping paper wasn't, nor was the present; and even though most of my family threw the tags away with the wrapping paper without even a second look... leaving me distraught and devastated {insert sad melancholy music interspersed with quiet sobbing}, I have decided to once again make the tags.
I still thought it was a nice touch and will do the same this year.
So anyway... we had a Tag Swap... so I got some early practice in and here is the final result. Still thinking about what to do for the family present tags.

Very simple tag - though again trying out some interesting techniques.

1. Cut cardstock to size for base of tag. I did this first as the tag had a set finished size per the sign-up instructions. Also I used this colour cardstock as I had a bunch of it left over... waste not, want not. Rounded corners with corner punch.
2. Cut Bazzill Cardstock - White to size. Rounded top corners with corner punch then used Fiskars Border punch to create bottom edge.
3. I distress inked the edges of the white card only as it looked too clean and I needed to soften the palette so it coordinated better with both the cardstock and the patterned paper. With either it looked great, but with both it looked wrong. I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Vintage Photo and; my Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Ink Applicator
4. Cut patterned paper to size and rounded corners (From DCWV Mrs Claus Kitchen Stack) - based on the size of the stamp I used. It wasn't exactly the colour I wanted to match the cardstock, it was more traditional red that the burgundy of the cardstock so I heavily spritzed it with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist - Pomegranite. The end result was perfect!!
5. Stamped Christmas Tree using Embossing ink, sprinkled with Stamp Effects Thick UTEE gold embossing powder, cleaned off excess and then heat embossed with my trusty heat gun. (Yes it has really be getting a "proper" work out of late and not just being used because I am so impatient).
6. Stamped Merry Christmas sentiment using Tsukineko Versa Colour Boysenberry ink.
7. Layered everything together then punches holes for ribbon using Crop-O-Dile.
8. Cut ribbon to length, threaded tags and tied knots.