Hi everyone. If you want to add your personal touch to your Christmas/Holiday decor and gifts, then you’ve come to the right post! Today I wanted to share two DIY projects that I have created for this year, which I think are quite chic, but also super affordable and not very time consuming at all! I know you may be thinking, DIYs seem really daunting because I’m not artistic, but I promise you that these don’t require too much skill in the art department if you want to keep it simple!
DIY Gift Tags
I think gift tags are one of the greatest parts about wrapping up presents. I love sticking on the little tags and writing the two and from, because it makes the gift feel official and important. For these gift tags, you’ll need just a few supplies, which should cost you around $10-$15 CDN. I recommend shopping at a craft store, like Michaels, which will have a range of supplies. Most stores have Christmas sales at the moment, so you’ll be able to get some deals on these materials:
- Plain paper gift tags or card stock that you can cut into shapes
- A stamp with a Christmas/Holiday saying, or any holiday imagery
- An ink pad in any colour of your choosing
- Embellishments such as stickers or glitter
- Curling Ribbon or any craft ribbon
- Pen or marker
- Scissors
- Hole punch (optional)
- Piece of scrap paper
- To get started, open up all the product packaging–this will make it easier and you’ll have all the items you need out and ready.
- Next, you’ll want to test out your stamp. For my stamp, I chose one that says, “Be Merry and Bright”, but you can choose one that has a saying you like or with an image you like. Press your stamp into the ink pad (I chose a bright blue), and then press the stamp onto a piece of scrap paper. When you do this, you’ll be able to see how much ink you actually need. With my first few attempts, I realized I over-inked my stamp, which would have led to a very messy gift tag had I not tested it out first!
- After you’ve tested out your stamp, you’ll want to figure out where you want to place the stamp image on your gift tag. If you purchased plain gift tags that are already in the shape you need, then go ahead and stamp each tag. If you didn’t purchase plain gift tags, now is when you’ll want to cut your cardstock pieces into the shape you need, and then figure out your stamp placements. For mine, I chose plain gift tags that are in the shape of a Christmas ornament, and I placed my stamp in the centre. Let your stamped image dry for a new minutes before you head to the next step!
- Once your inked image is dry, you have free reign to decorate and embellish your gift tags. I kept with my blue theme and picked up some blue and white snowflake stickers to add to the side of each tag.
- Cut a small piece of ribbon, and string it through the top of your gift tag, making a little knot at the top, and leaving enough ribbon on each end to tie or tape to a gift. If you chose to make your own tags from card stock, you’ll want to make sure that you use a hole punch so that you have a place to string your ribbon through.
And that’s it! You’re all done. Now just take a pen or marker, add a “To:”, and “From:”, and you’re all set! And as a bonus, the person who you give the gift tag to can also reuse the tag as an ornament on their tree!
Think you’re ready for the next DIY? It’s even easier! Here we go:
DIY Garland
This DIY Garland is perfect for decorating a smaller space and perfect for those who don’t necessarily want to throw on the classic plastic or pine needle garland. The best part, is that you’ll only need to a few materials to get this up, and there’s a chance you already own some of them. This DIY should only cost you around $10 CDN, and here’s a list of the materials you will need:
- Thick ribbon with wire on the inside (or twine)
- Miniature christmas ornaments (choose whatever suits your space!)
- Ornament Hooks
- Scissors
- Thumb tacks (or strong tape)
- Tape measure
- To get started, measure the length of the area you want the banner to hang from, and mark the same length on the ribbon with a few extra inches added on.
- Tie a small knot on each end of the ribbon. Use a thumb tack (or strong tape) and hang up one knotted end. Do the same on the other side of the ribbon, making sure you let the middle dip into a curve.
- Take your miniature ornaments, and put an ornament hook through each. I chose mini ornaments from Michaels, which come in a little plastic box, and are the perfect size for my desk area (which is where my banner is hanging)
- Hang up each mini ornament along the ribbon, leaving a bit of space between each, and bending the hooks tighter on the ribbon to keep them secure.
And there you have it! Two very easy holiday DIYs, both budget friendly and chic! If you try either of these DIYs, let me know below in the comments and attach a photo if you can.
-Vanessa
