Getting Gifty

Last year, after all the beautiful creations from Anna Wight with her amazing snowflakes, I went to the store and bought a huge container of chunky glass glitter. I simply love the stuff! And I think I have enough to last a lifetime. Well, at least enough that I don't have to worry about running out, and I'm free to use it generously!

Then, I picked up this fabulous Sizzix die cut on eBay (score!) and like many of you, I happen to have a healthy stash of chipboard coasters, just in case...

A friend of mine likes to have a handy stash of gift tins on hand for the holidays, and I had fun putting together a few different designs and matching gift cards. There are three different color schemes that I used, and I'll show you the other combinations in days to come. But here's the first.....

I didn't add any stamped images or sentiments... I just went with stitching, ribbon, buttons, and yes, lots of snowy glitter!

For me, the key to mass production is cutting everything all at the same time, then adhering everything at the same time, etc. If I complete one full item at a time, then I'm bored to tears and don't want to go back and start over.

I won't let myself move ahead to the next step till I've finished each piece. I was SO excited for the snowflakes, and I made myself do them last as a reward (I know, I'm a GEEK!)

You'll see that I was able to add one of my new favorite make it yourself embellishments, the glitter covered snowflake punchout. And look how FUN it is in gold glitter. Ahhh, bestill my heart.

If you're altering tins, let me just say

that I insist upon sewing my cardstock layers before adhering them. Not only is it a fun little touch, it has the added benefit of keeping your cardstocks from buckling unevenly as you go around the tin. All your layers stay FIRMLY in place!

Thanks for looking. Now, I'm off to decorate the tree with the boys. I'm feeling very merry right now!