Lasts Year's Holiday Cards are This Year's Gift Tags!

I’ll admit it, I have a hard time getting rid of stuff… I’m not a hoarder, it’s just the crafter in all of us!

It’s the idea that you can make something out of anything. You know as soon as something is thrown away you’ll undoubtedly have a brilliant idea of how to reuse it.

One thing I have a hard time getting rid of is Holiday cards. I save them, then the next year I usually end up tossing them, knowing I’m just going to get another group from the same people.

Finally I decided to do something with them. There are a lot of possibilities, but the one I went with this year was gift tags. Use them on holiday gifts, host/hostess gifts, thank you tags on favors, or even as place cards tied around a glass/bottle.

Materials:

Scissors and/or X-acto

Hole punch

Tag-shaped punch (optional)

Ribbon

Any or all of the following for decorating: pens, markers, crayons, glitter, paint, puff paint, beads, sequins, feathers, yarn, twine, raffia, tissue paper, stickers, charms, wire, twigs, acorns, pine cones, dried flowers and berries, stamps and anything else you can think of!

Steps:

(If you are using a tag-shaped punch skip steps 1-2)

1. Use the backs of a few greeting cards as stencils. Draw the shapes you want on the back of a few cards and cut them out.

2. Trace your stencils on the front of your greeting cards.

3. Cut your tags our with scissors or an X-acto knife. (Or if you are using a tag-shaped punch, just use that to punch the shapes from your cards)

4. Decorate your tags. This is the part where you really get to be creative! I stuck to glitter paint, pens and beads, then layered varying sized tags on top of each other for texture. The possibilities are endless! Go with a glam theme sticking to metallic paint and glitter, or keep it natural with twigs, dried berries and raffia.

5. Punch a hole at the top of each tag.

6. Thread ribbon through the hole and tie a knot. Add a bead if you’d like, for even more decoration.

Now your tags are ready to go, bringing a personal, handmade, eco-friendly element to every gift you give this holiday season!

Holiday Cards - Free Gift

Now through Thanksgiving receive this set of 4 Holiday Cards FREE with any purchase at DESIGNosaurus or triSERIFtops on Etsy. Includes 4 cards, 4 envelopes and 4 envelope seals.

Designosaurus Earrings in Rockland Magazine!

Hey, look up there, that’s a pair of Designosaurus earrings in print!

A pair of my Designosaurus earrings have been included in Rockland Magazine’s annual “In the Bag” gift guide, part of their Nov/Dec holiday issue! This 5-page guide includes gifts to fit any budget, and even better—you can purchase them all right here in Rockland!

This is the first time I’ve seen a Designosaurus piece in print, so needless to say I’m pretty excited. I feel honored to have been included, and am happy to represent ML Gifts & Accessories in this way.

Stop by ML Gifts & Accessories to pick up a pair, or check out Designosaurus on Etsy (lots of new items added!)

www.jessiekatz.etsy.com

Below is the issue’s cover and the entire “In the Bag” guide…

The holiday issue has some other great features as well, including tips for throwing a Hanukkah party and holiday-worthy restaurants. Contact The Journal News to get your copy.

Poster Design: Westchester Symphonic Winds

Back in February I did some poster design work for Westchester Symphonic Winds, the ensemble in residence at the Tarrytown Music Hall in Tarrytown, NY. I designed three posters, the third being for their concert later today (above).

The geometric shapes of the poster are directly inspired by the beautiful architecture of the Tarrytown Music Hall, built in 1885, designed by architects Theodore DeLemos and August Cordes, who also built the Macy's building at Herald Square.

(photo from TarrytownMusicHall.org)

Below are the previous two posters I did for their March and May 2010 concerts. The inspiration for these taken from the music itself as opposed to the historic venue.

Transition from Halloween to Thanksgiving

Here's a simple way to transition decorations from Halloween to Thanksgiving...

Many of us decorate with gourds, sugar pumpkins and small pumpkins at the start of fall and Halloween, after all they are beautiful on their own and a great, natural way to decorate all the way through Thanksgiving.

But what if you want to switch it up a bit? With a little metallic paint you can embellish your gourds for a chic, new look!

Make your gourds last longer by keeping them outside until Thanksgiving day, then bring them inside to decorate the table or other places where your guests can enjoy them.