Countdown to Christmas: Pretty Pail & Tag

Other gift-wrap ideas are going to, ahem, pail in comparison. This is an affordable, easy way to give a little something. Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1: Punch holes in a metal pail near the top of the rim (2-4 holes between each handle). I got this cute, bitty bucket in the dollar aisle at Target. Love that place, even if some of the items aren’t really a dollar.

Tip: Punch an even number of holes to make weaving align.

Tip: Not all hole punches are created equal. Be sure you use a hole punch that’s strong enough to punch through metal, like the Crop-a-Dile from We R Memory Keepers.

Step 2: Weave ribbon through holes, starting from the inside of the pail and weaving out.

Step 3: Adhere rhinestones between ribbon.

Supplies:
Ribbon (American Crafts)
Rhinestones (Doodlebug Design)
Hole Punch (We R Memory Keepers)
Metal Pail (Target)

And here’s how to create the tag:

Step 1: Stamp “Merry Christmas” in red ink and again in green ink on white cardstock.

Step 2: Punch stamped images out using shape punch.

Tip: Turn punch upside down and position stamped element before punching.

Step 3: Trim center oval of green stamped image out with scissors.

Step 4: Adhere trimmed element to red stamped image using dimensional adhesive (foam squares).

Step 5: Punch square tag from green cardstock and frame with a metal rimmed tag (I used the Tag Maker from Making Memories).

Step 6: Wrap piece of ribbon around the center of the green tag, adhere stamped “Merry Christmas” piece, and add a rhinestone.

Supplies:
Merry Christmas Stamp from Cute & Curly set (Stampin’ Up!)
Shape Punch (Stampin’ Up!)
Green Cardstock,White Cardstock
Red Ink, Green Ink (Stampin’ Up!)
Rhinestone (Doodlebug Design)
Square Punch
Ribbon (American Crafts)
Dimensional Adhesive (Stampin’ Up!)

Fill this bucket with candy, use it to contain a gift card, stuff it with tiny toys, or, if you want to get super crazy, fill it with cash. This is also a festive way to package neighbor and/or coworker goodies. I hope you like!

On to today's Christmas song. I'm choosing Where Are You Christmas by Faith Hill for a couple of reasons:

1. It's a pretty song.

2. As much as I don't want to be a downer, I relate to this song this year. Can you believe I don't even have a Christmas tree up in my house? How sad and lame is that?! This has been a harder year than most, and I think it's managed to suck out most of my Christmas spirit. Yes, me, THE Christmas girl. Here's hoping I find that magical Christmas feeling soon. And, here's hoping YOU have already found it and are enjoying this beautiful season.

Merry Christmas, friends!