Tassel Tags!

I've been crafting up a storm over the last little while - most things I can't share here - but I can share this fun pile of tassels and tags.

I love the look of layered washi tape pieces - and they're even more fun with wooden message tags.

It's a great way to use your favourite tapes and to try out new combos.

But do you know what's even better? Adding a colourful twine tassel!

So. Much. Fun!

This is my new favourite way (ahem - lazy way!) to make twine tassels. A strip of washi tape works just as well at keeping your tassel together as wrapping twine around - and it's quicker too!

Every combination makes me happy - here's a less in-your-face colour combo.

But what's with all the tassel tags?

I'm prepping for Omiyage's next round of Surprise Packs - my favourite thing I do all year - and I always love to include a few handcrafted details inside and outside. This might be the last time we do these packs, so I want to make sure that they're extra-extra-special this time.

Hope you're inspired to mix and match some new colours, techniques and materials into your gift wrapping!

Colour Love - Divine Twine

Taking pictures of colourful craft materials never gets old! Well, for me anyway...

While solid colour twines have been around for awhile, I've recently fallen in love with them. I know, late to the party! They are just so lovely for wrapping. And these colours - so juicy!

Now for the difficult part... deciding which colour to use first!

Find Divine Twine here.

Sparkle & Twine - Pretty Glitter Wrapping Ideas

I must admit, I've got sparkle dots on the brain. I simply couldn't wait any longer to see how they'd look on a basic kraft-wrapped gift. Pretty sweet, right? And the addition of metallic silver Divine Twine and a glittery initial tag takes this wrapping look to the next level.Of course, there's no need to limit yourself to sparkle dots when you're wrapping with glitter tape - it's ever-so-fun to create different looks within the same colour palette. Here's 3 glitter tape & metallic twine variations I came up with: 

Cut small triangles out of glitter tape and stick randomly all over your wrapped gift. Perfectly festive (if a little icy)! 

Sometimes simple is best - 2 strips of glitter tape in one direction and twine wound round the other. 

A bunting style topper is a fun variation on the typical twine look - string your gift tag right on the twine between glitter tags!

To make your own glitter initial tags, start with a small piece of glitter tape about the size of your desired letter. Then, simply cut out the desired letter shape and stick to a paper tag. If you are cutting a letter with an enclosed area (like my "O"), use a small hole punch to create the hole before enlarging into desired shape with your scissors. The plastic backing on the glitter tape makes it easy to cut into the desired shape - no special steps necessary!

How would you use glitter tape to add a little sparkle to your gifts this holiday season?

Twine Friendship Bracelets

Summer simply calls for an armload of friendship bracelets. Knot them up in twine and skip the tangled embroidery floss headaches! See bracelets made with neon twine right here.


For all things friendship bracelet (tutorials, products to buy, etc) come join Omiyage & Oh My Handmade's Pin Party over on Pinterest. Click over to Oh My Handmade to learn more about this pin party.

Send Pretty Mail #26/27 - Happy Home Mail

New homes call for celebratory mail - who wouldn't want pretty snail mail in their new mailbox rather than all those boring letters from Bill?


Kraft paper + sharpie doodles


Sweet cottage cards (more pink is always better)


A little handmade something for the feathering of new nests


Colourful packages tied up with twine, washi tape cards tucked in for a safe voyage


Colourful labels - two are better than one - just add spray glue


All packaged up - with a little washi tape for added colour...


And ready to go. (Oh, and I wouldn't trust washi tape alone to a trek through the postal service. These will get all wrapped up in a layer of packing tape before heading to the mail box!)

Have you sent or received any pretty mail lately?

Want to receive some pretty mail in YOUR mailbox? Send me a note at info@omiyage.ca with your mailing address and a little something about yourself. I'll be making a list and choosing new friends to send mail to each month. And don't worry if you don't hear back from me right away - if you send your info, you should find a pretty piece of mail headed your way some time this year!

Gift Wrapping: Tiny Tassels & Washi Tape Stripes

Giftwrapping expert Corinna vanGerwen is joining us today with a fun way to wrap it pretty!

Looking for a fresh way to wrap your next gift? Try a fun combo of twine and washi tape.

To wrap this gift, I started by creating some tiny tassels using a selection of the Divine Twine Fresh Colour Collection and the Divine Twine Solid Colour Collection. Tassels are pretty easy to make — Google to find instructions (I modified the steps of this tutorial).

After wrapping my gift in glossy, white paper, I dressed it up with the Blue & Green Gift Washi Tape Set — I used the stripes tape along the edges of the box, and added a label from the roll of labels (the roll has so many cute options on it!).

Next, I wound Divine Twine in yellow around the box four times (to add bulk and more colour), then attached the two tiny tassels to the bow.

Done!

Gift wrapping consultant Corinna vanGerwen provides gift wrapping services, training and workshops in Toronto. For more of Corinna's gift wrapping ideas, visit her over on the Corinna Wraps blog, sign up for her monthly Gift Wrapping Newsletter, connect via Twitter or get inspired via Pinterest.

Guest Post: Easter Gift Tag Printable

We're thrilled that Geri of The Languid Lion is visiting us today to share the sweetest DIY and Free Printable for Easter Tags. Hope you love this project as much as we do!

It seems that Spring might just be taking its time getting here, but these adorable tags will certainly getting you smiling!  It all started with the idea of creating some Easter tags featuring an bunny illustration by me and, of course, some washi tape... well, here they are.  Aren't they cute?  I had soooo much fun playing around with them and creating the template (yep, I'm a bit of a nerd), which is made especially for the large tags that Omiyage carries.  You can also get all of the washi tape & Baker's Twine shown in the tutorial there, too!

Ready?  Ok... here we go!

THE SUPPLIES:

• Large shipping tags (either white or cream)

• a printer

• PVA or craft glue (or glue gun)

• scissors (and/or craft knife, not shown)

• washi tape and clear tape

• Baker's Twine - I used the Fresh Colour Collection

• cotton balls 

Print out the first page of the template & line up your tags within the outlines given.  

TOP TIP: **It's always a good idea to try printing Page 2 onto the outline page WITHOUT the tags while you make sure how to load your printer; plain paper is a LOT cheaper than wasting tags!

I tried two techniques to print these tags; using clear tape or washi tape to secure the tags to the template & print them out.  

When using the clear tape, the benefit is that you simply run two strips of tape across all of the tags and you're done; the downside is that printer heated up the glue of the tape and tore the tags slightly when I removed them from the template, which is easily covered by the washi tape later.

When using the washi tape, the benefit is that you only have to tape once; the downside is that you have to figure out your decoration placement first and tape each tag individually.

I used both techniques and found them to be about equally pleasing!  Print Page 2 of the template onto the tags, being sure to figure out to place the tags in the appropriate tray & alignment of your printer (for example, mine is face up, bottom first).

As a cute little addition, I added a cotton ball tail to the bunny. Editor's note - you could also use a small pom pom as a tail!

I also made a little bow with some Baker's Twine for the bunny's neck, attaching it with the same glue as the tail and finished off the tag by threading some more Baker's Twine through the tag hole (the craft knife or a hole punch works great)!

Download your free Easter Tags & happy handmaking!

Geri Jewitt is a designer gone rogue from Corporate who now owns The Languid Lion, creating handmade & eco-friendly stationery, decorations & illustrated art prints for those of us who celebrates love & the art of handmade.  She is also the editor of The Lion's Den, a blog where she writes about love, life & handmade.

Connect with Geri via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and see what lovely things she's been pinning over on Pinterest!

DIY Wrapping Idea - Spooky Treats

Looking for a fun way to wrap up some spooky treats this Halloween? Whether you're throwing a Halloween Party or want to slip a treat into your little goblin's lunch bag, this easy DIYwrap idea is the perfect way to set the mood.

For little treats, pick a Bitty Bag - perfectly sized for a pumpkin cookie or a handful of candy corn.

For bigger treats, a Bigger Bitty Bag is better - these make great loot bags which you can fill with a variety of tricks & treats!

Slip your goodies inside the bag. 

Fold the top down. 

Use a hole punch to punch two holes in the folded portion of the bag.

Thread Divine Twine through the holes - we like to use a two pieces at a time!

Add a festive shipping tag - decorate first with washi tape, then write or stamp your spooky message.

Attach the tag to the bag & tie the twine into a bow.

Materials Used:

Black Chevron Bitty Bags

Black Stripe Bigger Bitty Bags

Orange Divine Twine

Small Shipping Tags

Large Shipping Tags

Apricot Washi Tape

mt Washi Tape Triplets in Black