Saturday 31 December 2011

361 thrifty days till Christmas

Firstly I want to say a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Mr Fig
I always feel so sorry for him having his birthday today...

Secondly I want to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR! 
the next is an even number so I am sure I will not feel quite so discombobulated.

In honour of Mr Fig's birthday the Christmas cards have come down, he will not let me take the rest of the decorations down until tomorrow though. 

When I was a kid in the 1970's my mum would always get me to take the cards down and hand me a pair of pinking shears and a hole punch. I would spend hours cutting crinkly Robbins and Santa's out of the front of the cards, and punching holes out to hang them on next years parcels, and although I really didn't like the pinked look it was still more fun than using plain scissors.

This year I made all kinds of fancy labels with bits sewn and glued onto them only to watch them not get read, torn off and thrown in the bin with the wrapping paper - what did you expect? I hear you cry! well exactly! 
So this morning I have made my own 2012 version of those 1970's tags. If you like them, feel free to copy - and actually, I am more pleased with these than the ones I spent hours over! 

First get rid of the side with the writing on, send them to be recycled or hang onto them to use as templates for other crafty projects.

I used some thick card from the top of a go-cat box to make myself a luggage label style tag.

Instead of "fussy cutting" i.e. selecting a picture and cutting round this even if it means loosing the rest of the card, I fit as many onto the back of the card as I can. If I know it will only fit 2 or 3 on I tried to set them at an angle to each other - but DON'T look at the right side of the card, it will be a surprise! 

then simply draw round your template, cut inside the lines, punch a hole in narrow end and thread string/ribbon/cord (I used the end of a ball of dish cloth cotton I had saved) through the hole - finally put them somewhere you will remember them or find them next Christmas!


I have been working hard on the recycled scarf I started a couple of days ago, and have made a hat to match and hopefully I have enough of the yarn left to make matching wrist warmers. I think they may well have to go into my Folksy Shop due to finances - but not to worry, I still have my purchases from Novembers Knitting and Stitching show to make into stuff all for myself!


Keep safe and see you all NEXT YEAR!!!

3 comments:

VintageVicki said...

I love your idea for tags - might give that a go. I normally do the pinked & punched ones. TBH I probably have enough to last forever! We always end up with more cards than tags we use!

KC'sCourt! said...

Oh Wow! Next years Christmas tags look great.
Julie xxxxxxxxxx

Taz said...

Brilliant tags, I only ever bother with them for people who I know will need to know who the gifts are from come Xmas day :) As you say otherwise you just watch them be ignored and thrown away with the wrapping paper. I think I'll be borrowing your idea to make some tags out of all our old birthday cards though thanks x