I wanted to make 6 shaker Christmas tags for some special presents this year and after a bit of experimentation, this is what I came up with.
Cutting the Tags
First I used my Tim Holtz Tiny Tabs and Tags die by Sizzix to cut out the tag bases.
I cut out three each of a green and a red tartan, and 6 of a plain white high density 150 gsm card. The tartan is from the Twelve Days of Christmas 6″ stack by Dovecraft and is also 150 gsm.
Next I took the smallest sized die from the Sizzix 8 piece Scalloped Circles die set and cut a hole in each of the tartan tags. I then used the two smallest sized dies to cut out 6 scalloped frames – three each from red and green 135gsm cardstock. I used scraps of washi tape to hold the dies in position whilst cutting them out with my Big Shot and cut them three tags at a time.
Then I used finger daubers and Ranger Distress Ink to gently ink around the tartan tags to give a more vintage feel. I used Barn Door on the green tags and Mowed Lawn on the red tags.
I used the same Distress Ink to ink up the middle third of each of the white tags (see picture below). It wasn’t important to get a nice blended effect here, as I was going for an overall shabby style, plus very little of it will be seen in the finished tag.
The Images
Then I chose 6 images from the Tin Teddy Vintage Christmas 1″ Circles collage sheet. You could make similar shaker Christmas tags from many of the other circles in the Tin Teddy store too. The Tin Teddy 1″ square and oval ranges would also work well for tag making.
I ran the edge of a black Sharpie pen around the edges to remove any white and give a neater edge. Then I temporarily laid the tartan tags on top of the white ones (not glued down!) and fixed the circles to the inked white tags with Anita’s Tacky Glue. This way I could be sure the circles were glued down in the middle of the tartan tags’ holes.
I then used the second smallest of the Scalloped Circle dies to cut out 6 pieces of clear acetate. I used Heat Resistant Acetate from Crafter’s Companion. Cutting acetate can be a bit tricky as it is rather stretchy so can end up embossed instead of cut through. I added a couple of pieces of scrap cardboard to my diecutting “sandwich” to help increase the pressure and get a clean cut.
Create the Windows
Then I glued the card frames to the acetate. I used tacky glue and wiped the acetate with a baby wipe immediately after gluing to remove any that had strayed onto the clear surface.
When the frames were dry I added them to the tag fronts, again using tacky glue.
I used Fun Foam to give the tags enough depth to be shaker tags. Because I suspected it would be very hard indeed to perfectly line up the holes in the foam with the holes in the fronts… yes, I cheated!
I cut out 6 tags from black fun foam with the Tiny Tags die. I then cut the top and bottom parts of the fun foam tags off, and glued them onto to the back of the tartan tags. Then I cut two thin strips from the remaining fun foam and glued them either side of the scalloped hole. The end result is a little “well” where the shaker stuff will sit. This worked out just fine, and didn’t take long – and was easier than trying to line up perfectly matching holes!
Assembly
Now the fun part! First I rubbed the back of the acetate widows with a dryer sheet to remove any static.
Then I sprinkled some white Darice Glitter Beads into each of the fun foam “wells”. I then added just a few gold Glitter Beads too. Glitter beads are teeny .5mm hole-less beads.
I carefully glued the white card tags onto the back of the fun foam using tacky glue.
I made sure that the glue went right up to the edge of the “well” area to stop any of the tiny beads escaping.
Then I left the tags to glue, still face down, on my glass crafting mat and with a book on top to ensure a good bond.
To Finish the Shaker Christmas Tags
Next I threaded 6 “antique silver” coloured star buttons on to baker’s twine – 3 on red, 3 on green twine. I tied a knot in the loop then threaded it through the holes on each of the tags. I popped a blob of tacky glue under the star then pressed them into place on the front of the tags.
Finally I added five small gold faux pearls with Bright Gold 3d Pearl Effects by Dovecraft, to the bottom of each tag, because I like a lot of bling on my Christmas projects!
If you are getting stressed and running out of time to make your handmade cards and tags, check out my blog post – Hints and Tips for Last Minute Christmas Card Making
Links to Products Used
Below are links to the Tin Teddy 48 Christmas 1″ Circles, as used in this tutorial. There are other 1″ circles, 1″ ovals and 1″ squares in my Tin Teddy Shop that would also be great for use on tags.
