Welcome everyone! I am over the moon excited about being Guest Designer for the month of December over at Your Next Stamp.   They have a serious supply of adorable stamps and dies, you will have a hard time choosing your faves!

For my first project, I wanted to make a little tutorial for these “Puffy Gift-Tag Ornaments” -{super catchy name right?}  These make the perfect topper for home-made Christmas goodies and presents.  What I especially love about these is that the lucky recipient can keep it to use as an ornament.  Cute & practical! 

I put lots of pictures in this tutorial, but I promise this tag is very easy to make.  All you need is the following, which makes 4 Gift-Tags:

Your Next Stamp – “Holiday Snow Globe Set”[sooo cute]

Spelbinders Circle Die

Fabric scraps (9″ Square White & 9″ Square Dots)

Ribbon

Markers to Color Stamps

Sewing Machine

Cotton stuffing

SUPPLIES TIPS & Details:

-I used Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Circles Small & Standard Circles Large die

-9 inch square of backing fabric (I used Michael Miller dots.)

-9 inch square of white fabric to stamp on (I used Robert Kaufmann Kona White fabric. You can use any fabric, but tightly woven fabric works best for coloring.)

-22 inches of ribbon (or even baker’s twine works). 

-Ink to stamp on fabric (I used Versafine, but you must heat set it before you color it because it is a pigment ink.  I have previously used Faber Castell Pitt Artist, which is an indian ink and that did not have to be heat set.  I have heard some people have success with Staz-On as well.)

-Markers to color fabric (I used Copics)

Alrighty, let’s get started!

First, cut ribbon into 4 strands, each strand 5.5 inches long.  

Second, take your largest Circle Die (mine is 3 3/4 inches across) and using your die cutter, cut 4 circles from the dot fabric.  So fun to whip fabric through your die cutter.  **Do not cut your white fabric yet.**

Now, tape a piece of paper to your work surface.  This will prevent the ink from leaking when you color.  Then get your white piece of fabric and tape it over the paper.  Stamp your adorable Your Next Stamp – “Holiday Snow Globe Set”stamps.  I found it helpful to have my circle die handy for placement.  If using Versafine or other pigment ink, heat dry the image with a heat gun or your ink will smear when you try to color it. 

Color with your copics.  Now we are really having fun!! When stamping on fabric, I don’t use very many colors because it will bleed.  Below in the heart are the only colors I used for these tags. 

Tip:  when coloring on fabric you will naturally get bleeding, so don’t color to the edge of your image like you do on paper.  Always leave a little space, and see how far it bleeds, then go in and lightly fill in any remaining white spaces.

Colors I used for these tags.

Now cut your white fabric into 4 circles using your circle die.  The  circles should be the same size as the dot fabric circles you cut earlier.

Next, you make a [warning: Technical Term coming up] “layer sandwich” with the right sides of the tag facing each other and the ribbon in between.  Don’t forget to position the ribbon on the top of the tag…yeah, I have a couple of upside down tags myself.

Set your stitch a little smaller than normal (I uses 1.5) and sew your sandwich together.  I always start at the ribbon so it doesn’t slip free.  I sew over the ribbon several times (especially if using twine).  Leave a 2 inch gap where you will flip your tag right side out.

Finally, flip your tag right side out, then stuff with cotton.  Sew up the hole by hand if so inclined, or if you are like me and don’t like sewing by hand, then whip out your sewing machine and sew about 1/8″ in all around the tag.  

Add a ribbon bow around the top if you like, and stand back and admire your Your Next Stamp Puffy Gift-Tag Ornaments.

Thanks for viewing this tutorial and have lots of fun crafting!