Fair Warning!

Hi folks, today I have a special public service announcement: It turns out making altered rolodex cards with holiday artist trading coins on top is slightly (ok, a LOT!) addictive. On the plus side, this a super fun, super flexible --and, perhaps most importantly--  super FAST way to create with your favorite Eyelet Outlet brads and washi tape. And of course, this idea would work equally well as package tags, gift certificate holders, small cards, tiny bags or boxes... well, let's face it, a week before Christmas, the prospect of being able to make a whole bunch of useful holiday items is *not* to be sneezed at! So here are a few more ideas for you:

I will mention all the specific products in a minute, but probably the most important thing to tell you is the basic "recipe". I made the artist trading coins first. I started with 2.5" circles cut from scraps of patterned paper. Then I inset circles cut with the next smallest size of my nested circle dies. Then I added two or three holiday-themed brads to each coin. Of course, the rolodex card format could easily be discarded in favor of tags, or A2 cards, but in any case, there's a formula for your "base" as well: a neutral paper (or papers, plural; yes, mine are collaged vintage papers, but trust me, yours need not be!) with strips of holiday tape on top. I like to combine 5/8" tapes with skinny ones, but if all of your washi is the same width, you can get the feeling of variety by adding multiple strips of some tapes and overlapping others. I chose combinations of tape that coordinated with the colors in my coins, paired up each set, and that's IT! Instant holiday festiveness!

Here are the brads and tapes I used on each card, working from the top left of the photo above: Skate Brads, Snowflake Brad, Green Filigree Tape, Silver Skinny Glitter Tape; Pinecone Brads, Poinsettia Brad, Pine Tree Tape, Skinny Holiday Assortment; Sleigh Brad, Prancing Deer Brad, Merry Christmas Tape, Skinny Holiday Assortment; Holiday Tree Brads, Snowman Brad, Green Filigree Tape, Skinny Metallic Tape, Green Dot Tape. And now, starting at the top left of the photo below: Holiday Tree Brads, Snowman Brad, Green Dot Tape, Wide Tree Washi, Skinny Green Stripe, Skinny Holiday Assortment; Holiday Mitten Brads, Candy Cane Brad, Red Tree Tape, Skinny Green Stripe Washi; Elf Brads, Ho Ho Ho Tape, Red and Green Dot Tape, Skinny Holiday Assortment, Skinny Green Tape; Holiday Light Brads, Deer Tape, Skinny Holiday Assortment.

I hope you will be inspired to borrow this "recipe"... or create your own! It really is a fun and fast way to get LOTS of holiday greetings done, with ZERO stress involved! ♥