Make Recycled Gift Tags From Old Holiday Cards

When I first got married, we did  not have a lot of money for the little things, like tags for presents. My husband's grandmother, Grandma Fuller, taught me how to make pretty Christmas gift tags, using old cards that had been mailed the year before! This is a very easy and cheap way to finish off your presents. In my opinion, they look a bit more personal than the store bought tags! 

Materials Used:
Old holiday cards
Scissors or paper cutter
Hole punch (optional)
Marker or Pen, for labeling

Step 1: Collect Card Covers

Gather up your collection of old holiday cards, and either cut or tear the covers off, along the crease. You can usually get 4 good size tags from one card cover! 

Step 2: Cut & Punch

Cut your Tags! 
This is where making the decision to use scissors or a paper cutter is crucial...if you cannot cut straight lines (like me!) you may want to use a paper cutter. Or you can have slightly wonky ones, like I do, and call them "rustic". Large cards that have a scene that would not look quite right cut into two tags, can become a folded gift tag! (See picture below).

Step 3: Write & Ribbon

Use a pen or marker (I chose red marker so it would be easy to read) and address your tag. Attach the tag to your gift with ribbon or tape. I  use fabric gift bags that have ribbon attached, so this was really easy.

You can omit punching a hole in the corner and just tape the corner to the gift, just make sure to make the cards large enough to flip. 

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of my Dear Readers! 

FREE Printable 6 Gift Tags Download

I just made these up on my computer, using my hand drawn designs and scanning them in, creating a kind of digital 'stamp' out of them! 

Open publication - Free publishing - More cards

Print your tags on standard printer paper or on nice card stock. I used a hole punch to attach ribbons, and wrote out our names. You can see them in action here, shown on my Custom Made Gift Bags from It's a Wrap! Gift Bags. 

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Toilet Paper Roll Gift Box

The holidays can tap you out, leaving you to have to be creative with your gift wrap! For small gifts, this is a super cheap DIY gift box made from an empty toilet paper roll. It is also a great way to use up those scraps of wrapping paper!

Materials:
Toilet paper tubes
Gift wrap
Scissors
Invisible tape

Pencil & ruler optional but helpful!

Step 1: Measure Wrapping Paper 



Measure the length of the roll,  and cut the paper  long enough to go around the tube one and a half times. Make sure the paper covers the ends on either side. 



Tape one end evenly to the roll, with invisible tape. 



Step 2: Roll Your Roll



Roll the paper around the roll, and tape the seam. Try to keep everything nice and even - you can trim the edges with scissors to even it out if need be. 

Step 3: Pinch and Tape



Pinch the roll at one end, like shown above. Fold the end neatly, and tape closed. 



Fill the tiny box with goodies, then repeat the folding and taping procedure on the other side. Attach a cute little tag and give your gift!

 diapers

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. All photographs are under same copyright.

15 Handmade Gifts They Won't Hate Receiving

Whenever most people think of handmade gifts, they think of ill-fitting knit hats or hideous reindeer sweaters, or inedible jams. I,however,have to admire people who make bunches of their own holiday gifts. If you do it right, it can save you money, and there’s also just something about homemade presents that says you really care...as long as you get it right! At any rate, it is more thoughtful than a gift card in most cases. 

These artsy-craftsy folk got it right, in my opinion! Here are 15 awesome handmade gift ideas that are sure to please every man, woman or child on your list! There are even gift ideas for cats and dogs!

1. Leather iPod Touch Case by gmjhowe graphic design

2. Wooden Necktie (and Bowtie) by laxap

3. Office Foot Stool from an old Tray Table by Alan Casey

4. TREAD BELT by opendesignclub

5. Homemade Earring Organizer by eolough

6. Cargo Scarf by lovefromvirgil

7. sew an adjustable chef's apron  by compwalla

8. Recycled Teacup Soy candle by cheekysttich

9. Finger puppets for all reasons! by stinkymum

10. Kids Snuggie by scoochmaroo

11. Fridge Magnets by hethlee 

(I think of Alphabet magnets for kids)

12. MINI-MUFFIN CRAYONS by AlwaysAllTheTimeCrafting

13. Kid Crane Riding Toy by stevemoseley

14. Rope Dog Toy by mattrush

15. Knotty Mouse for Good Cats by J3443RY

coupons  

Free Christmas Music on Amazon!

Green Hill Christmas Music Sampler
Beegie Adair | Format: MP3 Music

Free Christmas Masterpieces

Various artists | Format: MP3 Music

Truly Tribal Christmas
The Hit Crew | Format: MP3 Music

Allegro 2011 Winter Sampler

Various artists | Format: MP3 Music

Christmas Anthem - Single

Landon Smith & The Real Matt Jones | Format: MP3 Music

The Bell Medley

Classic Christmas Singers | Format: MP3 Music

Winter Night

Little & Ashley | Format: MP3 Music

The Twelves Days of Christmas

The Countdown Kids | Format: MP3 Music

Away in a Manger

101 Strings Orchestra | Format: MP3 Music

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Watch Me Dance Like an Elf! Office Max "Elf Yourself" FREE

On the Office Max website, you can 'Elf Yourself' and watch a video of you, dressed as one of Santa's Little Helpers, dancing to either Classic (fun singing animation in this option) Soul, Hip Hop, 80's or the Charleston (black & white). It does cost $1.00 to download, but from now until Dec. 1, 2012 you can make as many fun elf videos as you like! My daughter and I had a blast making the video below. 

Watch J.Rae from Little Mom on the Prairie dance Soul:

Want to get paid to read emails, print coupons or do browser searches? Sign up for InBoxDollars!

In 2012, I made $615, just from clicking my mouse a few times a day!

FREE $10 Zulily Credit = FREE Kid Gifts

Sign up with Zulily you can earn a FREE $10.00 Credit which will then be automatically taken off at checkout and will not appear in your account credits.
PLUS you can use it on items UNDER $10.00. There is no minimum means great freebies! ( just pay shipping) Hurry this ends 11/26!

Start HERE.

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

4 Great FREE Gift Ideas from Vistaprint!

Get your customize-able freebies FAST while these great offers from Vistaprint last! 

Free Business Cards  (Make gift tags from the cards!)

Free Rubber Stamp (Don't return address your holiday cards, use this handy stamper!)

Free Business Card Magnets 

(or unique holiday card magnets!)

Free T-Shirt (Great Free Gift Idea!)

This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.