Festive Bookmarks with the Nutcracker Kit

The holidays are the perfect time for creative inspiration — and today’s project shows how easily a kit can take on a whole new purpose!

Festive Bookmarks

While I love the gift tags that are included in the Nutcracker Tags Kit, the long, slender tags are also perfect for festive bookmarks – and who doesn’t love to curl up with a good book during the holidays? I created two pouches that can be used to gift the bookmarks to friends who will love carrying them through their holiday reading. Here’s a look at the bookmarks tucked into the pouches:

The bookmarks are built with the elements from the Nutcracker Tags Kit, but I made two small changes to make them more book-friendly:

• Instead of popping up the elements with Stampin’ Dimensionals, I adhered them with Mini Glue Dots. This gave them a bit of lift while keeping them flat enough to rest comfortably between the pages of a book.
• Instead of the Basic Black Twine that comes with the kit, I added a band of Gold Striped 3/8″ Mesh Ribbon for a shiny, festive topper.

Here’s a look at the Nutcracker Tags Kit:

While I originally planned to build the pouches with the same color of cardstock as the base, I made a last-minute decision that completely transformed the project. I built the pouches using two black-and-white panels from the Modern Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper. Here’s a look at the colors and patterns in this fun pack of papers:

I’ve always liked the designs in this paper, but one page of scribbles didn’t initially grab my attention – until I added color with a mix of Light and Dark Poppy Parade Stampin’ Blends. What a difference a little color makes! Here’s a closer look:

And while I was always crazy about the black-and-white plaid page in the pack, I think I love it even more now. I used Light and Dark Shy Shamrock Stampin’ Blends to color the thin strips and a Dark Soft Sea Foam Stampin’ Blend to color the larger squares. Here’s a closer look:

To finish things off, I added a simple sentiment from the Seasonal Tags stamp set – one of my all-time favorites! A clean sentiment is always the perfect finishing touch on a highly decorated project. Here’s a look at this versatile stamp set:

I accented the sentiments with a bit of coordinating holly from the kit for a sweet, festive detail.

Here’s a look at the bookmarks out of their pouches:

These bookmark pouches were such a joy to make! I love finding new ways to stretch the use of my kits, and these turned out to be the perfect little handmade gifts for book lovers. Whether you’re gifting them to friends or tucking one into your own holiday read, they’re sure to spread a little extra cheer this season.

Kits: Nutcracker Tags Kit  Stamps: Seasonal Tags  Papers: Modern Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper, Poppy Parade, Shy Shamrock, Thick Basic White  Inks: Poppy Parade, Shy Shamrock, Stampin’ Blends (Poppy Parade, Shy Shamrock, Soft Sea Foam)  Accessories: Gold Striped 3/8″ Mesh Ribbon, Tear & Tape, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by today!

Brian

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