Sizzix

I was trying to think of something different that I could make to dress us the dining table this Thanksgiving when I remembered about a big tub of binder clips that I had bought at Staples a while ago with the intention of making photo holders. Well, life got busy and the photo holders didn’t get done but I decided they would make awesome name card holders for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner.

Here’s what I came up with …

These were super easy to make. I only used 2 papers from My Mind’s Eye 29th Street Market collection (Woven Together/Girly Green and Sunburst/Golden Rays) to cover the clip and make everything else. Because these papers are double-sided it’s easy to make projects that coordinate beautifully. I used the patterned sides of the papers to cover the clip and for the pumpkin and letters and then used the back side of both sheets for the leaves and cards. This cute little pumpkin embossing set has been sitting on my craft table for a couple of weeks now and I’ve been itching to use it on something. It just seemed like the perfect little accent for this project.

(Click on the picture for a larger view)

Here’s how I put them together :

Step 1:

Cut a 2″ wide strip of the plaid paper (approx. 3″ long) and attach it to the binder clip with Scor-Tape. I used Scor-Tape because of the instant bond and it won’t come apart later. Some other double-sided tapes aren’t strong enough to do this.

Step 2:

Cut and emboss the pumpkin in the floral print. Trim off the stem and leaves.  Cut and emboss the stem and leaves plus the top of the pumpkin in green (the back of the plaid paper). Cut and emboss two extra leaves. Attach all the green pieces to the back of the pumpkin with Tombow Mono Aqua. Put two glue dots on the back of the pumkin where they will touch the silver handles on the binder clips. Now cut a thin strip of any of your scrap pieces and attach it over the back of the pumpkin to cover the glue dots and hold everything in place.

Step 3:

Cut and emboss a scallop rectangle from the S4-131 set from the buttercream color which is the back of the floral. I used the largest die. Then cut another rectangle with the S4-142 set from the green color which is the back of the plaid. For this one I used the second smallest die. Layer the green piece on top of the buttercream piece with foam dots, leaving the bottom center open.

Step 4:

Cut the letters for the name using the Sizzix Naturally Serif Alphabet Decorative Strip from the plaid paper and attach to the green scalloped rectangle with a Quickie Glue Pen. I love this little pen for attaching small letters or die cuts. The tip is fine enough that you can put just a little glue where you want it and it doesn’t seep out around the sides. Don’t know how I got by without it! And, if you haven’t used any of the Sizzix Decorative Strips, check them out. They are a super value at just $19.99. Where else can you get a complete alphabet at that price? I love the size because it’s small enough for cards but works on scrapbook pages too.

And that’s it! Slide the name buttercream paper in between the silver handles and you have a personalized place card for your table. Change the papers and the die cuts and you could make these for just about any occasion – Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, birthdays. The possibilities are endless!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope this gives you some ideas that you’d like to try.

Supplies :

Paper : 29th Street Market Collection – Woven Together/Girly Green and Sunburst/Golden Rays

Nestabilities : S4-131 Classic Scalloped Rectangles – Small and S4-142 Long Classic Scalloped Rectangles – Large

Cuttlebug : 37-1822 Pumpkin Spice Cut & Emboss Combo

Sizzix : 655112 Naturally Serif Alphabet Decorative Strip

Miscellaneous : 1/2″ Scor-Tape, Mono Aqua glue, 1/4″ Iridescent Ribbon – Rust, Quickie Glue Pen, Binder clips (2″),  Memory Book Glue Dots