I wanted to make some cute Halloween treats for my co-workers but I wanted them to be a little less creepy and a little more pretty. I scored the marble tags at the Target Dollar Spot and they were a perfect base for some gold embossed stamps. Impress Cards and Crafts has some fantastic stamps. I’ve also seen some cuties at my local big box craft store. These would be great for holiday gift tags too!
Materials
- Gift tags (I found mine at the Target Dollar Spot, but your local craft store will have a good selection)
- Twine
- Halloween rubber stamps
- Versamark stamp pad
- Heat embossing tool
- Gold embossing powder
If using paper instead of stamping directly on tag:
- Black or white paper
- Scissors or paper cutter
- Double-sided tape or glue stick
Basic Idea
I experimented a little with the stamps and placement. I stamped directly onto the tag and also tried stamping on black paper that I could attach to the tag because the marble pattern is so busy. In the end I liked both, but I tried to use tags that had less pattern at the top so you could see the stamp better. I cut squares of black paper that would fit the size of the stamp, and also cut white squares of paper so I could layer them under the black paper to make them stand out.
Ink up the rubber stamp with Versamark ink. It’s a watermark ink pad and perfect for embossing. If you use it alone, it creates a watermark image by darkening the pigment in the paper. I highly recommend if you like stamping!
Immediately sprinkle embossing powder directly over the image. Be sure to put scrap paper underneath to save a mess and also reuse your powder when finished.
Tap off embossing powder. You’ll see that the powder stuck only to the image. If there are specks of powder around the image, blow lightly to remove them. Any speck you see will melt and possibly leave a mark that you don’t want.
Tip: batch your tags! Stamp and sprinkle powder on all of them and then use your embossing tool and heat them all at once. They will stay in good shape indefinitely with the powder in them—just don’t stack them or the powder will rub off.
With the embossing tool, make a sweeping motion a few inches above the image. CAUTION: the tool gets extremely hot. If you’re doing small pieces like me, I find it helps to use a chopstick or spoon or anything that has a handle to secure the paper while the tool is on—it will burn your fingers otherwise. As you’re moving the tool, you’ll quickly see the powder melt and turn shiny. It makes it easy to see missed spots. Let cool.
The tags are done if you stamped directly on the card. If you stamped onto paper, simply adhere with glue or double-sided tape to your tag. I wanted the spider to be hanging from the top of the tag, so I drew a line with a gold paint pen–cute and a little creepy!
Check out more Halloween and Fall projects here: Decoupage Pumpkins, Pom Pom Pumpkins, Thumbtack Pumpkins, Black and White Painted Pumpkins, DIY Pumpkin Place Cards, Fall Gift Wrap Tips: Metallics.
