Gift Cards....

I'm a huge fan of gift cards...both giving and receiving..lol. It is the "one size fits all, get what you really want" mentality. To some peeps it seems impersonal BUT I do make sure that the gift card "vessel" is personalized to them or at least to the gift card.

Typically I've altered tins by adhering the paper directly onto the tin itself. Well, I happened to see Dawn McVey's fabulous tin {okay, what doesn't she make that isn't fabulous?!}. This is when I can honestly say that I need all 500+ subscriptions in my Google reader because I truly soak up inspiration...I don't just have paper crafting blogs, I also have letterpress, home decor/design, wedding {no, I'm not getting married but they are filled with fabulous color combos and invitations}, photography {okay, I even have one that is "Stuff Asian People Like"...although at times it can be crude, it is absolutely hilarious}. I really like the idea of the belly band, it can easily slide off and on, great for re-gifting :)

This tin uses Basic Grey Cupcake, Stampin' Up Baja Breeze & Riding Hood Red. I actually cut out the 3 icecream cones as an after-thought {thanks to llaurenb over at all the GOOD blog names were taken, she would be the queen of fussy cutting!}. I added some crystal effects on the icecream scoops. That makes up for the lack of glitter! The ribbon trim is something that I've had forever, bought it off of the sale rack at J's...for only $1...should have stocked up :). I made the tin so that it could double up as a tree ornament...I'll pop it on my Mom's tree when we go over for Christmas. This is for my Brother and his gf....hmmm....I wonder what could be inside? Let's just say that they are big fans of this place.

This tin uses...oh I don't know...maybe Basic Grey Figgy Pudding? This tin is for my most wonderful Mom :) I've loved the pieced trees that I've been seeing and this Stampin' Up Tin {from the special they had in November} is the perfect size to really highlight some of the fabulous patterns in Figgy Pudding. I glitterized around the trees and the red panel. I blinged the trees up too...couldn't help it...I kept adding more and more :)

I know that my Mom and Brother are NOT regular readers of my blog...my luck they will tap into it this week :) So that being said, I decline to say what is stashed in my Mom's tin....you'll have to guess..lol.