Cardmaking has been a welcome stress reliever during my recovery from hip replacement surgery. I’m ending the year with two new hips.

I returned to my twice-weekly Pliates class today. It will take time to rebuild all the surrounding muscles, but I’m off to a decent start. It feels good to be moving again.

While recovering, I’ve been watching crafting videos. I often dozed between videos, feet elevated in my comfy chair. Once awake, I watched a few more. As the weeks passed, I felt comfortable sitting at my desk again and could practice new techniques with less fatigue.

I used my time to create 25 gift tags to accompany my sister Sharon’s gifts. At the height of the pandemic, with my sister living alone, working from home, and isolated from the world, I got the idea of delivering 25 small Christmas gifts, one for her to open each day throughout December. It’s been fun continuing that tradition. 

I created tags from simple to complex, applying new techniques and using the tried-and-true. I’ve been watching Natalie Brown videos for inspiration. She’s a talented artist and crafter based in the UK who shares tips on using what you have in creative ways, so her suggestions are a good fit for my aesthetic.

Here’s what I created:

These tags incorporate vintage postage. We’re originally from Canada, so I had fun using Canadian postage on the center of the trees. I used a block of purple postage on embossed purple metallic paper to suggest a wrapped gift. I tried my hand at a mixed-media card, using vintage French postage.

Natalie created videos using gilding flakes and pigment powder. Both create beautiful results, but they’re a bit of a mess to work with. It was fun getting out the supplies and using them to create these cards. 

I’m all about upcycling, so it was fun making one of these cards from the page of an old wall calendar. I removed the envelope lining from the card Mike gave me for my birthday and used it as a background. The paper is gorgeous. The third tag is cut from a piece of packaging. I like the thin, blue lines.

Using leftover rub-on transfers from last year’s 49 & Market release, I created several tags. I incorporated Distress Oxide ink, vellum, and embossing powder, all part of my crafting stash. It’s nice to take out the supplies and use them in different ways.

The following gallery fits into the ragtag category to round out the 25 I created this year. Sharon has the tags displayed on her wall and plans to save them for decorations next year. It’s fun seeing them together.

Earlier this season, I gathered a few leaves from our back garden Acer ‘Japanese Maple’. I used my die machine to create leaf impressions on water-colored paper. The combination made a nice and unexpected gift card.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and my warmest wishes for a more peaceful, centered, and compassionate new year.