Coordinating tags and gift box

Last week I was organizing some of my craft supplies and came across a bag filled with odds and ends of Japanese papers. I hadn't used the papers in awhile, so I decided to have some crafty fun with them, starting with this small gift box:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Chiyogami papers (The Japanese Paper Place); Poppy Parade, Naturals Ivory, Naturals White card stock
Ink: Gold paint marker (Sharpie)
Accessories: Itty Bitty Accents punch pack, Scalloped and Ornate Tag Topper punches, Note Tag punch, gold Deco Foil (Therm-O-Web), gold baker's twine, In Color Accessory Pack, Baker's Twine Trio Pack, black fiber (On the Surface), metallic enamel shapes, wavy scissors (Provo Craft), Tiny Attacher stapler (Tim Holtz), Mono Multi liquid glue, 1/8" Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal), Glue Dots

While I was organizing, I also found my refill kit for Stampin' Up!'s Undefined stamp-carving kit. I haven't used the refill kit yet, but the small, sturdy black box was the perfect base for an upcycled gift box. The only writing on the box was the label on the lid, so I covered the top of the box with two different prints from the Japanese papers. I placed 1/8" Scor-Tape along the seam and rubbed gold Deco Foil over the tape.

To make a focal point for the box I punched out three small Poppy Parade flowers. I used a gold paint marker to outline the flowers and added detail to the centers, so they coordinate with the paper. I attached them in a loose cluster to the upper left corner of the box lid.

With the box completed, I decided to turn it into a gift for a friend. That meant I needed to find -- or, more accurately, make -- something to fit inside the box. I settled on twelve coordinating tags and twelve mini clothespins.

For the tag bases I used a few different punches with Naturals White and Ivory card stock. I decorated them with pieces of the Japanese papers (I used four different prints and made three tags for each print), added embellishments on some of the tags, and used various twines and fibers for the tassels. I wasn't sure how best to include the clothespins, so I simply clipped them on to a small rectangle of gold paper.

Here are a few of the tags close up. I made each of the twelve tags a little different, and I left room to write "To" and "From" and/or a little message. Or the recipient could write or stamp a message on a tag and use it as a focal point on a card. When the tags are gone, the box can be re-used as a gift box or for decorative storage.

While I had the Japanese papers out, I decided to make a card, too:

Supplies (all Stampin Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Chiyogami papers (The Japanese Paper Place); Naturals Ivory, Concord Crush card stock
Accessories: Petite Petals punch, Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, metallic enamel shapes, metallic gold thread, Glue Dots, Mono Multi liquid glue

I love this deep, rich purple combined with the gold, and since these papers are so pretty I wanted them to be the focus of the card. I die cut three stitched squares from each type of paper and arranged them on a card base. (I trimmed the card base down a bit so the borders around the squares were fairly even.) I felt like the card needed some kind of embellishment, so I punched a small flower from Concord Crush card stock, gently creased the petals and added a gold enamel circle in the center. I looped some gold metallic thread behind the flower and attached it to the square in the bottom right corner of the card. I haven't completely decided if one flower is enough, or if I should also add a flower in the other two light-colored squares. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by!