Pretty Packaging Ideas In Time For Hanukkah

Hi everyone! Stacy Cohen here! The holidays are almost upon us. In fact, Hanukkah starts tomorrow night at sundown. That means eight nights of celebrating and opening presents in my house, as you may have gleaned from the photos in my Hanukkah layouts seen in the November/December 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine. 

My family is big on giving gift cards as presents. I personally love to receive gift cards because then I can buy whatever I want. According to a study by the National Retail Federation, “Gift cards will remain the most requested holiday gift this year with 57 percent of people asking for plastic.”

To make gift card giving a little more personal, you can present the cards in pretty packages that you make yourself. I’d like to share some “green” ways to make gift card holders using leftover packaging and supplies. 

1.  Many scrapbook supplies come in decorative packaging that’s too pretty to throw away. I made this first one using a long piece of printed cardboard packaging from Prima flowers. 

The piece of cardboard packaging was about 12 x 3 inches long. You could just as easily use a long scrap of heavy cardstock or patterned paper. I simply folded over a little piece for the flap and then folded the remainder in half. I put Velcro dots on the flap so that it stays closed. I added a pocket on the inside to hold the gift card.

I made this next gift card holder using the clear packaging from Prima flowers. I hand stitched two of them together, leaving the top side open so that the gift card can be inserted.  

2.  If you’re like me and you save all your scraps of paper, why not use them to make gift card holders? There are so many printable templates to be found online. I found this great little JerseyGirl’s pillow box template that’s the perfect size for holding gift cards. Just print, trace onto paper, cut, fold, and embellish. I tied mine up with ribbon and added a little Hanukkah embellishment.

3.  Altoid anyone?  Altoid tins are just big enough to hold a gift card. I took an empty Altoid tin and covered it with Mod Podge, then I poured glitter over it. Mod Podge works very well with glitter on metal! I went with a more generic “Happy Holidays” theme on this one.

Happy holidays to you and yours!

-Stacy Cohen, Dream Team member

P.S. Check out http://www.craftingjewishstyle.blogspot.com/ for more Hanukkah craft ideas!