Happy April, everyone…it’s Keri here, sharing some gift-giving ideas with you today, as well as a couple of ways to use your product packaging to make that $$ stretch!

First up, here’s a gift I made for my husband’s birthday last month.  It would make a great Father’s Day gift as well:

After inking up an old tin, I made a card/tag, using the gorgeous, thick kraft paper from the back of the PACKAGING of Vintage Street Market Paper Sheets & Tag Kits!

I cut the packaging paper into a tag, dry-embossed & sanded it, then inked it & used it as the base for my card.  Cut-outs from the Family Fun collection, plus some of the great twirly twine packs, crepe paper from Dimestore Vogue, and vintage ephemera assortment finished off the gift:

Next, here’s a layout I created, using the entire front of the Dimestore Vogue packaging, cellophane and all:

I layered tags, photo, and papers underneath…and foil, accents, and confetti on top, to create a fun, floating effect on this page about ME turning THREE:

Last for this month, a large card+notebook gift for my mom:

My mother, a writer, always enjoys receiving handmade notebooks for jotting down notes, ideas, etc.  So for Mother’s Day, I helped my daughters put together this project, with lots of lined paper sewn inside.

The paper is from the Family Fun kit, and inside there is a little envelope from the cut-out sheet, to hold notes-to-Grandma.  I also used pink Twirly Twine.

As you create cards & gifts for loved ones in the next couple of months…try YOUR hand at getting creative with product packaging.  It maximizes both your supplies AND your budget, plus it can be a lot of rewarding, creative fun!

~Keri