I'm pretty fond of labels. Do you remember when I sold these & these in my old Etsy shop? I certainly appreciate the fact that they can be both colorful and useful. That said, I never buy them...why should I when I am an expert label hoarder? But, when I saw the gold edged labels in the June Scrapbook Kit by Studio Calico I swooned just a tiny bit. Like everyone on the planet...I'm digging gold right now, so those little labels caught my eye for sure.
Only thing...I don't get the scrapbook kit, and I wasn't going to get it just for some labels and they don't sell the labels separately so what's a label lover to do? You got it...it's time to makeshift.
When I decide to make things, I realize that this does not always translate to cheap or quick...it really means doing something myself for the sole purpose of immediate satisfaction. It also means trying to use what I have lying around. In this case: white sticker paper, metallic gold scrapbook paper that I bought from Joann many moons ago, a cutting mechanism, I used both my Cameo and my paper trimmer, and a bit of time.
Option #1: When I used my Cameo, I created two files...one with the label outer shapes and one with the inner. I cut the outer shapes out of the gold and the inner out of the white sticker paper and then adhered one to the other. Success! If you have a machine this is the way I would go. Perhaps you might see this and think "oh my, why waste all that gold paper when all you're really using it for is a thin frame". This is true, but I think trying to add glue and affix a thin gold frame to a piece of cardstock would make my brain break so I'm wasting a bit of gold to preserve sanity.
Option #2: If you find yourself without a diecutting machine, or you don't want to dust it off, or figure out how to make inner and outer label shapes...you might find the second route more favorable. Simply trim/cut rectangles out of the white sticker paper...this is the inner portion of your label. The size is up to you...depends how much white space you want. Then, using your eyeballs and a 1/4" hole punch, cut the notches out of the corners. If you'd rather trimmed corners you can just clip them off with a pair of scissors. If you are a perfectionist...then create a template or measure or do what you do...although I'm not a perfectionist, I do like things nice and neat. If you don't trust your eyeballing ability then take your time on this step. Once you've got a bunch of white labels, remove the sticky back and attach to the gold using the top edge and side edge as your guide. I went for a slim 1/8" border. You can do whatever pleases you. I tried to line them all up first. I then cut them apart using my paper trimmer. A craft knife and straight edge would have yielded very accurate results, but I didn't bother. Last thing to do is cut notches out of the gold...Some of the labels I just made completely straight.
Now tell me? Did I make this seem complicated? If I did I sincerely apologize for it was quite simple really. Like I said...makeshifting isn't necessarily easy and/or cheap, but it is fun and wonderfully satisfying. Oh...and although I purchased that metallic gold paper at Joann's...It cost double what I found it for online, but with shipping...I don't know, maybe it would work out to the same. It is a perfect weight and it's not too heavy which I like. The Cameo cut through it like butter. It also has a very smooth sheen...I like gold, but not shiny gold. Also, I got that little mountain of labels using less than one sheet of both the gold and the sticker paper so there you have it.
you can find another great DIY tutorial using the EK Success label punch here
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