Now that the Halloween festivities are over, it’s time to think Christmas! Looking for a really special gift that’s also fast to create? I LOVE the new 6×6 trays from 7gypsies!
I made both of these trays in an afternoon–the small size makes them so fast and easy to put together! Honestly, the hardest part was deciding which papers and embellishments I wanted to use. After that, assembling them was a piece of cake!
Here are a few tricks I used along the way:
The large opening is perfect for a 4″ x 6″ photo; however, you will have to crop it down ever-so-slightly to make it fit properly in the space. I stamped a sentiment on cardstock (using Technique Tuesday stamps), added a couple of 7gypsies metal studs, and adhered the entire thing over my photo using Pop Dots to elevate it off my photo.
The other openings are approximately 2″ x 2″ each, so I cut patterned papers to size and adhered them to the openings. You could also put small photos in those spaces. Next, I included a few easy embellishments–a metal clip and ticket, a pre-made flower embellishment (I used an old flower from my stash, but any flower would do, or a cute paper rosette!), and a banner flag. Another thing I love about these trays is that they have a bit of a ledge, so you can put little trinkets on them, like my 7gypsies apothecary bottle with a strip of paper on the inside. I just used Glue Dots to hold it in place!
You can see that by simply changing the theme of the papers and embellishments (and photos!) used, I got a whole different look on my second tray. The quote in the top right space is a sticker, adhered with Pop Dots to give a bit of dimension. The paw prints are die-cuts I had, but you could also use stamps or stickers instead. I printed the sentiment along the bottom on my computer, trimmed it, and adhered it right to the edge of the tray. When creating your tray, you want to use a strong adhesive, such as a permanent tape runner or Wonder Tape. For bulky embellishments, Glue Dots work great, too.
These trays are designed to stand up on a table or counter or displayed on an easel. If you want to hang them on the wall, you could glue picture hangers on the back, or hot glue a ribbon to the top.
I made both of these trays for my home, but I can think of so many people I could make trays for as gifts–parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, you name it! You can make a tray in any theme imaginable (travel, pet, baby, wedding, family, sports, school), too. They’re so versatile!
Want to see even more ideas using the small trays and the larger trays? Click here!
Make a few trays for gifts this holiday season–I promise, they’re just as much fun to make as they are to give!
I made an 8×8 album for myself and wanted to create another to give to my mom. Since time is always hard for me to find more of, I decided to make copies of each of the pages and slide them into another 8×8 album. Greatest idea I’ve ever had. This was SO easy to do and it only cost me $1.49 per page (I know I spend more than that when I scrapbook a regular page!) plus the cost of an album. 
