This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cuties. All content and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Oh So Beautiful Paper possible!
Thanksgiving is tomorrow, which means the season of giving is just around the corner! I grew up in Florida, so I always associate the months of December through February with amazing in-season winter citrus. My favorite little citrus fruit, Cuties, is finally back in our local grocery store – yay! Even though the days are shorter and the nights are longer, Cuties is sending us a dose of love and sunshine straight from their California groves right when we need it most. I’m so excited to celebrate both the season of giving and the return of Cuties season with these gorgeous DIY watercolor and gold leaf gift tags!
Now that I live in DC and spend most of my holidays with my husband’s family in upstate New York, I’ve learned to embrace the dark coziness of the winter months in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. We wrap ourselves in warm blankets, make tea and hot cocoa in the evening, light lots of candles with the seasonal scents of evergreen, vanilla, and citrus – and of course we snack on delicious, in-season winter citrus. My kids always reach straight for the bowl of Cuties on the kitchen counter: they’re sweet, seedless, easy for little hands to peel apart, and perfectly kid-sized. They’re also the perfect on-the-go snack, and we always bring a handful of Cuties when we’re out exploring on the weekends.
One of the things I love most about being a mom of two little girls is seeing the way they offer love and affection so freely and easily. They’re full of hugs for all their little friends when I drop them off at school in the morning – and then again when I pick them up in the afternoon! Whenever her older sister is having a bad day or falls and scrapes a knee, my youngest daughter, Alice, will bring over her favorite toy or doll to make her older sister feel better. It’s the absolute sweetest thing to see.
I wrapped a bunch of Cuties in these watercolor and gold leaf gift tags for my daughters to give to their teachers and school friends as our family’s Cuties Correspondents. I’ve been talking with my girls a lot lately about the concepts of kindness and compassion as we head into the holiday season, and these little treats are the perfect way to bring a smile to their friends’ faces as we head off for the holiday weekend. Even as adults, I’m sure we could all use a surprise treat with a sweet message to brighten our day. Cuties are the perfect snack to share with friends and loved ones, from preschool friends to coworkers, and these sweet gift tags make them even more special. Let’s make some!
Supplies
Watercolor Set or Watercolor Brushes
Scissors
To make the DIY watercolor and gold leaf gift tags:
Step 1. Use a gift tag maker to punch gift tags out of 100% cotton watercolor paper and create a small eyelet hole for the ribbon. If you don’t have a gift tag maker, you can use scissors and a standard hole punch. 100% cotton watercolor paper will best absorb the watercolor pigment without warping, so try to avoid lower quality paper or card stock for this project.
Step 2. Use a Size 6 round paint brush to paint a thin line of orange watercolor on one edge of the gift tag. I used this 30-color watercolor set, but these watercolor brush pens would be fun, too!
Step 3. Add a thin strip of gold leaf above the orange watercolor, leaving enough room to write a name above the gold leaf. Each gold leaf kit is different, so follow the instructions on your package for best results.
Step 4. Wrap a Cutie in your favorite ribbon (or place a few Cuties into a little bag!), then attach a gift tag and write the name of the recipient. Too cute!
I mixed things up with some gift tags that only have gold leaf, some that only have the dash of watercolor, and some that have both – so fun! For older kids, I love the idea of writing a sweet little note on the other side, but since my kids are still very young we kept our gift tags simple. Now that they’re just learning how to write their names and read, the kids in my daughters’ preschool and kindergarten classes just LOVE getting little gifts or notes with their names on them!
These gift tags are such a fun and easy way to add a dose of color and sparkle to little gifts – and if you have older children, they can even join in on the painting and gilding process!
How will you be celebrating the return of Cuties season? Share your ideas for brightening someone’s day in the comments below!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cuties. All content and opinions are my own. Brighten someone’s day and share the sweetness of the season by sharing Cuties with friends and loved ones during our #100DaysofSunshine!
Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper