It seems like a trick of some sort, doesn’t it? There are wonderful adults out there who care for our children on our behalf. Teachers… church leaders… bus drivers… grandparents… all of these amazing humans who step in to love our tiny monsters in our absence. If that trick doesn’t deserve a treat, I don’t know what does!
Megan Hoeppner, here. Each Halloween, I like to treat these care givers to something special. I tend to opt for modest gift cards or another calorie-free idea, such as a few bucks for the classroom fund. That’s where these interactive gift tags come into play.
NOTE: This idea would also work well for older children and college kids.
Needing an idea that wasn’t super time-intensive, the seed was planted for these tags. As you’ll see from the steps below, doesn’t take much to grow an entire garden of pumpkin tags:
1. Trim a sheet of 12”x12” orange cardstock in half and fold (NOT cut) each half in half. This will give you two 6”x6” pieces of orange cardstock.
2. Lightly sketch a pumpkin on each 6”x6” piece. (From here on out, we’ll refer to these as Pump A and Pump B.)
NOTE: These will turn into pumpkin pockets, so make sure the tops of your pumpkins are wide enough that you can eventually slide a 3.25”x4.25” piece of paper through.
3. Channel your inner Joey and Cut. It. Out. (Full House reference, anyone?) The result will be four pumpkins — two identical Pump A designs and two identical Pump B designs.
4. Attach the identical pieces together at the sides and bottom to make a pocket.
NOTE: You can do this with a strong adhesive or by stitching. If using adhesive, simply add glue to the sides and bottoms of the pumpkins to create the pocket. If stitching, it’s a bit more complicated. Read on.
4A. Stitch along the top of one pumpkin.
NOTE: You are NOT sewing it to anything. This is simply to give the stitched look around the entire pumpkin.
4B. Once the top is sewn, align the sewn pumpkin with it’s identical pumpkin piece and continue sewing where you left off at the top. Sew around the two sides and the bottom of the pumpkin. This creates your pocket.
Repeat these pocket steps with Pump B.
Now it’s time to “carve” your cuties. Simply hand-cut face pieces from patterned paper or cardstock and adhere them.
NOTE: I also used my thumbnail to rough up the edges a bit, which adds texture.
Not sure what kind of face to create? Look to the happy haunts on the “Pumpkin” piece of patterned paper in the Trick-or-Treat collection. That’s where I got my inspiration.
For added definition, outline the shapes using a pen.
SLIDE, SLIDE, SLIPPITY SLIDE
Let’s make stems for these bad boys!
1. Trim two 2”x6” pieces from green cardstock.
2. Slide one piece into Pump A and lightly mark where it meets the opening at the top. Starting at that point, draw and cut a stem shape, trimming away any excess above the stem that you don’t need. This gives you an insert that reaches the bottom of the pumpkin pocket with a stem poking out the top that will double as the element you pull on to reveal the gift within.
3. Attach banner ephemera to the stems using a stapler. This is a great spot to affix stickers for a small sentiment!
Repeat these steps with the second piece of cardstock to make your stem for Pump B.
TRICK OUT YOUR PUMPKINS
Now it’s time to make a place to write a message of thanks and include a little surprise.
1. Trim two 3”x4” journaling cards from the “3x4 Journaling Cards” patterned paper and mat each on a thin piece of patterned paper. (This provides a space to sew without eating up your card real estate.)
2. Using portion of a circle punch, notch the tops of each matted card.
3. Place the cards on either side of the stem and secure them at the sides and bottom, leaving the top open. This little treat creates a pocket within a pocket. Tricky! (No feet-smelling happening here!)
Repeat these steps for Pump B.
Time to fill these Jacks with treats grown-ups and older kids will adore. The small stem pockets within your pumpkin pockets are just right for adding gift cards, cash, Pop Rocks, a wallet-sized photo, or any other flat surprise you can think of!
Plus, it’s a great space to write a message to your recipient.
I hope these jovial Jacks tricks inspire you to have fun with your treating this Halloween. If you have other flat, small gift ideas, I’d love to read them. I’m always on the lookout for suggestions.
Print the FREE instruction sheet with step-by-step instructions
HERE!
ECHO PAPER SUPPLIES USED
OTHER SUPPLIES USED
- black fine liner pen
- circle punch
- corner-rounder punch
- permanent adhesive
- sewing machine, thread