make it work | Tina Aszmus

Clothespins. You either love 'em or loathe 'em. I think it's just a matter of using them that suites your needs most. I personally have a hard time using these cute mini clothespins on layouts but I find them perfect for cards and gifts. I also like using them on my trusty inspiration wire. 

Today I'll show a couple of simple gift ideas. There are a few things I like to have on hand for last minute gift wrapping + giving. Tags, kraft bags, vellum envelopes, rubber stamps, twine and clothespins. Only takes a few minutes to put together! 

This one is a gift for a friend's birthday. I got her a coffee card + a cute mug. I stamped the banner + quote from the Snippets stamp set using a Versamark ink pad onto a mini vellum envelope from the Selections Shop. I simply folded the paper bag, placed a doily over the fold and clipped the envelope with the card on top. 

I love using clothespins in this manor. It adds that little extra detail to gifts that my friends + family always appreciate. Here's a quick one for a grad gift...

Again, I used stamps from the Snippets set + Versamark ink on tag and clipped that to a vellum envelope. 

This is one of my favorite uses and It totally adds a little more love to an ordinary vase of flowers. I stamped the frame + quote from the Sundrifter stamp set, then clipped that to a vase of flowers I plan on giving to a friend. 

So next time you're scratching your head at a pack of mini clothespins, I challenge you to make it work. I hope you'll give these ideas a try. : )

(supplies - Versamark Onyx inkpad, vellum envelopes, Amy Tan Clothespins from Wendy add on, tags, acrylic block, Sundrifter frame + feathers stamp set, Snippets miss you so much stamp set. )

We looked through the Creative Team galleries and found more fun ways to use clothespins - check out these great ideas : 

Celeste used them to hold her photos and embellishments to her page : 

Lucy lined them up across a card : 

Marcy clipped her layers of patterned paper together : 

Maile created an embellishment cluster and clipped it together with one : 

How have you used clothespins in your projects? Link us up in the comments - we'd love to see!