Vintage Hanky Gift Tutorial

For me, when a gift (or online purchase) comes in a special packaging, I leap inside :) As excited as I am to see what's inside, I need to take a picture before I open it... it's part of the gift I want to remember :) VeraVague (1st package) is a total pro at making an amazing impression, she wrapped the dress I bought with paper and twine & included a few flashcards and an awesome custom tag as her dress card :) Elsie send me this pretty floral dress (2nd photo) and handwrote a sweet note.. love :) And when I opened my my reward dress envelope (3rd), it was wrapped so nicely in tissue and yarn with a cute tag :)

Last year I had a collection of Vintage Hankies for sale in my etsy... instead of selling a plain old hanky, I wanted to give it a purpose with this simple tag & sentiment (Indie Business Tip!) :) It became an adorable gift, increased the value and was much easier to photograph! I picture this being a thoughtful gift & keepsake for your friend getting married, or the mother of the bride or for your bridesmaids. Or, change the sentiment and use this idea for wedding favors (so affordable and fun to make). Learn how below...

Vintage Hanky Tutorial

You will need: a stamp pad, tiny ric rac, small hole punch, fine tip marker, scissors, cardstock, rubber 'border' stamp (mine are from Hero Arts and All Night Media).

1. Find unstained, non-smokey, pretty vintage hankies (check flea markets & thrift stores.. average 25cents each and sometimes sold in a bundle/bag). Wash gently in a lingerie bag, dry and iron flat.

2. Stamp your cardstock with the border stamp, let dry 2 minutes.

3. Write your sentiment or phrase inside the border with a fine marker.

4. Cut around the border of your stamp (leaving a bit of cardstock showing).

5. Fold your vintage hanky, loosely tie the ric rac around it and tie twice.

6. Punch a small hole in the corner of your tag and feed it onto the hanky with the two ric rac tails. Trim tails shorter and your gift is ready :)

Note: If you're making these as wedding favors or in multiples, use an assembly line method with each step to reduce the production time like crazy!