Puzzled - Creative D.I.Y. Gift Tags

I was at Old Navy a couple of weeks ago and was delighted to find that they are carrying a line of products featuring the artwork of Charley Harper (in stores only).  I bought multiples of the memory matching game and jigsaw puzzle and decided that with a little tweaking they would make great gift tags / gift toppers / ornaments.

Using a drill I made a hole at the top of each puzzle piece, and the top or corner of each memory game card.  I then threaded through various twines, strung on some painted wooden beads for fun, and that was it!  You could glue decorative paper to the back of the puzzle pieces or leave them as raw wood (like I did).  I love that these jazz up your packages and then can be reused as holiday ornaments for many years to come.

This project will work with any wooden or cardboard puzzle / matching game.

TIP: Look for affordable vintage puzzles at thrift shops and antique stores.  Have fun!

Update on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 by Ez

I'm happy to update with a new source for the Charley Harper games found in this post. Ammo Books carries both sets - the Charley Harper Memory Game and Charley Harper Wooden Puzzle.

Comments

[stephanie miear]

OMG! i bought both of these items the minute is saw them at old navy. my husband was a bit confused about the fuss i made over them. i totally lied and said they were for my girls for christmas..but they are totally for ME!!

this is such a wonderful idea! i thought hanging the memory cards up in the nursery, too. they would look great framed!

loves!!

[Morgan]

that is such a good idea! I just might have to go to old navy this weekend..

[erin]

I just love Charely Harper. It is so cool that he is from Cincinnati too! Mu daughter and I enojy reading his alphabet book together.

[Patricia]

Too cute! I also love the bright colors.

[Cassandra M.]

Actually, I ordered a few of the Charley Harper items online on oldnavy.com last week for my daughter's stocking, so as of a week ago, the merchandise was available online at well.

[Jennifer]

Great idea!! I love the photo of the colorful ornaments on the white tree. Perfection.

[Jennifer]

Great idea!! I love the photo of the colorful ornaments on the white tree. Perfection.

[Melinda]

What a beautiful and creative way to use the artwork. A trip to Old Navy might be in my near future!

[Melissa Brown]

This is SO genius! I love this idea so much, and picked up those cards myself a few weeks ago, another fun project to do!You are incredible!xoMelis

[mint]

such a great idea!!

[Rachel]

Oh wow-this is a FABULOUS idea. I love it, especially since I'm working on filling out a theme tree. Time to hunt down a puzzle! I'll be linking.

[Mary Jo]

This is just adorable--love the vintage feel/green aspect too! You are so clever and creative Ez! Wishing you and your daughter the brightest and merriest of holidays!

xo Mary Jo

[rachel best]

Great idea! I knew I should've picked a few of those up when I was in Old Navy! It was so hard to resist buying Charlie Harper for $5. In my mind I knew the kids wouldn't appreciate them for what they were, but duh, I need to think more outside of the box like you!

[jess gonacha]

Ez,my dear, you are such a genius! This is such a great idea-- they look fabulous!

[Sherri Levek]

Great idea! I also bought the memory card game--I couldn't resist the great graphics. I bought a frame at the local Goodwill that has 14 openings and a white matte board with a wooden black frame. I taped an orange and yellow dot paper to the background and inserted a different game piece for each opening. Wow! It looks so awesome! There is so much you can do with these pieces! Thanks Old Navy!

[Jessica]

Hi! This is such a fantastic idea! I love Charley Harper so I am so sad I missed out on these great puzzles at Old Navy. Possibly they'll pop up on ebay sooner or later (but most likely at a hug mark-up!). Each Friday this year, I am doing "inspiration friday" where I pull from the web or flickr to give inspiration for everyone's weekend crafting. I have composed a post set to be up on my blog this Friday, 12/16 featuring this idea. I hope you don't mind. Please come check it out. Thanks again!

[elle]

lovely! I like especially the bird!

[Ann B]

Fabulous idea. I love Charley Harper - some of his works have also been created as needlework patterns ... they are on my covet list, too!

[alison]

Thanks for a great Christmas Decoration blog, found it very informative
Christmas Decoration Ideas

[Adriana]

How cute! It's amazing how much creativity you have. You inspire me so much <3