I’m a sucker for pretty much anything “mini”, and these bold and colorful mini “xo” cards are so versatile. You can use them as gift tags, or you can tuck them into boxes of chocolates or other goodies for loved ones. You can also use a hole punch to create a place to thread ribbon or twine and tie them onto gift bags or even bottles of wine.

In addition, you can change out the color palette in lots of different ways. You could also use patterned paper instead of painting a watercolor background for a completely different look. I couldn’t resist using shiny, pretty gold foil cardstock for the letters and frame details on the cards. I thought that I might be starting to get over the whole gold foil thing, but then I saw this paper and was instantly back on the gold foil love train.

One of the best parts of this project is that, after you have all of the pieces cut, you can assemble each card in under 5 minutes.

Supplies Used in This Project

The following supply list contains affiliate links. I make a small commission if you purchase through these links, and I really appreciate it if you do!

AMZ = Amazon.com     SBK = Scrapbook.com     DKB = Dick Blick     SSS = Simon Says Stamp

Strathmore Bristol Vellum Paper ( AMZ // DKB )
Fiskars Personal Paper Trimmer ( AMZ // SBK )
Spun Sugar Distress Ink ( AMZ // SBK)
Worn Lipstick Distress Ink ( AMZ // SBK )
Picked Raspberry Distress Ink ( AMZ // SBK )
Painter’s Tape
#8 Round Paintbrush*
3/4” Filbert Paintbrush*
Gold Foil Card Stock ( MFT )
My Favorite Things Stitched Alphabet Die-namics**
Scor-Tape (I used 5/8” inch, but you can use whatever size you have on hand)
Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue
white cardstock
a double-sided adhesive runner
a manual die cutting machine
a solid, non-flexible base to tape the paper to (I used an old cutting mat)
a sheet of clear acetate or a large acrylic block (to use as a palette for the inks)
a cup & water
paper towels
a heat tool (optional)

* The brushes that I used are both from a set of Craft Smart brand brushes, which can be found at Michael’s.

** These dies sold out very quickly and are difficult to find in stock, but MFT does have other, non-stitched alpha dies that would also be great for this project, and you could also digitally die cut the letters using a tall, thin font like Bebas Neue or Ostrich Sans Black, which are both free fonts.