Christmas Pocket Letter (with Crate Paper Hey Santa)

Hello friends! Today I am sharing a Christmas themed pocket letter using the pretty and whimsical Crate Paper Hey Santa collection. I loved making this unique gift with the lovely patterns and the big variety elements included in this collection. 

Supplies: Patterned paper, Chipboard stickers, Shape stickers, Puffy stickers, Pre-made die-cut shapes, Charms, Sequins, Tassel: Crate Paper; Twine: Doodlebug Design, Clips: Crate Paper, Staples; Vellum: Darice; Punches: WRMK,  Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L

I create the pockets individually treating each of them as little gifts, emphasizing layers and textures as I think of ways to include goodies for the recipient.

No matter the collection, the Crate Paper chipboard stickers are always the best for layering. Mixed with some ephemera, they look great on the tag I made here.

I also had fun making a banner clip that the recipient can pull out and use on another project or a gift.

I hope you feel inspired to create your own pocket letter as a Christmas gift or for another occasion. They are a combination of two of my favorites: happy mail and pockets!

Finally, I am giving away a hard copy of the Winter issue of SCT Magazine on my Instagram account. Enter before Friday evening by simply leaving a comment there: https://www.instagram.com/anounceofcreativity/ 

Hey Cupcake! Pocket Letter

I hope you had a wonderful long weekend. I am back today with my newest project created with Doodlebug Design adorable Hey Cupcake collection: a new pocket letter and I love how it turned out!

 For the first time, I used a larger 9x12 page protector so not only did I have more pockets to decorate and fill but it also meant that I could use two of the smaller cards in the Hey Cupcake Cards & Envelopes pack. I just had to slide the back of the cards in the pocket leaving the front out as a flap. All the other backgrounds were cut from the 6x6 Hey Cupcake paper pad.

 I pulled several die-cuts from the Chit Chat and the Odds & Ends packs as my main decorations. I also made my own with several Doodlebug Cuts metal dies, such as the Nesting Scallops, Large Tags and All Occasion sets.

 You can really include anything you want in those pocket! Some of mine have little treats like a few doilies, a pack of Doodle-pops, an envelope full of cut-up cards and a pocket of die-cut tickets. Of course, shiny sequins in a see-thru pocket always add a fun touch!

I am sure this pocket letter will make a young girl smile extra wide on her birthday! And bonus: I had a lot of fun making it :)

DOODLEBUG PRODUCTS USED: (affiliate links)

Hey Cupcake collection

Doodle Cuts All Occasion, Large Tags and Nesting Scallops

Mini Jewels in Swimming Pool, Lily White and Bubblegum

 Twine in Bumblebee

Mini Paperclips in Swimming Pool

Sequins Rainbow Pack

Mini Doilies in Lily White

I Heart Travel Happy Mail with a miniature pocket letter tutorial (Doodlebug Design)

Hello I am back today to share another example of happy mail that could brighten someone's day. I grabbed the awesome I ♥ Travel collection from Doodlebug Design (affiliate link) because I wanted to place all my goodies into a suitcase and develop my inserts on that theme.

I first created the suitcase itself by following this tutorial on You Tube, with a few variations (like the buckles that I hand cut). But the most fun was making the goodies that I was sending in it including the smallest pocket letter ever!

I started with a little booklet in which I put the cut apart postcards from the 12x12 Wish You Were Here paper. I also hand cut and strung several mini banners placing them into a small package I made for them. Finally, my favorite, I created a miniature pocket letter that fits perfectly into the suitcase.

It barely measures 3x4 inches and I will show you how you can create one too.

You will need a pocket page protector with a 3x4 pocket that you can cut. I had a leftover piece that worked perfectly. You can then cut little "cards" measuring 3/4"x1 1/8"to place in it. The next step is to design your pocket letter, first on top on the pocket, so you will know what will go inside and what will be adhered on top.

I used a mix of Mini Icons stickers, Doodle pop, Sprinkles, paper, twine and sequins. You first have to start with the bottom row which you will seal with a fuse tool. If you do not have one, you can also use a sewing machine.

The next step is to fuse the vertical lines before doing the last horizontal one. Spread things evenly before sealing and be careful not to shift things too much as you do.

To finish, decorate the top of the tiny pockets. You can add a little twine tassel if you'd like.

Isn't this the tiniest pocket letter you have ever seen?

Here is a short "unboxing" video:

INSTAGRAM | BLOG

DOODLEBUG PRODUCTS  USED:

I Heart Travel Collection

Sequins Rainbow assortment

Twine in Beetle black and Limeade

Gingham-Linen and Swiss Dots Petite Prints 6x6 paper pads

Tiny Hearts Shape Sprinkles

Ladybug Boutique Buttons

OTHER PRODUCTS USED:

Page protector

Fuse tool

A garden themed pocket letter (with Doodlebug Design)

Now that I know it was received, I can share this piece of happy mail with you today. I recently was inspired to create a garden themed pocket letter with the Simply Spring collection from Doodlebug Design:

 The die-cuts from the Odds & Ends and Chit Chat packs take center stage and that's because they are usually the first things I reach for when working with a Doodlebug collection. They are perfectly scaled for this project. I paired them with various papers from the 6x6 paper pack.

I have included a pack of Doodle-pops on which I created a topper and a pack of enamel ladybugs into a sewn pocket. In the middle, I made a shaker pocket with a combination of sequins and small die-cuts.  

This little bee card might be my favorite. I used strips of paper, a sticker and a speech bubble along with a jelly clip for my recipient. Which pocket is your favorite?

Tips for creating pocket letters:

1/ Treat each pocket like a little layout or a present

2/ Small embellishments make it fun for your recipient to look around and maybe find surprises not visible at first (also don't forget to add goodies behind the pockets)

3/You can also decorate on the outside of the pockets like I did above. Larger items can span over a couple of pockets for a different look or just stick out (like the doily and sticker above) 

Have you made pocket letters before? 

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A Valentine's Day Pocket Letter with Doodlebug Design French Kiss

I didn't make any announcement here but I am very happy to be back on the Doodlebug Design Design Team for another year! My first project of 2019 is a Valentine's Day pocket letter with a French theme thanks to my favorite new collection, French Kiss:

I had so much fun creating each pocket! I picked the background papers from the 6x6 paper pad and then used a variety of elements like Doodle-pops, shaped Sprinkles, paper clips, washi, stickers and die-cuts.

There are a couple of more "advanced" ones (above), like the shaker pocket which was created with the packaging of the pug Doodle-pop which fits perfectly in the pocket! I filled it with sequins and glitter, sealed it with washi tape and added stickers on top of it. I also created a pocket to hold die-cuts by folding patterned paper and cutting it at an angle in the front.

Last but not least, I am looking for a lucky recipient for this letter on my Instagram account right now: https://www.instagram.com/anounceofcreativity/ but if you are not on Instagram, leave a comment under this blog post before 9pm PST on Monday, January 21st.

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Supply list: Special Delivery and Love pug Doodlepops; Love always, Tiny truffles, City of Love and  Lots of Love washi; Heart Throb, French Kiss and Chocolate Box Shape Sprinkles; French Kiss Odds & Ends, French Kiss Chit Chat, French Kiss Icon Stickers, French Kiss This & That sticker sheet, French Kiss 6x6 paper pad, Hello jelly clip, Bike Ride cute clips, Mini doilies in Ladybug, Fancy Frills in Ladybug, Mini Love letters craft kit, sequins, glitter and twine; Other: page protector, glassine bag, acetate scrap

An Advent Pocket Letter with Doodlebug Design

Hello Friends! Advent pocket letters combine the excitement of counting down the days til Christmas and the joy brought on by happy mail. What could be better? Well, maybe making them is almost better than receiving them, especially when you get to play with the Christmas Town collection by Doodlebug Design! I spent an afternoon immersed in this project and loved every second!
* parts of this post appeared on the Doodlebug Design blog on 12/12/18

The base of my pocket letter is made of coin page protectors. They come with 20 pockets so I cut and taped an extra row in order to get 24 pockets. The next step was to cut twenty-four 2x2inches pieces of textured card-stock in four different colors. Then the fun began!

I worked on each square by selecting papers from the 6x6 Christmas Town pad (and sometimes the 6x6 Floral-Graph Petite Prints pad), stickers from the Icon and Mini icon sticker sheets but also die-cuts from the Chit Chat and the Odds & Ends packs. For the numbers, I used Teensy Type sheets in various colors. I made sure each square had some dimension by using foam dots and/or with embellishments like Sprinkles (dots and shaped) and sequins. I have also included a couple Doodle-Pops.

I covered the side of the letter (where the binder holes are) with a border sticker from the This & That sheet and made a tassel in matching colors with some Doodle Twine.

I went the crafty route and filled the pockets with small die-cuts and stickers, washi samples and other embellishments but they can also be filled with small chocolates or fun Holiday activities/prompts. And in case you are not into making pocket letters, why not use each of these squares as a starting point for gift tags? Either way, I am sure it will delight the recipient!

Thank you for stopping by!

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A Dino-mite Pocket Letter!

I am loving the new So Much Pun collection by Doodlebug Design because you can have so much fun with it, no pun intended! I know I did while creating this Dino-Mite pocket letter!

As with many of my Doodlebug projects, it started with the Odds & Ends pack from which I selected all the dinosaur related diecuts, and a few more.  I also included a Doodle-Pop because it fits perfectly into the pocket of this trading card page protector.

Using some Doodlebug twine and a mini paperclip, I created a fun tassel clip that can be used in a planner.  Also, I like to have a see-thru element in my pocket letters so, right in the middle, I inserted a pack of Dino-mite Sprinkles out of its packaging. Again, they fit perfectly!

In the bottom pockets, I have included samples of matching washi tapes (above) and a small bag of paperclips which I decorated with star stickers from the This & That sticker sheet and a banner from the Chit Chat pack (below).

All the patterned papers are from the So Much Pun 6x6 paper pad, including the ones I used to make a slanted pocket and a mini envelope for my note:

Finally, I created a sequin pocket with a mix of colors matching the rest of the project and added a few diecuts from the Chit Chat pack right on top of the page protectors.

I am willing to bet that you had never seen a dinosaur themed pocket letter before! But you have to admit that is one super cute piece of happy mail and I can't wait to send to its intended recipient!

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(this post contains a few affiliate links: you don't pay anything extra by using them, but I do get a small commission on the sale. Thank you!)

My first Flip Book (Doodlebug Design)

Inspired by my favorite patterned paper from the Doodlebug Design So Punny collection, I decided to make my very first flip book:

(links to suplies are affiliate links, you do not pay anything extra when using them 

but I get a small commission from scrapbook.com if you do, thank you!)

All the papers used to build this book are from the 6x6 So Punny paper pad so the closed book, as seen above, measures 6x6 inches. On the cover, I layered a mini doily and a cut-out (also from the paper pad). I embellished with some of my favorite Sprinkles: the So Punny Tiny Hearts!

Let's open the first part:

The book is meant to be fun to open, unfold and flip through so it has interactive parts that are hard to see with photos. For this reason, you will find a quick video at the bottom to better show you the moving parts. On the left page, I created a pocket and a tag on which I have attached a Doodle Pop package (using a tiny clip so it can easily be removed). Die-cuts are from the Chit Chat pack. The right page as a card from the So Punny Create-A-Card pack. I have used several throughout the book... How cute are those shaped Sprinkles on top of it?!

By opening another flap, you find a card to flip open to read a note (embellished with more of my favorite Tiny Hearts) and a pocket decorated with different washi tapes and Glitter Sprinkles. I put a Jelly Clip on top to go with the soda theme of this flap.

Now here is a look at the book fully open:

I adhered an open envelope in the center part and inside is a card holding goodies and a washi tape sampler, all attached with a Doodlebug clothespin. On the front, I added a bigger doily, die-cuts and other favorites: matte Sprinkles (from the Cream & Sugar collection). They look like candy!

On the bottom flap is a treat bag filled with yellow doilies that I attached with a Cute Clip. The whole book is tied together with some red and white Chunky Twine. 

Now take a look at the quick video:

I had so much fun creating this project and if you have any questions about it, do not hesitate to reach out to me in the comments or on Instagram.

A tea lover pocket letter with Doodlebug Design

(If you follow the Doodlebug Design blog, you might have already seen this project. Skip to the next post ;)

Hello friends! I am very excited to be sharing my first project for Doodlebug Design today! I played with the Cream & Sugar collection to create a tea themed pocket letter. I don't drink coffee but I love a good cup of tea! (Earl Grey Creme is my favorite)

I started with the 6x6 Cream & Sugar paper pack to create the backdrops then I selected and placed several die-cuts from the odds&ends pack (which I love!). I filled a pocket with more die-cuts and another with shape sprinkles from the Cake Shoppe collection. Everybody knows that you need cute little cakes with your tea, right?

For the top pocket above, I used some bon bon teensy type stickers and put a Hello cardstock sticker from the 12x12 Cream & Sugar sticker sheet on pop dots for extra dimension. I like to put things inside but also on top of the page protector.

For this pocket, I have included two cute clips from the coffee shop pack and added word stickers from the already mentioned 12x12 sheet. Pretty matte enamel dots and machine stitching add the finishing touches.

The idea with pocket letters is to send someone goodies and I have included quite a bit here, visible and not visible. I have written a note and placed it into my homemade envelope and I will add a variety of tea bags behind a couple of cards like this last one above.

And now my kettle is whistling ;) See you back here soon!

A mini-pocket letter with Right At Home

Happy weekend my friends! I was recently asked by Nicole, owner of Right At Home, to guest design and work with some of her Fall themed stamps and dies. I gladly agreed and have been busy creating several projects. Today, the first one is on their blog:

I created this Fall themed mini pocket letter using the Fall Leaves stamp set, Fall Leaves dies and the Be Thankful stamp set:

I am using a "baseball card" protector that I cut in third in order to end up with three vertical pockets.
In the first pocket, I placed a small notebook I made and decorated with cardstock leaves doodled over with a white pen. The middle pocket is a shaker pocket where I placed a tag, a wood veneer, sequins and die-cut plus stamped leaves. The last pocket holds a small letter, a tag I stamped with a sentiment and a white card stamped then watercolored.

Here is a look at it folded and ready to go:

Fall and the Thanksgiving season is always a good time to send a message of gratitude and a little treat to a pen pal or a crafty friend. This little bundle went to a special lady all the way in Australia :)