Pretty Little Favor Bag

I imagine my craft room might look a lot like some of yours (well, at least the more chaotic ones!).  I always seem to have extra bits and pieces from projects that I leave on my work area.  I try to organize them so I'll remember to use them.  Soon they are overflowing and you could do an archeological dig through the layers that accumulate on any horizontal surface to discover what I have been working on for the past few weeks (...or months).  I actually prefer having these things sitting around because I sometimes find interesting combinations that I my not have put together if everything was neatly tucked away.

When I was making the Hope card (see THIS POST if you missed it), I tried a few different versions of the size and layers for the word "Hope."  I couldn't let them go to waste, so I put the extras together and used one of them to decorate this tiny favor or gift bag.

I have lots of cartridges that will cut bags and I can easily design my own bags and boxes to cut with one of my electronic cutters but sometimes I do prefer to use a regular steel rule die - particularly if I need to make a large number of the same item.

I recently bought this Tim Holtz bag die from the Alterations line by Sizzix. 

The die makes a tiny shopping bag that is easy to assemble.  It looks very authentic when you use a piece of a larger paper bag and run it through a manual die cutting machine (or the Vagabond if you have one). 

I first saw this die at Absolutely Everything, when I took the classes with Tim Holtz last spring.  They had lots of sample bags made up and decorated.

The bags had a vintage look and were done in mostly browns and subdued colors.  Many of them were inked for grungy and distressed effects.

I decided to try making a totally "ungrungy" bag using a pretty pink cardstock from Martha Stewart and some ruffled ribbon from May Arts for the handle.  The "hope" sentiment that was the wrong size for my card would fit the bag perfectly.

To assemble the bag, you need to put adhesive on the long side flap.  I also added a bit of adhesive on the two short side bottom sections.

The bag is designed so the bottom flaps will interlock.  First you fold in the two side tabs...

...then you fold down the long "U" shaped section.  Scor-Tape is my favorite adhesive for holding bags and boxes together.

The last section folds and tucks under the "U" shaped piece and the points of the "U" shaped piece lock it into place.

Instead of stapling a string handle to the front and back of the bag, I add some Scor-Tape to the two narrow sides on the inside and then adhered the ribbon to the bag.

The Scor-Tape will hold the ribbon securely so long as nothing very heavy is added to the bag.

The two sided cardstock makes the bag look finished inside and out.

I glued my extra "Hope" cut to the front of the bag.  You could add some flowers or other embellishments to decorate the bag.

I simply placed a few pink pearls on the first letter and the final flourish to accent the word.

I think I am going to enjoy trying all sorts of different versions of this bag.  I'll tell you more about the pumpkin bag another day.

We had a very busy weekend so things are a little off schedule again - lots of irons in the fire these days!  I may be making another trip soon - somehow I think that craftroom is never going to get sorted out!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  For the rest of the month, everyone who leaves a comment on my blog will have a chance to win this Sizzix "Scrap Pink" set.  You can see more photos and details at THIS POST.  For more chances, you can leave a comment everyday for the rest of the month - but just one comment per day please.

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Gift Card Holder - times three

A couple of days ago, I posted a few photos of a gift card holder I made using the Cricut Artiste cartridge.  There are several gift card holders on this cartridge - the one I chose is on page 55 (letter G, card function, on the overlay).

I cut three of the holders at 5 inches, using the Gypsy so I could eliminate the tick marks for the scorelines.  The cardholder is designed so both sides of the paper will be seen.  I chose some pretty floral paper with a pink swirl on the reverse side from K & Company.

After the holders were cut, I simply scored and folded them in the middle and then scored along the base of the card and folded the sides up.

This is how the holder looks after scoring and folding.  I always eliminate the tick marks to make my folded edges neater.

 

The smaller inner section is sized to hold a plastic gift card with a little notch to make it easier to grasp the card.

To assemble the card holder, you just need to add strong adhesive to the sides and base of the center section.  I used Scor-Tape as you can see in the photo above.

I made three identical card holders for three gift cards.  To present the cards, I decided to make a "large" card.  I took a sheet of 12 x 12 dark green Bazzill textured cardstock and folded it in half for a 6 x 12 inch card.

I attached each of the card holders to the card base, using Scor-Tape again.  I like this adhesive because it is strong and does not leave a mess.  You do have to be careful to place your item correctly the first time because it is a very aggressive adhesive and it is difficult or impossible to move a piece that you have stuck done crooked or in the wrong spot.

The cards were a birthday gift so I wanted to add a birthday sentiment.  I used the banner cut from page 35 (number 5 on the keypad, accent 1 function).  This shape has a coordinating stamp that comes with the  Artiste bundle .  I cut the banners from the same paper with the pink side up and stamped the "
Happy Birthday" with Fired Brick Distress Ink.

I did not adhere the banners to chipboard but I did pop them up a bit with some foam dots.

Here is the inside of the card with three sets of birthdays wishes.  I signed on the left side of the card with  white ink.

The cards are placed in the holders with the bottom sides showing since they are fixed in a vertical position.  This hides the value of the card so there is a moment of anticipation as it is pulled out.

I wanted the front of the card to look like a package so I simply used another piece of the floral cardstock cut at 5 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches for the layer.  I wrapped some ruffled pink ribbon around the daisy paper and taped it on the back.  Then I added a layer of burgundy satin ribbon in the center of the pink ribbon.

Once the ribbons were centered and fixed in place, I added a piece of burgundy ribbon for a bow.

This is the top of the "package" or the front of the card.  This was a quick and simple to make the gift card presentation a little more special.

If you are thinking about purchasing the Artiste cartridge, it is available only through Close to my Heart consultants.  My friend Melanie Brown is a consultant and she would be happy to help you.  Melanie's site is HERE.   The Cricut Artiste Cartridge bundle is HERE on her site - it includes three coordinating stamp sets and three sheets of chipboard shapes. 

When you purchase the bundle, you will qualify to purchase  the September Stamp of the Month, Fall Favorites for just $5.   Until September 30th, you can also get the special National Stamping Month set for only $5 - it is a double set you can see HERE and you add it to your cart HERE.

I hope you are having a great weekend - we'll be enjoying another family birthday party today as the triplets are turning 9!  I have to finish up their cards this morning and I also hope to move a few more things around in my craftroom - if I can manage without help from my husband who shouldn't be using his injured hand.

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Double Happy Birthday

Our little neighbors turned three this month.  We have triplets and twins in my husband's family and it is fun to have another set of twins living right up the street.  I made their birthday cards using the Artiste Cricut cartridge which is available exclusively from Close To My Heart Consultants.  My friend Melanie Brown (of Courtney Lane Designs and Everyday Cricut) is a consultant and she would be happy to help you with any questions. 

 

I browsed through the handbook and started choosing some shapes.  This cartridge has some very nice welded phrases and word art and the "Birthday Girl" and the "years old" were perfect for my card.  I used Design Studio to help me see how things would look and to take the guesswork out of sizing each piece that I would be cutting for the cards.  I used a total of nine cuts from the cartridge.

 

Here are all of the pieces for one card, ready to assemble.  I'll give you a list of the cuts and sizes to make it easier:

The card base is on page 57 of the handbook (card function, shift) and I cut it at 5.5 inches.  The purple cardstock is from Martha Stewart.

I found a shape that worked to layer on the card on page 77 of the handbook (card function, no shift) and I cut it two times at 4.5 inches (the dark pink silk texture cardstock is from American Crafts and the pink design for the inside of the card is by Martha Stewart).  I cut another of this shape at 4.75 inches (in green Core Couture glitter cardstock from Core'dinations).

The "Birthday Girl" phrase and the tiara are on page 69 of the handbook.  I cut the "Birthday Girl" base at 2 inches from  American Crafts white pearl cardstock.  The letters "G I R L" (also at 2 inches) and the tiara (at 1.5 inches) are cut from DCWV Dazzle paper in silver.

The "years old" phrase is on page 70 and I cut it at 1 inch from the same American Crafts dark pink cardstock that I used on the front layer.  The number "3" is cut at 1 inch from the dark pink cardstock and the "burst" shape behind the number 3 is on page 44 and was cut at 2.25 inches from the same white pearl cardstock that I used for the phrase on the front of the card.

Whew! - that's a long list of cuts but it was really quite easy and quick to make the cuts once I figured things out on the computer.  I did not cut from the computer but simply used it to figure out the correct sizes for all of the cuts.  You can also do this with the Cricut Craftroom program.  If you are using a Gypsy, you would probably just go ahead and cut from it after determining the sizes.

You could cut the "Birthday Girl" and skip the top layer for a different look.  I wanted to tie the tiara and the words together so I added the sparky letter layers.

I sized the tiara to extend over the edges of the mat shape and then hand trimmed the sides before adhering it to the green layer.

There is not an actual shadow layer for the shape that I used so I cut it at just 1/4 inch larger to create the contrasting line of green color and add more sparkle to the card front.  You can get away with this for small increments but if you cut a significantly larger shape the proportions will be off a bit. 

I lined up the tiara on a straight line in the pink textured cardstock and also measure the distance from the side points with a ruler to keep the tiara level on the shape.  I didn't save the dot for the "i" because I knew I wanted to add a gem sticker for the dot.

One large foam dot would have been fine to raise up the burst shape with the number three, however, I wanted to use three dots since it was a third birthday card (crazy, I know!).

I could have taken this a step further and added a circle with a pin behind the shape so it could be taken off and worn for the big day (a few ribbons attached to the medallion would make the pin even more festive).

I tied some sparkly sheer ribbon around the fold of the card - this helped to hide the "tick marks" that I usually eliminate by checking "weld" when I am using the software or the Gypsy device. 

A little purple gem finishes off the card front.

I put the cards in large envelopes that are meant for an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper folded in half.  This left plenty of room for the bulky card.

It was fun to look through the Artiste handbook and find so many pretty things I could add to my cards.  As I looked for the images I wanted to use, I was once again amazed to see how much content is included on this cartridge.  This is definitely a cartridge that you can use over and over again.  It is sold only in a bundle with three stamp sets and three sheets of chipboard shapes that coordinate with the cartridge cuts.

Remember, the deal is even better now for the bundle.  You can get the cartridge with the three included stamps sets and three sheets of chipboard shapes for $99 and then add both the stamp of the month for $5 and then the National Stamping Month double stamp set for another $5 - so for $109 (plus tax and shipping) you can get the cartridge, three sheets of chipboard and six stamp sets!  Melanie will be happy to answer any questions you have before you order - you can contact her through her blog, Courtney Lane Designs HERE or her website HERE.

Melanie has an additional special offer for the month of August.  If you buy the Artiste bundle through her, she will put your name in a drawing to win a brand new Cricut E2 machine with purple end caps.

The days are getting shorter and it is a bit cooler.  I wanted to share this photo of the beautiful sky we saw over our neighborhood on Tuesday night - fabulous colors!

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