A Simple Gift Bag.

     I needed to make a gift bag for a gift (yes, it's a Christmas gift, still - it was something that was ordered and didn't come until after my friend and I got our families together for Christmas - OK - don't you judge me ;- ) and the Cricut didn't have a file for one that was large enough, so I checked the Internet and this was what I came up with. It's really simple, but since I looked it up, I thought I'd share it with you and maybe save you some time. I found this template from the About.com people and you can find all of their directions here. They have a template there that you can print out and it looks like this.

     It shows the measurements in units, so that you can make the back about any size. This will make the front and back twice the size as the sides. (You can click on the image to enlarge it.) Since I wanted to make as large a bag as I could from a 12 inch sheet of card stock 2 inches was my basic unit. Now you may be saying, "Hey that doesn't divide out right!" Probably not, I don't do that kind of math in my head either, I would have just believed you, but it doesn't, because you need to leave that edge that is in grey in order to glue it. So, my sides are 2 inches (because I wanted the extra ease on the sides) and the front and back are 3 3/4 and the extra 1/2 inch is in the grey area used to glue it together. I just made that up to make the numbers work (it made more sense to me than have fractions all over the place and used the whole sheet of paper across.) I scored it on my Martha Stewart score board. It was scored up 2 inches from the bottom as well, in order to make the  bottom flaps and that is how far up you cut from the bottom. I didn't use the whole sheets height, because my gift isn't that tall. I didn't take a photo of the scored bag, but here is a photo of the part that I had cut off of the top with the score marks.

     The bag was made with DCWV's Holiday Collection Christmas Stack from last year. I used Terrifically Tacky tape down the side seam first (the smallest area on the right) first. Now remember, on the actual bag I cut on the score lines for 2 inches up on the bottom, to make my flaps. (the template never tells you what to do with the part in the grey are here. I cut it off.) I then folded them in to form the flaps, first the smaller side flaps and the the larger flaps and used the Terrifically Tacky Tape from Provo Craft to hold them together.

     Now from here you can decorate your bag any way you want. If you used plain paper and had wanted to stamp it, of course you would have done that while it was still flat ;- ) I thought about add some poinsettias that I had meant to make for Christmas, but didn't (don't judge...) but they wouldn't have gone with the paper I ended up using. In the end I decided jus to add a handle. I didn't have an eyelets that matched, but I knew the gift is light, so I just punched holes in the front and back of the bag and threaded some ribbon through and then knotted the ribbon.

     To keep the ribbon from twisting I added some discreet tape on the inside ;- )

     So, just switch this out with some valentine paper and fill it up for you sweetie <3 Thanks for stopping by and not judging me today. Please leave a comment before you rush on with your day. I really appreciate hearing from you! I'll be leaving christmas behind now!!!

All with the help of my elves!

     Well, we finished the Christmas card on Thurs. and I finally found a moment to post it :- ) I have to give the credit to my DH elf for cutting the scallop from Recollections paper with the large nestabilities die (as well as scoring and folding all 40 cards, following through on the tree decorating when it stalled and signing all the cards.) My DS elf embossed the snowflakes and corner rounded the sentiment, as well as spraying the image with Crafter's Companion Spray & Sparkle Iridescent glitter varnish (gotta love him ;- ) The image and the sentiment are both from Meljen Designs and were colored in Photoshop. The pattern paper is a digital paper from Bits and Bobs and is part of a free sampler. I'm giving you the direct link to the free sampler I used, but here is a warning: I found the sampler from a direct link and when looking for it, for this post I found that this site does have kits that link to adult content (there is a warning), so you might want to be prepared or just go to the direct link, if you are interested in the paper and the matching embellishments. So you've been warned!

  
     I didn't take a photo of all 40, because there was no place to set them all up ;- ) At this point, I decided to diverge from my usual path, and just stamp on the inside with out adding any other paper (need to be quicker and simpler.) The sentiments are from Clear Dollar Stamps's Christmas Blessings and were embossed with holographic embossing powder. Now here are some stamping tips:
1) You will get ink on your fingers every time you touch the stamp block or stamp pad
2) Ink that doesn't wipe off will always come off on white cardstock when you touch it  >.<
3) you should totally wash your hands with soap & water and wipe the stamps every 4-5 cards (not      really moving fast, but very important!
4) A damp cloth to wipe your fingers with after touching the stamp &/or stamp pad will keep down finger smudges on your cards
5) ink smudges are a naturally occurring phenomenon on cards and only add to the beauty and value of your card (just like those tags on clothes)
6) forget perfectionism or you will never finish ;- )

     Yes, of course, I showed you the best one. I'll be entering this in Stamping With the Dragon's challenge which has anything to do with snow. Thanks for coming by. I hope you and your family have the most Blessed of Christmases. Please leave a comment before you go. I really love to hear from you!

Elves have been sighted ;- )

     Elves have been getting busy. One is working on the tree and the college elf has been spraying glitter for the Christmas cards and has learned to use a corner rounder ;- ) Amazing growth, that college brings, ha ha. However, today's item, is still not our Christmas card. Instead, it is a square tag that I made using the image from the Freebie Challenge at The Outlaws due, surprise, today!

     The image is from Anne's Digital Design by Anne Fenton. You can find her blog here, where she often offers some great freebies. I colored it digitally in PhotoShop. The red cardstock is from Core'dinattions and the pattern paper is from DCWV Holiday Christmas Stack. I just happened to pick up the ribbon this week from Michael's this week, on sale. The sentiment is from Inkadinkado and I embossed it with Kaleidoscope embossing powder.  I went over the sign with a glitter gel pen and added Diamond Glaze to the berries (it appears it's not dry >.<) A nice, very simple tag, where you can put the To: and From: info on the back.

     I'd like to go back to cutting down our tree next year. Just shopping for it, as we have the past couple of years (partly due to the surgeries) causes us to go out for it later and the pickings are slimmer and I don't get to enjoy looking at it as much.  Hope your holiday preparations are coming along on schedule. Thanks for taking the time to stop by. Please leave a comment before you dash off. I really appreciate them. Have a holly, jolly weekend ;- )

I think I'm ahead, only to find I'm behind ;- (

     I started out thinking I was doing so well. I had finished a tag for the Progressive Challenge at Crafter's Digital Art Center on Saturday, but it was dark when I took the photo and I never got one taken on Sunday and by the time we got back from taking my son back to college, I was too tired to post, so I just figured I re-take the photo during the day today. Still, it isn't due until the 30th and I was done on the 26th and could have gotten it there if I had to. Such an accomplishment. That along with finishing my Aunt's card, mailing her gift and working like crazy on the house, because we have a huge Christmas party coming up on Sat. and my hubby is still recuperating and can't lift over 15 lbs. (How heavy are your Christmas boxes? Mine are a lot heavier than 15 lbs.) Now, I know my neighbor just had a death in the family and that will be 3 cards to make, but I have a bit of a grace period on that, so I think I'm doing pretty good and then.... I remember, just before writing this, that today is the anniversary of some dear friends of ours, so dear that they are coming all the way from Kansas to the Christmas party (Kansas City to Chicago is a looonnng way for 1 evening's visit.) Not only that, tomorrow is another friend's daughter's birthday. I didn't miss the birthdays of either of her sisters :-0 Wait .... what happened, everything was going so well? Maybe this is why the tag is done early!!! and my house is partial decorated!!! and my family room has been dusted!!!

     The tag uses an image by Tracy from Sugar Creek Hollow and the challenge and info on it can be found here. She reminded me of a partridge. I colored her digitally and printed her twice, cutting off her tail, legs and top feathers for the top image. The top image was edged with Zig Gold Painty marker and  sprayed with Crafter's Companion's Iridescent spray, which of course doesn't photograph well. The tail and top feathers on the bottom layer are actually inked with Distress Inks. I hadn't colored them because I didn't know I was going to cut it out like that until I did ;- ) The pattern papers are both freebie papers from Papercraft Inspirations. They have lots of great freebies. check out there site here. The tree came from issue 91 and is called Crafty Orchard and the music paper is from issue 93 and is All Join In. The golden yellow cardstock is Core'dinations and it was embossed with Birds and Swirls by Cuttlebug. The sentiment is from Clear Dollar Stamps and was sprayed with Yellow Daisy Glimmer Mist. My favorite part is the ribbon, which you can barely see. It's very shimmery and silky. I was inspired to do a tag by Sue at http://scrumplescrunch.blogspot.com/ who was doing the 12 tags of Christmas Challenge. Now she is in a class way beyond me, but that's where inspiration comes from ;- )

     Now on to my Aunt's card. I'll re-fresh your memory with the outside photo, but you can go here for the info on it. I just wanted to show you how I finished off the inside.

     The stamped and embossed image at the top is actually an unmounted stamp. I wanted to give a tip that to use one, that you hadn't gotten around to mounting (I'm not sure that ever has happened to anyone ;- ), but you can use re-possionable adhesive on the mounting block to attach the stamp. That stamp was a gift with purchase and isn't marked so I don't know whose it is. The Happy Birthday is from Scrappy Cat. After I took the picture, I added a gift stamped with blue chalk ink in the huge white space. The gingerbread men were colored over with a glitter gel pen.

     And finally, (I know you thought this would go on forever and it's not over yet) here are a few photos of the gift I sent my Aunt. We found this at a craft fair in Sept.  and this artist had so many lovely pieces in a huge variety of sizes. This is made of clay and the petals are very soft. 

      Thanks for making it through today's post. I'm sure you  have so much to do too ;- ) If you have any time left, please leave a comment. It means so very much to me to know you were here. Have a great week and remember to do something creative that you enjoy!  

Creative Freebie Challenge at The Outlawz

     Well, here I am at another deadline, only this time I have no clue where the time went. I really love the images that we were given and I'm feeling bad that I just remembered today that it's the 19th, because I wanted to send more time with whichever image I chose. You know, do it's wonderfulness some justice.  I had planned on coloring it non-digitally, but with the short time, digital it is. I used a pattern on the top of the stocking to give it a more fuzzy feel. The wonderful image is by Sandi Huggett.  The papers are from K &Companies Peppermint Twist Specialty papers from last Christmas and some cream cardstock I had on hand which was embossed with snowflakes from the Sizzix Christmas folder set from last year.  The top of the stocking is stamped with a stamp by Inkadinkadoo from Christmas Wishes and embossed with Kaleidoscope powder. The inside of the card is unfinished, because I'm not sure who I'm going to send it to or if it will be a birthday card. I embellished the pink border snowflakes with Viva Decor Pearl pens. Sorry, for the poor quality on the photo, but I ran out of daylight :- (  You should come and join us at The Outlawz!

     I also went to Archiver on Fri, before going to get my son from college, and made their Make-N-Take.  I ended up rushing home, hoping that I wouldn't get all of the glitter all over the car >. > then the photo ornament might show my photo at my memorial service, if my hubby found red glitter glue all over the seats. Ha Ha! Here is a photo of the tag. Of course, every time I touched them, I had glitter glue on me!

    The photo ornament photo didn't turn out well, so I'll try to re-take it and post it another time (must have been all of the glitter.)  Thanks for stopping by and please, leave a comment before you move on. I really love to hear from you. Have a blessed Sunday!