Birthday envelope & tag

One thing I love about papercrafting is your scrap pile/drawer/bowl ... there are so many creations just waiting to be made from all your leftover paper, ribbons, and embellishments!

This birthday envelope and tag is one example. Pretty much every piece of paper was a scrap from another project. Fortunately, everything seemed to tie together quite well.

For the envelope, I folded up a piece of October Afternoon paper then stuck some goldenrod cardstock on top. I cut out an owl from some Jenni Bowlin Halloween paper, applied crackle accents, then set it next to some Prima flowers. I added a Sizzix button die then stamped the envelope using my Martha Stewart custom stamp kit.

For the tags, I used some Graphic 45 Fashionista paper and Spellbinders dies. I also put my Sew Easy Stitcher to the test ...

Supplies:

October Afternoon - Yellow Bikini paper
Graphic 45 - Fashionista paper
Sew Easy Stitcher w/Scallop attachment
Prima flowers
Sizzix Scallop Tag die
Sizzix Button die
Jenni Bowlin - Halloween paper

Sweet & simple birthday card

I love the challenge of making cards or scrapbooks with my friends' favorite colors in mind, especially when it's a color I don't naturally gravitate towards. My friend Jill loves the color yellow and has a simple, elegant style, so I wanted to make her a card that resembled all of those traits.

After spotting this yellow paper a few months back and using it for another card, I instantly enjoyed playing with the color yellow and was excited to use it for Jill's card.

Paper Mermaids carries these lovely wooden buttons ... thankfully, I had grabbed a few, and found the perfect home for one of them as the focal point of the card.

I ran some yellow floss through the button then centered it on my favorite crochet ribbon. I think I like yellow now ... :)

Supplies:

October Afternoon - Yellow Bikini paper
Scattered Straw distress ink
Bazzil cardstock
We R Memory Keepers - yellow floss

$1 Coach bag!

Ever since I got bit by the craft bug, I've wanted to make my boss something crafty, but couldn't settle on what I wanted to make her. At first, it was a photo frame with some embellies on it. Then it was a purse-shaped album. I kicked all these ideas around and kinda let it go for a while, as I wanted to make sure whatever I made her, that it was something well-thought and something specific to her interests.

On my craft table, I've had a growing number of cardboard objects just piling up. Toilet paper rolls, a taco shell box, a Saltine cracker box, and a cake mix box that cost $1. I looked at that cake box one day and the idea came. A Coach bag made from cardboard! You see, my boss LOVES Coach handbags, and I figure one more wouldn't hurt. ;) I figured it would be a glorified coupon holder - so it would actually have some function to it. 

Before the idea came to me, I had bought a piece of October Afternoon paper from Paper Mermaids that just spoke to me. It was this light green paper with flourishes on it, and while I didn't have a specific project in mind, I knew I had to have it. Well, that paper turned out to look just like the kind of design you'd see on a handbag, so it was the first thing I grabbed for to make the purse. To make the purse as realistic as possible, I went on the Coach website and searched for a few different handbag styles to make. I drew three sketches and ended up choosing a style that I could totally see my boss sporting. I then cut open the box and lined the inside of the purse with light green cardstock, and saved extra cardstock as trim for the outside of the purse. To hold everything together, I used Claudine Helmuth Studio gloss, which bound the cardstock rather quickly to the cardboard. While I don't use the studio gloss very much, when I do, I'm always impressed because the paper feels so attached. 

I used some gold cardstock as accents for the strap, as well as for the tags. I used a Spellbinders die to create the main label patch, which I used for both the inside and outside of the bag. I used the same die to hold the straps to both sides of the purse. As for the tags, I stamped the word "Coach" using versamark ink and embossed it using Ranger "seafoam white" powder. I created another tag and used glossy accents and then Tim Holtz fragments to create a more authentic look. 

I was so excited to give Jody the handbag that instead of just leaving it for her to find, I spilled the beans and told her I had something for her. (I always seem to ruin surprises at work.) I had so much fun making the handbag that I may have to make my own someday!

Supplies:

October Afternoon - 5 & Dime paper - Jawbreakers
Spellbinders Label 11 die
Gold cardstock
Tim Holtz - Idea-ology - Ball Chain
Martha Stewart Custom Stamp Set
Sizzix Scallop Tag

Recipe Book

A co-worker of mine loves cooking and loves sweets - so I decided to make her a recipe book. I used an envelope and tag album that I bought from Paper Mermaids along with a healthy dose of Tim Holtz Distress Ink and country charm, ala October Afternoon paper. I used the envelopes as meal type dividers ("breakfast", "lunch", "dinner", and "dessert") as well as placeholders for additional recipes. As for the tags, I made little "ingredient" and "directions" templates on each, and even threw in my lemon bar recipe. ;)

I lost all the photos I took of the project, but thankfully, my mom-in-law had snapped a photo of the cover on her camera. This was actually my favorite part of the project, as the cover of any scrapbook or minibook totally sets the tone for the rest of the book. I used some blue gingham paper from the Graphic 45 "Magic of Oz" line, then added a couple October Afternoon elements that I applied glossy accents to. The mannequin was created with the Sizzix Tim Holtz Sewing Room die, which I dressed up with some more Graphic 45 paper, a white apron, and my favorite crochet ribbon tucked in at the bottom.

Supplies:

Sizzix Tim Holtz - Sewing Room die
October Afternoon - Five & Dime paper
Glossy Accents
Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Chipped Sapphire & Rusty Hinge
Graphic 45 - The Magic of Oz & On The Boardwalk paper

FIL's Birthday Card

Paper Mermaids carries this adorable line of October Afternoon paper called 5 & Dime. One of the papers (titled "Root Beer Barrels" - how cute!) features this cute spread of nostalgic things like ice cream, kites, and birthday cakes - the perfect kind of paper for a birthday card!

I picked up some of this paper for my father-in-law, whose birthday was back in June. To change things up a bit, I decided to make his card an accordian-style card with 3 pages. I cut out a few of the images and glued them on to each page, stamped a Martha Stewart doily stamp around the images, then applied some sentiments.

My FIL loves chocolate, so I was so stoked that the paper included a chocolate cake! Of course, nothing's better than the real thing, so we made Steve a real-life chocolate cake to match. It was definitely a sweet day. ;)

Supplies:

October Afternoon - 5 & Dime paper
Martha Stewart Doily Lace Double Edge Punch
Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Chipped Sapphire