Quick 15 Minute Decorated Gift Bags

Oh, what to do with those too-good-to-throw-away Hawaiian Airlines meal bags that you get on longer flights.  I decided to turn them into gift bags because I know that with the holiday season coming up I will need lots of hostess gifts to show my appreciation to friends and family.  I didn't want to spend a lot of time and money on the bags because most likely they will be thrown away....maybe passed on to someone else.  HM Ben Franklin Crafts usually has a good selection of die cut images that are stickers or can be glued onto the bags.  I think the subdued Kraft paper surface of the bags is ideal for decorating  with a variety of images and other pretty embellishments.  I added flowers from my multi-media floral collection.  I like the woven handles that came with the bags but if you don't, they can be easily  replaced with something more colorful/fairy-like.  Although the top bag photo doesn't show how the tiny flowers in the foreground shine like jewels, in close-up they really add some texture and 'fairy dust'. 

On both bags I used labels to cover up the Hawaiian Airlines logo.  Even the backs of the bags had  small logo marks so I added tiny stickers to cover them up, too.  While these bags are not works of art, they do recycle these often thrown away free bags into a pleasing carrier for a goodie or two for a hard working hostess or friend deserving of a surprise gift. Here's hoping that you are saving our planet one recycled, decorated bag at a time.  Thank You for not adding to our landfills!

Gift Bag with Heart Shaped Confetti Window

After making several shaker window cards, I decided it might be fun to make a confetti shaker window gift bag.  The hardest part of this bag was die cutting the heart in the bag without cutting through the bag's back.  The Spellbinders heart die set has several sizes of hearts so it was easy to find a size perfect for the bag. I positioned the die on the front of the bag and washi taped it in place.  Inside the bag, behind the die on the front, I lightly taped a piece of card stock.  I ran the bag through my Big Shot machine to cut out the heart window.  I had to add several pieces of card stock between the cutting plates to cut only through the bag and card stock behind the front.  I also put an extra piece of card stock inside the bag to protect the back of the bag.  Next I filled a small Heiko cello bag with heart confetti (so many to choose from at HM BFC) and adhered it between the bag front window and the heart window behind.  I made the mistake of taping the confetti bag where it was visible inside the bag so I had to cover it up with another piece of card stock..LOL!  At least it doesn't show the messy taping.  Finally a pretty floral print bow added a sweet touch to a unique gift bag.  I can see more confetti gift bags in my future! P.S. An added bonus is that the recipient (hopefully a crafter) can take apart the confetti bag and use the confetti on HER craft projects.  No Wasting! Recycle and Reuse! 

 

Floral Confetti Window Card

In the box of card blanks with gold designs on the front, I discovered a pretty floral print that I decided would go well with one of the lady stickers from Japan.  As in the previous confetti window card, I cut the window with a Hero Arts Infinity die. (Read previous post to learn how I aligned the windows to make a pocket for the confetti.)  This time the inner panel was cut from a 6x6 floral print card stock. (See photo below.)

A small Heiko cello bag was filled with floral confetti and small Prima paper flowers (old stash) before sealing and attaching between the window layers of the card front.  After adhering the chosen sticker (her bouquet was enhanced with green and yellow color pencils), I glued three Prima paper flowers to the corner of the window.  Gold Stickles paint was added to the center of each blossom.  The second time trying a new technique always seems easier than the first.  I think that this card also is more pleasing to my eye....maybe because I like the flowers and cheerful colors. This type of card is really simple to make but it looks impressive. I think you will be pleased if you give it a try. Go on...try it!. You know you want to ...yes, you do! 
 

Confetti Window Thank You Card

This card was my first attempt at making a clear confetti window on a card.  I started with a rather plain gold dotted card blank.  I used a bit of double stick tape to adhere a piece of card stock (same size as the card front) to the inside of the card front before using a Hero Arts die to cut an opening.  Next I filled a small Heiko cello bag with some assorted confetti dots and sealed the bag shut before taping it behind the front opening.  The edges of the card front and inside were sealed shut with double stick tape.  Finally a sticker was chosen to embellish the card front and a die cut (Lawn Fawn) 'thank you' was added along the window.  For a first try this confetti window card was fairly successful.  I was encouraged to try another one.  Please return to this blog site to see my next confetti card.  I think you'll like it!

 

Quick Sticker Art Cards

It's impossible for me to walk by a sticker display without picking up a few packs of delightful miniature paper art.  Whether here (HM Ben Franklin Crafts and Daiso) or in Japan, the quality and unique styles of stickers has exploded in quantity and been elevated to mini artworks.  I decided to see if I could use stickers to design some quick cards. This is my first attempt.  I included some cool stickers that look like old fashion wax seals, a misty acetate large floral rectangle, and some tiny people Daiso stickers. The addition of a Heiko ribbon on the lightly printed card blank finished off the super quick and easy sticker card.  Because everyone is short on time, I think you'll be excited to see how quick and easy it is to create a card that looks like it came from a fancy stationery store. I know once you start making these sticker cards you'll be stuck on the beauty of the artsy stickers available at our HM Ben Franklin Crafts and Daiso stores. 

 

Double Happiness Wedding Card

 When I create a wedding card, I always think elegant, simple, and minimal colors.  I had planned to use a sheer, wispy paper with gold and silver flecks but I couldn't find it in my stash...sigh....a hazard of hoarding.  My substitute paper was a sheer vellum-like piece with light blue watercolor colors and gold flecks.  The main background paper is a piece of washi paper with flying cranes printed in a silver color. The golden square with the double happiness characters is a sticker purchased from Japan.  I tried my best to match the gold colors and shine on the card.  Luckily, I had just the right gold washi paper to use for the cranes.  Because the washi sheet is rather large, I ended up cutting origami squares with a 2" square die from a Hero Arts die set. I then folded the cranes...it's one of the few origami folds that I can do without instructions. To assemble the card, I used Fabri-Tac glue, double stick adhesive tape, and a tape runner.  Washi paper is a bit tricky to glue down because it often has loose fibers that don't want to adhere to other surfaces, which is why I had to try several adhesives (sometimes in combination).  Also the sheer vellum paper makes it difficult to hide some adhesives.  The layout of the washi papers on the card blank was simple as I put the emphasis on elegance.  I wish I could tell you exactly where to purchase the papers I used on this card but hoarders don't remember where....we just buy more!  I suggest you try finding specialty washi papers at HM Ben Franklin Crafts in Mapunapuna.  I saw some beautiful sheets there.....hurry up and shop before a paper hoarder adds them to her stash!  LOL!

'Baby On The Way' Shower Card

I wanted to craft a baby shower card that was a little unusual because the baby-to-be's mother is a graphic designer. Making the card upright to fit into a standard shape envelope seemed like a good  starting place.  The standard envelopes sold at Daiso are not only budget-wise but come in a good assortment of pastel colors.  I have a lot of baby-themed card stock scraps so I chose a partial sheet of Bella BLVD to form the card base.  Next I searched through my stash of letters because I wanted to spell 'BABY' on the front of the card.  Since I didn't have any letters of the right size I decided to die cut some but I didn't have any letter dies of the right size either.  Finally, I remembered a We R Memory Keepers gadget that I purchased years ago. It is capable of cutting any letter in a large basic font.  After cutting out the appropriate letters, I glued them onto the card front from which I had earlier clipped the corners with a Corner Cropper tool (We R Memory Keepers).  Since I didn't buy stickers to match the 12x12 Echo Park baby themed paper, I decided to fussy cut out some of the images to attach to the card front with foam dot adhesives.             

                                                

Inside the card I attached a gift card pocket made with a Lawn Fawn diagonal gift pocket die. For an element of motion, I made a confetti pocket using a Heiko cello bag and a word panel cut from a 12x12 Echo Park Special Delivery printed card stock. (Surprise! I didn't put the confetti shaker on the front of the card.)  Again I added some fussy cut creatures and the BABY shower card was complete. It was fun to design a card in a different format instead of the usual 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 standard size.  Sometimes size does matter and will make your card stand out as well as challenge your creativity.  I think the card looks original and perfect for a soon-to-be born Baby Boy!

Sweet Hair Clips and Decorative Jar

As I was browsing the new items in the Japanese Crafts area of Mapunapuna HM Ben Franklin Crafts store, I spied some cute and whimsical plastic charms that I thought would look adorable as hair clips.  Not only were the pastel colors super sweet, the charms had flat backs and no holes....perfect!  After purchasing two bags of charms (about 12 in a bag), I headed to Daiso to find some plain hair clips.  I found just what I needed... polka dotted pastel colored clips with four different colors in a pack for only $1.75!  I purchased two packs so that I could fashion four sets. It was easy peasy to use Fabri-Tac to glue the plastic charms to the clips.  I like Fabri-tac because it has a good consistency and doesn't dry too quickly so there is time to adjust the placement of the charm.  To add extra strength to the hair clips, I added a little Padico resin on the back around the charm and set the resin with a UV light.  

After pairing up all the charms for hair clip sets, I decided to the extras on to a Daiso glass jar with a wooden lid.  As with the hair clips, I used FabriTac glue first and then applied Padico UV light resin once I was satisfied with the arrangement of the charms.  (The little plastic hearts are beads from Daiso.)

I think any little girl would love a decorated jar like this filled with sweet pastel colored hair clips.  The jar would also be great for holding candy, cosmetics, hair ribbons, etc.  The next time you need a gift or party favors, I know that you can easily and quickly craft some sweet and charming girlie-girl pretties like these. Give it a try!

Japanese Crafts at Mapunapuna HM Ben Franklin Crafts

Recently, I had the opportunity to see the new Japanese Crafts being sold at Mapunapuna HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  The department was not fully set up, but I was pleased to see the variety of crafts and supplies being sold. I felt like I was shopping in Japan!

One of the crafts that I was impressed with (and bought) was the fabric kits. The designs were fabulous and it seemed like something I could do.  I'm excited to create the small rabbit wall hanging.

Another section of the Japanese Crafts area that had my eyeballs popping was the origami paper selection.  I've been collecting origami paper for years and I still couldn't resist getting a few more packs.  The area also had some large single sheets of washi paper that I had to get too. (I think some of the sheets were from Celebrations which has now become part of this Japan Crafts area.)

Are you addicted to washi tape?  I especially love the ones that look like strips of printed washi paper.  They make beautiful additions to cards and envelopes.  HM Ben Franklin Crafts in Mapunapuna now has a massive selection and variety of washi tapes just for you!

Of course, I couldn't stop myself from getting some of the new stuffed key chain kits.  They come in so many popular characters. I chose my favorites...Sumikko Gurashi and Rilakkuma.  I think I definitely will NEED to go back to get my other FAVORITE characters.

While at the Japan Hobby Show, I was intrigued by the Paper Theater Art kits so I was delighted to see them selling at the Mapunapuna HM Ben Franklin Crafts store.  These kits enable you to make a diorama-like  scene of some popular characters and stories.  I love the intricate look of the finished products and I think adults and teens will love making these decorative art pieces.  I hope you will take some time to see the new Japanese Craft items in Mapunapuna HM Ben Franklin Crafts store.  I know you will feel like you just walked into a craft store in Tokyo or Osaka and you won't have to fly to Japan to do some exciting crafty shopping! 

 

Bridal Shower Card for a Macaron Baker

This card was made for a niece who will soon be married.  She is an excellent macaron baker. (Macarons are delicate, light French cookies with a sweet cream filling.)  I thought it would be fun to make the bride-to-be a shower card using my cute (Neat & Tangled) Paris stamp set because it has macaron cookie images.  I decided that I wanted the card to have a shaker element...gosh I do love shaker cards!  I began this card by cutting a piece of white card stock slightly smaller than the pink card blank.  I used the House Mart brand of Lucky Money rub on gold to apply the Congratulations! onto the top of the white blank card. Then I stamped the macarons on different colored card stock before I cut out just the top macaron,  Next I used a white gel pen to color in the cream filling.  After the 'cream filings' were dry I placed the macarons and some heart confetti into a Heiko cello bag (available at HM BFC). The shaker bag was then taped shut and double stick tape was used to adhere it to the card blank. 

Next the sweet girl image was stamped, colored with Copic pens and fussy cut (without the Eiffel Tower). One of the double macarons was stamped on pink card stock and the white gel pen used on the bottom cookie.  After cutting off the top macron other colored cookies were glued to the stack before the four macaron stack was glued to the girl's head.  A piece of lace was glued onto the head of the bride for the veil, sparkle gel paint was added to her dress and a pink sparkle enamel sticker heart was applied to her dress.

As usual, I spent lots of time just shaking this card.  It's fun to see where the macarons will land. LOL!  I hope that the bride-to-be will be amused by this card. I think it turned out sweet and charming just like the bride.  Start a 'movement' to shake up the ordinary ho-hum card...make a shaker card today!

P.S.  The gold rub-on 'Congratulations!" was from the graduation set.  I plan to use the Wedding rub-ons to decorate the envelope for the shower card.
 

Circle Scrap Cards

As I was going through my paper scrap pile, I noticed there were some similar themed ones.  Specifically, I found birthday design pieces and sweet frozen treat scraps.  I decided that using my circle dies might be a simple way to design a card from the scraps. (I love my Spellbinders set because it allows me to strategically cut the circles from the printed paper.) It was fun cutting various sized circles and arranging them in a pleasing pattern on a card blank.  I also die cut My Favorite Things word circles from DCVW foil paper and glued them down after the patterned paper circles were glued in place.  The cards still didn't feel complete so I added small enameled dot stickers to jazz up the cards.  I may have gone overboard with the yellow dots on the Happy Birthday card, but I do think they go well with the circle theme of the cards.  Anyway, I hope this gives you another idea of what to do with your paper scraps.  I still have a bushelful of paper scraps (printed and solid) so I will continue to think of ways to use them up (perhaps it's time to make some tags...LOL!).  Happy Scrap Crafting!

 

Quick Cards from My Scrap Pile

What do you do when your paper scraps are overflowing your scrap bin?  Well I decided it was time to make CARDS!  People often send me pretty cards (not handmade) that are just too nice to throw away but I can't keep them all.  My solution is to recycle the best parts of the cards by adhering them onto my 'scrap' cards.  It doesn't take much time to cut (love my Fiskars paper trimmer) the cards and other solid colored paper down and attach them to a card blank.  Voila!  You have a pretty new card to mail (perhaps to the original card sender) LOL!. 

For this card I decided to make a triangular pocket with a floral print piece of scrap paper. I glued it to a white embossed floral print scrap and added some paper flowers.  Finally, I made a small tag card to tuck into the pocket for a secret message. Adding some fancy ribbons and a cute word sticker made it unlikely that the recipient would guess that most of the parts came from my scrap pile.  I hope that you will give the papers in your scrap pile (You are saving those scraps aren't you?) a second look and have fun creating something new and pretty.  'Waste Not, Want Not' is my motto.  Happy Scrappy Cards!    

Zipper Pulls with Memory Beads

Occasionally, friends/family give me beads and other 'stuff' that they don't want but think I can use to make  'something'. Recently, my sister 'gifted' me with two glass bead necklaces from her late mother-in-law. While they were pretty, the style was somewhat old fashioned.  I decided to cut apart the inherited bead strands and incorporate the beads into zipper pulls (loop the cording through zipper tabs to make zipping up easier). Not many supplies were needed to make these zipper pulls except of course assorted beads, looped cording with attachment rings, long headpins, pliers. and metal clippers.  The hardest part of creating these zipper pulls was choosing the beads and placing them in a pleasing arrangement.  Everything you need can be purchased from HM Ben Franklin Crafts or Daiso. To make these zipper pulls even more special is that each one contains a bead from the necklace given to me.  I plan to give my sister and her husband's family some of the zipper pulls with the hope that they will be happy to have a keepsake from Grandma Miyo. I'm sure if you are a crafter, you have a collection of mismatched, loose beads somewhere in your craft supplies. Think about using the beads to make some zipper pulls to give away or use as party favors.  This type of crafting is perfect for doing in front of the TV because it takes very little concentration...basically mindless...perfect for me, the 'junk' magnet crafter. LOL! 

 

Sweet Triple Decker Ice Cream Thanks

It's still hot and I'm still craving a cold, sweet treat.  To avoid consuming more calories, I decided to make myself ice cream cards.  It was fun to create triple scoop ice cream cones using the Lawn Fawn die set, 'I Scream, You Scream'.  I especially love the realistic cone die that even impresses the cone texture.  It was fun to try to make the different ice cream flavors.  I used some distress embossing powder to turn a mint green die cut scoop into chocolate chip mint ice cream.  The middle scoop started with a die cut scoop of swirling print card stock to which I glued on some fake sprinkles.  I got a little messy with the 'chocolate syrup' (made with Bo Bunny pearlescent paint) that I dribbled on the top scoop and decorated with confetti hearts.  The die cut cherry was made more realistic with a coating of Glossy Accents and the addition of a stem made from a piece of leather sewing thread. So yummy!

                                                        

The card blanks were cut to fit the pastel envelopes from Daiso. My We R Memory Keepers corner cropper was used to round the corners of the card blanks and ice cream printed Simple Stories card stock. Because the printed paper was too distracting, I added a piece of striped white vellum paper to the front of the card under the ice cream cones.  A scallop scissors was used to edge the vellum paper to make it look more festive. Finally, a Lawn Fawn script die was used to cut out the foiled paper 'thanks'. 

This was a fun card to make and it did make me feel cooler just looking at it.  Unfortunately, now I definitely need an ice cream treat....just a single scoop?

Art Deco Cameo Necklace Upcycle

Whenever we travel, I try to check out antique/thrift stores and flea market fairs.  I'm always on the  hunt for that bit or bauble that can be upcycled into a one-of-a-kind treasure.  On my last trip to Cape     Cod I discovered an Art Deco style cameo pendant that was missing parts but was made of gold filled metal and had a sweet carved pink shell cameo. It had missing parts but it was attractive and reasonably priced.  It had a place to add a dangling part so I used a gold filled head pin to attach a fresh water pearl. I wonder what kind of dangle was on the pendant originally in the1930's?  To match the pearl dangle, I used 24 gauge gold filled soft round wire to form a pearl chain with ten seed pearls.  The jump ring that came with the pendant was used to attach the pendant to the seed pearl chain. Finally, a purchased silver and gold filled chain with a clasp was cut in the center and the cameo seed pearl chain was attached to the ends.  I am very pleased with the outcome of this upcycled cameo necklace.  I think the whole look of this piece matches the style of the Art Deco period (1920-30).  If you look closely at the cameo carving, you can see that the hairstyle of the lady is one of a flapper from the Art Deco period.  Also the geometric lines of the pendant suggest that it was probably made during the 1920's -1930's.  This makes this 'found' piece almost 100 years old...a true antique! Do I dare to dream that my upcycled cameo necklace will last another 100 years? I can only hope!

 

Yummy Summer Creamsicle Card

With the hot summer days we've been experiencing, I can't help but dream of sweet frozen treats like creamsicles.  When I spied the delightful Simple Stories papers at HM Ben Franklin Crafts, I immediately purchased a bunch of the enticing 12x12 sheets depicting summer treats.  Starting with a standard card blank, I used a We R Memory Keepers corner cropper to round the corners of the card blank and the other card stock pieces that were layered on the card.  After gluing the pieces together, it was simple work to stamp the Lawn Fawn images, color (with Copic pens), die cut them out and adhere them with foam adhesive dots.  For added sparkle, I added fine crystal glitter onto the creamsicles and small acrylic crystal heart stickers. This was a very simple card to put together but now I crave something cold and sweet. LOL!  Have a col summer day!

 

Beekeeper Bear Tags

As soon as I spied the Lawn Fawn 'You're a Keeper' stamp and die sets at HM Ben Franklin Crafts, I knew that I HAD to have them.  If you recall in a previous post, I mentioned that my husband and I are supporters of Alan Wong's Adopt a Beehive Project, so of course I squealed with delight when I saw the new LF products.  Then when I came upon the Carte Bella Paper, ' Happy to Bee Here' in the HM BFC paper session, I was really bursting with creative ideas.  Since I needed some tags for my honey bottles, I took out my Hero Arts Infinity Tag die set. It was easy to stamp, color, and die cut to put together the tags.  

The sage green skinny rafia ribbon and orange-yellow twine were purchased from HM BFC (I think).  After attaching the raffia and twine to the tags, the tags were tied onto the bottles honey.  (A small square of fibrous paper was placed over the bottle tops before the tags were attached.)  I'm really pleased with the overall look of these tags.  They should have been a little smaller to fit the size of the bottles, but big tags allow for a longer message.  LOL!  Since the stamp and die sets are smaller than the usual Lawn Fawn ones, the price was smaller, too. Just imagine what you can create with  Lawn Fawn products....go now...shop for them at HM BFC!

 

Shaker 6th Birthday Card no. 2

Here is the second birthday card made for my twin grandsons. (See previous post.) I made it similar to the first one but different enough that there shouldn't be any jealousy...I hope!  For this one I used Lawn Fawn swim ring images with floating critters wearing sunglasses.  Like on the previous card, I put sunglasses on the animals to give them a bit of sassiness.  For the confetti, I chose some ocean colored bits with some sparkly pieces.  Hopefully, the twin who gets this card will enjoy shaking it and watching the confetti move around.  I must still be a kid because I can't seem to stop shaking these confetti cards. There is something addictive about the sound and movement.  shake, shake, shake...stop me... please!