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!