Spring Inspiration

Hearing the birds chirping and seeing the yellow and violet crocus shooting up in the yard inspired me to make this watercolor greeting card today. I am no artist, I cannot draw for my life. But by stamping an image in black ink, letting it dry, and then using inks, a paintbrush and a little water, I was able to add a beautiful watercolor effect to my card. And, as always, I used Stampin' Up! paper, ink, ribbon, and scallop punch to craft this little beauty.

Whenever I make a card I always make two. When using a 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of card stock I can cut it perfectly in half at the 5 1/2" mark widthwise to get two 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" cards. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? ~Luke 12:28~

Handmade Gift Bag

I love to make paper crafts. I am often stamping cards or putting together little gift packages for family and friends. On a recent trip with my mom, sister and grandmother, I stopped a cute little bead store to ooh and ah over. (Making jewelry is another hobby of mine.) My grandmother liked the beads too and decided she wanted me to make her some jewelry. So I helped her pick out some beads and findings that match her already existing wardrobe and she purchased them for me. (This was also a lesson in patience!)

Having made the jewelry I decided to create a little gift bag to present the jewelry to my grandmother. In essence the bag is more of a lidless box, but it's cute and easy to make. Well, actually, it took me a few tries to get the measurements right, but now it's easy!

Here's what I did:

1. I started with a regular 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of card stock which I then cut down to an 8 1/2" x 9" rectangle. I use a Fiskers cutting system with an orange blade for cutting and a black blade for scoring or creasing.





2. I scored the rectangle twice width wise. First at 3" and again at 6".





3. Then I scored the rectangle twice lengthwise. First at 2" and again 6 1/2".





4. On the width wise creases I cut slits just up to the lengthwise crease, making little rectangle "flaps". Then I folded all the creases.





5. After I folded up the middle "flaps" I brought up the two "flaps" on either side. The motions are similar to folding the ends on a package.





6. I used adhesive to keep the seams together. Only add adhesive to the paper where it won't stick to anything inside the box.





7. Repeat steps 5 & 6 on the other end... and Presto!





8. Instant cuteness!





9. Then just decorate accordingly. I use the Stampin' Up! brand of paper, inks, stamps, and other supplies for my paper projects. The stamps come in coordinating sets, and the paper, inks, and ribbon are all of the same dye lot so everything matches perfectly. Go to http://stampinup.com to find a product consultant/demonstrator near you.

I hope you like it! If the directions are obscure or you can't understand them, please let me know so I can make revisions where necessary. Enjoy!

*This design is all my own. You may use this design for your own gift packaging but please do not sell this design.