Pocket Full of Hope

Your Paper Pantry has a 'Pocket for Your Thoughts' swap... which your's truly will be hosting for a few months come August.  But in July, Roxy asked us to make three little pockets for someone in need of some Get Well Wishes.  I focused on the cancer treatment gals.  Sadly, we all know someone who is going through the horrors of trying to get and stay healthy - and their bag of love is a little different from chicken soup and cough drops.  .  I filled it with a few things like hand sanitizer and airborne - because staying healthy during treatment is so hard and so important, added some tums... never enough of those, chapstick and hard candies.
To make the bag topper I cut a piece of card stock as wide as my bag and 5 inches long - then scored at 2 inches so I had a good base to fold over the top and staple it all closed.  The HOPE was cut on my cricut and then I just had fun layering pretty pink/white/black flowers and brads.

 This beautiful metal filigree is from Butterbee Scraps, which I love these days and topped off with a large bit of bling.  I sure hope these help make someone's time in 'the chair' just a touch more pleasant.

Purple Cup of Sugar

One of my favorite swaps is the 'cup of sugar'. Basically it is a product exchange between crafty folks who hoard our toys!! This month was a color theme. This was great! I loved digging through all my goodies and finding my partern's favorite color

- Purle, incase you missed it. I also picked up some purple bling and goodies at Michaels. But I wanted to add a special touch to this 'cup'. So I hand made a bunch of flowers. Some of felt, some paper, some fabric. (For those who are too observent... I use old magazines as my craft space. I like that when I have glue globs or ink smudges I can just rip off one page and have a clean space. And the thickness is great for stamping. There was a goofy add behind these photos - I didn't even notice!!) Here is the video Nicole made when she got her 'cup' in the mail. on you tube

Vintage Upcycled Paper Bag

Upcycled Paper Bag for YPP I just love the Upcycled bag swaps. We take a regular everyday lunch bag and make it lovely. You can make it with the bottom still square to fill with a gift. I did some like this to give away garden herbs this summer. Or you can make it flatter for a gift like a card or certificate or with a really flat back to add to a mini album with some tags.

I made this one more as a mini insert in mind. I didn’t make the tags, because I just thought it would be better to make tags to coordinate with what the recipient’s theme was. To start, I pulled the bottom flap up and this created a pocket. At the top of the pocket (and not real visible here I added a trim punched with a simple edger on black cardstock. Next I layered that red on red piece from K&Co Engraved Garden paper pack. If you look closely – you will see perfume bottles, corsets, martini glasses, shoes, all girly treats. Before I adhered that piece down I took a buckle (that used to be silver but I colored with a gold dauber). Then I set it on an angle. We usually use a straight line, or I do at least. But I left this open in the front to hold a tag or photo. I made that stickpin to pull in all the colors I was working with and secured it in the ribbon (Nero by Stampin Up). On the top potion I started with a piece of black cardstock run through a script cuttlebug folder which I lightly ran a versa pad over and dusted on some gold perfect pearls. And a touch of vanilla smooch spray to set it. Next I found the image (always a requirement on the YPP paper bag swaps). It is a corset layered over sheet music. I was looking for a great vintage corset to stamp sheet music on… or maybe I would have printed it on a piece, but it came already put together…yeah. I edged that in two shades of reddy/pink from SU (Riding Hood Red and Cherry Cobbler) I like the effect of two coordinate colors giving a darker line to the edge. Then, I tipped the very edges with walnut stain from TH. I distressed the edges with water, I saw this on a youtube vide and just love the effect. After the reds and walnut are both applied just dip a brush in water and pull that dark brown in towards the image. It grabs the reds with it and really makes a nice blend. Also, it curls the edges a bit for a truly old look. I used some leaves from the bridal section at Michaels (I only go there in that aisle I swear!) The little mulberry roses are IAmRoses and the larger brown and cream are velvet ones from prima I found on CloseOutGirl’s etsy shop. I added a gold brad in the center to bring in the gold of the buckle. That left a hole on the left side which I filled pretty easily. A SU punch of red cardstock, a crown stamped with versa mark and touched with gold perfect pearls. I also ran a versa mark pen on the edges and gave it the gold pearls, too. I though this made it look more like a frame, though it doesn’t show well in the photo. A smooch spray to set and gold brads to make it look anchored to the image. I think these turned out nicely and I can’t wait to see what comes my way!!

Travelouge Insert and Tag Swap

Nishi at Life on the Scrap Beach opened a swap for an insert and two tags and I was happy to participate.  As I usually do, once the swap was open I got started and made a project I am really happy with.  Only this time – I didn’t mail it!!  I had to get a reminder email!!  I never do that.  Must be all the extra stuff in my world these days, right?

I used Graphic 45 Tropical Travelouge papers, a bit of Bazzil cardstock, lots of Graphic 45 stamps and extras that coordinate with the paper line.  And of course, a couple stamps from the dollar bin at Michaels.  I made a quick video to walk you through the pages HERE

Oh Yes I Can Can

I have made these tags for a swap at http://minialbumscraps.ning.com/ .  This month was a dressform swapper’s choice and I made a Can Can girl-esque tag for my swap.  While the papers aren’t visible on the front, she was inspired by Graphic 45’s Curtain Call paper collection.

The background paper on the front of the tag is made with Recollections paper from Michael’s that I have inked up with Tim Holtz tea die distress ink and added a few spots of Crackle Accents to give it that shabby feel.  I added a photo of the before and after look for the paper.

The curtain is made with a shirt I found at a thrift store after no one would part with their daughter’s old Christmas dress for me ;).  I hung the curtain on a rod that was a lollipop stick rolled in red ink and a touch of stickles.

The dressform is from the Forever Young cricut cartridge cut once in thin chipboard and again on handmade papers I find at Blick.  I added stickles at the neckline and stand to give the look of a shimmery leg and shoe.  The feathers were just added with glue dots to the back of form.  Her skirt was made with a piece of white lace that I hand dyed with an ink pad, folded in half and a satin black ribbon hot glued to the top of that.  I specifically used hot glue because I wanted it to have a shape and stand out from her ‘body’.

The tassle is made with half of a skein of embroidery floss to pull back the curtain.  The back has some of the DP from the collection and my card info.  If you would like, the video can be found here.

 

Mystery Card Kit Swaps

I recently participated in a swap on the Scrap to Treasure page on facebook.  We were to send 'kits' of 2 sheets of pattern paper and some various kinds of bling.  Then when all ten kits were to the coordinator we each were sent one of the various kits.  I couldn't WAIT for my envelope of 10 new ideas to show up.  I was so excited that I took it with me to my mom's for thanksgiving to start drawing up designs.
The purple one with the purse came with those big rings I saw handbag before it came out of the baggie so I did that one first with a quick cut on the cricut.  The rest are coming a little at a time.  I love the challege provided by this swap and have to remember I can use things from my own stash, too!  I will add photos as each one is complete.
I am sure you can't guess but the animal print was my kit! ;)