IT’S A WRAP! USE DESIGNER SERIES PAPER TO CREATE FESTIVE GIFT BAGS; A TINSEL TIME TUESDAY POST

 Hi Stampers!

Wow! This is it! This is the final Tinsel Time Tuesday for the 2021 Holiday Season! Over the past twenty weeks we’ve made lots of cards, gift card holders, tags, treat and gift boxes. Today’s project is a gift bag made with Designer Series Paper (DSP). Creating your own gift bags is a great way to reduce your stash of Christmas themed DSP! 

* Page down to view video tutorial.

The basic bag is easy to create, and uses minimal supplies. Once you get the hang of creating the bag you will be able to change the dimensions to make various sizes, and as always the bag design accommodates a variety of options! You know me; I am all about options. If you need a box as opposed to a bag, no problem. This bag easily transforms itself into a box! Let’s take a look at today’s project:

As you can see this gift bag pattern is versatile and can be modified for various sizes of paper to create bags and boxes. Let’s start with the basic gift bag pattern.

The photo shows the basic gift bag with handles (center), gift bag with no handles (right), and gift bag with lid that transforms it into a gift box (right). These bags / boxes measure 6” wide x 7” tall and 3” deep.

SUPPLIES FOR BASIC GIFT BAG

* Two matching pieces of 12 x 12 DSP (double sided patterned paper)

* Piece of cardstock - any color - 6” x 3”

* Scoreboard or scoring blade on trimmer

* Bone Folder

* Strong Adhesive - Stampin’ Seal +, Tear & Tape, liquid glue, etc

* 2 pieces of ribbon, each 18” long for handles (optional)

* Hole punch (if making handles)

ASSEMBLY

* Score each piece of 12” x 12” paper at 2” (this section will be the top of your bag.

* Score the remaining three sides at 3”. 

* See the diagram below. The blue lines are score lines. Fold the paper along the score lines and burnish with bone folder.

* On one of the 12” x 12” pieces of paper form two tabs at what is the bottom of the bag by cutting along the score line from the edge of the paper to the next score line. See diagram below. The red dotted line indicates where you should cut.

* On the second sheet of 12” x 12” DSP cut away the two 3” x 3” squares at the bottom of the page.  See diagram below.

* Adhere the 6” x 3” piece of cardstock to right side (side of babe that will be on the outside) of the large tab created by cutting away the two 3” x 3” squares. This is part of the bag bottom.

* Place adhesive on the cardstock and adhere this to the corresponding piece on the wrong side of the paper (the pattern that will be on the inside of the bag.

* Apply adhesive to the top side and edges on the right side of the DSP - fold down to form a contrasting border along the top of the bag. If you do not like the pattern on the “wrong” side of the DSP simply reverse this process. Place the adhesive on the “wrong” side and fold down. 

* With wrong side of box facing up, fold the two 3” x 3” tabs inward and place adhesive on them (it will go on the right side of the paper.

* Adhere these tabs to the sides of the bag  on the inside.

* Fold the two remaining sides of the bag inward and put adhesive the right side of the two remaining sides of the bag. 

* Adhere these on the inside of the other two sides of the bag. 

TO ADD HANDLES

* Punch two holes along the top of each side of the bag. You can do this before assembly once you’re have folded down the 2” border. Just make sure the punched holes are located between the two 3” score lines. You can also punch the holes once the bag is assembled, but depending on the type of hole punch used it could be more difficult (Ask me how I know!)

*Here is my tip to make the holes even on both sides-

- I took a piece of cardstock that measured 1” wide - mine is 8 1/2” long, but the length is not that important. I made a mark at 1 1/2” and drew a line long ways across her vertical line at 1/4”. This formed a cross. I used the hole punch and punched at the intersection of the two lines.

- Now line the strip of paper up along the top of the bag with the upper left corner of the bag. Punch through the hole. 

- Now flip the template and repeat the process on the other end.

- Turn the bag over and repeat.

TO CHANGE HEIGHT OF THIS BAG /BOX

* Instead of scoring across the top at 2” score at 1”. This will make the bag / box 8” tall, 6” wide, and 3” deep.

* Do not score along the top ( no folding over or under) This will make the bag 9” tall, 6” wide, and 3” deep.

TO CHANGE THE DIMENSIONS OF THIS BAG / BOX

* Use two pieces of DSP cut the same size.

* Keep the scoring for the two side and bottom of the box the same. The score line for the top can vary depending on the height you want.

EXAMPLE - Two pieces of DSP cut at 8” x 8” , scored at 1” across the top, and 2” on the other 3 sides will result in a bag that is 4” wide, 5” tall, and 2” deep. 

SMALL GIFT BAG

These bags are created using the same process as used for creating the basic gift bag. The measurements are the only difference. This bag is 4” square and 1” deep.

SUPPLIES

* Two pieces of 6” x 6” DSP

* A piece of 4” x 1” cardstock for box bottom

* Other items listed for the basic bag.

GIFT BOX FROM 1 SHEET OF 12” x 12” DSP

These boxes measure 6” wide x 3 1/4” tall and 3” deep.

ASSEMBLY

* Score according to the diagram  below.

* Burnish the score lines.

* Cut along the dotted red lines to form tabs. Miter the sides of the taps if you like.

* Adhere and fold 

the top (the 1 1/4” score line and the 10 3/4” score line) as for the basic bag. 

* With the wrong side (inside of box) facing up, fold the two tabs inward and apply adhesive.

* Attach the tabs to the side panels of the the sides of the box.

* on the remaining side of the box fold the sides inward, apply adhesive. And adhere this sides on the inside of the other two sides.

NOTE - You can adhere a 6” x 3” piece of cardstock on the bottom of the box(inside) to make the bottom more sturdy if you like.

LIDS FOR BAGS /BOXES

Changing the basic bag or the smaller into a cute box only requires a lid. The gift box can be used open or with a lid. All lids are made using the identical process - the measurements are the only difference. The diagram above shows the score lines and when to cut the tabs to for a lid.

LID FOR THE BOX

* Score a 8 1/16” x 5 1/16” piece of cardstock at 1” on all sides.

* Fold along and burnish the score lines.

* Cut along the score lines as shown in the diagram above - miter the tabs a bit if you like.

* on the front side of the tabs apply adhesive and adhere each one to a side of the lid to form the corners.

LID FOR BASIC BAG / BOX

* Cut cardstock at 10 1/16” x 7 1/16”.

* Score all sides at 2”

* Assemble as for box lid.

LID FOR SMALL BAG / BOX

* Cut cardstock at 6 1/16” x 3 1/16”.

* Score all sides at 1”.

* Assemble as for box lid.

IT’S A WRAP! GIFT BAG /BOX VIDEO TUTORIAL

There you have it - pretty bags and boxes for to wrap up your Christmas gifts. As I mentioned in th3 beginning of this post, this is an excellent way to use up your stash of Christmas themed papers. Of course you can make versions of the bag/ box; or bags / boxes for, bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays, weddings, and oh so many other occasions!

I cannot believe Tinsel Time Tuesday has come to an end for the season! I hope my posts and videos have given you ideas and inspiration for Holiday cards and gift giving. I wish each of you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2022 full of family, friends, and fun - oh, and lots of card making!

Until next time…

Stamp Happy!

Kim

All stamps and stamped images ©️1990 - 2021 STAMPIN’ UP!®️

WRAP IT UP! CREATE BOXES FOR SMALL GIFTS, CANDIES, & STOCKING STUFFERS; A TINSEL TIME TUESDAY POST

 Hi Stampers!

SPECIAL NOTICE - STAMPIN’ UP! WILL OFFER FREE SHIPPING  ON ALL ORDERS $50 OR MORE (EXCLUDING TAX) ON WEDNESDAY 8 DECEMBER ONLY!

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And now…. let’s talk about today’s project!

Welcome to the next to the last Tinsel Time Tuesday for the 2021 Holiday Season! Since 4 August I have shared ideas for Holiday cards, gift tags, and gift card holders. I know all of you have created absolutely amazing cards to send Christmas greetings to your family and friends. So, today we are pivoting from creating cards to creating gift packaging. Today’s project uses a Mini Paper Pumpkin Box. (These are found on page 137 of the Stampin’ Up!®️ Annual Catalog.) If you do not have the Mini Paper Pumpkin Boxes no worries, I have an alternative box for you. Both boxes are the perfect size for the Stampin’ Up! Note Cards, gift tags, candies, a fun pair of Holiday socks, a pair of gloves, and many other treats and stocking stuffers. Let’s take a look at the box.

The design on the box was created by stamping the snowman images, masking them, and spritzing the entire box with a mixture of reinker and alcohol. After allowing the piece to dry, the snowman arms and snowflakes were stamped on the box. Finally the box was assembled and I added a tag and ribbon. Page down to view a video tutorial.

SUPPLIES & INSTRUCTIONS FOR MINI PAPER PUMPKIN BOX GIFT PACKAGING

* Mini Paper Pumpkin Box

* SNOWMAN SEASON stamp set

*SNOWMAN BUILDER PUNCH

* 10 snowman masks made using the punch and scrap cardstock.

* Stampin’ Spritzer

* Isopropyl Alcohol

* Balmy Blue Reinker

* Remove lid and spray top from Stampin’ Spritzer and put 6-7 drops of reinker into the Stampin’ Spritzer.

* Add the alcohol , leave a bit of room at the top. Replace the spray top.

* Shake gently to mix the ink and alcohol.

* Stamp the snowman image several times on the box using the Memento Tuxedo Black ink. (The shiny side is the inside of the box. Do not stamp on it.)

* Use the Pumpkin Pie (dark) Stampin’ Blend to color the noses, the Flirty Flamingo (light) for the cheeks, and the Balmy Blue (light) to add shading to each snowman.

* Cover your work area with grid paper or scrap paper. Place your box in the center of the paper.

* Place the masks over the stamped images. (You can use a low tack adhesive to hold the masks in place if you like.)

* Begin spritzing the box. If the color is not deep enough you can add a couple more drops of reinker to the Stampin’ Spritzer. Continue spritzing until the entire box is colored.

* Remove the masks and allow the piece to dry. It will air dry in less than 5 minutes. Drying time depends on the amount of liquid spritzed onto the piece. You can speed up drying time by using a heat tool.

* Stamp the snowman arms with the Tuxedo Black. Use the two snowflake images and Balmy Blue ink to fill in spaces between the snowmen and to add images to the sides and ends of the box. Assemble the box.

Your box is now ready to fill with goodies and gifts of your choice. Add ribbon and a tag to make it even more festive!

If you do not have the Mini Paper Pumpkin Boxes you can use cardstock to create a similar box the same size as the Mini Paper Pumpkin Box. 

For my box I use Basic White (thick) cardstock for the top and Balmy Blue cardstock for the bottom. You can use Basic White (thick) for both top and bottom if you like. I decorated the top of the box exactly the same as the Mini Paper Pumpkin Box. If you decide to use Basic White (thick) for the box bottom you can decorate it too.

SUPPLIES FOR THE BOX

* Cardstock for box bottom cut at 7 1/2” x 5 3/4” and scored on each side at 1”.

* Cardstock for box top (Basic White - thick) cut at 7 9/16” x 5 13/16” and scored at 1” on each side.

NOTE - I know 16th’s of an inch can be a little difficult to figure out sometimes, so here is where to find the 16th’s needed for the box top:

* 7 9/16” - the 9/16th is the first line after the 7 1/2” mark.

* 5 13/16th’s is the first line after the 5 3/4” mark.

* Stamp, mask, and spritz box top. Remove masks, and allow to dry.

* Add color to the snowman images with Stampin’ Write Markers. ( The color from the alcohol based Stampin’ Blends will bleed through the cardstock.) I used Pumpkin Pie for the noses and Blushing Bride for the cheeks. 

* The chart below shows where to cut. The dotted green lines indicate where you can miter the tabs if you like. Mitering prevents the edges of the tabs from sticking up over the edge of the box.

* For the top and bottom of the box fold along the score lines.

* Cut along the cut lines and miter if you like. 

* Place Tear & Tape or Stampin’ Seal +on the right side (top side) of the cut (and mitered) tabs.

* Adhere tabs to box sides.

(Click to enlarge.)

* Place the top on the bottom of the box. You can fill you box with candies, gift tags, note cards, or other treats. Add ribbon and tags to embellish the box.

GIFT BOX VIDEO TUTORIAL

* Other Image Options 

   - Penguin Place stamp set and Penguin Builder punch

   - Peaceful Deer stamp set and Deer Builder punch

   - Perfect.y Plaid stamp set and Pine Tree punch

NOTECARD THANK YOU SHOWN IN VIDEO

(Note cards & envelopes fit perfectly inside boxes.)

TO CREATE THIS NOTECARD

* Basic White notecard and envelope

* Basic White cardstock cut at 4 3/4” x 3 1/4”

* Balmy Blue cardstock cut at 4 7/8” x 3 3/8”

* Mask - printer paper or cardstock cut at 4 3/4” x 3 1/4”. Use the second largest Layering Circle die to cut a hole centered about 1/2” from the top of the paper.

* Second mask - punch a snowman from the printer paper or cardstock.

* Low tack tape and repositional adhesive to hold masks in place.

* Balmy Blue ink

* Memento Tuxedo Black ink

* Blending Brush or sponge dauber

* Place full mask (with circle cut out) over the Basic White cardstock and use the Tuxedo Black ink to stamp the snowman near the bottom of the circle. Cover the stamped image with the snowman mask.

* Use the Balmy Blue ink and blending brush (or sponge dauber)to add color to the exposed cardstock.

* Remove the masks. Add arms and color to the snowman. 

* Use the snowflake images and Balmy Blue ink to fill in inked area around the snowman.

* Use Tuxedo Black ink to stamp greeting of choice centered under the focal image.

* Adhere the focal piece to the Balmy Blue mat.

* Adhere this piece to the notecard.

* Stamp a few snowflakes on one corner of the envelope.

Make several of these and place them inside your box as a gift for friends or family.

That is it for today. Thank you for taking a peek. Join me next Tuesday for the final edition of Tinsel Time Tuesday for 2021! Until next time…

Stamp Happy!

Kim

http://greatinkspirations.stampinup.net

On You Tube - Kimberly Tolbert / Greatinkspirations

Contact - greatinkspirations@gmail.com

All stamps and stamped images ©️1990-2021 STAMPIN’ UP!®️

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NEED CHRISTMAS CARDS IN A HURRY? GO BACK TO BASICS! A TINSEL TIME TUESDAY POST

 Hi Stampers!

Wow! It is 30 November! Thanksgiving is behind us. Hanukkah is underway. Christmas will be here in less than a month! Have you made all the cards you need for the Holidays? If so, congratulations! You did it! Great job! Maybe you have just a few more cards to make. Congratulations to you as well. You are doing great! Maybe you have yet to create a single card. I have been there more than once. Life gets busy, time gets away from you. It happens. No worries. There is still time to create some great cards to send out this year. The best advice I have for creating a lot of cards in a hurry is keep it simple and stick with the basics.  Another suggestion is to put your Designer Series Paper (DSP) to work. Today’s cards were created using the Peaceful Place DSP and very basic layouts. What if you don’t have the Peaceful Place DSP? No problem. You can use the card layouts with any DSP you have on hand. Let’s take a look at the cards.

This card layout is super easy; a card base and one layer of DSP cut at 5 1/4” x 4”. This DSP design is perfect for stamping the greeting directly onto the paper. Add some gems or pearls, and you have a great card to send Holiday greetings to friends and family.

The top two cards are very similar to the previous cards, except the layers are 5” x 3 3/4”. One layer was simply adhered to a card base. The other was matted and the piece was adhered to the cardbase with dimensionals. The third card was created by using a strip of DSP that is 5 1/2” long and in this case 2” wide. I added a matted greeting as well as a bit of silver trim and some metallic pearls.

These cards use the same layouts as the previous cards; a layer of DSP that is 5 1/4” x 4”, a layer of DSP that is 5” x 3 3/4”, and one with a strip that is 5 1/2” x 2” (this strip is matted).

Let’s look at the specific pieces of DSP and how to cut the paper to get several cards from each sheet. I apologize for the grayish hue of the photographs. I am not certain what was going on with the lighting. Anyway… cutting the three pieces of DSP the way described will make a total of 19 cards!

First up - the design that is two rows of trees. One row will be upside down. The DSP is designed like this so each half of the DSP is identical to simplify the cutting process for card making.

First cut the paper in half from left to right. You will have two pieces of paper measuring 12” x 6”. You can stack one piece on top of the other - make sure the cards are facing the same direction. The trimmer blade will easily cut through the two layers of DSP. You will be trimming 3/4” off the bottom of the paper. Move the paper to the 5 1/4” mark and cut.  Keeping the two layers together, place them in the trimmer with the 12” side at the top. Cut at 4” and 8”. You now have 6 pieces of DSP measuring 5 1/4” x 4”. Simply stamp a greeting across the bottom of the DSP, adhere the layer to a card base, add a few rhinestones, gems, sequins, whatever you have, and BOOM 6 cards completed.

 

SUPPLIES

* Card base - Old Olive

* Ink - Old Olive

* Sentiment - TIME OF GIVING stamp set

* Elegant Faceted Gems - clear

SUPPLIES

* Card base - Smoky Slate

* Ink - Smoky Slate

* Sentiment - A WISH FOR EVERYTHING stamp set

* Metallic Pearls - silver

SUPPLIES

* Card base - Basic Black

* Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

* Sentiment - GIVING GIFTS stamp set

* Rhinestone Basic Jewels- small

The next paper is composed of four 6” x 6” portions. I simply cut the paper in half both ways to create four 6” x 6” pieces of paper. Next I cut the larger tree from the paper. These pieces are 6” x 2”. I trimmed them to 5 1/2” x 2” by trimming a bit from the top and bottom of each piece. I trimmed the remaining four pieces to 5” x 3 3/4”. This gave me pieces to make 8 cards; four each of two designs.

SUPPLIES

* Card base - Old Olive

* Ink - Old Olive

* Sentiment - SNOWMAN SEASON stamp set

* Simply Elegant Trim - silver

* Metallic Pearls - silver

* Dimensionals for greeting

* For the greeting I used a scrap cut from the DSP (3 1/4” x 1”) and matted it on Old Olive cardstock (3 1/2” x 1 1/4”).

SUPPLIES

* Card base - Evening Evergreen

* Focal panel mat - Basic Gray cut at 5 1/8” x 3 7/8”

* Ink - Evening Evergreen

* Sentiment - HOLLY JOLLY WISHES

* Dimensionals for matted focal panel

SUPPLIES

* Card base - Misty Moonlight

* Ink - Misty Moonlight

* Sentiment - HOLLY JOLLY WISHES

* Rhinestone Basic Jewels - small and medium

This piece of DSP is interesting. The first thing I did was cut it in half (at 6”) from left to right. I cut the “top” part of the paper down from 6” wide to 5”, then cut the piece into three pieces measuring 5” x 3 3/4”. As for the bottom section I cut it into two 6” x 6” pieces. Then I cut a 2” piece from the left side of each piece of paper, and trimmed it to 5 1/2” long. The remaining piece is 4” wide and I trimmed it to 5 1/4”.  Cutting this piece of DSP this way will make 7 cards.

SUPPLIES

* Card base- Blackberry Bliss 

* Silver Foil - Matte Finish, cut at 5” x 1” - then cut this in half at 5” x 1/2”. Adhere a piece to the back of each 5” side of the DSP.

* Ink - Blackberry Bliss

* Sentiment - TIME OF GIVING stamp set.

* The greeting is stamped on a scrap from the DSP (2 3/4” x 1”) matted on a 2 3/4” x 1 1/2” piece of Blackberry Bliss cardstock. Dimensionals are placed on the back of the greeting and it is adhered over a piece of the Silver Foil that measures 3 1/2” x 1”.

* Rhinestone Basic Jewels - 5 small

SUPPLIES

* Card base - Basic White

* Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

* Sentiment - SNOWMAN SEASON stamp set

* For the greeting - Basis White cardstock (3 1/8” x 1 1/8”) and a piece of the DSP (3 1/8” x 3/4”), the greeting is attached with dimensionals.

SUPPLIES

* Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

* Scrap of Basic Gray for greeting mat cut with Stitched Rectangles Dies (2 3/4” x 1 5/8”) and scrap of Basic White cut with another Stitched Rectangles Dies (2 3/8” x 1”)

* Elegant Trim - Silver

* Metallic Pearls - silver, 3

* Dimensionals for greeting

I used the Heart Warming Hugs DSP to create another set of cards using the same layouts used for the Peaceful Place cards. I used the Layering Circles Dies for the greetings.

SUPPLIES

* Card base - Granny Apple Green

* Ink - Real Red

* Sentiment - HOLLY JOLLY WISHES

* Real Red cardstock cut with Layering Circles Dies (2 1/8” diameter) and Basic White cardstock cut with Layering Circles Dies (1 7/8” diameter).

* Dimensionals for greeting

* Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels -3

SUPPLIES

* Card base - Real Red

* Ink - Granny Apple Green

* Sentiment - HOLLY JOLLY WISHES

* Real Red and Basic White cardstock cut with the same dies as the previous card

* Real Red Sheer Ribbon - about 7 1/2” 

* Red Rhinestones Basic Jewels - 3

* Dimensionals for greeting

SUPPLIES

* Card base - Real Red

* Basic White mat for DSP - 5 1/8” x 3 7/8”

* Ink - Real Red

* Sentiment - HOLLY JOLLY WISHES

* Real Red cardstock cut with Layering Circles Dies (2 3/8” diameter) and Basic White cut with the dies (1 7/8” diameter)

* Red Rhinestones Basic Jewels - 3

* White Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon - about 16”

* Dimensionals for greeting.

SUPPLIES

* Card base - Granny Apple Green

* Ink - Granny Apple Green

* Sentiment - HOLLY JOLLY WISHES

* Granny Apple Green cardstock cut with Layering Circles Dies (2 5/8” diameter) and Basic White cardstock cut with the Layering Circles Dies (2 3/8”)

* Dimensionals for greeting

FOR GREETING CARDS IN A HURRY, GO BACK TO BASICS VIDEO

If you have yet to begin making your Christmas cards, or if you still need a few more, I hope these layouts help you make great cards quickly and easily. You can always skip the ribbon or other embellishments if you like. Just focus on the basic layouts and keeping it simple. I guarantee your cards will be lovely. 

That’s all for today. Thank you so much for stopping by. Until next time…

Stamp Happy!

Kim

All stamps and stamped images ©️1990-2021 STAMPIN’ UP! ©️