Hello, Friends! Today I’ve transformed a lowly brown paper lunch bag into a showy shabby chic paper bag Pocket Easter Card. I haven’t done anything like this in quite a while, but I kind of had a hankering to make a project with lots of pockets and tags…and this is where I wound up!
Pink and yellow is such a fun, fresh color combo for Springtime! Would you like to see what’s in the pockets? I thought so!
Shabby Chic Paper Bag Pocket Easter Card: Pocket #1
The bottom pocket is filled with treats for the tummy and treats for the eyes! Each 3″ x 4″ string tie envelope is dressed up in its Easter best. The sweet little tag is made with a sticker from the paper collection. Snippets of ribbon, , flowers, and burlap string are Easter Bunny approved!
I’ve tucked some tasty almonds and the dearest miniature card into the string tie envelopes.
Shabby Chic Paper Bag Pocket Easter Card: Pocket #2 and #3
Tags and pockets go together like the Easter Bunny and Jelly Beans! I created a tall tag for the middle pocket, then had dressing it up with ribbons, flowers stickers and charms.
The top pocket holds a decorated 4″ x 6″ string tie envelope. Because it’s Easter, you have to have chocolate, so I’ve tucked a bag of M&M’s inside this pretty little packet.
Here’s a peek at the paper bag pocket with everything removed. I think this is a really fun alternative to an Easter Basket. What do you think?
I hope I’ve shared some tips, tricks and ideas that you can use in your own crafty adventures. If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.
Tammy Tutterow Designs Five for Friday: Double Scoop Ice Cream Card Tutorial
Hello, Friends! It’s time for another edition of Five for Friday with the Tammy Tutterow Designs Creative Crew. I don’t know what the weather is like in your neck of the woods, but here in North Carolina it is hot and steamy. There’s only one remedy I know of for this kind of heat: ice cream! And so to help cool things off, here’s a Double Scoop Ice Cream Card Tutorial.
Isn’t this yummy? Best of all, it’s calorie free! Here’s a little story about my life long love affair with ice cream.
The Best Birthday Ice Cream Ever
I grew up in a family that was rich in love, creativity, integrity and hard work…but not so rich in material goods. Ice cream was a rare and wonderful treat in our home. My mother, in particular, loved ice cream, especially if it was soft serve.
Vermont (where I grew up) is known for its rich dairy products. When I was a kid, a local dairy produced their own line of frozen confections called Vermont REAL Ice Cream. The REAL was all in caps on the logo, and there was a pretty brown cow contentedly grazing in a verdant green field on the square half gallon box. It was the best ice cream in the world.
We, however, could not afford to buy it. Our local radio station ran a weekly contest, where they gave away a half gallon of Vermont REAL Ice Cream. It had to be your birthday, and you had to write in and tell them why you, of all people, deserved to win.
Mom Saves the Day!
Now, my mom was without a doubt the most creative woman I ever met. She sewed, she baked, she canned and gardened and beautified our home on a shoestring. She could also write. Her poems were filled with gorgeous imagery and impeccable meter and rhyme. Every year around our birthdays, she wrote a special poem about the birthday boy or girl and sent it in to the radio contest. And she always won. No contest! And that, my friends, is how I was able to enjoy a double scoop of REAL Vermont Ice Cream each year on my birthday. It’s also why I love ice cream so much. It’s probably genetic…but this memory of my mom’s ingenuity and creativity makes it extra sweet.
Double Scoop Ice Cream Card: Create a Stenciled Background
Here’s how I put this sweet card together. You’ll find links to the products at the end of this post.
First, create a 5.25″ x 7.25″ top fold card base from pale pink cardstock.
Next, cut a slightly smaller piece of polka dot paper (linked below). Distress the edges and glue to the card front.
Now, cut a 4.75″ x 6.75″ panel of smooth white cardstock. Apply Worn Lipstick Distress Ink through the Vertical lines of Tammy’s Gingham Stencil.
Now, turn the panel long wise and apply Picked Raspberry Distress Ink through the horizontal lines of this same stencil.
Next, spritz with a little water from your Distress Sprayer. Heat Dry.
Then, sponge the white areas very lightly with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.
Finally, stitch around the edges. Glue onto the card base.
Double Scoop Ice Cream Card: Layer it Up!
Did you guess that I was trying to create the look of Neapolitan Ice Cream on this card? That’s because it was my favorite as a kid. Now I’m a Butter Pecan gal.
Now, let’s get on to the rest of the layers!
Cut a 4″ x 6.25″ rectangle of soft pink burlap.
Fringe the edges.
Die cut the largest layer from Spellbinder’s Timeless Rectangle from floral print.
Stitch the die cut to the burlap along the inside edge.
Attach to the gingham layer.
Cut a 2″ wide strip of yellow patterned paper. Punch a decorative edge. Layer over the center of the die cut layer.
Double Scoop Ice Cream Card: Sentiment and Cone
Stamp the sentiment in Jet Black Archival ink onto Smooth White Cardstock.
Heat Emboss with clear embossing powder.
Fussy cut the sentiment.
Color in with the medium of your choice. I used colored pencils because I am not great with markers.
Scatter small dots of Art institute Dries Clear Adhesive randomly around the sentiment panel. Sprinkle with TuTu Pink Prills.
While the Prills are drying, create the cone.
Stamp and die cut the cone image 3 times. You will use small foam dots between each layer to create lots of dimension.
Coloring the Image
On the first image, color the waffle cone by sponging it with Vintage Photo and Gathered Twigs Distress Ink. Spritz with water. Ink the edges with Vintage Photo DI.
For the 2nd layer, color the ice cream and cherry. Trim away just the scoops with the matching die. Then attach to the cone with small foam dots.
Finally color the cherry on the 3rd stamped image. Die cut with the matching die and attach with foam dots.
Add glue to the sprinkles on the ice cream scoops. Then sprinkle with Berry Nice Prills.
To finish the sentiment, coat the letters with Glossy Accents. Then spatter with diluted pink paint.
Mount the sentiment on waste cardboard and glue to the card.
I really had fun designing the interior of this card. First, I stamped, inked and colored this fun sentiment for the top of the card. Then I turned the sentiment into a little gift card pocket. I had a plain white string tie envelope in my stash. It was easy to dress up with one of Tammy’s Tab Set Two dies. This is the perfect spot to tuck in a gift card to your favorite ice cream parlor. And you can write a personal note on the envelope.
The bottom pocket is decorated with a die cut doily and stamped Little Sentiment. The pocket holds a pretty little tag that can double as a bookmark.
Making the Shortie Tag
First I die cut the Shortie Tag from Kraft Cardstock. Then I die cut a second tag from Authentique Spectrum paper. This quatrefoil print looks like a waffle cone to me! I added a strip of micro brown check paper, and another die cut doily. Then I die cut the Deco Edge Envelope from designer paper. Don’t you just love these Tiny Sentiments? They really come in handy! And what goes better with a tiny sentiment than a tiny spoon full of ice cream? I know, I know…I get crazy sometimes!
The finishing touch was to add a couple of Posie Part flowers and leaves to the tag.
Inquiring minds want to know? What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream? I hope I shared some tips and tricks that you can use in your own crafty adventures. Wishing you double scoops all summer long!
Tammy Tutterow Designs: Happy Little Easter Tag Pockets
Hello, Friends! I’m so excited to share today’s project with you, as I think you are going to love it! I tried some new techniques while making these Happy Little Easter Tag Pockets, and I got to have my first play date with Tammy’s Scoop Pocket Steel rule die. What fun!
These darling little Easter Tag Pockets make me so happy I want to get up and dance! Here’s what you’ll need to make these l’il cuties
I used the same basic “recipe” for each happy little Easter tag pocket. Here’s how that process went:
Die cut the scoop pocket from designer paper. Crease on the fold lines. Glue together.
Cut shortie tags from designer paper. Use the inserts to cut a decorative edge and glue onto the base of the tag. You will have to trim out the sides to do this, but it’s easy enough. Normally, you would cut the edge onto the bottom of the tag, but I wanted the tags to be a little bit longer so they would stick out of the pocket just a little bit.
Stamp sentiments onto watercolor paper. Heat emboss with clear embossing powder. Color in with markers.
Trim the sentiment.
Stitch onto the tag
Add ribbons and embellies.
Decorate the pocket front
Die cutting the pocket from double sided paper gives it very boutique feel. The little tag has a photo mount on the back side so you can add pictures of your sweeties all dressed up in their Easter best. Or you can write a sweet note here. There’s also plenty of room to tuck in a little treat or gift card. Aren’t they FUN?
To add the spatters to the tags, scribble your Distress Markers onto a craft sheet or stamping block. Make an inky puddle by adding a tiny bit of water. Then use a paintbrush to flick the ink onto the card. This adds such a fun, festive feel to each tag. The look makes me think of those malted milk Easter Egg candies. YUM!
Stamping on Felt: A New Technique for me
So, I fell totally in love with Tammy’s Posie Parts Cling Stamp and Die combo when I made my Suck it Up Buttercup project. Then, I fell in love with felt flowers when I made my Altered Starbucks Bottle Vases. I wanted to combine the Posie Parts stamps/dies with felt. So I put on my thinking cap and decided to try it using Ranger Archival Inks on 100% wool felt. As you can see, the flowers are cute, cute, cute!
I stamped 3 of each Posie Part flower and a bunch of leaves. The first time I die cut them, the ink kind of bled onto my cutting plates. Soooo, the second time, I very gently heat set the ink with my heat tool. No problemo! The wool felt handled the gentle heat very well, and there was no inky mess on my cutting plates.
Next, I hot glued the flower layers together, staggering the petals. I pressed a ball end stylus into the center to create dimension. Finally, I added little button centers.
A Nifty Clean Up Trick
If you do get ink on your cutting plates, you can break it down and wipe it off using hand sanitizing gel. I use this stuff to clean my craft sheet, cutting mat, hands…anything that gets inky, really, and it works great! And, it’s CHEAP!
Working with Tammy’s lovely products always makes me happy, happy, happy! I hope I’ve shared some tips and tricks that you can use in your own crafty adventures. If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.
I’ve tucked some tasty almonds and the dearest miniature card into the string tie envelopes.
Here’s a peek at the paper bag pocket with everything removed. I think this is a really fun alternative to an Easter Basket. What do you think?
