A Purse Gift Card Holder

The Forever Young Cricut cartridge has lots of purses that you can make;  actual 3-D purses.  I had been wondering for a while what you’d do with them.  When my niece, who loves purses, was celebrating her birthday, it hit me that they could make cute gift card or money holders. 

I discovered they are easy to make.   In fact, once I thought of it I’ve made two. 

For the first one, I cut a purse (5 ¼” ) from Bright Blossom paper.  You simply fold it on the lines and glue together.  The paper I was using was not heavy so I cut a 2^nd identical one out of plain cardstock and cut the handles off and glued inside the handles of the purse.  Using the thick white thread sold at ScrapbooksPlus and some adhesive, I wrapped the handles with yarn.  This takes awhile.  I glued a magnet under the edge of the purse flap and on the outside of the purse to hold it closed.  (The purse comes with a cutout to insert the flap, so the magnet is not necessary but I thought it would hold better.

Using Tim Holtz chain I affixed two labels (cut with the Sizzles Scallop Tags die) after stamping “Happy” on one and “Birthday” on the other.  I added a Tim Holtz Bauble.  On the other side I affixed Two Tim Holtz letter charms. I did “X” & “O.” 

The second purse is almost the same, except I cut a second purse out of cardstock that had texture and cut out the handles and the flap.  By gluing these on top of the purse, they look like leather trim  I added similar embellishments. 

These are really cute and you have lots of choices.  Check them out.  How much cuter to give a gift card in a little purse!

Using Scraps

I had a great time creating with the embellishments from the Sweetest Thing line from MME.  When I pick up a new paper line to scrapbook with I always pick up a few coordinating embellishments.  I have not always done this.  I used to think I could make my own so much cheaper.  The reality is that if I want to get any scrapbooking done, I need to buy most of my embellishments.  Maybe I'm a slow learner and the rest of you already knew this but once I figured this out I found it makes scrapbooking more enjoyable for me!  I get more done and I also find that I use all of my embellishments by making cards with my scrap paper and embellishments.  This makes them a great value for me too because there is no waste!


The 'Happy' on this birthday card was premade and part of the embellishments pack that I used on a scrapbook page.  I pulled a Birthday stamp from my stash and made a quick and easy card from left over paper and embellishments!  What do you do with your left over papers and embellishments?

Hot July Make & Take

This week’s Make & Take, using Basic Grey’s pb&j line, provides space for three 4” x 6” pictures.  Your free element is  a metallic & blue vintage fan made with Tim Holtz Sizzix Movers and Shapers die,  In addition you use five colors of twine (the big spool kind so you can buy just what you need) and wooden buttons.  As designed the page is for “Hot July” memories, but use your letters to make a different title and the layout’s bright summer colors are great for a birthday, spring, garden, pet, family, life or love layout.  This layout gives you lots of flexibility so I’m sure you have some important memories to scrap that will be perfect on this page. 

Make a Wish!

With the Alora paper, it is about as easy to make a page as to make a wish.   I chose the Alora Stitches' polka dots for an a family birthday layout.  I cut a strip that said “Make a Wish” from Alora Wish for my title and inked the strip and the background with Barn Door Distress Ink.  After affixing the strip to the background, I added two horizontal  (3 ½” x 5”) and a vertical (5 x 3 ½”) photos in a grid-type layout.   All that remainded was to add a few embellishments and journaling.  I used the “Love” and “Wish” boxes from the Alora Cutouts for Journaling.  I added the date under the title with Alora Tiny Type Stickers.  I used a couple of flowers from the Alora Combo Stickers.  Strips of jewels frame the top of the photos and large jewels dot the “I” in the title and form the center of the circle.  That’s all there is to it!

Birthday Reminder Mini Book

I have really enjoyed being a member of the Scrapbooks Plus Design Team this year.  It has really helped me stay on top of the new paper lines and encouraged me to step outside my creative box a bit.  I love seeing all the awesome art work my fellow team members create.  They are all so talented!!  Thanks, Scrapbooks-Plus, for letting me be a part of this great team!!

This month's kit was really fun to work with! I was expecting to scrapbook my pictures from last Christmas with holiday themed papers but Lisa surprised me with this cool kit!  It inspired me to look back at the different months of 2011 and also think ahead about one of my goals for 2012.  I confess that I am terrible about remembering birthdays.  Not my immediate families' birthdays thankfully, but others that I really care about that I am also close to.  I really want to get organized in 2012 to help me overcome this fault and put together a perpetual calendar where I can jot down all the important birthdays.  This paper was perfect for this!  The kit has some pages that you can easily cut into 4 x 6" pieces for the pages. 

I alternated my colored pages and used the super cute coordinating stickers to embellish my pages.  On the unlined pages, I used a 'journaling' stamp for my lines but you could easily draw the lines in with a ruler or go with the freehand method without lines!  I used a punch for my month tabs and the letter stickers that came with the kit for the month titles on each.  Below is a photo of the tabs and the page for June.

Stop by the store and take a look at this super quick book.  I used my Bind it All to put it all together and tied ribbons on the outside for added cuteness!  These would also make super cute gifts for friends and family.  Enjoy!

Birthday Pictures Make & Take

This week’s Make & Take will help you scrap those many birthday pictures you have. The fun design and bright colors make it perfect for boys or girls of any age. Stop by the store on Wednesday to get all the products you need and the instructions to make this fun layout using Basic Grey’s Life of the Party Line. Your free element is a birthday cake with icing.

Birthday Buttons by Esther

Pictures not posted: Sorry for the words and no pictures. The images are not being grabbed today for this blog. See the Design Team Wall at Scrapbooks Plus for the examples.

For the next birthday party I plan to make birthday buttons. They can be souvenirs for each guest to remember the celebration. These were made from the kit using various paper groupings. The pinks were used with the cupcakes for a feminine look and the green and black for a more masculine look.



Cut strips of cardstock or patterned paper a depth of about one & a half inches x length 12 inches. If the depth is too much larger the button becomes too large and bulky. This size gives about a 3" diameter button. Cut a contrasting color or pattern to 1" x 12". glue the edges of the two together to make one 12" strip. Shape the edge of one side of the larger one, if desired. I tried a small scallop.



The photo shows green with yellow attached. Now pleat the paper at one half or less inch increments. Folding must be crisp creases and as consistent as possible. If the folds are different sizes, the button will not come together good.



Overlap and glue the last pleat on each end. This forms a large unyielding form. Push the centers together and use double sided tape to hold together in a circular shape. Add more glue in center , as needed. Cut a one inch circle to place over the pleated shape. This will hold it together. Glue another circle on the back to secure the shape.



Decorate the center with a cupcake paper, candle, message, or number for the age of the person. Stickers or brads with flowers are fun too. In order to wear the button, I sewed a safety pin to a small piece of fabric that is glued on back circle. Paper strips can be added for ribbons. Cut the 1" strip about 6" in length. Fold in half and angle to look like a ribbon. The button, without the pin, can also be used as an ornament on a card.



Buttons are a fun way to celebrate a birthday! Scrapbooks Plus has a great selection of birthday papers. Le tme know if you make some of these for your next birthday celebration?

Got Wallets?

I don't know about you, but I always take tons of pictures at birthday parties and then I want to use them all on my layouts to help me remember the events of the day.

Question: How do you get 8 pictures on 2 pages and not have it look too crowded?

Answer: Wallet sized photos!

Most photo processing services offer the option of printing wallets - approximately 2"x3" in size. I use Photoshop to layout 2 pictures on a 4"x6" before I send them to print and then just cut them in half when I get them home. (I recommend this if you have photo-editing software as it saves money and keeps you from having extra wallets laying around.)

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My 2 page layout is very easy to put together. I used 2 sheets of red cardstock as a base and then split a sheet of patterned paper in half and positioned it to create a center block in the middle of the 2 pages. I grabbed the Bo Bunny paper with the large polka dots all lined up in neat rows and cut 4 strips. I used 2 of them to frame the center block and the other 2 were used to create a border on the outside edges of the layout. Surprise! The space in between is exactly the right size for wallet sized pics! The focal image is a 5"x7" and it "jumps the gutter" between the 2 pages. I also added a 4"x6" on the left side of the center block. Final photo count - 8 pictures and still plenty of room for a very large title!

Details: Red Candy Dots and red buttons repeat the pattern found in the polka dot border strips.

I cut out a present from the KI paper and used it as a photo corner/accent.

The trusty Dymo label maker came out again along with the CLEAR tape, which I love because it makes it so easy to color coordinate!

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Thanks to everyone who participated in our Design Team Challenge this month. Entries were due on the 21st. We will announce the winner of the gift certificate to Scrapbooks Plus soon!

"Make A Wish!"

I couldn't believe it when I saw the papers Leah chose this month. My daughter celebrated her 11th birthday in November with a cupcake themed party and I had not gotten around to scrapping it yet. The cupcake themed papers from Doodlebug gave me the perfect opportunity!

Like Erin, I also decided to include an accordian album on my page this month. I absolutely love the Jenni Bowlin birthday mini-bingo card (mine said "Wish") so I ended up incorporating it into the title of the layout (loved the girly design of the pink canvas thickers!) and used it as the front of the accordian album.

You can see here that Erin and I were on the same wavelength again, because I also used velcro to attach it - That will make it easier for my daughter to take it out in the future and be able to access journaling on the back.

Here's a look at the book when it is open...

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the sheer dot ribbon is used to hold it closed and is sandwiched between the back cover and the last panel of the inner accordian fold. I used red-line tape to attach the front and back covers - I have found that anything that is going to be manipulated needs to have very strong adhesive.

Some other details...I started out intending to machine stitch on this layout, but I think my machine needs a trip to the doctor, because it kept skipping stitches! No worries though as I decided I liked the look - so I pulled out the thread and just ran the entire edge of the brown paper through the machine.

Another fun detail is the journaling, which I created with my Dymo labelmaker. It came with pink and blue tape, and my new favorite - CLEAR tape - which I was able to put on a piece of coordinating green cardstock and trim out.

I also cut out some of the cute presents from the KI paper to use as an embellishment on the lower right corner of the picture. One of them was already glittered. I fancied up the other two by adding some Glossy Accents to give them dimensional polka dots. I think they may be a little too subtle so the next time I will make the polka dots with markers and then add the Glossy Accents.

Finally, never underestimate the value of a simple swirl!

The page just didn't seem balanced - color or weight - so I used a bit of the BoBunny coordinating Double Dot paper in blue and a quick trip to the Accu-Cut machine in the crop room and voila - when placed in the bottom left - perfect!

Details, Details, Details...an Apology...& a Project!

First, let me say how happy we are that we are already getting such a great response to our new Design Team Monthly Challenge.

Second, let me apologize for not being as prepared as I should have been! I know that some of our excited blog followers have already hit the store in search of the new papers only to be disappointed that they were not yet out for purchase. Let me explain that the DT traditionally has a get together where we switch out our projects on "The Wall" and we also put out all the elements of that month's kit at the same time. For July, we chose to get together at 6pm on the 1st, so you early bird shoppers beat us to the store! I promise to be better next month about letting you know exactly when the new papers will be available!

Third, I have more specific information that I hope will answer any questions that have come up about the challenge: We have not assembled a kit. Instead, you are able to look over all of the materials that we had in our DT kit, and then choose which items you would like to purchase to create your project. Some of you may fall in love with the pretty pastels in the Cupcake line from Doodle Bug, while others may gravitate to the bold primaries in the BoBunny papers OR the shimmer & glitter of the KI papers. Let me tell you that Leah gave us so many great birthday-themed papers to choose from that there is something for everyone!

Remember when your project is ready, just leave a comment on Leah's post where she reveals the July Kit and tell us where we can go and see your creative genius! (OR you can email a picture of your project to debbie@scrapbooks-plus.com ) The winner will be awarded a Scrapbooks Plus gift certificate and the layout will be featured on our blog! (If you want to review the rules, this link will take you to my original post inviting you to play along!)

And finally, let me share something I made using this month's kit!

The papers all have a birthday theme, so I decided to make party hats - actually, party visors. (Many thanks to my models, Erin and Adrianna.)

Basically, I bought a .99 foam visor and used it as a pattern.

I used a circle punch (about 3/4" diameter) to create a scalloped border.

Then I inked the edge of the cupcake paper from Doodlebug before I adhered it to the top.

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I used my crop-o-dile to punch holes through all layers and set some eyelets, then I threaded beading elastic through the holes and used square knots to tie it off.

I think it turned out pretty cute!

It was so fun and easy I decided to make another one with the BoBunny papers - but this one has a little twist - it is also an invitation!

The BoBunny paper is actually very sturdy, double-sided cardstock, so it did not need to be lined. I created the fancy edge by adhering some red ric-rac (I used Glossy Accents as a glue because it happened to be handy and it worked great!)

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But where is the invitation? Well, the medallion on the center of the visor is actually a flap that opens to reveal the details. How did I make it? Easy...

I folded a double thickness of cardstock and placed it on top of the cutting die, but left one edge peeking out - see it at the bottom?

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After cutting you can see that edge is flat.

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When you open it, you can see how it is connected at that point.

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Then I decorated the front with a "Party!" sticker from BoBunny and added party details to the inside. Red line tape holds it on the front of the visor and a brad and a photo turn holds the flap closed.

I plan on making some of these up to use as invitations to a Jimmy Buffet party later this summer! I know they are a little big to mail, but if one of these showed up on your desk or your doorstep, wouldn't you just have to come?!?!?

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Party On, Dude! (tell me somebody gets that film reference from one of my favorite movies...)

I hope to see you around the store and I look forward to seeing what you can create! Have fun with the Challenge! Susie