Pumpkin Face Favor Bags

These bags were made using the Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations "In the Bag" die.  A few people asked about the size of the bag.  The finished size is 4 inches tall, 3 inches wide and about 3/4 inch thick (sides).

The dies is a "movers and shapers" base type of die so you could insert some of the small cuts in the tray to make openings in the bags.  I'll show some examples another time.

This is the flat cut produced by the die.  The die will work in the Cuttlebug but you will need the longer plates.  If you don't have them you can run it through and then shift the "B" cutting plates slightly to cover the last section and run the die through again.  The Sizzix regular cutting plates are the correct size to cover the entire die.

On of the things I like most about using this type of die is that it both cuts and scores the bag in one pass through the machine.  You can see all of the score lines in the photo above.

I added one of the leftover pumpkin face cuts from the candy or candle holder (see original post HERE) to the front of the bag.

The slightly ragged edge at the top of the bag is a nice detail.  I use Scor-Tape to hold these bags together.  You could use a fast drying liquid adhesive if you prefer.

When the bottom flaps of the bag are folded in, the tabs interlock and the bag should be secure.

This view down into the fully assembled bag shows the folds and interlocking tabs.  I like to reinforce the bottom if i am planning to add something heavy to the bags.

I saved the cardstock leftovers from the original cut.  The section on the right side will work to cut a strip to reinforce the bottom of the bag.

I cut the strip just under 3 inches wide and 1/2 inch tall.

I used two strips of 1/4 inch wide Scor-Tape.  I set it slightly in from the edges so I peeled off the protective backing on the first piece before adding the second strip. Then I simply stuck it to the bottom of the bag.

It helps to use the handles of your scissors or some other tool to push down from the inside of the bag and set the taped piece of cardstock.

Here is the reinforced bottom of the bag.  It is now quite sturdy and can hold lots of candy!

You can leave the bag plain or add a handle made of string, ribbon, twine, paper - whatever you like!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  For the rest of the month, everyone who leaves a comment on my blog will have a chance to win this Sizzix "Scrap Pink" set.  You can see more photos and details at THIS POST.  For more chances, you can leave a comment everyday for the rest of the month - but just one comment per day please.

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Pretty Little Favor Bag

I imagine my craft room might look a lot like some of yours (well, at least the more chaotic ones!).  I always seem to have extra bits and pieces from projects that I leave on my work area.  I try to organize them so I'll remember to use them.  Soon they are overflowing and you could do an archeological dig through the layers that accumulate on any horizontal surface to discover what I have been working on for the past few weeks (...or months).  I actually prefer having these things sitting around because I sometimes find interesting combinations that I my not have put together if everything was neatly tucked away.

When I was making the Hope card (see THIS POST if you missed it), I tried a few different versions of the size and layers for the word "Hope."  I couldn't let them go to waste, so I put the extras together and used one of them to decorate this tiny favor or gift bag.

I have lots of cartridges that will cut bags and I can easily design my own bags and boxes to cut with one of my electronic cutters but sometimes I do prefer to use a regular steel rule die - particularly if I need to make a large number of the same item.

I recently bought this Tim Holtz bag die from the Alterations line by Sizzix. 

The die makes a tiny shopping bag that is easy to assemble.  It looks very authentic when you use a piece of a larger paper bag and run it through a manual die cutting machine (or the Vagabond if you have one). 

I first saw this die at Absolutely Everything, when I took the classes with Tim Holtz last spring.  They had lots of sample bags made up and decorated.

The bags had a vintage look and were done in mostly browns and subdued colors.  Many of them were inked for grungy and distressed effects.

I decided to try making a totally "ungrungy" bag using a pretty pink cardstock from Martha Stewart and some ruffled ribbon from May Arts for the handle.  The "hope" sentiment that was the wrong size for my card would fit the bag perfectly.

To assemble the bag, you need to put adhesive on the long side flap.  I also added a bit of adhesive on the two short side bottom sections.

The bag is designed so the bottom flaps will interlock.  First you fold in the two side tabs...

...then you fold down the long "U" shaped section.  Scor-Tape is my favorite adhesive for holding bags and boxes together.

The last section folds and tucks under the "U" shaped piece and the points of the "U" shaped piece lock it into place.

Instead of stapling a string handle to the front and back of the bag, I add some Scor-Tape to the two narrow sides on the inside and then adhered the ribbon to the bag.

The Scor-Tape will hold the ribbon securely so long as nothing very heavy is added to the bag.

The two sided cardstock makes the bag look finished inside and out.

I glued my extra "Hope" cut to the front of the bag.  You could add some flowers or other embellishments to decorate the bag.

I simply placed a few pink pearls on the first letter and the final flourish to accent the word.

I think I am going to enjoy trying all sorts of different versions of this bag.  I'll tell you more about the pumpkin bag another day.

We had a very busy weekend so things are a little off schedule again - lots of irons in the fire these days!  I may be making another trip soon - somehow I think that craftroom is never going to get sorted out!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  For the rest of the month, everyone who leaves a comment on my blog will have a chance to win this Sizzix "Scrap Pink" set.  You can see more photos and details at THIS POST.  For more chances, you can leave a comment everyday for the rest of the month - but just one comment per day please.

Subscribe to Capadia Designs if you would like to have new posts delivered directly to your email.

Sparkly Spider Halloween Card

I like to use products from many different companies.  While designers may come up with complete "lines" that are meant to include everything you need, I still like to mix and match and use whatever I think will work.

For this card, I used a Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations embossing folder, a Memory Box die for the webs and a Cricut cartridge (October 31st) for the spider.

Tim Holtz has done embossing folder sets for several holidays.  There are coordinating stamps for each large word collage.  If you are used to using Cuttlebug A2 folders, you will find that the Sizzix folders are larger.  The embossing will cover the entire card front (the full 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches).

I embossed a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch piece of contrasting core cardstock and then sanded it to reveal the inner layer.  Sometimes when you sand away the top color layer the embossing gets a little bit "smushed" so I just make sure all of the paper dust is off, put the paper back in the embossing folder (it is easy to realign since it is embossed) and run it through the machine again to make the embossing crisper.

This cardstock was from a stack that I received as a Secret Santa gift a couple of years ago and I believe it came from Hobby Lobby.  The core is more ivory than white so I made the card base ivory and added a mat layer in dark brown.  I needed to make the card a little bigger than usual to allow for the full embossed image so the card was cut at 9 1/2 by 6 inches (folded to 4 3/4 by six inches) and the brown mat layer was cut at 5 3/4 by 4 1/2 inches.

This set includes three borders - I haven't used these yet...

 

I usually make labels with the names of each folder and stick them to the actual folder.  I also like to keep the original packaging to make dividers for my storage of the folders.  Sometimes it can be difficult to find the actual names of the folders if they are no longer available, so I save the packaging.

The Memory Box dies are some of my favorites because they cut such delicate images.  I can make cuts like this with my Cameo but you don't get the subtle rounding of the edges that the pressure from the metal creates when you use an electronic cutter. 

With these dies, I have found that it is a good idea to run the sandwich through the machine (Cuttlebug, Big Shot, etc.) a couple of times.  Sometimes the rollers are not entirely even so there are "shallow" spots.  If you turn the sandwich around (be careful not to shift the paper) and run it through in the opposite direction, you should get a perfect cut.  If there is an area that doesn't cut, you can usually fit the piece back into the die and try one more pass through the machine.

The scary spider cut is from the October 31st Cricut cartridge.  The spider and the webs are both cut from brown Core'dinations textured cardstock.  They seemed too flat and boring so I decided to alter them by adding Stickles and Liquid Pearls.

I used Dark Chocolate Liquid Pearls on the webs and Cinnamon Stickles on the spider.

The web on the left has had Liquid Pearls added to it - the one on the right is still plain.  I made the second web smaller by simply snipping off a row of the design.

The Cinnamon Stickles made the spider much more interesting.  They are still drying in this photo.  Once the Stickles are dry they have an amazing amount of sparkle and the glitter does not rub off or make a mess.

I left the spider and webs to dry for several hours before I assembled the card.

To adhere the webs to the corners of the card, I used my Creative Memories Precision Point adhesive.  This adhesive is in a pen and you just dot it on the back of the thin lines of the web.   To avoid glue smears, i let it dry until it looks clear (it starts out white) and then press the pieces into place.  You can lift it to reposition but once you apply some pressure the cut will be secure.

I wanted my glittery spider to "float" between the two webs so I added some foam adhesive dots.  I cut them in half to be sure that the adhesive would not show from the front.

This creepy spider looks like it could jump right off the paper!

I think the muted colors make this card a little more interesting than the standard orange and black.  I did cut the spider in black first but it looked much too harsh in contrast to the embossed front.

After all that - I am not sure if or when I will send this card...  Do you make Halloween cards?  Do you send them?  

For all of you who use Silhouette machines - there is a special on all Halloween shapes from now until the end of the month.  The shapes are 75 cents each and there are over 1300 listed under "Halloween" in the Silhouette online store - you can see them HERE.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  For the rest of the month, everyone who leaves a comment on my blog will have a chance to win this Sizzix "Scrap Pink" set.  You can see more photos and details at THIS POST.  For more chances, you can leave a comment everyday for the rest of the month - but just one comment per day please.

Subscribe to Capadia Designs if you would like to have new posts delivered directly to your email.