Cute Gift Bag Topper!

My friend and I made this cute gift bag topper for her daughter's birthday!  The purple base is12 x 12 cardstock folded in half with a small rectangle cut out with a craft knife to make room for the handles then punched with a Martha Stewart floral vine deep edge punch.   The braid is punched with a Martha Stewart punch called linked trim.  It is laced with a strip of purple carstock.  The beautiful paper pattern is TPC Studio Spring Stained Glass.  The paper has a beautiful shimmer to it.  The flower and tag are die cut with Spellbinders dies. The tag is labels 3 and the flower is a custom die by Heartfelt Creations called Posey Patch Die.  This set also has custom stamps to match at Heartfelt Creations.The stamp used on the tag is also from TPC Studio and is called Coffee Cafe. It is embossed in brown on glossy green cardstock cut with Nestabilities label 3.  The topper is then placed over a kraft gift bag after the gift has been placed in it.  It not only is beautiful packaging, but also serves to close the top of the bag and prevent peaking in the tissue paper!!  Happy Birthday Lauren!

More AMAC Box Storage for Scrapbook and Card Embellishments

 Amac boxes make great storage for embellishments.    

BEFORE

You can see what you  have, arrange it by color and stack them.  However, as they accumulated, they seemed a little crowded and cluttered and it was still hard to move them around to find the embellishment that I was looking for. I was still challenged to see what was on the shelf as I had so many little containers all in the way of each other. 

 They held a nice variety of embellishments.

I decided to use a little velcro and make use of the unused space on the shelf.

AFTER:  That's Better! 

With Love, From China

Today's card was inspired by 6 new Chinese friends!  The Chinese letter means "belief" or "message" and is a Sizzix embossing folder.  

The background is an embossing folder by Darcie.  Both of the dry embossed images are inked up with Distress inks.  The stamp is from Stampin UP! 

Think Again, Scrapbook Storage

 A toothbrush holder is an ideal container for keeping scissors close at hand....or foot ;)

Scrapbook and Cardstock Paper Storage

I really took my time when I was looking for a way to store scrapbook paper. I started with the rooster boxes below which were purchased from the Dollar Store.  The largest one is the perfects size and sturdy enough to hold 12 x 12 scrapbook paper.

 In my search for new paper storage, I came up with a few criteria.
1. The storage needs to be clear so that I can see the paper through it.
2.  Paper should be easily accessible
3. The unit should be free standing, as I have no wall space
4.  Enough shelves to allow colors to be separated into designs and solids and then colors the colors of the rainbow, PBGYOR.
5.  Paper must be protected from corner crimping.

I finally settled on these:

They are from Display Dynamics.  Sturdy plastic units that come and need assemblage.  There are three types shown in the pictures.  One for 8 1/2 x 11 paper, and two for 12 x 12 paper.  The two larger units are different in that one has a lip on the shelf to keep the paper from falling when they are tilted and the other does not.  The tilting aspect allows them to be seen better, but the non-tilted lipless unit will hold more.  I cover them with plastic to prevent dust.  They also have small clear drawers that are available.  There are two drawers in the first picture in the unit on the right, shelves 7 and 8.  The look a little blurry.  The are the right size to hold rubber stamps nicely.

These units can be purchased online, just Google" Display Dynamics" and there are many choices of vendors. I have been  happy with my choice.

Scrapbook Paper Storage, Loving Leftovers!

I have these plastic drawer units in the room where I use my Cricut.  They hold the leftover scraps.  The left side is for patterned paper and the right side is for solid colors. Drawers are arranged in Purple, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red (PBGYOR) and neutrals.

The drawer dimensions are: Drawer Dimensions: 14" W x 12.5" D x 2.6" H which is perfect to hold 12 x 12 scrabook paper.

They are on rollers and I just roll them over to the computer desk where the Cricut sits where I can conveniently reach for what I need as I work.

Once a friend came to visit and we were rummaging through the refrigerator for something to eat.  She made the comment, "I love leftovers!".  The same banner is true in the world of paper crafting.  I find that these storage units tend to be the "go to" place for paper.  As they are designs and colors that I have chosen for a project, by default they are also in the category of my favorite designs and colors and so become "choice" for other projects too.

They can be found at:  http://www.samsclub.com/sams/10-drawer-organizer/prod1490070.ip