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Pretty & Practical Last Minute Gift Wrapping

Hey Friends!

Today I have a few projects for you that will possibly help you this gift giving season! In all, I have 4 projects, so, let’s get started!

First up we have the Bag-a-lope!

This bag has been around as long as there have been envelopes and can be done with any size envelope you have!

Choose the size that you want your bag to be. The size you score will be half the size of the bag. So, if you want your bag to be 2″ deep, then score at 1″. If you want it to be 4 1/4″ then score at 2 1/8″!

Use a ribbon or braided bakers twine for your handles.

I used Stampin’ Up’s Cream Woven Ribbon (164143) for my handles.

Next up, we have the Faux Bow Bag.

This stars a brown paper bag (We all have those or can find them easy and cheap at the grocery store!) and some ribbon and bakers twine.

Fold over the top of the bag as needed to fit your gift. Using a hole punch, punch two holes centered on your bag. Then thread your ribbon through from front to back, cross over, create a loop and poke it back through, leaving the tail to poke through the opposite hole.

Grab one or two colors of bakers twine and create a looped nest of twine then remove from your fingers. Use one color to create the wrapped ‘knot’ in the center and tie a knot on the back. Then knot around the ribbon on the bag, and floof!

I know this sounds confusing, but it will make sense when you watch the video!

I used the 3/8″ Natural Polka Dot Trim (163465) for the base bow on this package.

Next is the easiest of the bunch!

This is more upscaling what you already have. Perfect for an already handled bag. Instead of using a clip or twine to hang your tag from your bag, why not use a nice thick satin ribbon? This easily ups the ‘niceness’ of your gift packaging!

I used the Very Vanilla 3/4″ Satin Ribbon (164120

And last but definitely not least, we have the bag with no bow!

This one has more steps, but I share in the video how to make this work for any sized bag you may be using!

This project also features the brown paper bag (though, you could use any color!). We are also using the Season of Elegance 12″ x 12″ Specialty Designer Paper (164144) as well as the Reindeer Days memories & More Card pack (164047) and the White ribbon from the Petal Pink & White 1/4″ Diagonal Trim Combo Pack (163417)

I hope that having the instructions for these bags will be helpful for you this gift giving season.

They really are easy to make and ready to give in no time flat!

This post is a part of the New at SU blog hop for December. Thanks so much for being a part of it! Before you move on to the next participant, please take a moment and let me know what you think about the projects today!

https://youtu.be/AxIehq1gmtg

Elevated Embossing

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Welcome to the New at SU blog hop! This month’s technique is all about embossing! You will see all sorts of embossing techniques, and probably a few different versions of each! The whole hop of is listed below, so if you get lost along the way, feel free to come back here to see where you went astray! LOL!

Isn’t this card just beautiful? Honestly, it took me a bit to like it, becasue I tend to not like ‘messy’ things, especially if they are things that I make! But this card has turned out just gorgeous! (I even have two now, one for the sample and one for the video!)

To make this fantastic card, I used the Layered Florals 3-D embossing folder. The folder by itself is just gorgeous, so making something fantastic with it is super easy!

I even made sure to do some on the inside as well, because it needed some of that beauty inside too!

I used just a few inks and a paintbrush (and some water) to make this fantastic card. I have linked everything below, so if you need to add something to your stash, you easily can!

https://youtu.be/XWzJ6uGhObg

I do hope you will let me know what you think of this gorgeous card, and if you think you will make one yourself! It does take a bit of practice, so cut a few fronts to practice on!

Scrapbooking Global Blog Hop

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It’s a Scrapbooking Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Scrapbooking Global Blog Hop!

Scrapbooking Global is a Stampin’ Up! facebook group that loves to share their scrapbook pages and ideas! As a CTMH Maker that will be transitioning to Stampin’ Up! as of May 1st (due to the closing of Close to my Heart), I joined the group and thought it would be fun to join in on the blog hop!

So, let’s take a look at the sketch that we are going to use today!

My project today uses a few things that were still available as of this morning! (Things are selling out quickly!)

I started with the Starter Cut Above Layout Kit 2. I decided to add the Let’s Go Anywhere sticker sheet. When We decide which photos to use, we will use the Starter Alphabet Stamp Set. (My thoughts are for my Daughter’s trip with EF Tours to London, Pompeii, and a few other stops along the way. I will let her choose a few photos and then we can add the title with which location it was!)

This kit was so easy to put together, and for only $3.13! WHAT? That is a steal!

I decided to change the color of the tabs, by using an alcohol marker. The most fun part was adding the extra stickers to the layout, totally making it one of a kind!

Adding just a bit of foam tape helps to give this cluster so much dimension!

In the video I give a few tips on how to make these stickers work with foam tape, and some tips about that bow you can see off to the right of the photo below!

I even did a quick video to show you the process! If you would like, take a peek at that, and if you like, I would love to have you as a blog and YouTube subscriber!

https://youtu.be/u1-TdUyJGSg

I hope you have liked my project today! Like others, I love to see comments about the projects I share! Please take a moment to leave a comment before you hop on to the next person!

The next button below will send you to the next blog (Danielle), but here is the whole list of hoppers! Each blog should have a next button on it, to make it super easy to get through the hop!

Sharon Dalton – CreativeMe68 (Australia)
Jo Blackman (UK)
Michelle Johns – Crafters Northwest (US) <– you are Here!
Danielle Wagner – DanYellScraps (US)
Tania Brown
Rochelle Laird-Smith – Stamping Flair (Australia)
Cheryl Taylor – Stampin n crafting with Cheryldiana – UK
Sherry Roth – Stamped Treasures – Canada
Caz Hurst – Happy Crafter – New Zealand
Julia Quinn – Handmade by Julia Quinn (Australia)

We hope that you enjoy the hop and leave a little love on each of your stops along the way!

Products used today:

CTMH Starter Cut Above Layout #2
CTMH Let’s Go Anywhere sticker sheet
Kraft Cardstock
Foam Adhesive
Tombow Tape Runner
Tombow Multi Purpose Glue
Anti-Static Pouch
Tweezers
Tri-Blend Markers by Spectrum Noir
Non Stick Micro Tip Scissors by CTMH

(Due to CTMH closing, many of these items are sold out. However, what is available at the time of this post is linked above)

Holy February, Batman!!

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Is it just me, or is this year already flying by faster than expected? Not just me? Ok, good!

Since we need to catch up on some time, let’s hit some important topics, shall we?? First! There was a new mini book that went live on January 1! Have you seen it just yet? It is so so so fun!! You can see all the things on the website, you can download the PDF here, and if you want to look at it Magazine style, online, you can head to this page and just click on either the core book or the newest mini book!

The artwork that CTMH is going to share this month is going to focus on Storybrook. It’s a super cute fantasy Princess and dragons theme! So so so cute! I think I will name him Norbert! (can YOU figure out who Norbert is? Leave me a comment below, and tell me who you think I’m talking about!)

One of the great things that CTMH did with this paper pack, is that the opposite sides, are opposing themes! So, one side is more ‘boy’ themed, and one side is more ‘girl’ themed! So this one packet works wonderfully for boys or girls, and you can even mix the colors perfectly back and forth!

I will be hosting some live videos weekly! I hope you will join me! It’s going to be Three on Thursday! We will make three cards each Thursday! I am even going to be starting tomorrow, February 2nd! You will be able to find me Right Here!

I don’t want to overwhelm you in one post, so I will see you tomorrow (Thursday) on the Live! (you will also be able to watch the replay, if you miss us!)

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to guess who Norbert is in the comments!

Layered Flowers

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Welcome to the Technique blog hop! This month our focus is on layered flowers! There are so many different ways that you could do that! The Layered Flowers Thin Cuts might be the easiest way to do that! I will link some other projects below, that I had fun making in different ways. If you are following the hop, you should have arrived here from Michelle’s blog. If you started here, that’s ok!! You will continue around in a circle until you get back to here! I know you will find a bunch of great ideas that you will want to copy!

So, for my card, I used a few different things! I used the stencil from the In Full Bloom Scrapbooking workshop, the stamped sentiment from the cardmaking workshop, and the layered flowers thin cuts.

I used the stencil a few different times with shortbread ink. The sentiment is stamped in grape ink to coordinate with the grape cardstock of the flowers. The leaves are cut from both light and dark sides of sage cardstock. Tof finish it off, I used some liquid pearls! (I don’t know about you, but I tend to forget how much I like them!)

I hope that you like the card that I shared today! I have a short video that you can watch of me putting it together, here.

I said I would link some other cards that I have made thatw ould fit for this blog hop. I have this card here that shows how to use different colors of cricut cuts for a flower. This one uses a different style of cricut cuts, that are similar to what I have done today with the large flower. Last but not least, this is a whole different style, with multiple layers of the B&T paper being cut and layered.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Next you should be going to Lauren’s blog. Before you hop away, however, I would love it if you left me a comment about my project!

Have a crafty day!

~ Michelle

CTMH Items used:

{All items are clickable!}

White Daisy Cardstock

1385
1385
Grape Cardstock

X6054
X6054
Wisteria Cardstock

X6032
X6032
Shortbread Cardstock

X6059
X6059
Sage Cardstock

X6045
X6045
Mocha Cardstock

X6060
X6060
Card Base & Envelope

X254
X254
Layered Flowers Thin Cuts

Z4324
Z4324
Shortbread Ink

Z6530
Z6530
Grape Ink

Z6524
Z6524
Liquid Pearls

Z3791
Z3791
Liquid Glass

Z679
Z679
3-D Foam Tape

Z1151
Z1151
Thin 3-D Foam Tape

Z2060
Z2060

Online Bingo!

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It’s Bingo Time!

We are going to play bingo AND make cards!

With your registration, you will get:

4 pre-cut projects
5 numbers of your choice, between 1 & 25
Video putting the cards together
Fun embellishments for your projects, with some left over to use on other projects
PRIZES! (prizes will be based on the number of registered players! The more that play, the more (or bigger!) prizes!

Once you have paid your registration fee, I will send you the link to finish your registration (where you will pick your numbers).

We will be live on FB on April 28th at 6pm

Your kits will be mailed AFTER the video, so that you won’t miss your numbers during game play!

Click here to register

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below, or message me!

Thanks friends!

~ Michelle

Crafting Bee

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It is time for the Crafters to re-unite!

We WILL come together again!

With many things there is change, as is so with this! What is now Crafting Bee, was once known as a Crop.

In the ‘olden days’, ladies got together for Quilting Bees. So, we are going to bring that back to life, in a way, with our Crafting Bees!

I can’t wait to see you all again! Old friends and new friends alike!

I know many of us have been working on many ‘different things! I would love for everyone to bring 2 or 3 projects that they would like to ‘share with the class’, things that helped to keep you a bit sane during the pandemic! (there might even ‘bee’ a small prize for those that do!)

12 pm to 8pm

Dinner Included
6 feet of table space
Time with the ladies
Always a fun table treat!

**All Crafters Northwest Events require that participants have their vaccines and boosters up to date. Thank you for your understanding!**

Click here to register

It will be so good to see you all!

~Michelle

Can you sponge your Dino?

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The new challenge of the month over at H2H is all about sponge techniques! This one was fun! Because, I don’t know about you, but I like to channel my inner Tim Holtz every now and again! I saw him do this technique years ago, on a video, that was probably years old! LOL!! Basically he used a Misti tool to make a rainbow of colors on a stamp, by sponging colors onto the stamp and overlapping them.

So, before you leave, I would love for you to leave me a note and let me know which is YOUR favorite card, and let me know if you have tried this technique!

Mine didn’t ALL overlap, but some of them did! I just think the whole thing turned out great!

I also channeled my inner Jennifer McGuire, and made TWO dinos when I was stamping, to make two cards. However, I couldn’t decide which background I wanted, so I just went ahead and did two!

Before I swap over to the other card, I wanted to show something. I managed to blow a fuze when I was making this card. (literally, had to go and flip the breaker!) So, one of my pieces didn’t cut all the way. So, I decided to do something fun with the inside, and use that piece that hadn’t cut all the way.

I tore it into a ‘sloped’ shape, and then distressed it, and glued it to the inside of the card. I think it turned out great!

Ok, let’s see the other card, shall we?

This is the other dino! Isn’t he cute, too? I created a background with one of the images on the Artbooking cartridge. Then I cut it four times, to give it some depth

It was fun to do two different cards! It would have been much faster if I had done two of the same, but that’s ok too!

Last week, you saw that I was inspired by a friend’s son, and this week is the same! Just, a different friend! (actually, both friends’ sons like dinos!)

Like I said earlier, I hope that you will let me know which card is YOUR favorite! Also, if you might want to try this whole sponging thing, join us over at H2H for some fun challenges, and put YOUR artwork into the hat!

Thanks so much for joining me!

Inspired by Silver and Gold

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Today I am participating in a blog hop with CTMH Techniques. The theme of this hop is Silver and Gold! I am sure you will get many fantastic ideas! Just follow along in the hop, and you will get back to where you started. You may have started here, or you may have started at Brandi’s blog. Either way, let’s continue on with the hopping, shall we?

I was inspired by a card that I found on Pinterest, and just had a blast with lots of bits and bobs of left over bling!

I did some stamp surgery with one of the sentiments, to make it even more fun! I embossed each line with silver and gold embossing powder!

I think I quite fit the challenge, what do you think? Do you have one or two (or more) pieces of bling left over in a pack? This would be the perfect way to use them up! (they don’t have to be only silver or gold!) I would love to see what you do with this idea!

Now, if you would be so kind as to leave a comment before you hop away, I would greatly appreciate it! Then, you can hop over to Judy’s blog, and see what she has for you!

Until next time, have some crafty fun!

~Michelle

Rose gold simplicity!

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Have you seen the rose gold papers that CTMH carries? There are 6 different designs, with rose gold foil on them! They are so shiny and pretty! They are perfect for cards, and like with a little black dress, you can dress it up or dress it down!

These two cards use the exact same measurements, but with the different papers, they look so different! One looks a bit more ‘formal’ than the other. I love how just changing a paper can make a world of difference!

Just look at all that shine!

These cards were first inspired by this week’s challenge over at H2H Challenges! You should check them out! Then, I started looking at the Make it from your Heart book, volumne 1, and pattern 20 was my starting off point!

I hope that these cards inspire you to try the Rose Gold Papers! They are beautiful and fun! (and so easy to use!)