Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Treat Yourself!

Treat Tents using Fanfare Papers
You've seen them and now it's time to add them to your papercrafting repertoire! They're called treat tents and they can be made any size at all. This little trio is ready to march into a birthday party or even a picnic on the 4th of July. Use a bit of adhesive or a glue dot to adhere a little bag of special treats inside the tent and you'll be all ready to make your guests smile. 

Are you ready to make your own? Start with a piece of cardstock cut 3" x 9". Beginning at one short end, score the piece at 3-1/2", 5", and 8-1/2". This will give you a substantial base on which to rest the tent along with a 1/2" flap to fold over the top of the tent. This gives your project a cute finished look. I rounded the corners of the flap and sponged with a bit of coordinating ink to complete the look. 

The front of the tent is based on a 3" x 3" card pattern from the awesome pattern book entitled Wishes. Papers featured here are from the Fanfare collection. Enjoy!

A Sip of Simplicity

More than likely, you have seen these little water bottle tags many times. Consider this a reminder of how cute and simple such a project can be as it elevates the lowly water bottle to a thirst-quenching gift or decoration. Try them for birthday parties, pool soirees, bridal showers, and much more. Easily coordinated with a bit of ink and paper, these will fit into any theme or decor.
My version begins with a piece of cardstock cut at 3" x 10" and scored 3" from one end and 2-1/2" from the other end. The 3" section is folded up and decorated as desired while the 2-1/2" section is punched with a 1-1/4" punch to accommodate the bottle top.
Do you want to duplicate the lattice print background? Grab your rubber brayer, add some dimensional foam tape around the cylinder, ink it up and you're on a roll! I used one color in each direction for a fun garden-y look! Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

The Language of Flowers

As a young girl, my daughter delighted in being able to celebrate the end of the year with a little something for her classroom teacher, piano instructor, and even the director of her dance studio. She liked for it to be unique and always wanted a hand in creating it from the heart. With Mom's buffet of papercrafting ingredients available, it was only a matter of time before the perfect little gift came to life.


This seed packet pocket would fit any number of occasions and is so very simple to create. I can even see my daughter presenting a little basket of assorted packets, a bit of a bouquet in the making, to a special mentor. As favors for a party, shower, or even a wedding, they would add that special touch. 


To make these even more unique, consider choosing the seeds based on their meaning! It is interesting to note that many flowers have a special meaning and it is with this information that bouquets can be tailored to an occasion. As head of a local woman's group, I recently recognized each member with one of these pockets filled with seeds that spoke to the characteristic she most contributed to the club.

Here are the results:
Baby's Breath-Happiness
Celosia-Sense of Humor
Convolvulus-Perseverance
Coreopsis-Cheerfulness
Dianthus-Dignity
Hollyhock-Ambition
Nasturtium-Patriotism
Poppy-Imagination
Zinnia-Friendship

My pocket began as a piece of cardstock cut 4"x8" and scored at 3" from one of the short sides to create the pocket. With a little random stamping, sponging, and the addition of a variety of embellishments, my pocket came to life. In this case, I adhered the pocket only at the upper corners with mini glue dots so that my pocket had a bit of expansion room for chubbier seed packets. Enjoy!