Birthday Wishes Gift Wrap - May 23rd

Hi everyone! It's Audrey, here today with a fun gift wrap idea that's a bit of a twist on traditional gift packaging. Rather than using the standard gift bag or box, why not create your own custom gift envelope instead?

 The process is really quick and easy, and only requires a little bit of paper and a few simple folds. Add some trims and embellishments made with your favorite Sizzix dies, and you are done. Best thing is, you can adjust the size of the envelope to suit your needs or change the theme to match any occasion.

For another custom twist, I added a fleece fabric liner to my envelope to safely protect the jewelry I'm wrapping up for my friend's birthday. If your gift is completely flat, or doesn't need the extra padding, you can eliminate this step if you wish.

To begin, cut a 5.75" x 12" piece of patterned paper. I used a beautiful floral paper from Glitz Design's Dance in Sunshine collection for mine. Using a bone folder or scoring board, score the long side of the paper at 4", 4.5", and 9".

 When you fold up the envelope, this is what it will look like.

If you want to add the liner, cut a piece of fabric to 6.75" x 9". Line the fabric up so that it cover both the front and back of the envelope, not including what will become the flap. The fabric should extend about 1/2" from each side. Machine stitch down both sides and across the bottom.

At the top of the front panel, place the oval tag die from the Thinlits Tags die set in the center, extending over the edge, as shown. To get the die perfectly placed, line it up face down and add a small piece of tape to the edge of the die. Then turn the paper over, and run it through your machine.

Remove the die and stitch across the opening. This little notch cut out will make it easier for your recipient to remove the goodies packed inside.

Line the flap of the envelope up with the On the Edge Tattered Doily die using the same steps as above and run it through your machine. Add a panel of contrasting paper behind the flap so that the beautiful cut work will really shine.

Machine stitch the edges of the fabric together using a zig zag stitch, as close to the edge as you can.

Add your gift, fold up the envelope, and tie it shut with trim.

Now have fun adding your own custom embellishments. I added a few additional trims, and a pretty layered flower I cut from felt using the Sizzlits 3-D Rose Flower die from Scrappy Cat.

Last step was to add a tag die cut from the same oval tag die we used before. I cut the tag from white cardstock and stamped a fun birthday sentiment in olive green ink, and edged the tag with a bit of yellow ink to perfectly coordinate.

Hope next time you're in need of a quick gift packaging, that you'll give this fun envelope idea a try!

Enjoy!

Audrey

http://audreypettit.wordpress.com

Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 4PK - Tags Scrappy Cat Sizzix Sizzlits Die - Flower, Rose 3-D Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting Machine Tim Holtz Sizzix On the Edge Die - Distressed Doily

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Patterned Paper: Glitz Designs

Stamp: Papertrey Ink

Trim: Glitz Designs, 7Gypsies

Flower: Petaloo

Ink: Stampin'Up, Clearsnap

You will find 1000s of great ideas and tutorials in our die cutting project gallery at Sizzix.com. You won't believe all of the inspiration we have waiting for you there!

Upcycled Corrugate Art Panels

Hi friends! Vivian here today to share with you a pair of mixed media art panels that I upcycled out of corrugate packaging.



I have a video tutorial to accompany which shares ways in which you can work with your dies and embossing folders in your mixed media projects.

For textural oomph, these panels use a beautiful embossing folder in the Sizzix Textured Impressions Embossing Folder 4 pk - Morrocan Set.



The rippled edges of the blooms in the Sizzix Flower Layers #7 Bigz Die shown above were so much fun to distress and accentuate and assist me in creating a sense of spring.



I also treated a sheet of Bristol Vellum with media, then die-cut some lovely butterflies and dragonflies from it using the Sizzix "Flights of Fancy" Sizzlits Set.



In the video tutorial, you also get to see plenty of hot glue, stamping, and mixed media love! Hope you enjoy!

-Vivian

http://contadinak.wordpress.com

Brenda Walton Sizzix Sizzlits Die - Flights of Fancy Scrappy Cat Sizzix Bigz Die - Flower Layers #7 Scrappy Cat Sizzix Sizzlits Die - Flower, Bloom w/Leaves 3-D Dena Designs Sizzix Textured Impressions Embossing Folders 4PK - Moroccan Set Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting Machine

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Stamps: Hampton Art - Distressed Words Woodblock Stamp; Anna Griffin - Clear Stamps

Paper: Core'dinations - Gemstones Cardstock; Aquabee - Bristol Vellum
Ink: Tim Holtz - Distress Inks; Tsukineko - Stazon Ink; Prima Marketing - Fluid Chalk Ink
Mist: Tattered Angels - Glimmer Mists; Clearsnap - SMOOCH Spritz
Medium: Liquitex - Gesso, Matte Gel Medium
Embellishments: Golden - Glass Bead Gel
Adhesive: Hot Glue
Other: Dust Buddy

You will find 1000s of great ideas and tutorials in our die cutting project gallery at Sizzix.com. You won't believe all of the inspiration we have waiting for you there!

Sizzix Big Shot on The Balancing Act!

We are so excited!  Sizzix and our new-look Big Shot die cutting machine are being featured on The Balancing Act on Lifetime!  We hope you will tune in and check out the fun with host Julie Moran!

The show will air May 21st and 28th.  Be sure to visit Sizzix.com for even more details! http://www.sizzix.com/balancingact

Half Square Triangle Tote-orial: Craft Project Carry Along

Hi! It's Ebony, and today I'm going to share this awesome tote-orial for making a Craft Project Carry Along.

The idea for this project came out of a recent flurry of die-cutting videos that I recorded for my YouTube channel.  Whenever I make these videos, I always end up with a ton of die-cut pieces that I store in sandwich bags.  Well, these bags go sliding around out of their bins and end up on the floor, and I found myself craving a way to keep these die cuts organized so they stay where I put them. 

Also in my experimentations, I generate a fair amount of small scraps, extra blocks, and partial strips of fabrics.  I love turning these into useful objects rather than leave them languishing in my scrap boxes. Behold, the Craft Project Carry Along!



I made this project in two sizes; one for gallon sized bags, and the other for quart sized bags.  Today's tote-orial will focus on the quart-sized version. If there's interest, I'll post instructions for the gallon size as well.

The quart-sized carry along finishes at approximately 10" wide x 9-1/2" tall, and features a velcro pocket in the back and 8 quart bags for storage.

You can really use any orphan blocks or die cuts for this project; you can use strips and larger pieces to bring your fabric up to the right size to make this project.

Materials

Approx. 5/8 yard fabric scraps

Sizzix Bigz Die - Half-Square Triangles, 2 1/2" Finished Square (Die #657611)

Sizzix Bigz XL 25" Die - Strips, 1 1/2" Wide (Die #656680)

Sizzix Bigz XL 25" Die - Strips, 2 1/2" Wide (Die #658328)

Sizzix Bigz XL 25" Die - Strip, 3 1/2" Wide (Die #657898)

8 quart-sized zip bags

8" length of Velcro Fabric Fusion (this is a no-sew, heat-activated hook and loop fastener)

Two large craft buttons

20" length of 1/4" wide ribbon

1" masking tape

Cutting and Assembly

The central feature of this carry along is a four-patch pinwheel block, made using the half square triangle dies.  Once you have the pinwheel assembled, you want to use a combination of strips and scrap fabric to make a large rectangle that is at least 9-1/2" x 26". You can make this piece taller or wider, but if it's any smaller, the quart bags will not fit inside.



Fabrics from Fandango by Kate Spain for Moda and Robert Kaufman Kona in Sand.

Layer your pinwheel rectangle with batting and backing and quilt as desired.  This is a perfect opportunity for you to practice some freemotion, or just keep it really simple and quilt with your walking foot.

With the inside facing up, fold over the right edge by 6", and mark with a pin.

Position the hook side of the Velcro underneath the leading edge of this flap, about 1/2' from the cut edge.  Follow the manufacturer's directions to fuse the velcro to the inside.The loop side will be attached much later.

Fold over the left side of the carry along so that it is even with the pocket fold. Mark this fold with pins.

Take the 20" of ribbon and fold under one raw edge. Locate the center of the pocket flap and pin the ribbon to this position through a single layer of your carry all, and secure the ribbon to the exterior with stitching.

Cut two 2-1/2" x 9-1/2" strips from a contrasting fabric. With right sides together and using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew the strips together along one long edge. Press the seam open, then fold and press raw edges to the center. This will be your inside spine for the quart bags.



Sorry, forgot to photograph the orange spine for this project!

 With raw edges face down, center the seam of your spine over the pins you marked on the left side.  Baste the spine at the top and bottom.

At this point, you can treat this piece like any other quilt, and bind the raw edges using your normal method of binding.  I use 2-1/2" binding strips, and this was a perfect way to also use up shorter strips that might not get used otherwise.

Finishing the Carry Along

Take the loop side of the Velcro and fuse it to the right edge on the inside of the carry along, following the manufacturer's directions.  This should be positioned right next to the binding.

Take four of the quart-sized bags and stagger them so the zipper tabs are next to each other.  Use the masking tape to tape the bags together along the bottom edge, on the front and the back.  The tape provides stability and strength, and allows you to treat all the bags as a single unit. Repeat for the other four bags.

Insert one set of bags under the left side of the spine, and the other set under the right side of the spine. 

Use short strips of masking tape to temporarily secure the bags into the spine.  Using a narrow zipper foot or hem stitch foot, lengthen your stitch and sew close to the edge of the spine, making sure that you are stitching on the masking tape, and not the quart bag. Repeat for the other set of bags. Remove the temporary strips of tape.

On the right side, fold up the pocket, matching the Velcro. Stitch up both sides of the pocket, just to the inside of the binding, so you aren't stitching through too many layers. Reinforce the top edge, as this seam will get a lot of stress from opening and closing the velcro.

To position the buttons, fold over the left side and pull up the ribbon so you can see where to place the buttons.  Stitch the buttons in place.

To close the carry along, just wrap the buttons with the ribbon in a figure eight. Cut the ribbon to a shorter length if desired.

And there you have it!  A wonderful Craft Project Carry Along, with 8 quart-sized bags and a pocket with a Velcro closure.

You can use the pocket to store things like your die pick, a tape measure, or your trusty silver marker (because you ARE marking your dies, right?)

Ebony

http://www.lovebugstudios.com/blog/

Sizzix Bigz Die - Half-Square Triangles, 2 1/2" Finished Square Sizzix Bigz XL 25" Die - Strips, 1 1/2" Wide Sizzix Bigz XL 25" Die - Strips, 2 1/2" Wide Sizzix Bigz XL 25" Die - Strip, 3 1/2" Wide Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting Machine

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The Sizzix.com quilting page has helpful videos, tips, and project ideas that can help you incorporate die cutting into your quilting and sewing projects.  To learn more, visit the Sizzix Quilting page at: http://www.sizzix.com/shop/sizzixquilting.