Inspiration: Tic Tac Toe challenge #115 (Texture + Ribbon + Die Cut) + Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (Anything Goes)
This project was inspired by everything that was on my desk when I sat down to craft. I had some time to kill earlier today so I went to the art store near my mechanics and I came back with a few fun finds. One of them was papers and ephemera from the Little Adventurer collection from Pink Paislee. This one dates back to 2018, so I was surprised to find it in stock. While I was roaming the aisles, I also remembered that I wanted crimps, which I found in silver in two sizes at clearance price, so that was lucky. I was also curious to test out the Tote Bag die from Mama Elephant, so I combined all of those things and started putting together my little bag.
Another recent purchase is the white woodgrain cardstock from Memory Box. Up until now, I had been using the Lawn Fawn version, which I love and hoard because it is not cheap. When I saw that the Memory Box cardstock was $12 for 25 sheets compared to $8 for 5 sheets by Lawn Fawn, I became really curious to see if it was of the same quality. Now that I have both side by side, here are my observations. The Lawn Fawn cardstock is thicker, but the Memory Box one is not flimsy. As you can see in the pictures below, it holds up very nicely when doing a 3D project. I still consider it cardstock weight. The pattern on the Lawn Fawn cardstock is deeper and has more depth variation whereas the Memory Box cardstock is one printed design that is all the same depth. The pattern still shows up very well, but when placed side by side, the Lawn Fawn cardstock looks more luxurious. I also notice a difference in colour. The Lawn Fawn cardstock is warm white whereas the Memory Box cardstock is a cold white. I would need to test inking to see how different the results are on both. All in all, I am happy to have both and I think I will use the Lawn Fawn cardstock when the woodgrain texture is at the forefront and the star of the show and the Memory Box cardstock when I want to add a little texture to the background. This is a good example here - the die has to be cut twice to make the tote bag and because I wanted the woodgrain to run vertically, I had to cut into two sheets as the die was too high to fit it twice on the same cardstock page. When you are working with a 5-sheet pack, this feels like a lot of cardstock! At a quarter of the price, I didn't think twice about it when I decided to use the woodgrain cardstock for my tote base. And the result is really neat! Clean look of the white but with a twist.
The die set includes a pocket, which I die-cut out of the heart pattern. I added another tag die from the same set and a flower that I fussy cut from the patterned paper. Also sitting on my desk was the Library Card stamp and die set, so I stamped the library card image in Sahara Sand ink on the ledger patterned paper. The card when cut with the matching die was a 1/8" too wide, so I use my paper trimmer to make it slightly narrower so that it would fit into the pocket. I stamped the heart from the stamp set in stamped off pink ink and I added to the pocket a cut-apart image from the papers.
On the back, I used the adorable little banner that folds in half at the top of the tote bag and added another fussy cut flower, along with a few sequins. I used the rounded tag from the die set and stamped "a gift for you" from the Library Card stamp set, added an eyelet and tied the tag with ribbon to the tote handle.
I then pulled out my box of ribbon scraps (ribbons purchased by the yarn or too short to be kept on bobbins) and dug for ribbon in matching colours. I can see why those Maggie Holmes-inspired ribbon tassels have become an instant hit overnight. They are beautiful, incredibly easy to put together, cost next to nothing to make and are a great way to use up tiny ribbon scraps. I added three ribbons to the crimp, then a jump ring and lobster clasp, which I tied to a ribbon bow added to my tote handle. I then did wire wrapping on a mother-of-pearl star and a green bead, two finds from today's shopping as well. Then came the fun part of using jump rings to add those charms to the crimp. Let me tell you: I've tried various different forms of crafts over the years, but miniatures will never be one of them. I am SO clumsy when it comes to handling those tiny jewelry bits with my tools. I guess I would not have made a great dentist either... It took way longer than it should have to add those two items, but it was worth the struggle because the result is adorable! Logically, I also know that practice makes perfect and that I will probably improve over time if I keep at it, but I'll admit that part was a little aggravating.
I'm really happy with the result. This sits right in my preferred spot, layered enough to be interesting but not too cluttered. And those colors are right up my alley.
Supplies
Stamps: Library Card (Hero Arts)
Cardstock: White Woodgrain (Memory Box)
Patterned Papers: Little Adventurer (Pink Paislee)
Ink: Sahara Sand, Basic Grey, Petal Pink (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Tote Bag Dies (Mama Elephant);
Warm Golden Glow Sequins (Little Things from Lucy's Cards);
Mini Hearts - Cotton Candy Glossies (Pure & Simple);
Calypso Coral Ombre Ribbon, Eyelet, Crop-a-Dile (Stampin' Up!);
Crimp, Mother-of-Pearl Star Bead, Green Bead (DeSerres);
Lobster Clamp, Jump Ring (Recollections); Ribbons (May Arts, Basic Grey, Unknown)
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