Paper Bag Cookie Exchange Recipe Book

Hola friends,
Today I wanted to share the paper bag recipe book my friends *might* make at our cookie exchange. I say *might* because they're not crafters ---> not one :( they would rather receive than make crafts. But I really wanted to do something different this year other than just exchange cookies & that's it. I tried to keep the book simple so they wouldn't be intimidated & rather take a crafty leap! Everything is pre-cut so all they have to do is embellish & slap it on the book!

So here it is:

 and the innies:

For this book, i used regular kraft lunch bags and papers from the DCWV Handmade Christmas stack. WOW!!! Do I luuuuv these papers!!! They're rustic but charming & definitely give you that handmade feel. There are a million & one ways to make these easy little books, but this way, you don't need adhesive- just ribbon to hold it together.

Let's start our tour at the beginning:

To get started:
You'll need as many paper bags as you would like in your book. Mine has 4. I used regular lunch bags (super inexpensive) but you can also purchase colored bags (not so inexpensive) at your local craft store. I bought mine at Target where they also have red, white, & blue ones.

Next, fold the bottom edge up towards the far edge so they meet. Do this to all of the bags & layer them on top of each other.

Then I add my paper along the edge where I will bind the book (front & back). I make a mark with my pencil where I will punch my holes. For this book, I will simply use a ribbon to bind my book together, but you can use your Bind-it-All, glue, sewing machine, whatever you'd like.

Then I use my Crop-a-dile to punch the holes through all the bags.

Now just thread your ribbon through & tie a preeeeety bow :)

Here's the back:

I punched my holes fairly close because I wanted as much of the wood paper to show. If you want more of the ribbon to show, punch your holes wider apart. I know the ribbon may seem a little over the top for this kind of book, but I am an over the top kinda girl right???

And you know what's next right????? YES! Stick a fork in it cuz it's done! See? So super easy. Now the rest is the fun stuff- DECORATING!!!

The cover:

 I cut out all the words with the "From my Kitchen" Cricut cart. The cookie tray, cookies, spatula, & oven mitt are all Sizzix dies. The cookies are inked on the edges for that look of a crispy cookie edge. The middles have Stickles (for sugar) and liquid pearls for the icing. I added a mini gingerbread cookie cutter to embellish. PS: the ribbon looks waaaaaaaaaaaay awesome IRL, not like in this pic :(

Here are the innies:

 next...

 Then...

 Those recipe cards are just place holders for the ones I will get from everyone else. The mats are ready for pics of the cookies for each recipe.

You might have noticed that along the edge of the books there are cookies sticking out. Well, those are functional as they are the pulls to get the inner panels out of the bag pocket. They remind me of nilla wafers :) mmmmm... I did have to take a nibble out of the last one ;)

 So my cookie crew will not only take home yummy cookies, but also a complete recipe book I cooked up for them! I'll make crafters out of them yet ;)

If you've never made these type of albums, I hope I have inspired you to try. They're super easy peasy & way fun to make. Perfect for those scrapbookers in training :)

Thanks so much for peeking today. I really appreciate you taking the time to pop in!
Gotta go!

Cardabilities Sketch 15 DT Reveal

Happy Monday friends,
Today marks the midway of November- WOWZA! but it also means it's time for another fab Cardabilities sketch for ya :)
Here it is:

 Here's my card:

 I used another gorgeous Heartfelt Creations stamp for both the image & sentiment. It is called Snowy Cardinal- just beautiful, as all of their stamps are :) The DP is Figgy Pudding from BasicGrey that I hoarded last year, of course, but I loved it so! I colored the Cardinal with Copics & cut it out with my cutter bee scissors to get into the nooks & spaces in between the pine needles. I added some Liquid Appliqué for the snow & topped it off with some Stickles.
Here's a closer peek at that:

This card is going to my grammy at Christmas time cuz she is a major bird lover & I think she'll like it :)

Tag! ---> You're it!!! Your turn to create something with this fabbie sketch! Make sure to linky it up to the Cardabilities blog by the 29th so we can come take a looksie- we love to see your cardabilities! Please be sure to stop by the blog & check out the always amazing work the DT has created to sketchspire ya!

Thanks so much for peeking today!
Gotta go!

Thanksgiving Mini-me

Hi there friends,
I wanted to share this Thanksgiving project with ya. I'm so tickled with the way it came out! Plus it got the approval of my little one :) Here it is:

 I used the cake box from Bags, Tags, Boxes, & More cart on my Cricut to make the teepee. This made it very easy to create. I cut another piece of cardstock the same as the front, cut a slit into it, & folded the edges back (adhered it) so that it looks like the front of the teepee is open.

Here's a closer peek at Native American Mini-me (Tilda):

Isn't she adorable! I am so smitten with all the Tildas in this collection from around the world. She's colored with Copics. I took some blender solution & a piece of washcloth to give her clothes a more sueded look. I also made a little log for her to sit on :) Next to her I sprinkled some glittered leaves.

 At the top of the teepee, I tied a bow with the ribbon I wrapped around the box. I adhered a moon button to it & dangled some beads from the top give it a more Native American flair.

 Here's a pic of the side

& of the back:

I am ready to fill it with some yummy treats! Just slide the ribbon off & open the box- easy peasy! I may give this one to Jordan's teacher... or just keep it for myself :) We'll see.

Oh & guess what??? This little diddy qualifies for a few challenges! Yay!
Creative Card Crew- Let's Give Thanks
City Crafter- Thanksgiving project
Magnolia Down Under- make own embellies
Our Creative Corner- Thanksgiving/ An attitude of Gratitude
Paper Cutz Challenge- Thanksgiving
ABC Challenge- H is for Holiday

Wow! I think this is my all time record for challenges :)

Thanks so much for peeking once again! I am editing the pics for the paper bag recipe book so hopefully, I'll have that ready to share next.
Gotta Go!

DT: Bonjour Birdie

Hi ya friends,
Today I've got a Scrapbook page I created using lots of goodies from Your Memories Here. 
Here it is:

 I've been admiring the T!m Holtz birdcage die but have been refusing to buy it because I have several awesome Cricut carts with birdcage images. Finally, I decided to make it happen.

Here's a closer peek at the birdcage & the beautiful Prima flowers I used to embellish. I used the Serenade Cart for the cage & Home Décor for the bird. I used my neglected Pebbles Inc Shimmer chalks to color the bird- easy peasy. To distress the cage a bit, I sprayed it with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Garden Fairy & Sage then added some pearls to embellish.

 I LUUUUUUV this Prima alabaster flower. I sprayed it with Dazzling Diamonds & Irridescent Gold Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist for a beautiful effect- so wish you could see it :(

This is another peek.

And one last angle :)

Did I use my Gypsy?  But of course!!! Oh, this page is mat ready for a 4 x 6 pic. I used a piece of Oopsie Daisy DP from imaginisce. The sentiment "Bonjour" is from the Ashlyn's Alphabet cart sprayed with TA glimmer mist too. The Swirly border DP is Breeze Specialty Die Cut paper which creates a perfect border accent. Don't ya think? One last detail... see the white stitching along the border? Well, it's faux... SNOW! Hee! Hee! I used my snow pen to faux stitch around the edges, then took my heat gun to make it 3D & look like real stitches. I know, I'm a sneaky one ;)

All these goodies can be found at the YMH Store ---> HERE.
Thanks for peeking today!
Next stop, cookie recipe book :)
Gotta Go!

Paper Bag Recipe Book

Hello my crafty friends,
(actually, I had accidently typed "fiends" instead of friends ;) LOL! Hmmm, I'm sure there are some crafty fiends out there!)
Today, I'm sharing a cuuuute Paper Bag Recipe Book made from the PineCone Press papers kit. Paper bag albums were one of the very first type of books I learned to make & absolutely love them because they're easy peasy! Check this one out:
Here's the whole book with the pages that tuck in the bag:

 Here's the cover:

 First 2 pages:

 Next two pages: sorry for this pic :(

 Last 2 pages:

 Here's the first page pulled out from the bag:

Here, you can see how the paper bag is used:

 See how nicely they tuck in

Making this book gave me the idea for my Christmas cookie exchange group. I swap cookies (& the recipe) with some friends, but I thought that this year we would make this book ready to add this year's cookie recipes! Finally!!! I'm actually ahead for once! And since the book is made with paper bags, it's inexpensive to boot :)
I'll share the one I made for my cookie group & directions on how to make one for yourself (in case you haven't made one of these before.) next time.

Thanks so much for peeking today!
Gotta Go!

Mojo Monday...on Sunday

Happy Sunday friends,
Here's my card for this week's Mojo Monday Sketch challenge. I wanted to use things I've had for a long time & haven't used --->which is A LOT sadly :(  Well, at least I am helping the economy, right ;)
Here's the sketch:

Here's my card:

I stamped the bee hive from an Our Craft Lounge set called the Bees Knees & the bees are from Pezadoodle stamps. I think Marti still has these available at her store. I adhered the little skittle bee bodies & added Stickles on their wings. Then I wrapped ribbon from my stash & added a silk flower & a button. The DP is Urban prairie by BasicGrey. I liked the simple layout of the sketch & look forward to using it again :)
Thanks for peeking today! Hope ya have a honey of a day!

Need a Quickie?

Hi ya friends!
Hope you're all well. I want to start by apologizing for my absence from my blog and especially for not visiting my blog friends out there lately :( It's been crazy busy on the homefront which has left me with little time to craft & visit with you :( Trust me it's totally bummed me out. But because my job fully funds my habit, I'm afraid I have to put it high on the priority list. Then, my boys have had sports & projects of their own that I needed to help them with. Emphasis on the "I" cuz my hubby has allergies---> apparently to school projects... grrr :{
Well, I'm here to share one quick project. Actually it's a prototype of sorts. My friend is participating in a craft fair & she asked me if I could create a quick & easy (& cheap) card set to sell. So I limited myself to 30 minutes & this is what I created:

 It's a set of 4 cards & a matching card box (A2-standard card size)

Here's the box:

Here are the cards inside:

 And the individual cards:

I kept it very simple by letting the beautiful Mimosa paper do all the work. What makes this quick & easy is that there's no stamping or coloring- just cutting & adhering. I wrapped some ribbon I had from my stash & punched out some butterflies. I sprayed them with Tattered Angels Glimmer mist to coordinate with the colors of the paper. Done!

I don't know if she's going to use it or how much she will charge, but it's good to know I can complete something in 30 minutes or less. Cuz it sure isn't a Rachael Ray 30 minute meal! Hee! Hee!  You can find all the goodies for this project at YMH Store---> HERE.
And the tut for the card box ---> Here.
I'm off for now.
Thanks for peeking!