One of the sad parts of the catalogue change-over period is feeling I haven’t shown you all the projects I’d planned. I have always had a policy of not showing you things you can no longer buy which means watching the Demonstrator reports quite closely. Today though I have some good news regarding the Blackberry Beauty 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper (DSP). Although it’s retiring one last delivery has been received by Stampin’ Up! So while it’s still in stock I wanted to show you this idea for a really big gift bag. I also used the Delivering Cheer Stamp Set (which is retiring) and the new Eden Dies.

THE BIG BROWN BAG

Do you recognise the big brown bag? It’s 11-3/4″ x 17″ x 6-3/4″ and cost me just 15 cents to buy at Walmart. But don’t look for them in the office supplies or craft section. Oh no, you’ll find a stack of them at the checkouts and most people use them to pack their groceries. How is it I’ve never thought of this before?

These bags are really strong and perfect for large or bulky gifts, and you can keep a stack on hand to decorate according to the occasion.

Today I began by cutting a 6″ x 8″ piece from the Blackberry Beauty DSP pack, and a 6-1/4″ x 8-1/4″ piece of Old Olive Card. Then using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I mounted the paper onto the card.

To fix them to the front of the brown bag I used more liquid glue in three wide sections across the middle of the layers. This would allow the label to accommodate the inevitable bend in the bag once it was filled.

EDEN DIES

Now I was ready to create the decorative part of the label using the largest die in the Eden Dies set.

I began by cutting out some Very Vanilla Card. Then I carefully removed the area from the centre that’s usually discarded. Next I used a Blending Brush to add a layer of Old Olive ink over the leafy border that remained.

For the sentiment I turned to the retiring Delivering Cheer Stamp Set and the centre part taken from the leafy frame. Using Old Olive ink I first stamped “Warming thoughts to you this season”. Then below that I stamped “To:” and below that “From:”

With that done I placed the stamped piece back inside the leafy frame and turned the two pieces over. Now I used sellotape to fix the two together, making sure to avoid any open areas. After that I put liquid glue on the back of the centre part and fixed the assembled piece onto the DSP background.

Finally I tied a double bow from some gold 3/8″ Fine Art Ribbon. Once I’d attached the bow to the bottom of the die-cut frame with Tear & Tape Adhesive my project was complete.

All I have to do now is add the sweater gift to the bag and fold over the top.

So what do you think, will you be adding a few extra brown bags to your groceries at the checkout? I know I will.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Eden Dies with the Eden’s Garden Stamp Set (not used today) using a single “bundle” item number. This meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the same two items separately. You’ll see I’ve included both options in my product list so you can explore these further if you wish.

RETIRING PRODUCT – The Delivering Cheer Stamp Set and Blackberry Beauty Specialty DSP are both retiring. This means that they will only be available while stocks last.