Treat bags

Hello Friends,

Popping in to share a quick post about some Halloween treat bags I've made using Palette Halloween fabric from FreeSpirit. I've paired the treat bags with tags featuring the Stampers Anonymous Tiny Frights stamp set + the matching wafer dies from Simon Says Stamp. 

You can make the treat bags any size, depending on what you want to use them for (or how big the treat is). There are plenty of tutorials for drawstring bags on YouTube if you don't know how to make one. I admit, the smaller the bag the more challenging it is to sew. But still a beginner project and oh so cute!

TAGS: I stamped the Tiny Frights on Distress Watercolor Cardstock, then colored them in with Distress Ink and a paint brush. I always find this part so relaxing! 

Once they were dry, I used the matching wafer dies to cut them out. SO EASY!

I added the Tiny Frights to each tag with the Thin Foam Square so they are slightly raised. 

I think the Palette Halloween fabric is perfect for this kind of bag. Something any Halloween enthusiast would love!

Now cary on,

paula

New Wafer Dies from Simon Says Stamp

Hello Friends,

We are celebrating a new release of wafer dies from Simon Says Stamp that match 6 current Stampers Anonymous stamp sets. Here is the list of the stamps and matching dies (images at the bottom of the post).

Tiny Frights Dies: 468sss

Tiny Frights Stamps: CMS468

Doodles Sketch Dies 437sss

Doodles Sketch Stamps CMS437

Sketch Manor Dies 408sss

Sketch Manor Stamps CMS408

Pumpkinhead Dies 309sss

Pumpkinhead Stamps CMS309

Nature's Wonder Dies 434sss

Nature's Wonder Stamps CMS434

Halloween Sketchbook Dies 469sss

Halloween Sketchbook Stamps CMS469

I created a few things to share in the coming days, starting with this fun card that just puts a smile on your face! The line up of Pumpkins is so easy to create using the matching wafer dies. 

For the background, I used my FAVORITE of the "shifter" series of stencils: the Harlequin pack. It is a 3 stencil pack with 3 different sizes of Harlequin stencils to choose from. I used the middle one for both the card and the tags I created.

My base a Tim Holtz Watercolor Cardstock and I used both Oxide and regular Distress Ink for the colors. The new Mini Blending Tools are the perfect size for this stencil. Of ocurse you need to keep Oxide and Distress Ink on separate brushes so I mark the end of my Distress Ink Brushes with a D (sharpie marker) and keep them in separate tins.

Once I was finished stenciling, I made a puddle of Oxide Ink and used a thick brush to splatter the ink over the surface.

Then it was time to stamp and color the pumpkins - so easy on the Watercolor paper! Next, I went to my workhorse Vagabond machine to cut out the pumpkins. I love how the die cuts so close to the edge and gives you just a bit of a white halo. I swear it makes you smile every time it comes out of the machine.

The words, "A little Hocus Pocus" are from the Life of the Party set (CMS380).

And as a bonus, I used all the same products to create some fun tags.

The stencil is the same size as the cards, but this time I used multiple colors of Distress ink over the harlequin stencil. I love this look!

I used Snarky stickers because they just worked so perfectly with the different faces of the pumpkins.

Stay tuned, because I will be back in a couple days with another wafer die project. 

Now carry on,

paula

New Distress: Twinkle Texture Paste + Snowflakes

Hello friends,

Today I am sharing a make featuring the new Distress products Twinkle Texture Paste and Snowflakes. I wanted to use the new products in as many ways as possible:

Twinkle over paper - the background

Twinkle through a stencil - with added re-inker

Twinkle over Distress Paint - the shelf

Twinkle over Distress Crayon - the Word Plaque

Twinkle over metal - the Figure Stand

Snowflakes over Distress Spray Stain - the Alpine Trees

Snowflakes over Texture Paste Opaque - the faux snow

Lets get started so I can give you all the details!

Use Collage Medium to adhere two Christmas Collage Strips to a Mini Etcetera Tag (4 1/2 x 8").

Add a layer of Texture Paste Twinkle over the top of the Collage Strips. It will look a bit milky at first, 

...but once dry, the paste will be clear and you will be able to see the random iridescent glitter that is a beautiful feature of the new Texture Paste.

Off to the side, I mixed Twinkle with a drop of re-inker in Walnut Stain.

Then use a palette knife and stencil to add small poinsettias to the surface.

I was going for a vintage look, but you could use a re-inker in any Distress color to color the Twinkle Texture Paste. Just like the paste over the paper, the poinsettias look a bit milky at first.

But when dry, the Twinkle paste becomes transparent and quite shiny + the iridescent glitter adds even more shine. Set the tag aside to fully dry while you work on the embellishments.

Spray 2 sizes of Alpine Trees with Bundled Sage Distress Spray Stain.  Cut off the bases with Tonic scissors.

Once dry, add Glossy Accents to the trees with your fingertip. Pour Snowflakes, which is a mix of clear glitter and Mica Flakes, over the trees.

I LOVE the coverage you get with this product. The tiny clear glitter coats the tree and the Mica sits on the tips of the tree branches. Just perfect!! I dried the trees with a heat tool and they were ready to go in just a few minutes.

Next, create a small shelf using Etcetera Scallop Trims. Trims come in different lengths and widths - this is the smallest size. I used a total of 3 trim pieces. I cut one scallop off the end of each piece to shorten them. Again, there are different width too. I used one wide one for the top and two narrow ones stacked together for the base - having two stacked helps the wide piece on top much more stable. Anyway, I glued the three piece together, then painted them red using Lumberjack Plaid Distress Paint. Once the paint was dry, I brushed on Twinkle Paste so I could get nostalgic 50's look with the glitter.

I adhered the shelf to the tag once the poinsettias were dry.

Then I added the Alpine trees (hot glue) + a Snowflake Figure Stand and some bells (some I painted red). To make the snowy effect I use a small Palette Knife to add Opaque Texture Paste (its thick) and then sprinkled Snowflakes over the top. If your Opaque Texture Paste is a bit dry, you can just paint on some Collage Medium before you add the Snowflakes. Now just wait for the mediums to dry, then shake off the excess.

I needed just a couple more things to complete this project. I dug out my Mini Paper Dolls pack. This is a HUGE pack of tiny Paper Dolls - as you can see, this guy is only 2 1/2" tall. That is absolutely perfect for him to stand next to the trees. Hi clothing is dark so I went with dark colors and colored directly on the surface. Then I rubbed the Crayon till I had thinned it out. I added a few detail with my Detailer Water Brush.

I used a double stack of 3D Foam Squares to add the boy to the surface behind the large metal snowflake. I also added the dog (with a painted red collar) to the front of the trees. Like he's watching out for any trouble.

A Word Plaque was added at the top of the tag with some red and white twine. I used Picket Fence Crayon in the background of the Word Plaque (paint would also work). Then I added a wash of Twinkle Texture Paste to add a bit of shine. I love how it even works over the metal and the crayon!

The sticker at the top is from the set I made last year using the blank page of stickers at the back of the Postmarked Sticker book. I made an entire sheet of them and still had plenty left after using some on Christmas cards in 2024. (see next photo for reference)

If you are interested in the post about making the stamps, just click on this link.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. Working on Christmas in August is not for the faint of heart, but I loved getting to know the two new products from Tim Holtz and Ranger. Experimenting with new products is always fun!

Now carry on,

paula

Palette Indigo Vignettes

Hello Friends,

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite new fabric collections: Palette Indigo from Tim Holtz and made by FreeSpirit. This shade of blue is so versatile, working beautifully in both light and dark patterns. As I was looking through the collection, I couldn't help but notice how perfectly the patterns worked together. There were so many great choices, that I knew I had to use multiple patterns together for my project. An idea popped into my head to create little scenes that look like postcards, using multiple indigo fabrics, layered on idea-ology Vignette Squares. So that is just what I did! Follow along and I'll show you how easy it was to create these fun little scenes!

Honestly, everything I did was just "going with the flow", adding the fabrics with Collage Medium one layer at time. Sometimes I cut the fabric to size and other times I glued the fabric down, then once it was dry (I used a heat tool) I flipped the vignette over and cut off the excess with my rotary cutter. Let me walk you through the basic steps:

1. Cut a piece of fabric (Palette Indigo Map) and adhere it to the Vignette with Collage Medium.

2. Cut another piece of fabric (Palette Indigo Wallpaper) and adhere it to the bottom half.

3. Adhere yet another wave of fabric (Palette Indigo Ledger) and let it dry for a time. Before it was totally dry, I used my secret weapon for fraying the edge of the fabrics, a Tiny Blending Tool. Works like a charm every time! If any of the edges come up, just add a little more Collage Medium and glue it back down.

4. Choose a photo from the Snapshots pack (NOTE: there are two packs of Snapshots - these came from the Snapshots Volume 2).

Fussy cut as best you can around the photo of your choice.

5. Use Distress Crayons to add a bit of color. The patterns and color of the fabric are bold, so I kept the colors muted.

6. Use 3D foam squares behind the Snapshot so it is raised from the surface.

7. Add embellishments:

You can add anything that goes with your photo. I cut a circle using Metallic Kraft-stock to mimic a sun. I also added stamps cut from the Indigo Stamp Fabric. I had previously cut a 4 x 6" piece of the Stamps fabric and added Collage Medium to the back and let it dry. So each time I needed stamps for my "postcard" look, all I had to do was cut them out with sharp fabric scissors and glue them on.  Super easy!

8. Clippings Sticker - Each Vignette has some sort of sentiment that was pulled from the Clippings Sticker Book. I dipped the sticker in a puddle of ink/water to age it and dried it with a heat tool. I added it to the Vignette with Collage Medium and finished it with a Cello Tape Sticker.

SMALL VIGNETTE

For the next Vignette, I followed the same steps but I started with the Snapshot. That helped me to know how I needed to cut the fabric.

First fabric - Tapestry

Second fabric - Tiny Print

Third fabric - Typography

Then I added the ladies (3D foam squares), the stamps and the Clippings.

This one needed something more, so I added a blue tag, slipping it just behind the second layer of fabric. FYI: The blue tag is from the Memoir Ephemera pack.

LARGE VIGNETTE

I started by picking the Snapshot would work best on the largest Vignette Square. I chose this line up of men because I thought they would look great across the box. Again, I kept the colors light.

 

So this is how I laid it out. I cut the waves in the fabric a little wider than needed so I can move them back and forth till I decide where the waves work best. So in this shot, nothing is glued down...as I was just working out the placement.

Once the decision was made, I started the gluing process (fabrics Ledger and Vintage).

Then I added the last layer of Indigo Collage. 

The men have foam squares behind their backs/heads, but I also added Collage Medium to the bottom edge of their legs so they will stay under the fabric.

The necessary stamps to make it look like a postcard.

I didn't like the image in the left corner so I patched over it with the Queen Victoria stamps. That patch helped tie in the Indigo 'Vintage' fabric behind the men. Collage Medium is perfect for adding the patches since it dries clear!

The 404-4 strip is also an added patch (just for a more detailed look).

I love the forced perspective of the men with the house in the distance. That ledger fabric is my favorite!

Just some final shots.

Hope you liked these as much as I do! Something about making them was just so fun! Maybe because all the wave cutting was just done by chance, no pattern, no thought...just cutting. Maybe I should do more of that!

Now carry on,

paula