matching gift bag? (got it!)

a matching gift bag is always nice...especially when you only realize at the very last minute that you don't have a box to accomodate a gift for say, your inlaws' anniversary gift. i used this week's regular sketchy thursdays sketch, (as opposed to the special "second chance challenge" card sketch made especially for this week's jingle belles prompt, i mean); it looks a bit like this:

most people use these gorgeous sketches for layouts. every once in a while someone like myself makes a card... (about which diana & heidi & the gang are very gracious and generous with their kind comments!) ...or, say...a giftbag. well, hey, a good sketch can be used for ANYTHING, right? from an ATC to a canvas to a layout to a card, you just adapt the elements to fit your project!

in addition to being inspired by the sketch itself, i totally love what sketchy thursday design team member tomomi did with her layout this week, especially the bunting she added to the top! knowing i already had a card with a butterfly banner...and leftover punched butterflies from making that banner...well, it seemed silly not to use them up.

i've been wanting to try hand-cutting a title for a while now. i wasn't sure how well my penmanship would stand up to this treatment, and i confess to "neatening" it a bit whilst cutting, but i think it looks surprisingly good, actually, so you'll be seeing this again, i think. :) the only tip i'd give to anyone wanting a similar effect is to write with a big marker on scrap paper, staple it to your patterned paper...


cut the inner bits (of the a's and e's and o's) with a craft knife FIRST...and then, finally, use scissors to carefully cut around the contours of your word.

i attached mine to the bag with thin strips of foam tape, after inking around the edges to give it a little more dimension...and hide any small scissor-related boo-boos. et voila! i think my work here is done.

♥HAPPY SUNDAY, DARLINGS!♥