Paper Bag Album

I have always wanted to make a Kathy Orta album. So when I joined the annual Cricut Circle Secret Santa Swap and one of the items that we had to give our secret sister had to be hand made, I knew that this was the perfect opportunity. Kathy is owner of the Paper Phenomenon blog. I made her Ultimate Paper Bag album and this is how mine turned out!

There is only one detail that I used my Cricut for – the paper flowers on the front cover. I used Close To My Heart’s Art Philosophy cartridge. I am so addicted to making these rolled flowers.

The little frame is from Michaels. I took off the back easel and adhered it to the album on just the bottom and sides so that my secret sister could put a photo of her choosing in it by just sliding it in through the top. The gem swirl is from Want2Scrap, the cardstock is from The Paper Studio, and the patterned paper is from a paper stack called Sweet Nectar by K and Company. 

The leaves are by Prima - (remember the 6 little bottles that came together in the cute little crate from years ago? Yeah, I still have them all and this was the first time that I've ever used the bottle of leaves! See, there is a good side of hoarding scrap supplies! lol) 

The only other items used were chipboard for the front and back covers, Distressing Ink in worn lipstick by Tim Holtz, and the binding. 

Can you guess what the binding is?

Duck Tape!!! Even though it’s everywhere now, this is my first time using it. I’m always a little late jumping on that band wagon but I eventually get on!

It’s hard to believe that this really is made from paper bags! There are just two basic page designs and many, many pockets for many, many tags! I wanted the album theme to be rather neutral so that my secret sister could use it in any way that she wanted to. I just made sure that it had her favorite colors (pink, green and blue) and coordinated with her favorite season (Spring).  One of the page styles has two smaller flaps on either side with large tags inserted into them and both page styles flip up to reveal even more space. Below are more photos that I can show since my secret sister has now received her package and knows what she got and from who (I hope you like all of your goodies, CricutAddicted!).

Thanks for looking! I’ll post what I received from my own secret Sister soon!

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Cricut Circle Stick Pin Swap

Hey friends! When I joined the Cricut Circle there was a stick pin swap already in progress but I loved reading the swap thread even though I wasn’t a part of the group. The posts on this thread were so entertaining and I could just tell that this group of women were a lot of fun. I posted that I was just having a ball reading their posts everyday and that I would like to try making some of the stick pins just for myself since I still had a lot of beads left over from my jewelry making days. To my amazement, a couple of the ladies agreed to do a one-on-one swap with me! Ohhh, how sweet (thanks jjewel and scrapcat). So I got to work on my pins – well, after a little retail therapy! Yes, I had to go buy a few, well okay, a little more than a few (and that’s all that I will admit to) more beads! Then towards the end of the swap, someone dropped out and they asked if I could be they’re Angel. They must have noticed the halo in my avatar – and they didn’t even mind if it was a little crooked, lol! So I ended up making enough stick pins for everyone in the group – two each. That’s a grand total of 38 stick pins! I even made a tag for each set although mine were nothing like the ones I received back. Those ladies aren’t just nice, they are all so talented! These are now my Circle sisters and some have become good friends.

Today I will share some of the stick pins that I made and later on I will share all of the gorgeous pins that I got in return. (I still haven’t taken any photos of them yet. I was so amazed when I opened the box, all I have been able to do is lay them all out and ohhh and ahhh over them!) Now, for those who are not sure what stick pins are, think about the old hat pins but on a smaller scale. They are very popular in scrapbooking and card making right now.

And here are two sets that I had already packaged with their tags:

I cut these cute little Bug Heads with my Cricut, of course!

The stick pins were so much fun to make and my Circle swap group is the greatest! I had so much fun, in fact, that I signed up with this group to swap again. This time? Yep, more beads! We are swapping beaded tendrils to make bracelets in one group and the other group is for the “die hard crafter” and we can make anything we want to as long as it has beads. I foresee another round of retail therapy in my near future…

Until next time, Happy Crafting,