Sweet Talk with Lesley!

Today we have the sweet Lesley Croghan on the blog, sharing a fabulous Treat Bag Topper!

I’m Feeling…

Motivated. Lately I have been on a mission to become more organized with my stamping supplies and with my commitments. I bought a special “sticky note” calendar that I write my week long crafting commitments onto and then I place that in my craft space, close to where I sit and craft. I peek at it to see if I can match my commitments with some of the fun challenges out there! So far it is working well!

I’m Wishing…

That I owned more Copic markers. I love them. I have begun to delve into shading and adding more “layers” to my coloured images. So whenever I see them on sale, I tend to buy one or two. I am slowly adding to my collection.

I’m Loving…

Creating more freely. In the past I have been extremely self-critical of my work but I am trying to let go of that and now I focus on “enjoying” the process. Many things I create go into my “UFO” {unfinished objects} bin for another day. I stop trying to get it perfect and I just go with the flow. I can always let a project go if it is not working or leave it until the morning. Sometimes I create something and think to myself “that is not good enough” but in the morning I see it in a new light and I realize it is ok. I created it with my whole heart and this is my level of craft at this point in my creative career.

I’m Creating…

Some structured time for me in the craft room. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by design team deadlines and I forget to craft just for myself. I try to play along with challenges to stay inspired. It helps to rev me up and to get me into a creative mood when I have a fun sketch or inspiration photo to start from.

I’m Reading…

I’m Watching…

I LOVE television. I never get to watch it! I tend to PVR all the shows I like and I watch them when I can fit them in. My current “must watches” are Longmire and Outlander. I also love Law & Order, House Hunters International and more recently, The Good Wife.

Today I will be showing you how to create a topper for a glassine bag. I am using the sweet new set called “Teacher’s Pet”. I am a teacher, so this set is just perfect for making little treats for my colleagues and students.

I tend to get all of my supplies together before I start. First I choose the images and the sentiments I want to work with and then I look for the paper. I decided to use something bright and colourful. Then I pull together other items in my craft space with similar colours or themes.

I put the bag into my cutter to measure the width of it. It measured 3.5”.

Then I measure the paper to fit the top of my bag. I want to topper to jut out a bit on each side of the bag and so I cut my paper to be 4” x 4”. I chose the other side of the paper to be 4” as I need to fold the piece in half and that makes it a nice easy math equation for me! Score at 2”!

When I score the paper, I turn it over to the side I will not see and add the score line there. That makes the score line stick out on the “good side” and it makes for a nice, clean fold.

Then, using my bone folder, I fold each piece. You can see how the papers look like little “tents”.

Using a corner rounder, I fold the pieces and round the corners. I think it gives it a nicer look but you do not need to round the corners. It is totally up to you!

I stamp the images I want to use in Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto some white scrap paper.

I colour the images with my Copic markers and carefully “fussy” cut them out.

I cut two strips of white paper…I have many of these scraps in my scrap bin. The length and width depends on the sentiment you want to use. Stamp the sentiment and then use your square punch to create a little “V” at one end. This is trendy right now; creating a sentiment “flag”. If you do not own the dies that do this, a square punch (in the corner of the square) or cutting up the middle with your scissors and then cutting a “V” on either side is the easiest way to achieve this look.

I then fold the glassine bag flap at just a smidge shorter than 2”, so that my treat topper will fit over top of it. I put tape on the top of the folded bag flap and on the back of the bag, so that my topper will stick to it but the bag can still open. Then I add my goodies to the bag. This makes it reusable for your recipient too!

Assemble your image and sentiment on the topper. Add any embellishments. Be sure to use washi tape, to hold it in place. Washi tape will not hurt your paper and you can open the bag and reseal it without damaging your work.

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial today. Creating a special gift bag is easy to do and it jazzes up a treat for a friend! Thanks for stopping by and happy stamping! ~Lesley

You can find the Teacher’s Pet set in store HERE!