Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Inspired by Pinterest {The Twinery}

The Twinery is at it again with another great challenge...and this one is a perfect one to inspire you to do something with those hundreds (or maybe thousands) of pins you have on your Pinterest boards.
For my project, I took inspiration from this pin on Pinterest that shows how to create a gift bag from a newspaper:
Instead of using newspaper, I decided to try another medium - a manila file folder. I thought a file folder would be nice and sturdy for a gift bag and it would also be a clean slate for one of my favorite things to pair with twine...mists. 

I started by scoring the folder to create 3" and 4 1/2" panels, a 1 1/4" flap for the rim of the bag, and a 2" flap for the bottom of the bag. I didn't trim my folder down height-wise, just length-wise in order to create a rectangle (trimming off the tab areas of the folder).

{Tip: You can easily adjust the measurements of your bag to create a custom fit for your gift.}
At this point (before assembling your bag) you will want to decorate your bag with mists, stamps, washi tape...whatever your crafty heart desires. I chose a few colors of mists to create a nice gradient effect on the bag.
I then used The Twinery's Solid Caribbean twine to create a handle:
And voila! 
A sturdy, custom-made gift bag!
And if inspiration isn't enough to make you want to join in...how about this Solid Twine Sampler Pack?
I can't wait to see what you create for this challenge!

Supplies:
Folder: Smead (Manila File Folder);
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Caribbean);
Mists: Heidi Swapp (Color Shine - Mustard, Mint Green, Teal);

Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

2 comments:

Cynthia Meents said...

Okay, Tifany. I'm not crafty, but I like this. Where do you get your Scor-Pal thingy. Or what would work instead. Is this a standard size manila folder? Would a legal size work if you needed something bigger? Talk to me like I'm 4.

Tifany said...

Hi Cynthia -

I got my Scor-Pal from http://scor-pal.com/store/ . I am sure you can find them at other online retailers as well. Alternatively, you can get a Martha Stewart scoring board at a local craft store (like Michaels). The Martha Stewart board is cheaper, but honestly I use a scoring board a lot and I prefer the Scor-Pal. (I have both.)
If you aren't going to be doing a lot of scoring you can use a bone folder (or the back/non-cutting edge of a pair of scissors) and a ruler, but that will be more difficult and will not be as nice of a score line.

Yes, I used a standard sized manila folder. A legal size folder would give you a taller bag. If you really wanted to get crazy and go for a much bigger bag you could stick two manila folders together (end to end - just glue a 1/2" flap from one folder to the other) and rework the scoring measurements.

I'll try to explain a little more what I did:
I started with the center crease (already in the file folder). From the center crease I scored out at 3" and then again at 7 1/2" on one side. I flipped it around and from the original center crease working on the opposite side of the folder I scored it at 4 1/2", then 7 1/2", then 8" (to provide a 1/2" flap to adhere the bag together). I trimmed off the tabbed areas of the folder (using the outermost score marks as my guides for trimming) - this creates a rectangular piece that will be easier to work with.
I then rotated the folder 90 degrees and scored 1 1/4" from one edge to create the place where I would fold down to create the rim of the bag. Then I scored in 2" from the opposite side to create the flap area to make the bottom of the bag.

Hope that helps!