All Paper Arts

Here are the cute goodie bags I made for my newly 7 year old and her 3 friends. We had an Afternoon at the Museum today to celebrate her birthday. We made paper goodie bags…more like purses for each girl. These are really simple which is okay because it was a very simple birthday celebration. We went to the Fort Worth Science and History Museum and saw Hurricane on the Bayou. That is why the bag was stamped with frogs. We left them where each girl could color them in with the little marker set that was inside the bag. She also put in a mini fuzzy coloring book, a little notepad, a mini jewelry kit, and her favorite the little lizard that is crawling out of her bag. Keep in mind a then 6 year old helped make these. I think she did a good job. Isn’t it amazing what a little bit of paper and imagination can do.

My second to oldest, or second to youngest depending on how you look at it is turning 7 today. Here are two of my favorite pictures. They both are just her. When taking photos on a birthday it is important to remember to get a couple of shots of just the person of honor. No birthday cake, friends, or presents. Just the person, just the way they are. It will be a photo that will with stand the test of time.

As promised here are better pics of my clipboard. For some reason they still aren’t as great as I would like. Even without the flash. This is just a fun easy project. I controlled myself from going to crazy on this one. I am pretty sure next time I go to the office supply store I am going to buy some more of these and have a great time going absolutely crazy.
This one is actually for our Girl Scout Troop. I accordion folded the orange flower paper to make pockets for the little tags. As you can see I also made one of my favorite gadgets the giant paperclip bookmark which is coordinated perfectly. These papers are from a new pad I bought last week at Hobby Lobby when they had all their paper 50% off.
The above picture is of the band on the bottom of the clipboard. It looks like ribbon but it is actually a log piece of paper accordion folded. Notice I used a soda can pull as the buckle. Another example of using something found around the house.
Can you guess which one of my favorite tools I used to make the hole directly in the clipboard? If not go back to my blogs from last week.

Here is the book I made after yesterdays inspiration. This is a simple tag book. I used my tag die but you can buy tags already made in the scrapbook section of hobby stores or even manila tags at an office supply store. I like using my die because I can do whatever colors I want. There are also some big tag punches out there these days.

I also used two different envelope dies I have. The envelopes can be for hidden journaling, pictures, or keepsakes from whatever it is the book is about. My book is empty because I haven’t decided if I am going to keep it for myself, put it with my inventory, or give it to someone. The back of each tag is empty for journaling, pictures, or phrases.


This is one of those projects that is great for your scraps. Just make sure the tags are made out of cardstock or thicker scrapbook paper. A standard office ring was used to bind the tags together. Lots of scrap ribbon was tied around the ring to make it more appealing. Did you come up with any ideas on how to make a simple keepsake for those simple precious moments? I’d love to see or hear about them. I’d also liketo hear what you thought of mine or if you have any questions.

click on image to enlarge

paper arts, paper crafts, scrapbooking, card making, rubber stamping, atc’s, paper gifts

Blog readers, I apologize for not writing earlier today. As I was sitting down to write my blog I was called by my mom who had an urgent request. As luck would have it my internet connection was giving me trouble anyways. So, I graciously said okay. What I said okay to was being a substitute for a substitute at a Moms day out program. Did I mention it was for a class of two year olds? It has been a long time since I have been with a lot of two year olds at once. Luckily things worked out pretty well and the 5 hours went by fast. Afterwards I could tell everyone really appreciated me helping out which made me feel good.

I could have easily said no, it is too late, or I’m busy but I am glad I didn’t. Sometimes it takes a situation like that to reflect on where your life was, is, and will be going. Seeing the little boys and girls get so much enjoyment out of simple things. Bubbles blowing in the wind, playing monster on the play set, and filling in a color sheet with stickers instead of crayons, it is the moments like these we need to remember when we are doing our scrap booking and keepsakes. Not everything has to be on a day that was a big deal. To kids anything that happens on any day can be a big deal. As adults we need to take a page out of their book. Better yet what about making a book full of those simple, special, and precious moments. After my on girls are bed I think I am going to do that very thing. I can’t wait to show you tomorrow what I get done tonight.

paper arts, paper crafts, scrapbooking, card making, rubber stamping, atc’s, paper gifts