Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Pretty Pink Purse (and a few tips)


I recently stumbled across some lovely faux leather paper in pearlized colors from American Crafts (in Marshall's of all places!).  I wanted to give it a try and  I thought it was perfect for making a paper purse to use as a table favor or gift holder.

I have been trying to use some of the cartridges that I purchased in the Black Friday sales last year, you know - the ones I "had to have" that have been sitting idly on the shelf.  One of these was "Forever Young" which is an older cartridge I didn't get at first because didn't think I needed such a "girly" cartridge.

I decided to make one of the purses and  today I'd like to share a few tips I have for cutting and putting together bags and boxes from your Cricut cartridges.


I knew that my paper was only 8/12 x 11 so I used Design Studio to figure out the largest bag I could cut.  I placed a rectangle on the second page of the file and adjusted it to be 8 1/2 x 11 and then I added the purse to the mat and sized it to fit with a little room to spare.  I set the paper at the 1/2 inch mark from both the top and the side to avoid any issues with the "uncuttable" area of the mat.  I used the preview to see exactly where to place the purse on the mat.


One of my pet peeves with the cartridges is the "tick marks" they cut to indicate the folds.  For a regular card they are nonsensical - we all know how to fold a piece of paper in half!


On the boxes and purses they make a very untidy edge that is not attractive.  You can see the edges in the sample purse I cut from scrap paper above.


I don't like my pretty papers to be messed up with all of these extra lines.  So I use Design Studio or the Gypsy to eliminate all of the interior cuts (known as webbing) with one simple step - just check the weld box. 


In the case of the purses on Forever Young you will also need to use "hide contour" to eliminate the word that is designed to cut into the front. 


The "webbing" lines will not cut when weld is checked because they are not completed cuts.   The word "fancy" in this case is one continuous line and would cut if it was not hidden, similar to the way the eyes on one of the animal faces will cut even though you lose some of the detail lines when you weld to make a shaped card (I do have a way to work around that problem which you can read about HERE and HERE).



I then use my sample cut with the marks to help me see where to score the purse to fold it correctly.  These score lines will be clean and neat with no cuts.


To assemble purses and boxes, I use a strong tape like Scor-Tape.  The red liner tape also works very well for boxes.  First you connect the flap to the side.


Line it up carefully for a neat edge like this.  Remember, these adhesives are very aggressive so it is important to get it right the first time!


Next you fold in the flaps to make the bottom of the bag.  First fold in the long side with the "U" shaped cut-out.


Next, fold in the two side flaps and be sure the bumps catch underneath the first side.


Finally, tuck in the last long side so it looks like this.


I was concerned that the bottom of the purse might not be sturdy enough for some heavy candy to be added so I cut an extra piece of cardstock to add as a reinforcement on the base.


I used Scor-Tape again to attach this piece to the base of the purse.


I also cut a strip of paper at 1/2 inch x 10 inches to use for a handle or strap.  I added about an inch long piece of Scor-Tape to each end.


Then I secured the handle inside the bag to get a strong hold.


The cartridge design has tab and slit closure and these can wear out quickly.  So I added some small magnet pieces to close the flap.  These were cut from some leftover magnet frame material I had at home.


I matched up the two small pieces making sure that the polarity was correct so the magnet would work and then used Scor-Tape once again  to secure the magnet to the purse.


First I attached the two pieces together to the top flap and then I removed the protective covering on the Scor-Tape and folded the flap down to stick the second magnet in the correct position.

 

You can buy "prettier" round punched magnets but these worked fine (and I had the frame on hand).




The decorations for the bag are these vintage jewels and a white flared flower from Creative Charms.  They give a nice sheen and sparkle to the bag.


I hope you picked up a few tips for making very neat and professional looking bags and boxes.  I think I'll try making a few of the other purses on the Forever Young cartridge and use them for gifts - or just sit them on a shelf to look pretty!

I am off today on another excursion to IKEA - and hoping the items I want are still there!

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23 comments:

  1. Beautiful Purse!! Love that leather paper!!! Thanks for all the tips!

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  2. I also stumbled across this paper in Marshall's and bought it Sunday night. I looked at the paper thinking that would make a great purse. Glad I bought the paper because it does make a great purse. Thanks.

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  3. I love it! I've made a similar purse from TBBM. My granddaughters love it!

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  4. Thanks for the great tutorial. I also dislike the cuts but silly me, never thought to weld them!
    Thank goodness there is your blog!
    Enjoy the trip to IKEA!

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  5. great tutorial! good luck at IKEA :) Sage

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  6. Thank you for sharing all of your tips! The purse turned out beautiful! I guess I'll be making a trip to Marshall's!

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  7. That purse looks great, love the way you embellished it. I have a few of those must have, so far never used cartridges. I try to challenge myself to pick something to use from at least one of them when I work on my scrapbooks.

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  8. Wow, thank you for that weld tip! I hadn't heard of that before now! Beautiful purse! Love that paper!

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  9. I LOVE the purse and how you make it look so easy! i will need to pull that cartridge and try it for myself.
    Lori

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  10. What a cute purse! Love the textured paper. Thanks for all of your tips. I just downloaded the trial version of DS yesterday and tried my hand at welding some shapes together for an invitation. I can now see what great things could be done with this program and will be downloading the full version soon.

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  11. Thank you for showing us how to make this! It's very cute!

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  12. That is so beautiful! I love your work. I just started using my Design Studio software and need to remember all these tips that you provide. I don't like those little fold lines either! Thanks for sharing!--Pat N.

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  13. What a darling purse. Wish we had a Marshall's around here. I love that paper and especially because it's pink! I've had Forever Young for a long time and pull it out when I need to make something for a really girly friend. It's always a hit. Love your tutorial as usual.
    Hugs,
    MizMaryAnn

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  14. That paper is perfect. What a great find. I've used hide for those cuts, but weld is so much faster, thanks. Love your idea for reinforcing the bottom, too. The purse turned out beautifully, Diane. thanks for sharing all these great ideas.

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  15. i have that cart and never seen that purse. i make a similar one also, from tbbm. i've had such a difficult time finding the 'right' closure for my purses. i've used velcro, but you must be careful, and of course people want to open/close them and its just a matter of time before the velcro comes off, tearing the paper. i tried the magnetic discs, and can't seem to find an adhesive strong enought to keep them adhered. the magnets are 'too' strong. so when i seen what you used, i'm like 'hitting myself in the head' moment...hello, i have them.. tried it and love it....thanks diane. i learn so much from you!

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  16. Love the leather paper! That is perfect for a purse. I hate the scorelines that cut too so I am gonna have to try this out. Thanks for the tips!!

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  17. What a beautiful purse!! Love that faux leather paper! I am quite positive if you were to make those for gift/treat bags for a party ---they would be 're-used' by all who received them.
    Thanks for all those awesome tips regarding eliminating score-lines and using the preview feature prior to cutting.
    As always--thank you so much!!

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  18. Pretty Purse, Love the color nice shade of pink. TFS

    Luria

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  19. That is so cool! Thanks for such detailed instructions and tips!

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  20. Sandra Joy, my2pets@comcast.netMarch 29, 2011 at 8:55 PM

    I simply love the Forever Young Cartridge. I've made a few purses myself, they are so adorable. Loved the paper you used!! Just stunning! Sandra Joy

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  21. How funny! I found this paper at Tuesday Morning Last spring about this time! I used it once and have looked for reasons to use it since. This will be a great one! Thank you...

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  22. Thanks for the tips on bags and boxes. I hate those tick marks too.If it wern't for you I would never know all these neat DS tricks.

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  23. LOVE this little purse!!! So cute!! :)Thank you for sharing! Your recipe's are always the best! :)

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