Damask Divas Balloon Ride Blog Hop

Welcome to Keepable Paper Creations - a place where your creations are always "keepers".  You have "landed" on my contribution to the Damask Divas Balloon Ride Blog Hop for May.  My name is Brenda Zimmerman, and I am an Independent Consultant with Close To My Heart.  I hope you are enjoying all of the fabulous ideas coming your way!

If you came from Traci Williams' page, you are in the right place.  If you have jumped here and just discovered our blog hop, feel free to check out our Damask Divas Blog to find the complete list of blog hop participants.

It's National Scrapbooking Month!  To Celebrate, I've made a mini-version of a scrapbook for you to give or incorporate into your already adorable mini or full-sized albums!  Find more information about National Scrapbooking Month at the bottom of this blog post... but for now, I hope you enjoy my little ditty here!

This month, I got inspired by my Mom.  Taking from Kathy Orta Files' wealth of ideas, I created a gift that is simply a "No-Brainer"... because anyone receiving it will absolutely go "ga-ga" for it.  It's a Giftcard Holder.  But not only is it a Giftcard Holder, but it could also be a wallet, a brag book, or an insert to your favorite mini album!

 

For this project, I used a 6.5"x9.5" envelope to create the base structure.  I scored it at the halfway point and folded it, using my bone folder to reinforce the fold.

I then chose the gorgeous patterned paper from our Balloon Ride Collection, and cut four pieces at 6.25" x 4.5" each.  Now it was time to DISTRESS!  Love my Close To My Heart Daubers for this!  I inked everything, including the envelope base!

I used my ATG tape gun and adhered all of the pieces to my envelope and it looked awesome already!  But there was just a little more work left to do.  First, I needed to create the left-hand pocket which both allows for extra storage space and allows for a backing mechanism for reinforcing the giftcard slots.  I trimmed a tiny sliver from the left side of my envelope to create the pocket opening.

 With my ruler, craft knife and some chipboard backing, I created the slots for my gift cards to fit into (by the way, these double as nifty places to slide journaling cards from any of our Picture My Life Collections!).  

At Kathy's urging, I used my Big Bite from We R Memory Keepers to reinforce the slots with end holes to reduce the risk of tearing.  I backed the slots with a piece of pattern paper that slipped inside the pocket behind the cuts I just made.

I had fun with our Mother's Day Stamp, giving the holder a "Shop til' You Drop" feel, while complimenting the receiver by telling her she's "smarter than dad".  What mom wouldn't love this?

I finished it off with a 6.25"x 4" flap which I scored in half lengthwise, ran my ATG over it, and folded it over the envelope's usual flap closure.  I used my We R Memory Keepers Corner Rounder Punch to give the flap a softer feel.

Here comes the Big Bite again!  This time creating the holes and setting eyelets for the holder's closure.  I "eyeballed" the first hole, using the Big Bite to reach through the inside of the pocket so I could punch it.  I then folded the flap over and lined it up with the hole I had just punched and created an indentation with the punch, not going all the way through.  I didn't want to punch the whole thing... I just wanted to punch the flap.  I unfolded the flap and punched the whole right where my indentation was.

With a 1" circle punch, I punched four circles to create the closure for the outside.  I attached the circles to the outside with yep - you guessed it - my Big Bite.  On the flap side, I included a length of twine by feeding it through the original hole and squeezing the eyelet through the circles which clamped the twine in place.  A dab of wet glue reinforces the entire "sandwich" created here.

What a quick and easy gift idea for anyone on your list!  Whether for Mother's Day, or even as a "Thank You" gift, you're sure to score a place in their heart with this Keepable Paper Creation!

Just a REMINDER ~ May is National Scrapbooking Month, and to celebrate, Close To My Heart is offering the amazing Free To Be Me Paper Collection for just FIVE DOLLARS with any $50.00 purchase!

   Your $50.00 in purchases will also qualify you for our Stamp of the Month for May - You've Got A Friend.

It's a simple way to show some love without breaking the bank!
Thanks so much for stopping by!  The next blog on the list belongs to Shirley Bernal.  Hope you enjoy checking out all the creations using our Balloon Ride Paper Pack as well as all that is new in our 2014 IDEA BOOK!  The rest of our hop is just a click away, but if you get lost, just hop on over to our Damask Divas Blog for the full list!