Happy Thursday! Hope your day is going lovely! I wanted to share a little fun paper project that I learned by watching The Posh Paper Lady on YouTube! This little project is an altered/repurposed gift bag that becomes both a gift “bag” AND a sweet little mini album. Such a lovely way to share an incredible gift. It would be great with baby colors/papers to create a unique baby shower gift. It would also be lovely for Mother’s Day (put in pics of yourself/siblings/grandkids, etc.). Also lovely as a wedding shower gift, welcome gift, new home gift, etc. I made this one to put into a little silent auction our church is having this Sunday.

The Posh Paper Lady (Sherry is her name as well! 🙂 ) has fabulous instructions which are super easy to follow. I am subscribed to her channel and watch it every day. Even if I don’t particularly want to do that day’s project, I always pick up a bit of “paper craft knowledge” that comes in helpful with whatever I am making.

If you decide to do this little project (here’s the link – (2) EASY step by step tutorial!! SO MANY OF YOU ASKED FOR THIS ONE!!! gift bag mini album! – YouTube), I have some tips below that you may find helpful.

If you are doing this for the first time, I urge you to get a bag that is the same size as the one she has in the video (5 x 6 x 3). It will make your life much easier as you progress through the tutorial. If you are an experienced paper crafter just wing it – but I am LOUSY with size conversions so I was very glad I could start with a similar size bag.

In her list of things that are needed, she does not provide specific information on the types of “paper”. Following are MY RECOMMENDATIONS ONLY after making the project.

1. BEFORE you do the project also be sure to see her flip through of her baby book using this same process. It will get your creative juices flowing for this project and give you a great overview of possibilities.
2. Choose your color scheme depending on your bag style and its intended purpose. I recommend also that you decide the color/pattern of the middle “box” section first and then make everything else coordinate with that and your bag pattern/colors.
3. Use “solid color” cardstock – (by that I mean solid core) if possible. If you don’t have it, don’t stress. But it definitely notches up the overall look.

Decorative or Solid Color Cardstock

The list of things needed just calls everything “paper” in the version I received. But I discovered some of the pieces really needed to be more stiff. So, I used cardstock throughout EXCEPT for the pockets. All the measurements are in INCHES.

• Ten 4-1/4 x 5-1/4 mats (Solid Color – you only see 1/4 inch all the way around so the color is more important than any pattern that might be visible unless you are using a foiled paper.)
• Ten 4 x 5 white mats (I think she chose white just to have a solid background that would show off pictures well. In hindsight and in future bags, I plan to be a little more experimental and make some of these mats more colorful since I plan to add more pockets than photo pages.
• One 12 x 5-1/2 (Solid Color) (this is going to be one of the center pages)
• One 11-7/8 x 5-1/2 (Solid Color) (this is going to be one of the center pages)
• One 8 x 12 (this will be for the box base)
• One 6-5/8 x 4-5/8 (this will be for the box lid)
• One 11 x 12 (Solid Color)

Decorative Paper

• Two 4-3/4 x 3-3/4 (this isn’t used in the video so not sure exactly how it was intended to be used. Could be a frame for the back of one of the tuck-ins or to make a little matching gift card holder?)
• One 4-1/4 x 4-1/4 (pattern – this will make two pockets). Cut more of these if you prefer to do more pockets.

Other Items Needed

• Stickers, florals, beads, etc., to embellish the pages and box (even the front of the package).
• Double sided tape
• A superior quality paper glue.
• Knife or scissors
• Paper cutter and way to score the pieces.
• Ribbon (for the closure – she shows how to do a paper closure, but I personally found that ribbon looks great and is way easier).

What I Will Do Different Next Time

• I am going to try using a different method for affixing the mats together. Glue works great, but I think I would rather try my Xyron next time.
• Start with a 12 x 12 piece, fold it down the middle, and then position it over the opened bag before cutting. Decide whether you need to cut yours down more/less to fit your bag. I would have preferred that mine had covered just a smidge more than it did of the inside of the bag. Not a big deal – but something I’ll do next time.
• Use solid core cardstock for everything that is plain cardstock (rookie paper crafter mistake 🙂 ).
• Add a little dangle to the handle of the bag using some beads, ribbon, ephemera.
• Use the same paper you chose for the base or the lid of the box and create a little tag to hang off the handle.

So that’s my take on this really cool little project by The Posh Paper Lady! I urge any crafter to jump over to her YouTube page and subscribe. She is such a positive person and has a wonderful “common sense” approach to paper crafting – all while creating gorgeous items that you can gift and/or make to sell!