Not Too Shabby Bag-a-lope…

I just think bag-a-lopes are the neatest thing… and my mother-in-law had a huge envelope that allowed me to make one heck of a gift bag.
Today I am using this bag for 3 challenges: the ColourQ Challenge #44, the City Crafter Challenge Blog, week 17, and the Card Patterns Sketch 76.

I needed a gift bag for my friend’s birthday gift, and she is nuts for recycling – it is her voice I hear in my head every time I am tempted to be lazy and toss something recyclable in the trash! I knew she would definitely appreciate a bag that was made from re-using an envelope. This is also the reason my tag only says “Happy Day”… I knew she could then re-use it for any number of events, instead of being restricted to a birthday!
I am only just finding all these great colour challenges on the web, and I am loving them! They really do get the juices flowing and challenge me to use colours together I may not have thought of previously. This particular challenge for ColourQ was to use Regal Rose, Wild Wasabi, Tempting Turquoise, Early Espresso and White… I did not have the Regal Rose, so I substituted my Melon Mambo – it’s a brighter colour, but a similar effect. I also do not have Early Espresso, so I used my Basic Brown. I wanted a more muted effect, so I also used some Antique Linen Distress ink on my embellishments, as well as some Vintage Photo distress ink on the scalloped lace paper.

I started by creating a bag-a-lope (find the tutorial here) out of a huge envelope (had to be about 14″ x 12″ or so). I scored 2″ in on the 3 sides to create my sides and bottom. I then stamped my background in Basic Brown using a background damask stamp (sorry, not sure of the make) and my trusty stamp-a-ma-jig! I used a paper doily and added a pleated flower, some distressed white paper, and a flower detail, finished with a pearl.

Would any of my projects be complete without using something from Waltzingmouse Stamps? I used my Labels 4 nesties and the coordinating stamps for my sentiment label. The sentiment was stamped using the Victorian Alphabet, also from Waltzingmouse.

(The pic below includes a shot of the handle):
The challenge at City Crafter was to use hearts somewhere on the project. I have this great damask heart (if you know me, you know I LOVE damask) from the $1.50 bin at Michael’s , which coordinated perfectly with my theme. I stamped in Tempting Turquoise and Wild Wasabi, then cut them out and distressed the edges a bit with my knife. I then used Antique Linen distress ink to add some more age.

Finally, it was all put together using this week’s sketch over at Card Patterns. I just added some ribbon that I tied all the way through the bag, so that it will close (somewhat) when cinched.

What bang for my (time) buck! I did one project for 3 challenges, and they all co-exist beautifully! I know my friend will love this bag, not to mention her gift… remember my stationary set? We also picked up a special mug she’s been coveting for months, so I know that she will just love it all. I love to make a good friend smile!