Guess what this is made from

Anyone that knows me will only need one guess
An american flat bottom bag, the type that many of our fellow crafters across the pond have their packed lunch in & throw away on a daily basis.


They are very convieniently 6" x 12" so fold in half to make a brilliant little album, Since becoming a scrapbooker I have become a real magpie, but to put a positive spin on this obsession I have also become a top recycler.

A while back Alison gave me a paper bag book to decorate, since then I have been hooked, & managed to track down a seller on e-bay & have bought a bulk pack.



For mothers day I have decorated this one using
Stamps
Playful petals 113728
Simply said 106598
Bloomin' with beauty 112606
Designer series paper
Tea party 115158
Co-ordinating Cardstock
Certainly celery
Pretty In Pink
Almost amethyst
So saffron
Bashful blue
Very vanilla
Tools
Crop o dile 108362
Paper piercing tool 116631
1/4" circle punch 110844
1/2" circle punch 110103
Round tab 109974
Accents
Dazzling diamonds glitter 110194
Bashful blue brads 110026
1/4" grosgrain ribbon ~ Certainly celery

Paper bag scrapbooks

A while ago I was given an undecorated paper bag album to create, I was very new to scrapbooking when Alsion gave me this to decorate & until I had seen some other examples online I was a bit confused as to what I was supposed to do with it.
I managed to source the flat bottom paper bags, which were amazingly hard to find, whilst i'm sure that many of our american cousins throw them away on daily basis these bags are like gold dust.

This is the album I made for Paul, it is just awaiting the photo's and finishing touches.




The tabs are on the edge of pages that slip into the open ends of the bags.

Hard to believe that this mini book started life as a plain old paper bag.

Making paper bag books is really quite easy. Using 3 lunch bags, stagger them so that the open flap falls to the right, then to the left, then to the right again. Lay them one on top of the other.


There are several ways you can bind your paper bag albums. You can punch 3 or more holes down the left side and later use ribbons to tie them together.

Or you can sew down the center, creating a sewn spine.

Another option is to bind them with a bind-it-all if you have one.
Or use metal rings, which you can purchase at scrapbook stores.
Once the holes are punched you could also thread ribbons through the spine.

To create additional inside pockets you can use brads, eyelets, glue or even sew down flat bottom portion of the lunch bags.

Over the weekend I have made three of these & made them into valentines cards