groppi girl blogs

Last year I made these thinking they would be perfect for Valentine’s Day. Especially if you were making one for your little ones’ classmates. These little 3.25 inch cards are really fun to make. They hold one Ghiradelli chocolate.

I made a template for the card, which you can download by clicking here. The hardest part is deciding on the embellishments. You don’t have to monogram them. I am trying to motivate myself to create some new ones with the round stamp from Papertrey Ink from the Sweet Love set for people at work. The work is made easy if you stamp the entire pieces of paper and then cut to assemble.

Chocolate Holder Elements: PaperTrey Ink Ambassador Monogram, Borders and Corners Monogram and Spiral Bouquet stamp sets, Stampin’ Up! Polka Dot Background, Stampin’ Up! Cardstock, brads, rhinestones, Stampin’ Up! Classic Inks and Nestabilities.

It’s been a busy week! This week has flown by. I created some Snowman Soup for my craft fair the other week. I am busy working on new ones for the next one. These are a great seller! I did them in blue but I am working on ones in red. Sorry for the lousy picture - the fair had poor lighting.

I liked Nichole Heady’s snowman soup template but, of course, only had square tins in the stash. So I made my own template that you can download here. The template can be used with the large 8 oz. square tins. The poem goes on the other side of the lid, lined up with the outside square. In the tin there is a packet of Swiss Miss with Marshmellows, Hershey Kisses, peppermints and fake snow to fluff it up. I tweaked it since the photo so the snowflake can be put tip up too. Enjoy!

I wanted to share the URL where the coffin favor box template came from. If you are so obliged, you can go the Better Homes and Gardens and download it.

 Download Coffin Template at bhg.com

My photos came back from the PPD 5k on September 28, 2008. I look like I belong in my coffin favor box. I’m so ghostly pale, but I digress. Hey - at least it looks like I am running in a race photo for a change.

This was the first race where I had to wear a timing belt on my ankle. I didn’t like it. The ChampionChips are must less invasive. I felt like a criminal under house arrest having that thing on. I’ll be back tomorrow with a more craft-intensive post.

After weeks, I finally sat down at my desk and made another beach bag. Disclaimer: I am not a seamstress by any means. I do not use a pattern to make these. They are pretty much free-handed so to speak. Use this tutorial at your own risk - hehe.

Step 1: Supplies

Sewing machine, iron, and ironing board
1 Hand Towel
1 Set of Handles (no handles is another tutorial)
Ribbon:
4 pieces 16 in. in length, 2 different widths
4 pieces 4 in. length for handles
Hem tape

First, iron your towel and ribbon to remove any wrinkles.

Step 2 - Iron-on your ribbon

I used 3/4 inch hem tape to secure my ribbon to the right side of the towel. You can sew it on if you like. I used two lengths for my wide ribbon. At least Vegas will know how to make a beach bag because he diligently watched the whole process.

Step 3 - Repeat with second layer of ribbon

For this layer, I only had to use one length of hem tape to “glue” the ribbon on top of the other. Repeat steps 2 and 3 on the other side of the bag. I find that I have to give the hem tape a little more time with heat than it usually calls for to get the ribbon to permanently stick.

Step 4 - Get ready to sew your bag.

Fold the bag inside out (ribbons touching). Try to line up the ribbons on each side together and pin. That way, when the bag is sewn, it looks polished.

Step 5 - Sew the sides.

Sew straight stitches along both sides. I used 5/8 inch seams here. Don’t forget to run both ends back and forth to secure your stitching.

Step 6 - Turn your bag right side out.

Step 7 - Handles.

I used acrylic handles here. I break out a ruler and line the handle edges equidistant from each side of the bag, loop the ribbon and pin the handles and ribbon into place. The handles almost touch the top of the bag where I pin. The seams on the towel create a perfect landing area for your handle stitching. I then sew the ribbon back and forth several times to create a strong stitch. Repeat on the other side.

TA-DAH! You are finished. One completed towel bag!

I will be giving this one away. I really like the ribbons and how they came together with this bag! Let me know if you have any questions. I am more of a hands on teacher than a tutor.

Acetate is fun to work with. I use GBC Presentation Covers from Staples. They are $12.99 for 25 sheets. I think they have just enough weight to make cards and alterables.

Here is the Ghiradelli Chocolate Squares in a Hugs & Kisses Box! Template is available here!

I used my Cuttlebug for the felt heart, scalloped rectangle and embossing. I found it easier to stamp the cardstock before scoring it. But, it really doesn’t matter. I found stamping it after made the Stazon “smoosh” on the acetate because it wasn’t flat.

I hope you have fun with them! They are a little bit of labor. But when you do it a couple of times, it gets easier to do. You could even mix things up. You can put a couple chocolate square on the bottom, fill the middle in with Hershey kisses or Lindt truffles and then put a couple more squares on top to make the box really full. In the picture below, you can see the bottom of the box.

Hugs and Kisses Box: Acetate Cardstock, Cuttlebug, Heart die, Nestabilities dies, PaperTrey Ink Limitless Labels stamp set, ribbon, crop-a-dile.