Make a DIY Easter Bag & Card set in an hour

Hello friends…Kim here with a challenge for you!

Are you like me and have loads of  leftovers of collections just looking for purpose? Well I set myself a challenge for todays post..to find a purpose for the leftovers I have from the super-cute, themed, Millie & June collection. So I thought with Easter around the corner, that I would get a head start with my crafting & come up with a way to transform the supplies into an Easter gift set. The colors are fabulous & the patterns super cute…I knew right away it would not be difficult to do.

This is the result!

Easter Gift Set by Kim Watson

(Youtube process video to follow, see my channel or pop back to see this post once updated)

The first thing I did was look for a whole 12×12 piece of paper. I would need an entire sheet to create the gift bag. Once folded, I die-cut the bunny face to fit the width of the bag, rouged her cheeks, drew her eyes & mouth and then made the bows from the convenient Millie & June die-cut paper bow set.

The card was also super simple to put together. Using a strip of Our Garden patterned paper I cut a backing piece in the gold foil stripe & flipped the leftover piece using the floral side to cut a big pennant shape. I then die-cut a circle from the pennant, making a little window for the chick to peek out of.

The accents consist of a trimmed tag (to hide the sentiment) & a few patterned heart ephemera; which reminded me of Easter eggs. Not having the correct stamp sentiment, I used the speech bubble die-cut & hand wrote Happy Easter, which finished off the card nicely.

So as you can see, repurposing your themed products is not as complicated as you would think. I hope this has inspired you to haul those leftovers out, with the purpose of giving them new life 😀

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Have an awesome week!

Fancy Pants Designs products used: Millie & June

Fill an Easter egg with 'confetti' & a FREE cut file

With Easter days away, I wanted to share a page I created with Easter photos from a few years back using my collection, Joy Parade, for Fancy Pants Designs.

I adore the pretty colors & adorable embellishments and the fact that this collection can be reworked for any occasion. 

Enjoy Easter by Kim Watson

 I really wanted to make a shaker egg embellishment but didn't want the hassle of actually filling it with loose toppers, so opted for a cute faux 'confetti' filled egg instead, using some of the fabulous puffy sticker dots & shapes from this collection. I adore how it turned out. 

Faux shaker egg accent by Kim Watson

A close up of the super cool sticker accents & alphas in this collection. 

The addition of cork brings great texture & contrast. 

:BONUS:

For a FREE cut file for you to create an egg shaker for yourself.

  Use this link or click on the image >>

Easter bags + a tutorial!

Hello crafty friends! I hope your week is going well?

With Easter just around the corner, I thought it might be fun to show you how I made my Easter baskets, for our Easter hunt, planned to happen during our annual Easter brunch. They are sturdy, and a great way to hold Easter eggs & candy from the ‘Easter Bunny.’

Easter Bags by Kim Watson

Supplies: 

• Patterned papers from the Office Suite collection
• 3×4 Journal cards trimmed into tag shapes
• Assorted Ephemera from the Office Suite collection
• A selection of large die-cut alphas
• Resin flowers from previous Fancy Pants Designs collections
• Paper straws which you can find in Fancy Pants Stationery& Party collections
• Brads, Twine, Adhesive & a stapler

Cutting the journal cards down in size into tag shapes, makes them less bulky to attach to the bags once decorated. I used a large alpha for the beginning letter of each child’s name, an appropriate decorative shape, a little sentiment label & a stamped sentiment to complete the tags. The rough twine tie & mini staples, add great texture!

Next I made each child a pretty pinwheel. They are super easy to put together. Cut a 4×4″ square of patterned paper, slit along the diagonals & fold. Attach to a paper straw with a large brad & add some curly paper strips to make them more festive.  

Easter Bag Tutorial by Kim Watson

Instructions:

• Take a variety of 12×12 pieces of patterned paper
• Fold either side to the centre 6″ mark
• Turn 90 degrees & score at 4.5″ & 7.5″
• Fold along all score lines
• Adhere top folds
• Folding each side up, press gusset at 45 degrees, it’ll fold there automatically
• Cut x2= 2.25″x6″ strips & adhere along front top edge of bag
• Cut 3/4″x12″ bag handles
• Adhere in place & stitch either side of the band at the top of the bag to make them extra secure
• Your bag is ready to be filled

I hope this tutorial inspires you to get started on your Easter crafting projects? These bags were so rewarding to create & I know each child who receives them will love them as much as I do.

Happy crafting friends!!

There's a spring in my step+ layouts

Happy Spring to all my friends in the Northern Hemisphere.

Here we are sliding into Autumn which means Winter is around the corner...yuck!!! Not my favorite season. Really cold but not enough to snow & have central heating....sigh!

So I thought I'd tag onto your season, & live vicariously though you for a couple of weeks, enjoying some 'extended' Spring.

To me Spring conjures up images of:

• bright floral posies
• baby critters
• pound cake
• pale blue skies filled with white clouds
• rain boots
• snuggles 

 Little Critters come out to Play by Kim Watson

(As seen in the 2011 Seasons issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine. Posted with prior permission from the Creative Crafts Group. )

Citrus pound cake...yum!!

  
You love the Rain by Kim Watson

I am going to post a tutorial on how to make these cute rain clouds...so watch this space :D

If I could Bottle your Love by Kim Watson

And as we approach one of the most special celebrations of the year, Easter.
Be reminded of something important. That God thinks....

Have a Happy Thursday!
Thanks!

April Cocoa Daisy!

Needing a bit of inspiration??
Try the Cocoa Daisy April kit...& isn't it just FABULOUS!!! If you hurry, you might still be able to get yourself one... I had so much fun working with it. I also got myself one or two of the add-on's this month & I definitely made the right decision because these 7 gypsy tags are great!

Guys...this page is my all time record...x14 photo's on one 12x12 page...woohoo! I found it so freeing not having to choose photos, I just used them all!! The pearls (Kaisercraft) are not part of the kit & come from my stash. I am loving their pearls & jewels right now

I seriously wanted to try out glimmer mist for this page...but alas you cannot get it here in SA yet. So I improvised, I used an ink pad refill & old toothbrush. It worked out great!

This page is one of my first using my new Slice it has been great so far & so easy to use. I used the basic shapes 2 to cut these cute butterflies in white cardstock.

This fun L.O was inspired by a page done by my scrapping buddy Danielle Flanders. I loved hers so much and when I saw this little flourish left over from cutting up the little bird from the a(maze) page, I knew it would work perfectly. Thanks Dani x

Well I hope you are all having a fabulous Easter together?
This special time is one of the most important ones for us as Christians, when we remember that fateful day in Jerusalem 2000+ years ago. It is bittersweet, remembering the horror of Good Friday but then on Sunday when He rose again, He made it possible for ALL of us to find retribution. I know I speak for many when I say...for that I am truly very thankful!
Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter!

It has been a crazy week but productive...I managed to complete the projects I had planned & get them off on time. I am sitting at my desk looking out across the Silverberg Mountain behind our home & boy the wind is "hoofing". I am also listening to Virgin Radio over the internet while I blog & the DJ is speaking about this coming weekend being the coldest one in the history of the UK for this time of year. I feel for all those sitting indoors trying to fend off the winter chill, where as here, it is gloriously hot, even if the Cape Doctor is blowing 65 knots ~ (this is the name given to this gale force wind that blows us away each summer).
If I could somehow magically whip you all away to somewhere warm, I would, believe me!

It is officially the end of the school first term today & we say goodbye to a quarter of this year already...YIKES! the time has flown....it also means Maxi is home every day in the mornings, for the next 3 weeks....double YIKES! to keep him occupied is going to be very challenging for me. Play dates are the answer I think.....yip! that's what I'll do hahaha! I mean there is only so much one can do with a 'NON-crafty' type of little boy. One consolation is that his sister, Cas, is with us until next Friday and he ADORES her!

I did manage one little crafty exercise with Max this AM...play-dough. He made (in his words) "purple cats, blue chickens, bears & twinkle-twinkle stars, all for my Gramsie".
Clever thing!...all in neat rows I see.....that's our boy...a line-everything-up type of kid. LOL!

It is almost the most important weekend of the year for all us out there who are Believers. It is a time of
HOPE

FORGIVENESS
SACRIFICE

NEW LIFE

I am sure I speak for 1000's when I say:

"Thank-you! to our Lord for dying & then rising for us!"

So have a FANTASTIC fun filled Easter.....consider your selves * HuggED!* in true KJ style.
XXXXXX