HANDMADE GYPSY Quick and Easy Gypsy Gift Bags and Cards

Last minute ideas? No card for a friend? Nothing to put a gift into? With Canvas Corp Brands, there is no such problem. From paper bags to envelopes to card bases we have it all! We also have all the stuff that goes on top of them and makes them beautiful, eye-catching, endearing and special: papers, cord, fabric. You need it, we have it!

Today, Barbara Housner shows us how she used the basics and turned them into layered, handmade gypsy goodies that, no doubt, made her friends extremely happy.

‘I was spending a crafting weekend with two friends and I had some small gifts for them so needed to have a “creative gift bag” but it had to be quick and easy. I grabbed one of my favorite 7gypsies paper collections, rounded up some treasures from my crafting area and – heaven forbid – my stapler. This was so fun to do. Quick and fun results plus the recipients loved their gift bags almost as much as their gifts.’ – Barbara explains the story behind her project.

Materials used:
7gypsies Gypsy Moments Paper: Pose and Reflection
Canvas Corp Black&Kraft Sonnet Reverse
Canvas Corp 12×12 Burlap Sheet – Natural Burlap
Canvas Corp Cord- Jute Balls Natural 225′
Miscellaneous items found in craft supplies

Tools:
paper cutter
stapler and staples
glue gun
distress tool

I gathered my Canvas Corp and 7gypsies supplies together, then went and scrounged in my supplies for additional pieces of stuff to complete the bags. It had to be quick and easy. The shot amount of time the project took was very important. I took measurements of the gift bags and cut pieces of paper to layer on the front of the bag. I also distressed the edges of all the paper to add texture and accentuate the edges of the papers.

Here comes the quick part, I grabbed my stapler (it had blue staples in it – oh, well) and started stapling my layers together.

I took each gypsy image and added it to a piece of burlap with some coffee-dyed lace and a scrap of canvas. Once again, all this was stapled together.

Among my supplies, I found several lace flowers I had made for a previous project. I hot-glued a button tied with twine in the center.

Here are the bag fronts all ready to be added to the gift bags. The fronts were hot glued to the gift bags.

I added all the little gift treasures into my bags. I also found some coordinating tissue paper which was crumpled very artiscally and laid on top of the bags. A jute bow tied the handles together.

What a fast, easy and beautiful way to make even the simplest gifts look amazing – the bags itself are a gift!

‘I have a very special group of friends who were named the Ya Ya’s. The six of us (now only five because one lost her battle with breast cancer) have gone through so much together and more happens every day as we age, fight battles, lose aging parents; I thought that everyone would appreciate receiving some happy mail that would make them giggle. Luckily our good times outweigh the bad times and I want my Ya Ya’s to know how much I appreciate their continued friendship. It was a very easy project to do and I managed to use some of my hoarded supplies plus it is always good therapy to be creative.’ – shares the story behind her gypsy cards Barbara.

Materials used:
Canvas Corp Greeting Cards Kraft with Canvas (4 count)
7gypsies Gypsy Moments Paper
Miscellaneous scraps of other 7 gypsies paper
Canvas Corp Cord- Jute Balls Natural 225
Canvas Corp 12×12 Burlap Sheet – Natural Burlap
Assorted supplies from my large craft stash

Tools:
paper cutter
distress tool
adhesive gun
die cut machine

I cut out the gypsy women images and cut a black mat for each picture; distressed the edges of both pieces of paper and adhered together.

I used some of my hoarded supplies and added trims to the gypsies. I used lace leftover from my sewing days and some cute cord.

I had once stained some coffee filters with coffee so I did a doiley die cut on a couple. I also had enough flowers that I had made from sewing pattern tissue.

I gathered pieces of paper, burlap, buttons, snaps and did a collage on each card base with one of our lovely gypsy ladies as a topper. The variety of patterns and and textures of the layers add to the gypsy feel of the cards.

You can use the gift bags together or separately – they will make a memorable gift either way! 

For more of Barbara’s work, visit her blog.

Happy crafting!

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