PaperCrafting w/Kids: Purses & Wallets

I love teaching children!  And when it comes to making projects with kids, most of the time you'll find they don't mind getting a little messy.  They have a sense of accomplishment after the task is complete, and it is a joy to watch.  Not only that -- but I learn so much myself in working with their overactive minds...helps to stretch my own imagination & creativity on a different level.  These projects are fun quick paper projects that kids can do with a little help.  For the girls, I took a paper bag and made it into a purse with a few little accessories.  For the boys, a wallet made out of paper to resemble the look of leather -- and of course a few accessories of their own. 

I first became acquainted with the idea of the purse when a friend of mind gave me a birthday gift in a gift bag she made to look like a purse.  Later I came across the  Inking Idaho Blog which you can check out for a full "how-to" guide in making these purses out of a lunch sized paper bag! 

I found some decorative paper gift bags at Hobby Lobby that were a bit larger.  I loved the design on them, so I made them so that the top portion of the bag that was cut off could be adhered to cardstock to stabilize the bag and keep the same pattern for the purse (see bag dimensions & cut sizes below).  I bought a Sizzix die cut plate (Lipstick, Nail Polish & Purse) for 75% percent off!  Since this is a one dimentional die I cut two of the purse dies and created an insert out of cardstock to hold the two purse pieces together--it holds a Ghirardelli Chocolate perfectly, or the journal that I made out of cardstock & stamped papers, w/the nail polish die cut.  I attached a snippet of cardstock to the lipstick die so it could be wrapped around a tube of chapstick, or a pen.  I used a dark red cardstock for the top of the lipstick and added Crystal Effects (you can also use Diamond Glaze) to make it have the wet lipstick look. 

The decorative bags I used for this project are 6" wide.  Trim off top of bag, while folded flat. Bag will be 5 ¼” tall x 6”.   Cardstock:  Front Mat – 5 ¼” x 6”, Back Mat – (add 2” to height) 7 ¼” (score at 5 ¼”) x 6”.

Extra Bag Pieces:  For Deco Layers – 5” x 5 ¾” (x2), & 5 ¾” x 1 ¾” (glue to front & back mat)

I needed a project for the the boys and so the obvious choice was to design a leather look paper wallet.  I used Core'dinations cardstock which was a two toned brown.  I love Core'dinations line of cardstock.  Basically it's two colors of cardstock that have been melded together, so that when it is embossed/sanded the opposite core color shows through.  For this project, when sanded a lighter color brown showed through (tan).

I lightly misted the cardstock with water then crumpled and let dry.  Once dry I sanded randomly and used a variety of brown distress inks to add bits of color throughout the piece.  Kids love this part -- the more random the sanding/inking, the better the leather look is achieved.  I then used the Mosiac Cuttlebug folder to emboss the raised mosaic design on the outside piece of the wallet - it's a longer piece and usually has to go through twice.  The last step before assembling is to mod podge the wallet cardstock pieces, and let dry.  When working with kids, I do this in one-piece-at-a-time steps so that the pieces dry as your working on the next.  NOTE:  If working with a heat gun to speed drying time, I use a non-stick craft sheet and let an adult operate the heat gun.

Assemble the pieces (outside cover - 7 ¼ x 4”, inside - 7 x 3 ¾, 2 gift card pockets 3 ¼ x 2 ¼ -- fold 2 larger pieces in half)  with 1/8" Scor-Tape (this adhesive is Awesome!  Double-sided strong adhesive that is on a roll you can tear instead of using scissors).  I used a circle punch to notch out the middle of the inside wallet piece where the dollars will go, and used a corner rounder to give the corners a finished look.  I created an ID card for their ICE information, and a personalized key chain out of laminate samples & embossing powder!

These projects are great, and not only for the kids -- you can use the gift purses to hold money or prezzies for your friends, and when you don't know what to get for the men...use the leather look paper wallet to hold gift cards, money, certificates, Ghirardelli Chocolate, and more!