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Paper bag Valentine card

Paper bag Valentine card
This instructable covers the making of a grungy paper bag Valentine Day's card. It would make a sweet gift for your significant other or friend. It has a spot to tuck a letter into the card, allowing for more customization than just the cutesy sentiments you get with commercial cards.

The design is intended to require minimal materials and produce a minimal amount of waste. For many crafters, it can be done without purchasing any new materials. It will take most people about an hour to complete this card.
 
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Step 1Supplies and tools

Supplies and tools
The card is constructed out of these materials:
1  brown paper "lunch" bag
1 8.5" x 11" sheet light-colored coordinating paper
1 3" x 3" coordinating cardstock
1 pony bead of a coordinating color
   --any bead which can fit over your ribbon will work fine
total 24 to 30 inches of thin, coordinating ribbon
   --2 pieces 6" to 8"
   --1 piece 12" to 14"

These tools are required:
glue of some sort -- I used a glue stick, but regular white glue would also be fine.
scissors
ruler

For the decoration, you can go one of two routes, or combine them:
a crayon of a coordinating color
colored pencil or pen of a coordinating color
    OR
ink pad of a coordinating color
a pen of a coordinating color
various stamps
   --I used one flowery type stamp for the outside, a curlique-type stamp for the bottom, and letter stamps for initials.

I created the instructable based on the red and black card, which uses the stamp and ink pad route. The other card pictured, the blue one, used only a crayon and a colored pencil.
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7 comments
Jan 17, 2011. 3:40 AMTRANSLTR says:
Really great. Thank you.
Jan 17, 2011. 1:43 AMrkb_best says:
Wow this is really great and nicely explained. I'll try to make it for my girlfriend she's gonna love it.
Thanx for this 'ible
Jan 15, 2011. 2:27 AMWingsandFences says:
a thing of beauty indeed :)
Jan 14, 2011. 8:01 AMWicken says:
This is absolutely adorable. I always have a stack of paper bags around. (Paper bag puppets never go out of style for kids.) I'm definitely making some Valentine's Day cards this way. It shouldn't be too hard to make an envelope out of the brown bags I get from the store. Thanks for this.
Jan 13, 2011. 9:06 PMFlea says:
Quite excellent! I love the chaotic simplicity of this creative gift.

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Author:mistyp
I enjoy making a wide range of things--whatever strikes my fancy. My most successful creations end up being in the paper crafting realms.