The “Last Minute” is Just Around the Corner!

Aloha, all!

     Oh my!  This time last year I had a big stash of little gifts to give to friends who stopped by!  This year not so much.  Where has the time gone!  Not only am I behind on gifts (and cards!!!), but we are going on a bit of a Christmastime vacation this week and I'll be out of commission craft room-wise for most of this week.  Eeek!

     The good news is that the challenge for this week's Stampin' Up! Only Challenge (suochallenges.com), is "Last Minute Cards and Gifts."  This is JUST what I need!  Of course, I'm part of the challenge Design Team, and I had to come up with my own project.  And it's a good thing that I'd been thinking about it because I realized AT THE LAST MINUTE! that I needed some favors for a small dinner party that one of my clubs was having at my house.  Whew!  Dodged that bullet!

     Once again, Stampin' Up! to the rescue with its Tag a Bag Gift Bags!  It didn't hurt that I still had the Festive Flurry Stamps Set and Festive Flurry Framelits dies from last week's CASE project out on my work table!  Or that I hadn't yet returned the Island Indigo Ink and Pool Party Cardstock to their respective storage places in my Craft Room! 

     The big idea that got me going on this project was that I'd not thrown away the last "negative" piece of Silver Foil that I'd used for that project.  It cried out to me to be a stencil.  So, listening to its pleas, I grabbed a sponge and laid the foil on the bottom of a Gift Bag and started sponging Island Indigo ink.  That was fun!  And the fun kept on coming.  I stamped the second largest image from the stamp set onto Pool Party Cardstock using Island Indigo Ink and cut it with the matching Framelit.  Then I cut some Silver Foil with the smallest framelit shape and laid it over the stamped shape.  I folded the bag down (after putting goodies into it!) and punched two holes through all the layers with a Piercing Tool, enlarging the holes to be large enough for a large needle threaded with 1/8" Silver Ribbon to go through.

     I tied a bow with the ribbon and I was done.  Hmmm.  That sponged image looked a little bare.  Oh what a great time to pull out those Large Rhinestone Basic Jewels!  I just have not used them enough, and they were the perfect size for this project!

     It took almost no time to make this project thanks to those bags – and my Sizzix Big shot and the framelits! 

     The good news was that I have a few extras and now I'm REALLY ready for some surprise last minute guests.  Oh, and you will just love the ideas that our Design Team at SUOChallenges.com has for you!  Check them out and then share with us what YOU're doing in the way of last minute gifts and cards. 

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