Paper Bag Albums

I promised I would share this last week and never did get around to doing it.  It was probably best, because the entire project was not yet complete.

A co-worker at school is retiring at the end of this school year.  We usually present the retiree with some sort of scrapbook or memorabilia that marks his or her time teaching.  This gentleman has been a teacher for 20 years and has decided it is time to move on.  A friend of mine and I were tasked with coming up with an idea for a retirement gift for him.  We figured a typical scrapbook wouldn't do, so I came up with the idea to make up these paper bag albums.  We made a set of three albums, each with a different title; Retirement, Basketball, and Fun Stuff.  The Retirement album contains well wishes from each of his colleagues written on 4 1/2 by 5 1/2 inch Very Vanilla Card Stock.  The Basketball album contains pictures of different basketball teams he coached over the years at our school, and the Fun Stuff album contains just that; photos of him doing various fun stuff during his time as a teacher both with other staff members and students.  Each bag album will be presented to him in a decorated Ukulele case at the district's Retirement Tea on May 1.  We chose a Ukulele case because it is similar to a guitar case.  (He plays guitar and has taught several guitar enrichment classes to our students over the past few years.) The designer series paper that I used to decorate each bag is the soon to be retiring Well Worn paper from Stampin' Up!  (Item number 122359 for $10.95)  I selected this paper because it has a vintage look and the colors are very masculine.

Most of the embellishments were purchased at a local craft store.

Following the photos, I will provide you with directions on how to make one of these paper bag albums.  I hope you like what my friend and I have created.  Until next time...

Happy Stamping!

Josie

 I tried antiquing the Ukulele case by rubbing some sand paper over the surface to rough it up a little.  The musical notes are printed on to vellum card stock using clip art on my computer.  They were hand torn around the edges and glued to Soft Suede card stock.  The words around the sides of the case are the lyrics to the Beatles' song While My Guitar Gently Weeps.  The same song has also been recorded onto one of those recordable cards and the song plays when the case is open.

Here's what you need to make one paper bag album.

• 6 - 8 brown paper lunch bags
• snail adhesive #104332--$6.95
• 1/4 " grosgrain ribbon
• designer series paper
• Very Vanilla Card Stock (Cut 6 - 8 pieces depending on number of bags you use 6 3/4" by 5".)
• #119864 Round Tab Punch (Soon to Retire)  $16.95

Cut the bottom off of the lunch bags.  Do this by placing the long edge of the bag across the top of your paper cutter with the open end of the bag at the 7 1/4" mark.  Adhere the cut bags together with snail adhesive along the cut edge, making sure the bags are all facing the same way. 

Cut a piece of designer series paper 4 1/4" by 5 1/2".  Score it at 2" from either end.  This is used as the binding to cover the cut ends of the paper bags once they are all stuck together.  You can add a border trim to either side of the album under the designer series paper.  Using a crop-a-dile, punch two evenly spaced holes for eyelets.  Add the eyelets.  Thread a 4" piece of grosgrain ribbon through the eyelets and tie a knot. 

Punch 6 to 8 tabs using the round tab punch.  Adhere them to the edge of the Very Vanilla card stock that you have already cut into 6 3/4' by 5" pieces. Make sure to stagger them on the different pieces of card stock.  Slide one of each of these pieces of card stock into each bag.  You can add photos to these if you like. 

On each bag "page" I added a piece of designer series paper cut the same size as the Very Vanilla card stock to cover the paper bag.  You can also add pictures and embellishments to these pages. 

There you have it.  Your Paper Bag Album is complete!  :)