NEW BAGS SEWN

 Sew Useful Bags for 2025

I hope this is not too confusing for anyone checking back to my blog for the latest papercrafts, because this post is going to update you all with what’s going on with my sewing projects.

For those that do not know, I started sewing when my husband was diagnosed with cancer, and when he died 16 months later I had 2 laundry bags full of bags. So given that papercrafts were not selling well at local craft shows I decided to sell the bags and donate the profits to my local hospital where Brian had received some of his treatments.

Th first shows I sold  Shopping bags, Craft bags, Shoe Bags, Gift Bags, Makeup bags and purses, Since then I have added and tried several other bags. However, displaying so many types of bags has not proved easy and so this year I have decided to limit my makes and therefore my displays to just 5 or 6 bags, as I feel this will concentrate the display and make it easier for the buyers to see what I make. 

As Craft bags have been my best seller, (I was making a 4 pocket bag and a tote bag style) I decided to continue the 4 pocket bag, stop doing the simple tote, and instead make a drawstring top bag. The draw-string bag would be useful for knitters and crochet crafters, while the pocketed bags are great for artists, and card crafters, although there is plenty of cross-over. Both bags are also great for general use , sleepovers and Home Storage. 

I have also had to drop 3 Craft fairs, it was a difficult decision but I was unable to sell one of my best selling items there and so decided to withdraw front the shows. To try and make up for these shows I am going to try some new outlets. The first one is Ebay. I have been selling on Ebay for many years and find it easy to use. It will be interesting to see if I can build a customer base for my bags on this platform. 

The first items to be posted on Ebay are the first 3 draw-string bags I have made.

2 are roughly 14 x 14 x 6” and the other is a large 22”W x 14”H x 6”D.

I will let you know how things progress throughout the year. 

Back soon with more crafts.

Dee

Project 4 Laminated Storage Wallets - Any size

 Laminated Storage wallets - Any Size

Project 4 Trash my Stash.

With the tidy up continuing I found a 12 x 12 brown box with several partly used 12 x 12 pads.

So every now and then when I get an idea I will go back to the box and see what papers will be suitable for the project. 

In amongst the pile are a couple of Crafters Companion, a First Edition and a sample pad from DCWV, as well as a g.c.d. Christmas pad and Craft Consortium. 

As a treasurer for my local WI, I use a few wallets to store receipts, invoice, and collect cash at meetings and fund raisers etc. So I thought I would make some new ones for this year. I needed A5 size for cash collected, and storing paperwork .To store cash including coinage requires stronger pouches and so I decided to make them laminated. I also like pretty wallets for my holiday paperwork, and the papers in the box would work well for this project. The DCWV are 120-150gsm and thinner sheets are great for laminating, so I picked some pretty prints and plugged in the laminator. 

The first folders I made using 10” x 12”. The 2” strip cut off is used for the flap and the main section has a 2cm edge and then folded in half with a 2cm base flap.. The 2” strip is folded in half and the top edges rounded. . Then both sections were placed in a laminator sheet with a little space between the main body and the 2” top. 

You can find lots of videos on YouTube to make these pouches including a great selection from Positively Papercraft, who has a lot of laminating projects.

The next bundle were made wider and shorter as I find this size more useful. But made with the same process.

All the pouches had popper fastenings added .

While the laminator was on I also covered some of the papers one side only to make small purses  and envelope pouches.. To do this I cut the 12 x 12 papers to just smaller than an A4 page so 20cm x 28cm placed to pieces back to back and put them in a laminator sheet. 

With the strips that were taken off I made some purse size pouches that will be perfect for small amounts of cash or vouchers etc.In order to make them more useable I added some side gussets.. With the laminated sheets I cut them down to make laminated envelopes. With one side laminated the other side can be glued down. 

Here is a picture of my afternoon makes.

Another batch of papers used up from my stash. 

Happy Crafting 

Dee

Another set used from my stash

 Project 3 - Craft my Stash

Another set of goodies found in my tidy up was a set of 5 x 7 printed cards and envelopes.

If I am out and about and see a pack like these on sale I will pick them up on the basis they can be used for notelets or base cards. At £2.50 for 24 cards and envelopes these cards work out less than the cost of envelopes and cheaper than blank cards from the craft store. 

Good quality card and a pretty print. There were 5 sets of 4 prints.

As the print was repeated on the back I decided I could use them to make folders that I then filled with notelets and flip album pages or notepads.

The first 4 used were the continuous flower print and i used one as the outside folder, scoring an eight of an inch either side the centre fold to give it additional depth.

I cut another card in half and then one side down again to line the inside.

The third card I cit in half and made 3 small notelets from one half and cut the other in half along with the last card which I cut into 4 . These 6 pieces were scored at half an inch one end and this was used as a flap to glue to the right side of the folder. All 6 pieces were lined up down the page to make a flip album for 6  photograph mats.

The next four cards 

I cut one card in half and trimmed it a little to line the inside of the base card. The other 2 cards I cut in half and then 3 of the half’s in half again and with these six pieces I made a flip photo sections . Using a scrap 1/2 card from a previous project, I cut it down to make the base for a notebook, using up some scraps of copy paper from my stash.. 

The last 1/2 card from the set i folded up to make a little pocket from the front of the booklet. It was attached with ribbon and another piece of ribbon was threaded through the flap to add a decorative bead. 

These make lovely little thank you gifts, or swaps, you could add a secret message in the front pocket, personalise it with photographs. 

Back soon with the project using the envelopes that came witht he cards. 

Happy Crafting 

Dee 

Trashing my Stash Project 2

 Project 2 in 2025

Document Wallets

A good way of using up your 12 x 12 papers. Simple and useful. 

These 5 wallets finished off  a Sara Signatures pad, they are double side papers which makes the inside of the wallets pretty . 

The envelope closures are made from a double circle die with central holes.

To make the wallet score the 12 x 12 paper at 1” and 6.5”

Turn and score at 1” and 10”

Fold and burnish all the score lines 

Next Cut the pieces shaded 

This then folds up to make your wallet. 

 Shown here with the die to make the ties.

These wallets can be used for receipts

Saving envelopes

Gift Envelopes

Vouchers

As well as Document storage

No doubt I will make more during the year. As well as using the 12 x 12 sheets I can use 8 x 8 papers, although they will not be so suitable for documents they are great for gift envelopes and receipts and payments. I am a treasurer and use lots of them during the year for cash payments. 

Back soon with more ideas .

Happy Crafting

Dee

FIRST CLEAN-UP PROJECT

 New Year New Ideas

This year is going to be all about using what I already have. It may challenge me as I will have to think of designs to use the crafts I have rather than buy the crafts to make the project.

Clearing out an old file I found an old kit from Create and Craft the “Fairy Kit” with some aperture cards, lovely A4 papers and sheets of stickers. I had bought several of these aperture card kits from Create and Craft as I loved the papers and stickers, but never knew how to use the aperture cards. 

So the challenge for me was how to use the cards. In the end I decided to cut the cards in half and use the aperture section as a frame, I placed a piece of background of matching paper onto an A5 card and then stamped Happy Birthday where the aperture would be placed. 

These were then finished with ribbon and/or gems.

The back of the cards were then cut down to fit on a 5” scalloped edged card and I used some of the stickers to add some layers.

I made 6 of each cards using up all the aperture cards and envelopes .

This left me with the leftover  pieces of A4 papers and the oddments of card cut from the back and the aperture to use up. The papers had fairies featured on them and I found matching stickers which I added to the apertures and lifted up on foam. I used 6” square cards and used the papers and matching stickers to make another 5 cards.

I then finished off with a last card made from strips of papers left over and another sticker added to a piece of card. 

So from 6 cards from the set and 12 basic cards, 6 sheets of A4 papers and a few of the stickers plus a few gems I managed to make 18 cards. I have about 15 sheets of papers and 6 strips of stickers ( all the stickers are flowers and small fairy tags, with corners and ribbon strips etc) which I have popped into the charity bag.. 

A great start to my craft stash clear-out.  Can’t wait to find another project amongst the many craft boxes in the cupboard.

Happy Crafting 

Dee

New Year New Outlook

 Trashing my Stash

So a new year of crafting has begun and the craft group Iattend weekly have done the usual recycling of Christmas cards for the first meet of the year.

I do not receive loads of Christmas cards, but enough to join in. This year though I decided not to make tags or reuse the front of the cards for new cards, instead I made a couple of folders and some notepads. 

Next week the group will be making some of the notebooks as they liked the idea of having them to give as little presents. These will probably not be made with christmas cards but with papers from our stashes.

Mini books made from one sheet of 12 x 12 and decorated on the front with a recycled card

The insides have been given pages to record Christmas Cards and presents recieved this year and on the back items for Christmas 2025. 

I also made Some folders to put tags and notebooks in:

The notepad was made using a small card with folded paper from my craft stash. I always keep any copy paper that is approximately A5 or larger and make notepads with them. These can be the leftover from scrapbooks, or the other half the page when I print postage labels. As I sell on ebay (5170 Denise) I gather up quite a few sheets, and they are just right for this project. The folder is made from a 12 x 12 paper, this is actually “The 12 days of Christmas by Crafters Companion” which I had completely over purchased when it was on offer. I am selling a couple of pads and decided to blitz the remaining sheets. 

Scored at 5 7/8” and 6 1/8” one side turn and score at 6” This makes the binder centre. Then fold the bottom 2 squares into the centre folds. Fold up the bottom half to meet the top . Once you have burnished the fold, place a narrow strip of glue of tape along centre seam and fold up to make the storage areas. The bottom picture show the small notepad inside the folder and I will probably add some tags to the other side.

As well as these folder I made myself a mini brag book. This is a 12 x 12 sheet scored at 3,6,and 9” on both sides and then cut to enable the sections to be folded to make a book. 

I thought I would make a Christmas version and a general version, and then all the items I make this year will have a picture taken and placed on a page in the book, making them into a portfolio of makes during 2025. 

  There are 14 pages for projects . I may need 2 of the general version but this one will do for Christmas cards, and projects.

Whilst doing these projects I realised I had far too much in the cupboards for easy use,  and am in danger of buying more because I cannot find something. So I am making this years resolutions to TRASH MY STASH and empty some of the cupboards. I want to be ruthless, and my  first project worked well for this.So check back soon to see what I made and how I cleared out some old stock.

Happy Crafting

Dee.

Craft Fair RoundUp

Christmas Craft Fairs 

Hello everyone. It’s been a while since my last post as I have been busy with 4 November Craft Fairs and life in general.

I thought I would finish 2024 off with a round up and  look back at the year of crafting, what worked at the Craft Fairs and what did not sell so well.

So over the year I did 6 local craft fairs. The furthest I travel for a fair is 30 miles (45mins) from where I live. The shows are small local events mainly church and village hall affairs . The table prices range from £15 for 2hours to £10 for 10-3.30, so a very different mix. Three of the fairs run in my home town and are the 10 - 3.30, all day fairs,  for £10 a table, but the results are very different during the year.

Christmas fairs are more consistent and generally better sales, but i like to take part in different venues during the year, even with low turnover for the day, as it is an opportunity to trial new makes and talk to customers and fellow crafters. You can see new trends and hear about other crafters successes. 

As this was my first full year selling my bags I decided to keep a note of sales and stock movement, and compare the venues. To make a comparison I took into account the travel time and length of the fair, as well as the cost of the table. 

The result was surprising with a 2 hour Christmas Craft fair coming in at over double the revenue of the other fairs. 

Next I looked at the best selling items:

This was a surprise result. The highest selling item were my homemade cards, as I had only taken them to the Christmas fairs, to trial 2 new designs (Star cards, and Tag cards) I was really pleased with the 50 sales, which  resulted in the 2nd highest revenue .

No 1: - were the brooches in jewellery pouches. These were packaged as a gift idea. You choose a brooch and a jewellery pouch for £5. 

No 2 : I have been trying several different bags over the past 18 months, and this year the craft bag was the best selling bag, this is a wide tote with 4 outside pockets. I sold 8 with a total revenue of £53.

No 3:  best seller were the makeup bags, I sold them individually and in sets, these often use up the pieces of fabric left when I cut a large bag, and are priced depending on the fabric cost and size, prices range from £3.50 to £8.95 for a set of 2. 

No 4: Fabric covered notebooks. These ranged from full A5 covered books to small handbag notebooks, the smaller one proving good stocking fillers. 

No 5: Christmas Gift Bags. Disappointingly I only sold 6 and this gave me £24 revenue. I will need to rethink How I present them on the table as they are a good medium size and competitively priced so are worth trying again. 

No 6: Tote bags. Great to throw in the handbag and a good size for a crochet bag, but I need to look at including a couple of internal pockets and perhaps a drawstring top and rebranding.

No 7: Shopper Bags. These are a good size and lined, and sold well in 2023, but slowed down this year, again I think I need to find a way to present them well on the table, also I am going to try some with fun transfers. 

No 8: Pad Bags. I sold 2 of these @ £7.50 each . The bags have a zip and handle, they contain 4 reusable makeup pads inside, and are a suitable size to carry sanitary products. 

No 9: Alternative Selection boxes. These were made the size of a selection box, with the idea that they can be reused each year to give a a selection of favourite sweets or chocolates. 

No 10: coming in at number 10 are my Nightdress cases. I did not have many of these so it was difficult to make a show of them on the table, and I think they got lost, Whilst I loved them I doubt if I will continue them, as I am not sure if they are used that much nowadays, although I usually take one on holiday to keep the room tidy. 

So thats a round up of my sales for 2024. These figures were interesting and in-house statistics are the most reliable. They will help me decide what I make to sell in 2025, however as I sew for something to do and as a hobby, what I make is also decided by what I enjoy making. I will continue with shoe bags ( I think there is a market for them),   glass cases  and pad bags even though they have small sells, as they compliment the other bags I make.. All the money from sells throughout the year goes to my local hospital, and I have outlets with friends who sell for good causes for items that do not sell on my tables. I will also be looking a making cards again, and hopefully introducing a few gift items.

Happy New Year Everyone

I will be back soon with new makes and crafty ideas. So keep popping by, subscribe and leave me comments,

Dee