Paper Bead Baubles & Petite Purses HSS120

Hi crafty friends!  It's time for another great challenge from Hand Stamped Sentiments!  I loved this week's theme...Jewelry or wearable art. How fun!  I channeled my inner grade-school -freckle-faced-pony-tailed-crafty-girl and made paper beads.   But I didn't stop there - I turned them into a whole gift ensemble...



Cute little Petite Purses to house coordinating beaded bracelets, made from the same sheet of DSP.
I've made these two, but I'm planning to make more.  Lots more :D



They were easy to do...the beads are simply strung onto elastic cording (fabric store, $1.39 for a bundle), and added coordinating ribbon.


I stamped little squares of gift tissue wrap with flowers from Betsy's Blossoms, so the bracelets get wrapped and tucked right into the purse, all ready to give.


I love these juicy sweet colors!  Are they preppy or retro? Both?
The DSP is brand new, available June 1 called Floral District.  You will LOVE!



The little purses are made from the Petite Purse Die. Here's a little tip on how to get the patterns for the DSP lined up just right on the lid of your purse:

Just cut a lid from Window Sheet and place it over the area of DSP you want to use.  You can shift it until your patterns are perfectly centered, then trace and cut by hand. 

Here's the how-to in pictures on making paper beads.
(1) Cut long, thin strips of triangles from DSP. Mine are 1/2" x 12".
(2) Add a bit of Snail to widest end and start rolling onto a bamboo skewer or thin coffee straw.
(3) Continue rolling, adding glue stick along the entire length as you go.
(4) Keep adding beads to skewer, then glaze all beads with Crystal Effects and allow to set overnight.



My favorite part of the purses is the tiny bow on each one. This bow is pictured on the cover of the new catalog, but larger.  Mine is so little! The loops are 1" and 5/8". A friend recently pointed out that I make a lot of tiny, tedious things in my workshops. She's right!  I'm a microcrafter :D

Here are the dimensions on the bow for this particular purse...

That's a bamboo skewer used to fluff the loops for the bow to finish it.

Please join in the fun at Hand Stamped Sentiments this week, it's going to be a great time over there!

Finally, I want to give a huge Thank You to our soldiers.  I, like many others, enjoyed this holiday weekend, but with bittersweet thoughts to those who made this day necessary.  I appreciate and pray for all our servicemen and their families, your sacrifice makes my life as an American possible.



Have a blessed & creative day! Erika. www.erikaclark.stampinup.net