I love the ooohs and aaahs I get when gift-giving because right away mine always seems to stand out. Presentation is the greatest satisfaction to gift-giving and never fails to leave the recipient with lasting memories.
In 2006, when I first met up with consultant, Kim Burmeister, about Close To My Heart products I showed off some of my crafting ideas. Silly little purses was one of them, that I would make up for family and friends to give the girl's small gifts in ... the saying goes, like shoes, a girl can never have enough of them. I called my designs "Pursvelope's" (purse-envelopes). My thought is that we never really know what to give someone for that special occasion and usually choose a gift card to their favorite place to shop, attach it to a card and enclose it into an envelope - why not a purse made of paper? This way too, little girls especially, can carry purse and all shopping (I've been told that big girls do to). My Pursvelope creating began as a narrow enough purse (instead of just an envelope) to present a birthday or get well card. And I'd make one up now and again - sell it on eBay, but, mostly filed my drawn pattern ideas into the folder that said, Pursvelopes!
I never imagined that I had something of interest for crafters! Then I just received a book from Crafter's Choice Book Club called, Paper Sculpt Sensation by Marion Elliot [first published in 2009] and there on its back cover was something similar to the Pursvelope's I created and filed away! Now, even more, I see that I need to pull this folder from my file cabinet and get busy, as another email blog of inspiration has drawn my attention to my designs!!! Lauren Meader's blog My Time, My Creations, My Stampendence http://laurenm.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/ is all a buzz about her purse/tote-like creations. Those of mine, that I have showing, are just the skeletons so that they are ready to embellish for that next friends gift-giving ... because they are technically-challenging to make when you are in a hurry and are durable enough to last a long while.
My Pursvelope idea has along the way transpired into a bit wider design to not only add a card but a CD/DVD or handmade photo album inside of it. Actually that enlargement was inspired by a baby girl gift for a friend (I officially started the child out with her first purse). Then they became even wider so that the recipient could receive some smelly-good stuff, cosmetics, spa stuff using the sample bottles I picked up at Walmart ... and oh, I've even used them for nail care products, and love to gift-give Mary Kay cosmetics in them too. The Pursvelope depth depends on the products I will be enclosing inside each one and try to stay with depth's of not less than 1/2-inch up to 2-inches. The handles are in porportion to the purse size and are also made of card stock that has been reinforced, so that it can carry items without structual damage ... I even make the rings for the handles from card stock!
I could go on and on about the one's I've designed 9failed to take photos), but instead, I'll mention that pre-made designs are going to be available soon, so all that you need do is add your embellishments to them and create whatever theme design you'd like to make your Pursvelope into. Each Pursvelope is made using a 110 lb card stock base attached to quality card stock papers.
Requests for additional information regarding any of the items I show on my blog are always welcomed [deedledeedoodles@hotmail.com] and I have to say there's a lot happening this month that I will be adding to this blog -- digi stamp downloads of my artwork, acrylic stamp sets are in the process of getting underway, "new" crochet embellishments and frames are in the making, etc. ... be sure to visit my eBay http://blogs.ebay.com/ddd68157