My Papertrey Ink December Products

Hello folks! Hope you are enjoying the happiness and madness of the holidays in your neck of the woods. We're taking it real easy around here...probably the best gift of all. LOL! But before I kick back with a  cup of  spiked cocoa, fuzzy socks, and a good book (I really need to put together a list for the blog of my favorite books this year), I've got two dies coming out with Papertrey Ink this month. One is a great year-around way to packing up some goodies with a pantry staple and another is a fun way to add a little love to your Valentine's Day projects. 

Here's a glimpse of both of the new dies-Arrow Maker Dies and the Paper Sack Closure. Let me tell ya, the Paper Sack Closure die is going to be permanently on your desk, as it is on mine. And so reasonably priced as well, you won't even believe it. 

The Paper Sack Closure Die takes your standard paper bag and adds the opening and slot to create a closure. You fold the top of the bag and a thin stick of some sort is threaded through the slot and opening, holding the sack closed.

Treat sticks work really well for keeping the paper sacks closed using Paper Sack Closure Die. They are readily available, inexpensive, and you can cut most of them down to your desired length with a pair of scissors. I actually really like the option of a wooden dowel that is between 1/4"-3/16" in diameter. It's the classiest option in my opinion, but keep in mind that it will add an extra step if you have to cut it down with a small saw or similar shop tool. 

It was originally designed to create this closing feature on your average lunch sack. They totally fit through your standard cutting machine. You position the die with the edge of the die at the top of the bag and the hole toward the middle. Just run it through and viola!

Next, fill your bag with goodies, fold between the two features created by the die, and use a stick such as a dowel, treat stick, or popsicle stick to thread it through the back and hold the bag closed. 

You can use various sized treat sacks (these blue ones are slightly smaller than the lunch sacks) by adjusting where you cut the die features. On this blue sac, I positioned the die so an inch or so of the die backing was above the sack when it went through the die cut machine.

You can use various dies in your collection to add a feature to the front of your project. You just to selectively cut the Paper Sack Closure Die on the element you want to add like this..

The opening in the white element was matched up with the opening on the sack. The sack was folded and the slot on the back fold of the sack was was pushed through the opening, holding the bag closed with a popsicle stick. 

In keeping with the Valentine's Day theme, the Arrow Maker Dies turn the stick of your choice used with the Paper Sack Closure Die into an arrow. 

The arrow fletching (yep...had to look that up...we've all learned something today) is made up of two dies. I cut them in different colors and added them to a popsicle stick so you can visualize how the two layers "lock" together on your project.

The arrowhead die is folded in half and features the same "lock together" design. The stick of choice is woven between the front and back of the arrowhead.

In addition to using the Arrow Maker Dies with the Paper Sack Closure Die, they look cute on a card and are relatively flat for mailing, no thicker than a popsicle stick. Added bonus, you can stamp a message right on the wood of the arrow. Sweet.

That's it for me this month. Hope you like what you see. Both dies will be available December 15 at 10 PM EST  at www.papertreyink.com. 

Have a lovely holiday!