{Spotlight Project} Monika Puts the Spotlight on Nesting Dies - Part 1

Hello Crafty Friends! I have been playing with Nesting Dies, the Curly Labels/Tags Nesting Dies to be precise, to make a little handbag inspired by one I made a few years ago when crafting with my friend Dianne. It is the first project in a little series using the nesting dies in various ways. Here is the finished bag:

Itis quite easy to make, simply cut three of the largest label and a piece measuring 28cm x 10.5 cm (11 x 4 1/8 inches) from white card. Score the piece of card along the 28cm (11 inches) edge at 11.5cm, 13.5cm, 25cm and 27cm (4 1/2, 5 1/4, 9 3/4,10 1/2 inches) and along the short edge at 7.5cm and 9.5cm (2 7/8 and 3 5/8 inches).

Trim off the crossed out areas and score a 2cm (3/4 inch) strip down the center of one label. The label with the score lines will be for your handbag's flap, the other two are for the front and back.

Apply base colour on both sides of your pieces.
TIP!: You can always use coloured card to start with, of course. I just like working with white card to make my own. For this project I didn't use very smooth card like the one used for blending as I wanted the uneven colouring for a worn and much loved look.

Emboss the three label pieces using the Old Rose Prints Stencil, a rubber mat and the suitable sandwich for your die-cutting machine.

Lightly sponge the pieces with Smokey Slate (light grey) ink to pick up the texture.
I sponged around the edges too inside and out.

Assemble the box and attach centrally to the labels for the front and back for your bag. As you can see from the photo below that it is a snug fit.

Attach the handbag flap at the back.

Die-cut the Flutter Zen #1 Dies from matching card, layer them up, sponge with a little grey to pick up the texture and attach to the handbag flap. I then decided to coat the outside of my bag with gloss finish Mod Podge for a smoother appearance. Lightly brush the butterfly and around the edges with Treasure Gold.

Attach a fastening.
I used two small magnets, one attached with a glue dot and the other one inside the bag held in place with Washi. Velcro dots will do fine too.

Attach ribbon to finish.
I attached my ribbon to the inside of the bag and looped it around the flap. You can also attach it to the outside and disguise the end using buttons, brads or die-cuts.

Here are a few photos of the finished bag:

That's it from me for today. If you fancy making a bag like mine or make a project using any of the techniques or ideas shared by my teamies in their Spotlight Posts, make sure to link up your makes with our Spotlight Project Gallery here.

Have a lovely day!
hugs
Monika xxx

  
Curly Labels/Tags Nesting Dies, Flutter Zen #1 Layering Dies, Old Rose Prints

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