Something rank. Something really and truly smelly?
Something (dare I say it)... skunky?
Guess who had a hot date with a skunk last week????
Go ahead... I dare ya to guess.
Nice try with the subject change DogChops.
It's not gonna work!
6 baths later we STILL have the cleanest smelly dog ON THE ENTIRE PLANET!
Can someone please help us!?!?!?!
Seriously. Please.
We have tried the following:
- tomato juice (she now says "ciào" every time we leave)
- baking soda + hydrogen peroxide + dish soap (internet remedy)
- vinegar (she asked for oil and dipping bread after that bath)
- regular + extra strength dog soap
- begging + pleading (I actually asked the smell to leave but it's not listening to me for some reason)
If anyone out there had a remedy for skunk smell removal PLEASE for the love of all that is good and stink free on this earth... please let me know what we need to do! I was crafting with the little skunk ALL WEEK LONG!
Ok now that I have that out of my system (but not my nostrils) let's launch into some holiday crafts!
Rustic Cookie Bags
I am working on making fabric tree trunks using simple brown paper lunch sacks as the backing. You can buy them by the 100 in the grocery store (think back to those old lunch sacks). I got them for about $2.00 (I'll share the tree trunks after the holidays... eye promises). So since I have like 95 of the suckers left I decided to try to work up a crafty way to use them up... thus enters... Rustic Cookie Bags!
I made them up 4 different ways. Let's say you are feeling crazy crafty and want to sit down for a day to make up a set of bags... I have some ideas you can take and expand on below... BUT... if you have 9 million things going on at once and just don't have a day to sit and craft BUT you still want to knock out some cute handmade gifts - I have you guys covered as well (with some download and print freebies).
Oh and I also tried to keep this as simple and inexpensive as possible. Honest!
Let's jump right in (don a clothes pin on your nose or else you won't make it through this skunky post... trust Lolly)!
You are going to need to chop off the tops of those bags.
You should be left with about 6 inches on the bottom.
Save the tops.
For the innards I used Wilton loaf bags (but you can use gallon zip lock bags too (you have to chop off the zip lock part).
There seems to be a lot of chopping going on today... hmmmm.
I found the Wilton bags at Michaels, JoAnn AND even Malwarts (you can get them online HERE too).
Way 1 - Semi Advanced Crafters Version
I used a scallop punch to fancy up the top edge.
I also punched a few snowflakes in the front side only.
To get the punched shapes to show up you need a contrasting back color.
I just used a piece of plain white card stock.
I also ran a scallop line down the edge of that as well.
You are going to roll the top of the paper bag like a little cuff (just one time for this bag)...
...but before you do that you will want to glue the contrasting piece of paper to the edge (make it so the scallop shows a little if you want). I just used a roll on adhesive like this one HERE.
Your folded edge with the paper peeking out should look like this.
I rounded the edge a little so the scallops blended a little better.
I glued a die cut word down to the bag using roller adhesive.
If you don't have a die cut machine you can find some already die cut words in the craft section of your local craft store.
I used a Sizzix Sizzlet strip to make this word. You can see the one I used HERE.
I also want to throw this in.
I recently discovered this pen and I am totally in LOVE with it!
It's the best opaque white pen I have ever used. Ever in my life. No foolin!
You are going to be seeing a LOT of it around these parts so I figured I had better tell you about it.
It's a Uni-ball - Signo - Broad (white pigment ink pen) (um-153). You can get one (or 20) HERE.
So then I cut out another "Noel" in red and tried my best to outline it with a little faux stitch pattern with my new super pen.
You can tell I have a ways to go to perfect the faux stitching thing.
A really really long ways. hehehe
I applied 3D adhesive to the back of the faux stitched "Noel"...
...and stuck it over the white "Noel" that was on the bag.
I lined them up as best I could.
The white "Noel" behind things helps the red fella stand out a little better.
Here are two color variations of the cookie bags.
I strung up a simple tag to the top of one and glued a tag to the bag on the other one.
How to assemble them (I forgot to take pictures of this part)
Apply some roller glue to the inside bottom of the cuffed brown paper sacks.
Take your clear sacks, open them up a little and put them into the inside bottom of the cuffed brown paper sacks and press the bottom to the glue (it does not have to be super stuck down there... it's just to help the clear sack and brown paper sack stick together a little better).
Once you have the clear sacks in there you can fill them with cookies.
If you are at this part and are worried that you might not have enough cookies for all of your bags you can pad the bottom with some loosely crumpled wax paper. It works like a champ!
Way 2 - Looks advanced but it's not version
For this version you will want to emboss a giant holiday something (I used a snowflake) on the bottom half of your trimmed bag.
I used this snowflake stamp HERE and opaque white embossing powder.
...oh and if you are worried that you don't have a heat gun for heat embossing...
Never fear!
I don't have one either!
I use this heat gun/paint stripper thing.
It has a low setting and I am super careful with it (super crazy careful).
I have been using this gun for ALL of my heat embossing for years (and I have even stripped a few pieces of furniture with it as well!!).
I then stamped the word "Joy" onto one of the leftover pieces of brown paper sack (from the pieces I cut off).
I used a Martha Stewart stamp from a holiday set I got last year. There are tons of really nice sentiments out there so look around or just raid your stamp stash!
I used some of the new American Crafts Zing embossing powder (I totally LOVE the bright colors of this stuff).
It's not showing up super well in my pics but this color is Cricket (in opaque).
You can see it HERE.
I cut out around the word (it was WAY easier than it sounds... trust me).
What I really liked about this was that the paper was so thin that it kinda blended and melded together.
It almost looked like I used two different stamps and embossing powders at the same time to make this.
I am not sure the picture does it justice but trust me... it's a way cool effect! You should try it!
You can stop here and just roll the cuffs and apply a little tag...
OR...
You can punch some small holes in the top of the bag...
...and thread some ribbon through the holes (like stitching)!
Here are two color variations of this version.
Again... the green in the "joy" is way cool...
I just could not get it to come out right in the pictures!
Booooo!
Here is a close-up of the tops of the bags as they are nestled into their rustic brown sacks!
I love how they peep out giving you just a hint of the goodies inside!
Way 3 - Potential for inky fingers version
Before we get back to it I had to throw this picture in again.
She looks like she's staring open-mouthed at the cookies!!!
Totally cracks me up!!
Ok... back to crafts!
For this version I used some of my punches.
They are:
Martha Stewart - holly punch - available HERE
Marvy Uchida - pink scallop punch (a LollyChops MUST have) - available HERE
Marvy Uchida - blue circle punch - available HERE
If you have the circle scallop and plain circle punch you can make a trillion different tags. Those are two good punches to have handy!
I inked the edges of my punched shapes since sometimes the
white edges show through.
I used 3D adhesive on the back of the plain circle to get it to stand up some.
I also traced around the holly shape and did some faux stitching around the inner circle with my uni-ball signo pen. Oh how I LOVE that pen!
Now... remember ole the fabric Smooshy Stack Trees from way back... You can see them HERE if you have no idea what I am talking about. Well... I used that same method to make up some paper trees!
Condensed details below...
I used some of the leftover paper sack tops and cut 4 pieces into a triangle.
I sewed a single line down the middle.
Easy as pie!
mmmmmmmmm pie!
I snipped tree edges on to the sides (see the smooshy stack tree post for more pics and details).
I smooshed it up but good...
...and then smoothed it out (but not too smooth!!!)
I inked up the rumpled tree layers (opening them and inking each layer).
Soak them good. This lunch sack paper is like a miracle or something.
It can take anything! I did not rip a single edge during this entire project making bonanza!
Glue your new 3D trees to the outside of your sacks with your new super fabulous tag!
You can also use these trees for tags too! They would make an amazing 3D addition to a present!
Way 4 - Easy cheese version
We are on the home stretch folks! You still with me??? I saved the easiest one for last! Honest!!!!
You print out the download and print freebie at the bottom of this post!
You cut the straight edges either with a paper trimmer or by hand.
You can leave them like this...
...or get a tiny bit fancy and round the corners.
You know me... if it can be rounded I round it! Always!
I left the doobers on the ones on the left and cut them off of the ones on the right.
I can hear you guys now.. doobers? What the heck are doobers?
Bear with me folks... I am getting to that part!
The ones you cut the doobers off of you can simply glue to your paper sacks (I did a little outline stitching with my FABULOUS new pen... I know. I know. you hate that pen already I bet).
OR...
You can leave those fabulous doobers on there (you have to cut around them of course) and then you can punch holes in them and thread ribbon through the holes!
WOO HOO! ...maybe not as easy as the doober-less ones but they sure do look purty!
Here are the two variations. There are some with "Happy Holidays" and some with "Merry Christmas"...
You can get the PDF of these tags below!
Ok so seriously... please please please please send me any skunk smell removal remedies you guys might have heard of, used, etc... I will be forever in your debt!
...oh and MomChops and I are hopefully going to meet Pioneer Woman tomorrow night in Dallas at a mega book signing she's doing. Has anyone else out there gone to one of her signings????
I think our chances of actually meeting her are slim to none but we sure are going to have fun hanging out with everyone else who is going to try! If we get to meet her I'll do a full report with pictures later this week!
December HUGS!
