Easter treat bags

I really haven't used my Cricut as a stand alone machine since I started using the Design Studio software. These treat bags for some of our nieces and nephews were made using the shopping bag on the Tags Bags Boxes and More cartridge. I used the software to set them up to cut two bags at the maximum size possible on a 12 x 12 inch piece of card stock and to use the remaining space to cut out some small flowers.

I find it so helpful to be able to lay out the cuts that I want and to see exactly how they fit on the paper. Here is a screen shot of the cut



and here is the "leftover" piece after cutting this file which shows how I maximized the use of the paper



When I scored the bag for cutting I found that the paper I was using (DCWV with a white core) was not the best choice for this project. After folding on the score lines the paper "cracked," revealing the white core which made the edges look sloppy.



On this close up shot you can see how distracting these white areas are - not the look I wanted at all!



Fortunately, by reversing the folds and using the "wrong" side of the paper (with a less dramatic texture), I was able to make the bag neatly.



Here is the finished prototype bag with a flower cut from glitter card stock (multiple cuts at high pressure and 6 blade depth were required to cut this flower!)



For my Easter treat bags, I used card stock that was solid color to avoid the white core problem. I was able to cut two on a sheet and I used some of the flowers to decorate the bags. First I ran them through my paper crimper - I have had this tool for years but rarely used it (I think I will be using it more now!).

I used a colorful eyelet to secure the flowers to the bags. Here is a photo of the crimper - it is made by Fiskars and I think it is still available at craft stores (there are probably some other brands and styles out there as well).



I set up a cut file with all of the names and cut them from Wall Pops vinyl - it sticks to paper just like it sticks to walls! I used part of a 12 inch by 6 1/2 iinch strip for the names and the upright feature of the Opposites Attract font for the names which I welded and then stretched or shrank to fit comfortably on the bag fronts. Once again the 4 blade depth, medium speed and medium pressure worked like a charm to cut the vinyl cleanly without cutting the backing sheet. Here is the "leftover" vinyl - there is room to cut more from this sheet so it is in my "save" pile waiting for the next project!



Using the thin vinyl to label the bags gave the front a smoother look than it would have had if I had used paper and glued it - it was also a big time saver since the vinyl is adhesive backed.

Finally, a photo of the basket of filled treat bags with jelly beans, "grass" and fancy Spring chocolates.



No cut files since your young relatives most likely have different names (!) and I really just wanted to show how helpful the software can be when you want to cut using the designs that are on the cartridges without combining them in new ways.