Gardeners Gift

 This little gift set was made with a gardening friend in mind. It would make a great gift for Mothers Day also! The folder is made to house a large notebook and 6 seed packets and a matching pen.
I covered the notebook in the DSP and cut elements out using the stamp set and dies. The little metal label is Stampin' Up metal element from a few years ago. I have left the writing on seed packets and notebook to the recipient of the present.



The measurements for the folder are shown below.  The black dotted lines show score lines and striped area is cut out and the bold red line is a cut line.

When you have snipped out the shaded piece you can make two small squares that are scored 0.5 inches on each side for the pen holders - there are 5 sides because two overlap and glue. Then glue onto the main piece as shown below.

  The seed packet side is glued flat. The notebook side is glued with an extra fold at the bottom - this makes the seed packet pocket half and inch longer - if you want it the same as the other side you can just trim it down half and inch!

The photo below shows the inside with the pen holder - both squares glued into place and it also shows the other seed packet side with the flap fold under and the other side about to be glued flat.

Here it is on the finished piece below showing the pen slots. 

I inserted a scroll of matching paper inside the barrel of the pen.

I used papers from the designer series paper set called Pressed Petals. This stack has 24 papers which are a little more lightweight than usual DSP. There are two designs that actually look like they have been printed from a gardening magazine and these are perfect to make little envelopes the size of seed packets. I decorate mine with some vintage Stampin' Up label die cuts and I used stamp set ' Positive Thoughts' from the new spring/summer catalogue and co-ordinating dies ' Natures Thoughts' from the additional co-ordinating dies release (from Feb 5th). Some lovely bakers twine in green looks like it belongs in the garden!

Above is a close-up of the notebook and that lovely DSP and the images from the Positive Thoughts stamp set and dies.

 The photo above shows it all put together with the seeds and pen and notebook all in their right place. I cut the lettering with 'Hand lettered prose dies'. I like these dies they look a bit like my own handwriting!  Some of the DSP has a sack print on the back and I like the look of this with the gardening bits. There are also some sheets with a wooden look which would work well for masculine cards.

You get 4 of each of the 6 designs - although really 12 designs because they are double sided! The other side does not jump out at you in the catalogue as tend to focus on the floral side - but the backs of the papers are proving to be very useful. I have used the green music script paper also - which is another blog post coming soon!

The whole folder closes up and I have tied a lovely piece of scalloped linen ribbon in Rocco Rose that co-ordinates perfectly with the papers. The ribbon stays tied in a bow and simply slips off to the side like a belly band to allow opening and closing.
The cardstock used to make the folder was Old Olive, Blackberry Bliss and Rich Razzleberry.

I have been planning to make a gardening journal gift for some time - I hope you like the result!
JoP x