22/2 - Creating your own gift bags using Designer Series Paper

Alison Culliver
Feb 22
11 min read

Hello & welcome to my mid week blog.

My name is Alison & I live in beautiful Melbourne, Australia & I am an independent Stampin' Up® demonstrator.

I love to create beautiful things to share with people that I love but I also sell me creations. I have been creating things in one way or another for most of my life - knitting, sewing, cooking, card making, gardening, scrap booking & hand made gifts & in 2020 after joining Stampin' Up® I decided to share my passion in a blog (craftedbyalison@blogspot.com).

In 2025 I retired & decided to spread my creative wings a little more by combining my blog, products that I had been selling on FaceBook & launching a newsletter. Some of these things I had already been doing but this time they are all in the one place. (All previous posts can be found at my blogspot address above if you would to read any of them.)

And here we are at my new site!

In today's post I look at how to create simple gift bags using Designer Series Paper (DSP) which can fold flat for easy storage until you need them.

Today's post was inspired by a post from Jan's Stampin' Cafe & shows you how to create your own fold flat gift bags & also has a matching birthday card.

To create a 8" x 9" x 3" gift bag you will need two sheets of DSP, some co-ordinating cardstock & ribbon. There is a slight variation to the scoring of the back of the bag compared to the front of the bag but don't worry, I will walk you through it, step by step & include some pictures along the way.

First of all, to help you follow along I created a template for the front & back of the bag as it helps you see where the score & cutting lines are. These will follow after the steps for the front & then the back.

If you are using DSP with a directional pattern, make sure that the pattern is facing up when you start your scoring. I used Splash of Sparkle DSP.

Front of bag.

Score at 1 1/2" to the 7 1/2" mark on your scoreboard. Score at 3" all the way down. Score at 11" all the way down.
Rotate your paper clockwise 90 degrees so that the 11" mark is at the bottom of your board.
Score at 3" all the way down. Score at 4 1/2" to the second score line (step 1 - 3" mark). Score from the third score line (11") to the bottom. If you struggle to find the correct mark, flip the paper over & score from the top of the page to the 11" line. This step will leave a gap between the 3" line to the 11" line from the first step.

Back of bag.

Score at 1 1/2" to the 7 1/2" mark. Score at 3" all the way down. Score at 11" all the way down.
Rotate your paper clockwise 90 degrees so that the 11" mark is at the bottom of your board.
Score at 3" all the way down. Score at 4 1/2" all the way down.

To make the folding section of the bag.

Score from the bottom of the 1 1/2" line to the 3" line in both directions, giving you an arrow shape. This is the same step for the front & back of the bag.

Cutting for both the front & back of the bag.

Cut up at the 3" line to the first score line. Cut a small wedge on each side of the small square you have just created.
Cut up at the 11" line to the first score line & also a small wedge above the 3" line.

Burnishing

Fold & burnish the 11" & 3" lines in a mountain fold (with the fold reaching a peak, like a mountain), then gently fold in the 1 1/2" line to the diagonal folds at the 4" line.
Gently push down on the diagonal score lines so that they will fold more easily when assembling the bag.

Repeat this step for both front & back.

Fold & burnish the 3" & 4" lines on the back & the 3" line on the front. These will all be mountain folds.

Assembling the bag.

Place the front & back side by side & apply glue to the 11" area of the front.

Carefully align the back over the front so that it is flush against the score line & level at the top. At this stage we are only adhering the one side.
Flip over & place a small pencil mark 2" in from side score lines as a guide for the ribbon handles.

Place approx. 1 1/2" of strong adhesive tape vertically down from the pencil mark & attach a 14" piece of ribbon to both sides of the bag.

Cut & adhere a 7 3/4" x 1 3/4" piece of cardstock to the front & back panels of the bag to reinforce the ribbon & hold it in place. I used Darling Duckling as it matched the colour at the top of the DSP.

Lay the bag flat & apply glue to the last 11" area then fold the large panel over onto the glued area. Be careful to align correctly so that the bag is uniform.

Your bag should now look like a tunnel.

Fold the small side panels in & apply liquid glue. Fold the panel from the back of the bag over the squares & align flush with all sides.
Fold the panel from the front of the panel over the base & adhere in place.
The bag is finished & just needs a reinforced piece inside.
Cut a 7 15/16" x 2 15/16" piece of cardstock & adhere inside the base of the bag.

If you struggle with measuring the sixteenth of an inch, just trim a small slither so that the reinforcement will fit easily inside.

The final folding.

With the back of the bag facing you, gently push in at the diagonal score lines until it folds down a little. Flip the bag over & press down more firmly to flatten the bag, making sure that the sides are also even.

Your bag is done!

I created a tag for the bag, a simple matching birthday card using DSP from the same pack & decorated an envelope as well so that there is a complete set, ready for a birthday.

Here are the instructions for the tag & card.

For the tag I diecut a Shy Shamrock & Basic White circle using a medium circle from the retired Deckled Circles set & adhered them together. I then cut a smaller circle from a similar DSP & adhered it at a slight angle. After punching a hole I tied some Timid Tiger ribbon & attached it to the handles of the bag.

The card is a regular base that has a score line halfway along the front at 5.25cm & is then folded back & burnished. A piece of DSP was adhered to the folded panel.

Inside there is a Basic White matte with a strip of scrap DSP along the edge.

For the sentiment I created a similar but slightly larger version of the gift bag tag, with a fussy cut sentiment stamped in Timid Tiger from Beautiful Butterflies. The circle is then raised on dimensionals, only where it sits over the left panel.

The final step was to add some 2025-27 In Colour Flat pearls & adhere a few scrap strips along the left corner of the envelope & trim off the overhanging pieces. And my project is finished!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial & will consider making your own gift bags. My suggestion is to use paper that is perhaps not your favourite or make a template like I did as this helps you to become comfortable with the process.

That's it for my creations today.

Now for some news from Stampin' Up®.

Stampin' Up® have many ways of shopping with a physical catalogue, online shopping & in person events. When items are about to be retired or are running low they are put on the 'Last Chance' list which means that there is limited stock & when it runs out, it's gone.

Stampin' Up® 's Annual Catalogue is sectioned it to have beginners, which is a step by step collection of materials in kits, then there is quick & easy where you select base materials & packs of pre-printed or diecut materials plus some stamp sets then there is create your way where you choose all the materials, stamps etc yourself & Create Your Way! In the quick & easy section Stampin' Up® have also provided some inspiration with a colour wheel & information of various ways to use colour combinations. I explored this in a bit more detail in some of my previous blogs on Blogspot. The other cool feature is that they provide card sketch & scrapbook layout ideas for you. This is great for any times that you need a little inspiration.

If you'd like to browse the catalogue online then click here. If you'd like a copy to hold in your hands, leaf through & put little notes all over it of what's on your wish list then shoot me an email at craftedbyalison@gmail.com or message me on my facebook page at craftedbyalison.

The mini catalogue is now available online & in printed form. There are loads of gorgeous new products in there. There's scrapbooking ideas & products, Love/Valentines & Easter themed products and some lovely outdoor themed suites. If you'd like me to send you a copy then send me an email at craftedbyalison@gmail.com.

Stampin' Up® also have loads of additional products available only online. These are called Online exclusives & have no end date, when the stock is sold out, that's the end of it.

Stampin' Up® have a great range of Kits including crafting, card making & gift giving. There are brand new kits added to the collection every month. Click here to check them all out in my online shop. As Stampin' Up® have so many beautiful kits available I usually feature a different kit in each

Sunday blog so that you can see the range.

This week the feature kit is called Adventure Awaits & is perfect for the adventure lovers, travellers or car enthusiasts in your life. This kit is another of the easiest in the kit range as it is a pre-cut kit, like last week's that has all of the materials needed to assemble 9 cute cards without any stamping or cutting.

Here's how Stampin' Up® describe it...

Let your creativity take the driver’s seat with the Adventure Awaits Kit. Coast in the retro colours and hand-drawn artwork that can be either feminine or masculine. With printed sentiments, precut paper, and vellum details, this kit comes with everything you need to make nine cute cards.

If you feel that you need to add this to your list then click here to purchase one from my online store.

If you shop with me then there are some changes last year to the rewards program that you should know about. In the past we were able to create a host code & group together individual orders & pass on the 'hostess' benefits to customers with qualifying orders. This has now been replaced with a 'Rewards' program that gives all customers who place an order with a qualifying amount a credit of 10% of their order to use on future orders. This will be displayed during the checkout process or your order. Stampin' Up® feel that this is a fairer way of rewarding all customers.

There are some new ways to craft on offer at the moment which I will go through one at a time.

Ready?

1.Stampin' Up® held it's first ever Online Craft Class with the Traditions of Christmas craftalong & followed that up with a Brushed with Beauty Suite on November 21st and the next one is called Lovely Blossoms & is available right now! It co-ordinates with the Lovely Blossoms suite & you can order the class & suite by clicking on the links. It will be held on the 20th February. I have purchased both of the previous classes & they are a great way for you to learn from the professionals & a load of fun. The Lovely Blossoms class is ready & waiting in my craft room!

Once you purchase any of the Craft Classes you will receive an email with a link to an exclusive Facebook group when the event is hosted. Can't wait to craft along again & see what designs the team come up with!

2. Stampin' Up® held their first ever Virtual Card Making Retreat over two days recently. It was designed for experienced or advanced crafters in mind but also had a heap of tips & ideas for those wanting to explore more detailed card designing. You can still be a part of this event! To participate you just need to purchase the Retreat kit ($288AU) & this provides you with all of the materials you need & access to an exclusive FaceBook group where the videos from the event are stored. It sounds like a bit of expense but from past experience, what you take away from these type of events is well worth it. You can also download & print the pre event cutting instructions as well as having a cutting video & recordings of all of the cards that were made.

Here's some more info on how to join this retreat.

To craft along with the Stampin' Up® presenters and make 15 beautiful, all-occasion cards, you’ll want to purchase the 2026 Virtual Card Making Retreat kit. Everyone who purchases a kit will receive a link to the exclusive Facebook group where the live event will stream. We only have a limited number of kits, so make sure to order yours ASAP!

3. Starting last December, Stampin' Up® started featuring a special 'Product of the Month' item that is only available with eligible purchases. There will be a new item every month with no clues as to what the item will be. It could be stamps, dies, papers, maybe even an embossing folder? - a complete surprise every month. You will be able to receive each month's product for just $9 when you spend $125 in one order. I have been able to order the first offering for December which is some lovely blue toned DSP & also have the January Product of the Month which is a very versatile stamp set. I will share some creations with you in future posts. The February product is now available & is a stunning DSP pack filled with Beautiful watercolours and whimsical patterns that will make beautiful projects.

Once I have created with this gorgeous paper I will share them with you.

If you've thought of joining Stampin' Up® but never gotten around to it then the February joining offer may just be the one that makes up your mind.
From Feb 3rd to March 2nd you can receive the brand new Stampin' Positioner, a stamping platform tool just released by Stampin' Up®, for free!! It was available to demonstrators early but it didn't make it into my trolley. Now I have to wait with everyone else for the official release date. If you want one now, click here to join or see below for info.
In March I will be heading up to Sydney for Stampin' Up®'s annual On Stage event which is when they release their new Annual Catalogue to demonstrators. This will be my first time attending On Stage & I'm pretty excited to join hundreds of other demonstrators from all around Australia for 3 days of fun, friendship & new products. I won't be able to share any of the catalogue apart from the front cover until it is officially released to the public but I will be able to share any creations I make with products I receive at the event or in the pre-order period. More info when it's available.

Lastly, there have been lots of great items added to the clearance rack which is now called Last Chance items so make sure you check them out using this link to my online store as there are some great discounts.

P.S. if you received any Bonus Days vouchers during the January promotion, from February 3rd to 28th you can redeem them for products, so be quick as they will no longer be valid after the 28th. Click here to visit my store & browse.

If you would like to purchase any of my creations that I feature in my blogs they can be found in my shop along with lots of different designs including feminine, masculine, special occasions, everyday events, something for the juniors or you can order something unique.

I hope you've enjoyed today's post.

My next post will be on Wednesday & will feature a card sketch created by me along with cards made using the sketch.

In next Sunday's post I will be creating with a gorgeous embossing folder.

I hope you can join me for both of them & come back for more.

Til next take, take care & keep creating.

XX Alison

Here are some links to the products that I used today & some craft room essentials.

Shop with me

Stamps, Dies, Embossing folders & punches