Issue #99

You Can Do What With An Envelope?

It’s Paper Bag Day! I know, you’re like, what? That’s a thing? Why yes, yes, it is! Time to celebrate a seemingly simple, but amazingly helpful creation. I bet you never stop to think about how the humble paper bag makes your daily life so much easier. Today, you may not be able to find as many paper bags at the grocery store and elsewhere as plastic bags seem to have become the tool of choice - not really a choice, more of an “only game in town” kind of situation. Things are changing though as we become more environmentally conscious and recognize the damage all of those plastic bags are doing to the world around us. For those of us old enough to remember when the paper bag was King, it’s a reminder of just how useful paper bags can be, from carrying groceries to packing lunches – even covering our school books, there used to be a stash of paper bags in every household.

While many states are now banning the plastic alternative, and most of us have turned to carrying fabric bags to the grocery store – I ALWAYS leave them in the car and don’t realize it until I’ve already got a cartful of groceries 🤦🏻‍♀️– you can still find some stores that stock that humble paper bag. We mostly use them to line the kitchen recycling bin, but they still have many uses.

With the onset of schools handing everyone a laptop, there’s no longer a need to cover school books, which is a shame because I can still rock a paper bag book cover! Most kids buy their school lunches these days, and those who don’t have a fancy insulated lunch vessel of some sort, but back in the day, the small brown lunch bag was predominantly what you saw in the school cafeteria or work break room. While those uses are waning, there are still plenty of ways to use paper bags. Let’s look at a few shall we?

Rather buying brand new pre-printed small bags for parties and gatherings, why not decorate your own - use the plain white bags, you can get these in bulk. I like using the plain white bags so that I can personalize it to the gift or the recipient. When the kids were small, I would decorate them to match the card I had made for the birthday party they were attending. It was fun to have a matched set. Luminaries are another fun use of paper bags. You've probably been to a function that had them out on display either outdoors or indoors. Trace images onto the bag and use scissors to cut out the shapes to make them more decorative. You can also use them as holiday decorations.

Buying paper bags is pretty simple, but how about making your own when you don’t have any on hand or don’t want to go to the store. It’s actually really easy, and below, I’ll show you how to make gift bags from any envelope! The larger the envelope you start with, the bigger your gift bag will be. You can also use wrapping paper and even printer paper! You just have to adhere the sides of the piece you are using to form a cylinder and then simply lay it on it's side, flatten it to crease each side, and follow the same directions as the envelope. You will have to glue the bottom flaps closed though, since the ends are both open to start.

Did you know you could customize or dress up larger pre-printed bags that you may already have to fit the occasion? Or that you can run small bags through your home printer? You can also attach your greeting card to the gift bag so that it doesn’t get separated or lost. Simply put a slit in the bag near the top and slide your envelope into the slit so that the top flap of the envelope folds over the top of the bag. That avoids the guessing game of who gave what gift when the envelopes fall out of the bags, and you make it easier for the recipient to know who should get a thank you note.

To make your envelope gift bag, you'll need an envelope (remember, the bigger the envelope to start, the bigger the gift bag will be), a pair of scissors and some tacky glue.

1. Work with envelope flap at the top of your workplace.
2. Seal the envelope
3. Fold the top of the envelope down about ½”. Run the handle of your scissors down the fold to reinforce the fold line. Unfold and refold in the other direction.
4. Fold the bottom of the envelope up about ½”. Run the handle of your scissors down the fold to reinforce the fold line. Unfold and refold in the other direction.
5. Fold the right-hand side of the envelope in ½”. Run the handle of your scissors down the fold to reinforce the fold line. Unfold and refold in the other direction.

1. Cut ½” off the left-hand side of the envelope.
2. Open up the envelope, flattening the bottom of the “bag.” You will have two triangle shaped pieces sticking out to the sides.
3. Fold the triangles in toward the middle of the bottom of the "bag."

1. Glue the triangles to the bottom of the "bag" putting your hand inside to press the pieces together as the glue sets slightly.

Now you're ready to decorate your bag! Leave it as is, or decorate it any way you'd like. Use hole punches, as I did in the photo below, and use ribbon to close the bag for a nice finishing touch. I hope you enjoy this envelope craft. It's a good one to have in your bag of tricks for when you need a quick little gift bag and can't run to the store.

New Card Release Gets Rave Reviews

Thank you so much for all of the feedback you have given me on my newest Coastal/Nautical card release. You seem to love them as much as I do! There is just something about that Coastal vibe - can't beat it. My favorite thing about these designs is that you don't have to reserve them only for the summer season - they can be used all year long! I mean don't we all want to keep that "vacay by the sea" feeling year round?

​If you haven't checked them out yet, here's what you're missing.​

I did promise the second release of Coastal/Nautical cards this past week, but I got sidetracked by the most wonderful custom job for a delightful newlywed couple. I'll share details of that at another time, but fear not, the second installment of Coastal cards is on its way!

Be sure to follow me on Instagram and/or Facebook so you'll be the first to know when new things hit the Shop.

Contact Us Get in touch about custom orders, invitations, announcements, bulk orders or anything else. Look forward to hearing from you. Contact Us

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A few quick and easy ways to accomplish this:

1. Sign in to your account at anchorandinks.com and leave your review under the items you have purchased.
2. Didn't set up an account yet? You can still do that now, even if it's been a while since you made your purchase. Your account will automatically link to your purchase through the email you used with your purchase.

Set Up An Account Here

3. Don't want to put it on the website yourself? No problem,
you can email your review to gail@anchorandinks.com​
and I will add it to the website.

Thank you so much for supporting my small business and for helping others to make an informed purchase!

If you haven't made a purchase yet, I would love to hear from you too! What's holding you back? Is there something you need that I don't yet have in the Shop? Send an email to gail@anchorandinks.com and tell me all about it.

Quote Of The Week

"Never stop doing little things for others. Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts."

See you next week!
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