It’s juvenile, I know, but I think of the line from the old movie, “Airplane!” every time I fold a piece of paper. You know, when they hand him a map and say, “What can you make of it?” and he folds it into a hat. Or maybe you don’t, because your movie references are in this century. In any event, today I want to show you how to fold a square of paper into a nifty and handy paper pocket.
The supplies for this are simple…a square piece of paper, and you’re ready to go! Maybe a bone folder, as well, but a fingernail or hard edge works, too.
- Turn the paper so the fold is at the bottom.
- Fold the bottom left corner up to meet the other side, at a point that makes a horizontal edge.
- Crease that fold.
- Repeat with the bottom right corner of the paper.
- Pick up the top layer of the point and fold it down over the criss-crossed paper.
- Crease that edge.
- Pop open your pocket!
- Embellish and fill as you would like! Here, I just crisscrossed a ribbon and secured it with a metallic sticker heart.
I’ve made these from 12×12 scrapbooking paper, 6×6 as shown here, a piece of notebook paper squared off, and even a napkin at a movie theater to divvy up a box of Swedish fish amongst my hooligans.
I love this Snail Mail DSP from Stampin’ Up! It’s whimsical, can be used for Valentine’s Day but also throughout the year, and the color combo is super fun and cheerful. I made a pocket for Valentine’s Day from it, and filled it with Alfajores from last week’s post. Easy-peasy!
To embellish this larger pocket, I used a stamp from the Punch Party Hostess Set. It’s only available during Sale-a-Bration, but really, when is a better time to shop at Stampin’ Up! Free products with every $50 you order…what could be better? You can shop 24/7 at my website…just click here!
But back to embellishing this pocket! I used the sentiment and Lovely Lipstick ink, and then for the border, I tried it stamped, then stamped again (known as stamping off). It’s a good technique to know…you get the same hue, just less intense. I also kind of pleated a paper doily from the dollar store to make it look a little ruffled.
My grandparents often said something (or someone) was “as handy as a pocket on a shirt,” and, while I often bemoan a lack of pockets on my clothing, I can always fold one up when I need it!
