Something A Little Different...

I have something other than a card to share with you today.  When my Mom came to visit in November last year we took her to San Antonio and I snapped quite a few amateurish photos, and have wanted to put them together somehow and send it to her as a keepsake of her time here.  Then just the other day, my life saver and wonderful next door neighbour friend, Lisa, told me about this tutorial she had found to make an "onion envelope"!  Right, are you eyes burning yet?!!!

Ok, strange jokes aside,  I decided that this would be the perfect "holder" for just a few photos.  I am going to apologise ahead of time for a photo-heavy post, but I wanted to show you each layer.  Of course, some pretty papers also do the trick.  All the patterned papers you see are K & Co.  I used a few Hero Arts stamps, one PTI stamp (Mums) and the awesome set from Ali Edwards at Technique Tuesday (all the sentiments) which literally was a match made in heaven for what I had planned.

An Onion Envelope is basically 2 self-created envelopes which are adhered to each other in the centre and then a 3rd piece of co-ordinating cardstock for the centre panel.  You can embellish this as much or as little as you want, it's not meant to hold copious amounts of items, just enough for a great meaningful gift!

I hope you can get the gist of it in  my photos.  Here is the link to the tutorial from Virginia Nebel.

 This is the envelope closed.  That bottom flap can be at the top, I just wanted it this way. The crinkle ribbon was dyed with Tattered Rose Distressed Ink.

 Just to show you the full sentiment without the crinkle ribbon in the way.  I stamped a few stamps from a Hero Arts set (CL477) in Tattered Rose onto the sentiment panel.

 I did not want to waste any of the paper scraps, that paper is just too beautiful.  So I lined the two side tabs and I also punched out a butterfly with a Martha Stewart punch.

 I love how the Flamingoes in the background match that rosey-peach colour in the papers!

 On this next layer, which is the start of the final layer, I again used some scraps and used an EK Success Scallop border punch to add that brownish strip to the two side flaps.

 This is still part of the final layer.  You can decorate the outside and the inside if you want.

 This shows all 3 layers open.  I stamped this inner layer with the butterfly from the Hero Arts "Antique Engravings" set in Pumice Stone and I also stamped some Mums from PTI in Tattered Rose. I am going to add a personal message to my mom on the bottom panel.

And this is a side vew so you can see that it is quite slim.  You just pop that in a slightly bigger envelope, and voila, it's on its way, hopefully to create some happiness across the miles!

I hope you like it.  This could be such a nice idea for a Valentines gift don't you think?