Wednesday, June 4, 2014

DRAWSTRING ORGANZA BAGS

Size Matters!

Trying to decide which size drawstring bag you need? A size larger than what “just fits” is the short answer. The larger size is necessary for the bag to close properly and so it doesn't look like you skimped. In order for the bag to draw shut nicely it needs the extra space.
For instance, although you may feel a standard CD jewel case  (5” x 5-1/2”) should fit in a 5” x 7” drawstring bag you maybe disappointed in the appearance when you place the item in the bag as the bag will not close tightly and the corners of the case seem to protrude.  But… if you place the same CD jewel case in a 6” x 10” bag it will look lovely, the bag will close very nicely and it has the correct appearance.  The soft organza fabric needs to be able to fold around the rigid square jewel case for the drawstring closure near the top of the bag to be able to pull tightly shut.
Usable dimensions for a drawstring bag are always less than the actual dimensions. The usable dimension is the inside area of the drawstring bag that can be used for product(s) and still leave room for the bag to draw closed properly. Below are a few examples of actual bag size with their usable dimension size along with a product guide to give you an idea of how the bag will hold popular favor and gift contents.
Drawstring bag actual size 3” x 4” = usable dimensions 3” x 2”
A single lip balm up to 2-1/2” long or a single pot of lip gloss, lavender for a small sachet, small jewelry, a single tea light candle, birdseed, a golf ball.  3” x 2” organza bag holds 10 Hershey's Kisses TM 
Drawstring bag actual size 4” x 6” = usable dimensions 4” x 3”
Multiple lip balms, lipsticks or a pot of lip gloss, a 3 to 4 oz. bar of soap, a votive size candle and small holder, a Christmas ornament, potpourri sachet, jewelry pouch, cosmetics, a bath fizzy, a tennis ball. 4" x 6" organza bag holds 25 to 30 Hershey's Kisses TM
Drawstring bag actual size 5” x 7” = usable dimensions 5” x 4”
3" tall pillar candles, small (3.7 oz) apothecary style holders and candles, standard household size bar of soap or a bar of natural soap hand cut from a block, perfumes, other toiletries and cosmetics, 5" x 7" organza favor bag will hold 40 to 50 Hershey's Kisses TM

Drawstring bag actual size 6” x 10” = usable dimensions 6” x 8”
Multiple bars of soaps, a 4” to 5” pillar candle, sachets, jewelry, cosmetics, a CD,  6” x 10” organza favor bag will hold 1 lb of Hershey’s Kisses TM
 
Fun Tip: What do you do with organza bags when they have served their gift giving life...they go out to the garden, of course.  When capturing seeds to sow for next year slip the organza bag over the head of the flower just before it will drop its seeds draw the string around the stem and let the bag do the collecting for you. 


Monday, February 10, 2014

HOW TO CELLOPHANE WRAP A BOTTLE

SIMPLE BOTTLE WRAPPING WITH CELLO
 
 
 
We often want to wrap bottles in cello to give them quick gift appeal and there is a simple way to do this. The most important rule..... Don't skimp on cellophane!  Be sure to cut off enough cellophane that all your edges will be tied into your ribbon and use a nice weight of cello (1 mil or higher). You can be very precise if you wish and measure your cellophane out with a yardstick or just eyeball it like I do. Really either way turns out just fine if you follow the don't skimp rule.
SUPPLIES
Cellophane (40" or wider roll)
1 yard of 1 1/2" wide ribbon (or more)
 
Other tools: sharp scissors, rubber band, ruler 
 
Step 1
Set bottle in the center of your cello. Pull up the lose edge about 6" above the top of your bottle then pull up the cello on the opposite side of the bottle (this should still be on the roll) to meet the lose edge. Cut cello off the roll at this point.
     
 Step 2
Gather all edges around the neck of the bottle, or above the bottle if preferred. I pull the corners up first and then gently gather the rest of the cello around the neck and smooth the cello from the bottom up. Keep hold of the gather point with your hand (or borrow someone else for a third hand)
 
 Step 3
Tie your ribbon around the cello at your gathering point and tie off in a decorative soft satin bow as we have, or just use a handful of curling ribbon to create a tussled bow. Pull Bows or pre-made poly bows make a great alternative if you don't want to hand tie a ribbon bow. You may find it helpful to tie the cello off first with a scrap of curling ribbon that will be hidden under your finished ribbon.
 
Step 4 (Optional)
At this point if you want to trim up your plume of cello on the top you can. You can round it off, create more points by cutting into the long straight edges or leave it the way it is. This is a matter personal taste.
 
 
Hint: If you are having trouble smoothing the cello around the bottle and/or getting your ribbon tied on, slip a rubber band around the cello at the point you want to tie it off then smooth the cello up the bottle and adjust folds as needed. When done tying off with ribbon remove the rubber band. The most difficult part of cello wrapping is keeping hold of the entire gather of cello while tying it off. If you don't have an extra set of hands around to help the rubber band makes a good alternate.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

WHAT IS CELLOPHANE?


 
 
Sometimes it is just good to know a little about the products we are using. When I have tried to use plastic wrap in place of cellophane the project usually turns out poorly. Why?  Typically cello has a lot more body and is thicker than plastic wrap, so I quickly gave up trying to improvise with plastic wrap.

Maybe it is easier to start off with what cellophane isn't! Cellophane, which is also known as cello, is not plastic kitchen wrap. Plastic kitchen wrap has been around for about 100 years but gained popularity during WWII as a substitute for aluminum foil which was in short supply at that time. Food grade plastic wrap is thin, clingy, dissolves when placed near a heat source and is usually quite narrow in width.

A little later in history Jacque Brandenberger developed cellophane (early 1900's) in Switzerland. The idea apparently came to him during dinner out at a restaurant when he witnessed a guest spill a glass of wine on the white tablecloth. He thought.... how handy it would be to just wipe up the spill rather than all the commotion of changing linens during dinner. He began working on development of a textile with a clear coating.  Although that endeavor failed, it was the beginning of the transparent layer we now call cellophane which is thicker, full-bodied, not clingy, heat tolerant, and comes in some pretty wide widths.

Dupont perfected Jacque's original cellophane by improving the moisture proofing. True... cellophane may have begun as a product being developed for the food service industry, but it quickly caught on in the packaging industry because of it's bacteria, moisture and grease resistance. Cello keeps products fresher because of its low air permeability. When used as a gift wrapping it provides a layer of clear protection for your decorative paper wrappings, it is a nice filler for gift bags and gift baskets, it is a heat sealable, food safe barrier, that is widely used as the finishing wrap on gift baskets and other gift items.

Amazingly enough cellophane is made from wood and/or cotton pulp...I know...neither of these products are transparent! With further processing, washing and bleaching the finished product that we use today is created. It comes in varying clarity and thickness, and can be purchased on rolls, in sheets and even pre-made cello bags. Cellophane is a biodegradable, eco-friendly product that can be found not only in clear, but also in printed and solid colors.
 
Whitman's candy company was the first to use cellophane to package their candy samplers. We still enjoy using it for packaging candy and much more. 

Some uses for cellophane are.....

   Gift baskets, mugs and bottles

   Gift wrapping

   Floral wrap

   Substitute for tissue paper

   Food safe barrier

   Food packaging

   Protective and/or decorative table covering

   General crafting

Wow! Just noticed that people are wrapping themselves in cellophane during workouts to speed up weight loss. I think I'll pass on this use, but it just goes to show that there ARE many uses for cellophane.