Paper Pennie Pockets

Pennie Pockets are showing up everywhere lately, especially on quilting and sewing blogs. They're adorable! Take a look at this one over at Material Girls Quilts.

 She's got a link to the tutorial, if you're in the mood to pull out the sewing machine and the fabric scraps.

If you're more apt to pull out your paper craft supplies, make a bunch of these for Valentine's Day!
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Pennie Pockets have been around for years and years, and they were actually first made of paper. Scrap notions were used to embellish them, and they were traditionally stuffed with treats. So, in keeping with the tradition, you can whip up a pocket or two for the sweeties in your world and stuff them with anything from chocolates to jewelry.
Here's how they go together:

Start with a square of paper. Mine is decorative paper, but it does not have to be. It just has to be a square.

Flip the paper to the wrong side. If you are using two-sided decorative paper, the side that will be on the inside of the pocket should be facing up. Place your straight edge diagonally from corner to corner and draw a line half way up from the bottom corner.

Be careful not to go above the halfway point. That unmarked piece will be on the outside of your project when you're through.

Now take the right corner and fold it up and in so that the bottom right side is now touching the line you just drew.

Repeat this step with the left side, overlapping very slightly. (You will be gluing this seam, so you need enough overlap for a very thin line of glue.)

Run a very thin bead of glue down the seam and press it into place. It's important not to overdo it with the glue at this point. You only want the glue to secure the seam; you do NOT want it to stick to the layer underneath. I use good old Aleen's Tacky Glue. It adheres instantly, and it dries quickly.

You now have a contrasting triangle at the top of your project. Fold it down over the glued seam. Your fold line is the base of the triangle.

Now fold it to the other side and turn your project over.

Now comes the fun part: embellishing! The sky's the limit here. Okay, I exaggerate. Your notion box is the limit here. I chose a pink doily (simply dyed it in a dish of colored water) to dress up the plain white triangle. I also trimmed the edges of the triangle to scallop them.

You can add whatever you have on hand: bows, ribbons, beads, shells, flowers, more paper, monograms, ect. Think about the recipient of this little gem, and personalize it accordingly.

Use a punch (or a toothpick, or a sharp nail file, or whatever it is that you can find in that junk drawer you're standing next to) to make small holes in the side for the ribbon handle. Punch the holes directly into the fold about 1/2 inch down from the top edge. 
Use ribbon, rick-rack, raffia, or whatever else you have on hand as a handle for your pocket. I used rag yarn. It has little pieces of "rag" fabric woven into the fibers of the yarn. You can string your handle through the holes from the inside (like I did), or you can string from the outside and knot it on the inside for a more streamlined look.

I added a couple beads to the bottom point with hot glue. You could also add pom-poms, tassels, paper hearts, etc.

Stuff your pocket full of your sweetie's favorite treat.

And you have a quick, easy gift!  Say Ta Da! Make them for your kids. Make them for your grandkids. Make them for your kids' teachers. Just make 'em and send me pictures of your creations!