Gift Bag Punch Board Review with a Botanical touch.

I have been meaning to review the Stampin'Up! Punch Boards for awhile now. Personally I like to read reviews about any product I buy, from food through to appliances. Quality and functionality are important to me, and I like to know that I will actually use what I buy, it's not just going to gather dust.

Here is a little project I made for the purposes of a review. It features a small size bag, 7 inches tall. 

The gift bag and mini card were made using the Botanical Gardens DSP (new in the Occasions Catalogue) as well as the matching Botanicals For You stamp set available free during Sale-a-bration (see here for more information) It also features gold heart doilies from the Love Blossoms Embellishment kit and some Gold Metallic thread. The cardstock is Mint Macaron.

Before using the punchboard for the first time, I would highly recommend watching this YouTube video. My first time using the board I just jumped right in and tried to follow the instructions printed on the board itself, but ended up doing it wrong! Once you have seen someone do it, following the board insructions is simple.

The board makes gift bags of 3 base sizes (2 inch x 2-5/8 inch, 2 inch x 3-1/8 inch and 2 inch x 3-5/8 inch... or for us Aussies 5.08cm x 6.60cm, 5.08cm x 7.93cm and 5.08cm x 9.21cm) Bags can be anywhere from 4 inches to 10 inches tall. It has an inbuilt punch,  scoring lines, scoring knife and hole punch (if you desire to use holes and ribbon as a closure).

The board itself is fairly simple to use, but the punch does require some force. Personally I had to get someone to punch for me whilst recovering from surgery, and my mum who has arthritis found she couldn't punch by herself either. The scoring is simple using the inbuilt scoring knife, however you need tobe careful with pressure. Not enough and you will find the lines are not well defined, too much and you will tear through the paper. I suggest practicing with scrap products at least a few times.

I tried the board both with Stampin'Up! Paper and cardstock. Both work well, the cardstock is less likely to tear on folds, but with gentle pressure on score lines, paper also works well and looks grest.

I was very happy with the functionality of the board -it is lightweight, portable and easy to store. I would suggest that prior to purchasing, actually get a ruler out and look at the final bag measurements, as they are not intended for large gifts, but are perfect for creating coordinating bags for any little treats. Ideal uses would be party favours, chocolate, soap, a few biscuits or other baked goods, pet treats, makeup etc.

The board retails at $32.00,aand can be purchased here. If you love giving little homemade gifts, or coordinating your gift bags with your cards, the Gift Bag Punch Board will get a lot of use!

I hope you have enjoyed this review. I will be reviewing the Envelope Punch Board in coming weeks so stay tuned.

Love Em

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