Hi there,

I hope that you have been enjoying some lovely crafting time!

For todays blog I am going to share a project involving a quite basic – and ugly – expanding file folder. I use these to file all my bills, invoices and documents for the year; this year I decided that I wanted to make my file more attractive.

First I picked out my papers and pulled my embellishment drawer out from my tower and sat on the floor, in my front room surrounded by crafting goodies 🙂

Closed file – front view.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to cover the entire surface – this would be problematic for where I store it – so I concentrated on the front of the file. I added papers in shades of Blue. I added torn paper stripes, doilies, acetate banners and lots of washi tape!. As the file folder is Blue and Black in colour I wanted to work with this, not against it.

Date/year added for reference purposes.

I added the date for reference plus a doodled border with a blue pen.

Close up of the embellishment cluster.

Inside the front flap closure.

I added two areas of decoration on the main pocket – one on the bottom left and the other on the closure area.

Lower left cluster.

I used washi tape, a doily, sticker, a chipboard flower and a paint sample sheet as a labelling area. I also added some more doodling and info for my filing. The paint sample sheets can be picked up for free at most DIY stores – however if you would like to take lots of them it’s always worth checking that it’s okay. I tend to just pick up a few now and then and save the ones I pick up for decorating ideas and mood boards.

Wooden Frame – just for fun 🙂

Again for this area I used pretty much the same as before plus a Wooden Frame piece, just for fun. I tried to keep the colour palette cohesive by sticking to Blue tones with little pops of Pinky-Red.

So, there you go. An idea to make something ordinary that little bit special. Hardly any tools were needed – just scissors and double-sided tape – and I used random embellishments left from previous projects.

It was good fun to just ‘potter’ about with some crafty bits – I keep looking around thinking ”what can I add washi tape too now….” 🙂

I hope that you enjoyed this post and find some items to alter in your own home. Take care and Happy Crafting 🙂