What can you sort, organize & store in the Irene Buddy Bag?

Irene is 7.5″ L  x  3.25″D   x  4.5″T.  She was originally designed with Close to My Heart ink pads in mind. I wanted to add a little more flexibility of use to this buddy bag, so I gave her a double-hook & loop closure.
With the double closure, Irene has become one of our most versatile Buddy Bag designs.  (Click on images to view larger.)

I hope the images and ideas below inspire you to get creative with what you’re storing in your Irene Buddy Bags.  I’d also love to hear how you’re using them, so please do leave your ideas in the comment box at the end of this post.

10 CTMH Ink Pads

As I mentioned above, the Irene Buddy Bag was originally designed for Close to My Heart ink pads.  You can fit an entire family of 10 ink pads into an Irene Buddy Bag.  CTMH recently released a new size of ink pad, with a magnetic closure.  These larger ink pads will only fit in the new Barbara Buddy Bag – expected to arrive in August 2017.

16 Quick Quotes Powder Puff Inks

I love working with the QQ Powder Puff inks.  Keeping the lids on them means securing them in a storage tool that will hold them together tightly.  Irene is the perfect girl for that job.  When I’m using them, I roll the lid under so I can pull them out easily.  When I’m done using them I close up the Irene and flip them over so I’m storing them upside down.  I’m not sure if this is necessary, but it does keep the lids closed tightly over the ink pads.

12 Distress Inks & Oxide Inks

The Irene bag makes finding your Tim Holtz Distress Inks or Oxide Inks easy.  Label them on the edge and put them into an Irene bag.  Easy To See = Easy To Use when it comes to your craft supplies. Each Irene bag will hold up to 12 square ink pads.

Embossing Folders

The Irene Buddy Bag will hold a bunch of embossing folders. How many is a bunch? Well, it depends on the size and shape of the embossing folders.  Your standard 4×6 embossing folder, figure around 24.  If you’re storing the small 2x3s or the border strips, you can get a bunch more.  I used our small Shut Your Flap tabs to label my embossing folders.  Who doesn’t love visible organization?!

Create a Distress Kit

Distressing tools can be messy stuff.  It’s a fun mess, but that doesn’t mean you want it everywhere.

Use an Irene bag to create a distress kit, loaded with everything you need.  You’ll love being able to grab this little case, toss it into your tote and head for a crop, class, or just to your dining room table.

What about washi?

Yes, you can store a plethora of washi tape in the Irene Buddy bag.

The upside, you can see all of your washi by rotating the bag. It’s small and compact, easy to store and easy to travel with.  The downside, you have to dig a little to get to the washi you want. How much is a plethora anyway?

3D Embellishments by theme

There are many brands of 3D Sticker embellishments that are packaged in 4×6 packages.  If you’re using the Irene bag to store these stickers, I suggest cutting the top off the bag, but leaving the sticker sheet in the protective clear sleeve. 3D stickers get “hung-up” on other items and can easily be damaged. Leaving them in the bag will eliminate these problems.

All the pretty posies

If you’ve got a bunch of loose flowers floating around, an Irene bag might be a great solution for getting them under control.

You’ll be able to store hundreds of flowers in 1 Irene bag  – depending on how big they are of course.

You will be able to see lots of them through the crystal clear bag and box combo.

Thanks for stopping by today to learn a bit about what you can store in your Irene Buddy Bags.  If you’re using your Irene bags in a different way, we’d love to hear about it. Please do leave a comment in the box below.