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Archive for the ‘Gift Ideas’ Category:
Sweet Treat Cups: Valentine Candy Hearts
Looking for fun Valentine treat ideas? Here’s a fun way to use your Heart Sweet Treat Cups (see them online) and the matching Full Heart Punch — it’s on the Clearance Rack still (see it online)! Did you know the Sweet Treat Cups have the adhesive on them already? Yeah, I know!! They could hardly be easier!!
These use the Scallop Squares Duo Die (120903) for the background, as well as the Sweetheart stamp set (120780). The tiny hearts are punched from the Red Glimmer Paper (see it online) which looks even BETTER in person. Absolutely gorgeous, and a little goes a long way.
The sticks are lollipop sticks from any big box store — just add a little flag banner with a heart, adhere them to the back and you’re set!
One last tip on the Sweet Treat Cups? Don’t overfill them. My strategy is to fill them until they look even, then remove one more M&M. (and it eat — you wouldn’t put it back in the bag, right?) But this way you’re sure there won’t be too much stress on the adhesive on the back of the Sweet Treat Cup.
Need more Sweet Treat Cup ideas? Check a few out on my blog.
Happy Stamping!
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Subscribe to the comments for this postWhooo Loves You? Cello Bag Topper Valentine Owls
Looking for a cute Valentine treat bag topper for a cellophane bag? Here’s a quick one that uses several of the punches on my Clearance Rack, if you need to add any of these punches to your collection! These cute owls are based on the Small Cello Bag size (see them online), and a handful of M&M’s fits perfectly.
Punches & Dies:
- Top Note Die (for Big Shot) -113463
- Scallop Circle #2 Die (for Big Shot) – 113469
- 5 Petal Flower Punch (clearance rack!)
- Scallop Circle Punch (clearance rack!)
- 1 1/4″ Circle Punch -119861
- 1″ Circle Punch – 119868
- 1/2″ Circle Punch -119869
Like the little “owl be yours” greeting? It’s punched with the 1-1/4″ Circle Punch. The image is part of the Owl Be Yours & You Bee Mine Digital Download (see it online). I just made a full page of them and printed the circles at home so I could punch them out.
Did you see that you can now try out My Digital Studio for free for 30 days? Be sure to check out the details!
Best part of this treat? They’re fairly simple to assemble, whether you’re making 5 or 50!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Tea Shoppe & The Paper Doily Sizzlit
Do you like tea? I have to admit that I wasn’t a fan until a friend shared some Cardamom Cinnamon tea from The Republic of Tea with me…yum! I’m a certified tea lover now, so the Tea Shoppe stamp set was a ‘love at first sight’ set, especially since Stampin’ Up! gave it to us for free at the 2011 Founder’s Circle Retreat!
I’ve had this project ready to share for months, and finally get to pull it out to show! I’m a big fan of looseleaf tea, and these cool “make your own teabag” tea filters by T-Sac. So here’s a little gift to share with a friend — a 1×8″ Cello Bag filled with loose tea, and a 1×8″ Cello Bag with several tea filters, tied off with a sweet sentiment by Louisa May Alcott from the Tea Shoppe stamp set.
The two pieces are wrapped with a doily cut using the Paper Doily Sizzlit for the Big Shot. Gotta love these fun new toys from the Occasions Mini Catalog!
A couple of tips on the Paper Doily:
Use a card stock shim (or two) between the bottom of the Sizzlit and the bottom cutting plate. These can help the die cut more cleanly — it varies from Big Shot to Big Shot (we’re talking a hair thickness here) so it may take a little trial and error to find what works best with your machine.- To get most of the paper pieces out (they stick in the doily a bit after you cut it), roll the cut doily around a Stampin’ Around Marker or other small cylinder. After rolling it a few times, most of the doily pieces will pop out on their own.
- If you don’t like poking the center pieces out, skip it
Use the doily as a bottom layer on your projects, since the outside pieces will pop out using the rolling technique, and you can add a Scallop Circle punched piece in the middle to cover the ones that might take a little more poking. - Finally, just take your time and use a Pokey Tool (aka Paper Piercing Tool) to get them all out. This is a gorgeous piece of die cut card stock — it’s worth the extra effort!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Card Portfolio: Handmade Gifts in an Hour
Looking for a fun family stamping project to do with your kids this week? Need a gift for grandma or a long-distance cousin? Here’s a fun and useful gift idea: a Card Portfolio with matching monogrammed notecards!
Merry Christmas to you from me! Here’s a free pdf Project Tutorial for this fun & simple project.
Other good news — be sure to check the Clearance Rack on my Online Store to see if the punches you’ll need are still available on Clearance prices!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Scallop Circle Punch
- 1-3/8″ Circle Punch
- 1-1/4″ Circle Punch
Be sure to pick out some fun Designer Series Paper (see here for choices) and some coordinating ribbon!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Cold Snap: Warm Wishes for a Gift Giver
Need a last minute teacher gift? Sunday School kids treats? Here’s another version of the Cocoa Packet Slider that I posted recently (check here for directions).
The stamp set is Gift Givers from the Holiday Mini Catalog (check it out). There’s one stamp for each holiday. There are a couple of fun techniques on this card:
Check out the little jacket & hat! They’re made from Designer Series Paper. For this Paper Piecing technique, just stamp the image on the DSP and cut out. Apply the little pieces to your stamped image.
Check out the snowflake background! It’s the Reverse Texturz Technique using the Big Shot and a Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. This one is the Snow Burst folder from the Holiday Mini Catalog. Check the Video Tutorial on this technique for detailed ‘how-to’.
Like the Scallop Circle Punch and the 1-3/8″ Circle Punch here? They’re both on the Clearance Rack, along with nearly 200 other new products, for up to 80% off. Be sure to shop early for best selection.
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Nature Walk: Inspirational Gift Ideas
Still looking for a few gift ideas this season? Here’s one that can inspire your stamping creativity plus inspire your recipient. Recently, my friend Karyn brought me a poem that her god-son, Timothy Jochim, had written her years ago. The original frame had seen better days and the paper was fading, but the prayer inside holds special meaning for her and she wanted to know if I could turn it into something that she can display.
Break out the stamps, embellishments and a new frame, and here we go! I used the Nature Walk stamp set (see it online) and an assortment of Crochet Trim, Pearls and Seam Binding Ribbon. The colors are Marina Mist, Not Quite Navy, River Rock and Soft Suede.
To make a soft border around the edges of the text, I used my brayer and layered ink slowly–just a little bit at a time, until I was happy with the effect. The soft texture matches with the organic feel of the pencil-drawn stamp set.
To add extra impact to the message, I printed the prayer a 2nd time, and cut out a few words. I used Sponge Daubers to gently ink the edges of the words and raised them with Stampin’ Dimensionals. To balance the dimension, I cut out and added one of the Nature Walk birds with Dimensionals.
The prayer is beautiful — here is the text, if you are interested:
Daily Prayer…
by Timothy Jochim
My dear Lord God
To you I pray,
That you will help me
Through this day.
I will not worry
Of the past,
For the future
Is coming fast.
I’ll put my humble
Faith in you,
And know your love,
Will see me through.
The hard times I
Endure today,
Will only help me
On my way,
For as my pain lasts
All the longer,
It’s only there,
To make me stronger.
I promise I
Won’t leave your side,
And by your laws
I will abide.
I love you till
The very end,
For you are my
Eternal friend,
In Jesus name I pray… Amen.
I hope you have fun this weekend, working on projects and getting ready for the holidays! If you’re looking for more ‘home decor’ type projects, you can browse a few on my blog.
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Merry Milk Cartons: 6 panel gift boxes
You’ve seen the Mini Milk Carton Die for the Big Shot, right? (see it online) Did you know you can 
make it ‘merry’? At the Stampin’ Up! Convention last summer, they showed us how to take two of the milk carton die cut pieces, trim them to 3 panels each, then put them together. (Here’s a shot of how that looked on stage)
I made a Christmas version of the box as my Hostess Gift at several workshops in November, using the Pines and Poinsettias stamp set (see it online) and the Holly Berry Bouquet Designer Series Paper (see it online) from the Holiday Mini Catalog.
This is a great stamp set for using with Stampin’ Write Markers. Just use the brush tip of the markers to add as many colors as you want to the stamp, then stamp onto your card stock.
The tag is created with the Decorative Label Punch, which I use ALL the time (see more ideas on my blog).
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Homemade & To Die For… Holiday Treats
Do you have a favorite Christmas Cookie recipe at your house? Our favorite is Pepparkokkar cookies. They’re a Swedish gingerbread that doesn’t taste much like gingerbread, more cardamom and cloves. But yum, they’re great! Plus it’s fun to think about my great great great… grandmothers making these long ago. They’re hard to roll, so when we were growing up, my dad always had the job of rolling out the dough for our family cookie-baking days. All around, lots of fun memories.
Why not share your fun cookies with friends or family this season? And even better, you can dress them up in their holiday best with a hand-stamped tag and box to go along. The Homemade single stamp (see it online) is perfect for this job.
You can dress it up with an extra layer or two. Here’s what I used:
- Homemade Stamp
- 2-3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch (see it online)
- 1-3/4″ Circle Punch (see it online)
- Dazzling Details Glitter Glue (see it online)
- Cherry Cobbler/White Baker’s Twine (see it online)
The box I used is from the Kraft Gift Boxes (see them online). They’re a terrific size, and fun to decorate. Be sure to check out the ideas I’ve posted on my blog for these little boxes.
***TOOL TIP:*** And even better, the Homemade stamp is a super-flexible one. I know it doesn’t look it, with that greeting in the center, but you can use this stamp WITHOUT the center. Yes! I know, it’s pretty cool. I have a Video Tutorial about how to do this, from last summer.
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Merry & Type: A Cocoa Slider Packet
I’ve been a demonstrator for nearly 10 years. Boy, the time sure flies when you’re having fun! I pulled this Cocoa Slider Packet design from the recesses of my stamping brain…I remember demonstrating this project when I first started! Here’s an updated version though: with the Merry & Type stamp set (see it online) and the Peekaboo Frames Die for the Big Shot (see it online).
Know what’s cool about this little holiday treat? It moves! When you pull the ribbon end, an inner panel with the treat (cocoa) slides out to the side. And the Peekaboo frame opens, too, revealing a message from the Merry & Type stamp set inside.
I know! Isn’t it fun? Sometimes I can’t believe that I haven’t made one of these for 7-8 years. Definitely an ‘oldie but goodie’ kind of project. Want to learn how to make these? Here are the directions:
Start with a ½ sheet of Very Vanilla card stock and a ‘slider’ piece cut to fit your cocoa packet—about 3 ¾ x 5 ½”.- Place the slider and cocoa in the packet and use Sticky Strip to make a flat tube.
- Remove the cocoa. With the slider still inside, punch through all layers at one end, about ½” from the edge. Pull the slider out and flip it left/right and insert back into the packet so the holes line up.
- String a ribbon through all the holes at once, then add cocoa packet back and push slider & cocoa into packet. Tie at end to hold cocoa in place.
Add a cocoa packet, a tea bag or a hot apple cider and you have a perfect holiday neighbor gift! Or keep the packet flat by using it to hold a Gift Card for birthdays!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
25 and Counting… aka, the 12 Days of Christmas
Last year we made a variety of simple “thinking of you” gifts for my daughter’s elementary school teacher in the days leading up to Christmas, and they were a big hit. So this year, we decided to do the same. With the new 25 and Counting stamp set (see it online) from the Holiday Mini Catalog, these are a snap to label!
25 gifts for Advent seems like a lot, so we’re abbreviating them to the 12 Days of Christmas. And it’s convenient that there are 12 school days in December before holiday vacation begins!
The day for each bag is stamped on a 2-1/2″ Circle Punch piece. We used the Soft Holly Stampin Around Wheel (see it online) to decorate a plan white lunch bag, then added the gift and tied it closed with the tag and a piece of matching Ruffled Ribbon.
Need a quick gift packaging idea? You certainly don’t have to make 25 of these, or even 12. They’re a fun packaging solution for any occasion! Gotta love the Stampin’ Around Wheels! (learn more online) Or check out more ideas for boxes & bags from my blog!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
