Category Archives: 3-D, Gifts & Things

Make a Gather Together Fall Wine Bottle Tag

Gather Together Fall Wine Bottle Tag Display

Thanksgiving will be here soon, although this idea can be used at any time of the year, and perhaps if you are going to someone else’s home, you might like to take a hostess gift such as a bottle of wine or other beverage. Rather than just take an ordinary bottle of wine, decorate it with your personal touch by making a Gather Together Fall Wine Bottle Tag such as this one. You can make it as easy and simple or as fancy as you like!

The basic idea is a piece of cardstock to hang down the partial length of the bottle with a score line at the top with a punched hole to make the hanger. Without the score line, the tag would just hang and stick out. You may need to alter these measurements to fit your bottle, but the project is easy enough to understand and you can make adjustments for your individual project.

For this exact project, I began with a piece of Blackberry Bliss Cardstock 9″ x 3″. It is scored at 2 1/2″ down from the top. You can either eyeball the center or measure accurately to find the center of this top portion in order to punch a hole to go over the wine bottle. I used a 1 3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch to make the hole. You could also use a circle die.

Next, I cut a piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock to layer on the Blackberry Bliss Cardstock at 6 1/4″ x 2 3/4″. I stamped three leaves with the Gather Together Stamp Set in the same color ink as the cardstock in Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, and Old Olive. If you have the Gathered Leaves Dies, you can die cut the leaves, or if not, just use Paper Snips to cut out by hand (as I did!). The pumpkin is also stamped and cut out.

The greeting is stamped from the Gather Together Stamp Set in Blackberry Bliss Ink and lightly stamped in Crushed Curry with the little wheat stamp for a little interest. It is die-cut with the Layering Ovals Dies and layered on a Stitched Shapes oval die. I put a piece of underneath the popped up greeting.

As I laid out the design of the tag, I decided to add some color to the Very Vanilla layer on the Blackberry Bliss. I simply took a sponge and sponged on some Pumpkin Pie Ink, Crushed Curry Ink, Old Olive Ink, and Blackberry Bliss Ink very lightly. It just adds a little more of a fall look.

I sponged on these colors, then adhered the Crushed Curry 3/8″ Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon under the popped up greeting at the bottom of the tag. Next, I placed the leaves with the top and bottom leaves being adhered straight on to the tag and the middle one popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals. I also tucked in the little stamped pumpkin by the greeting and leaf.

Here are another bottle tag I made in the past and another to give you other ideas and see how easy they are to make! And like I said, they could be designed for a birthday celebration or other occasion.

Here is a photo of the entire tag not hanging on the wine bottle to see how the top is made.

Gather Together Fall Wine Bottle Tag

If you wanted to take an extra little hostess gift, you could also make an assortment of cards that matched the colored leaves and design on the tag. Give this little project a try and then keep it in mind when you are going somewhere and want to take a gift!

Christmastime Is Here Paper on Gold Mini Pizza Gift Box

Christmastime Is Here Paper on Gold Mini Pizza Gift Box

Projects like this one are difficult to photograph because of the glare, but you won’t find it difficult to work with when you choose some or all of the products in the Stampin’ Up! Christmastime Is Here Suite! This paper is beautiful with the roses and the gold foil accents. It is just stunning and I think you will find uses for it long after the holidays are over!

We’ve been using the Mini Pizza Boxes for a while now that Stampin’ Up! sells, but these are extra special GOLD Mini Pizza Boxes! They are hardly for pizza, though, unless you had a very, very small pizza! But the box is designed almost like a pizza box so that’s how they got their name! You could actually reverse these boxes and have the gold on the inside as an elegant surprise to the recipient and decorate the white side on the outside! You will find these Gold Mini Pizza Boxes in the Holiday Catalog on page 13.

Gold Mini Pizza Boxes are small gift boxes that are just the right size for a cookie or 3″ x 3″ note cards. Also perfect for small gifts and other treats!

  • 8 shiny gold boxes
  • Folded box size: 3-1/2″ x 3-1/2″ x 1″
  • Food safe

There are infinite ways to decorate these gold boxes, and of course, they are perfect for the holidays when you really want something special. This box just has a layer of Cherry Cobbler designer paper from the Christmastime Is Here Specialty Designer Series Paper. Then a square portion of the rose pattern in the paper is layered on a piece of Mossy Meadow Card Stock that is popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals®. This way once the gift is placed inside, a piece of the Gold 1/4″ Shimmer Ribbon can be slipped under this popped up layer and tied on the side to hold the lid shut and add a nice embellishing touch. You could even add a little greeting on there somewhere if you wanted to.

These Gold Mini Pizza Boxes come flat so they are easy to store until you need them. At that time they are easy to fold on the score lines and assemble. Then decorate to your heart’s content!

Get a package or two of the Gold Mini Pizza Boxes to have on hand for any gift-giving occasions, especially the holidays! Use the Christmastime Is Here Specialty Designer Paper with roses to decorate the Gold Mini Pizza Box with a special gift or treat inside for one of your gift-giving occasions!

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE HERE!

The Christmastime Is Here Suite…Is Here! And the New Paper Trimmer!

Christmastime Is Here Suite Ad

Today, November 1st is the day you can finally purchase this beautiful suite of new Stampin’ Up! products, the Christmastime Is Here Suite! If you are looking for something a little different for Christmas but still lovely, these roses with gold accents will be perfect for you! I can tell you the designer paper is gorgeous! No doubt you will make beautiful cards and projects with these new products.

You can purchase the WHOLE suite or if that is too much for you at one time, you can actually purchase products individually! It’s great! There is even a bracelet in the mix with a rose and a Stampin’ Up! charm.

Christmastime Is Here Suite Flyer
Click for full version.
Christmastime Is Here Suite Flyer2
Click for full version.
Christmastime Is Here Suite Price List

Watch the Stampin’ Up! video below for more information!

These products are only WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! To avoid disappointment, I would order whatever you really really want as early as you can! I have no idea how things will sell, but this Suite may be pretty popular. It is SO pretty!

SHOP THE CHRISTMASTIME IS HERE SUITE IN THE ONLINE STORE HERE!

ALSO!!!

The new Paper Trimmer is also here!

New Paper Trimmer Photo arm out

You’ll find it under “Tools” in the list of categories! Check it out! It cuts great! I like mine!!

Buy the Stampin’ Up! Paper Trimmer!

Fun Halloween Treat Boxes

Happy Halloween Projects

Today is the big day for kids and also moms with little kids in school! Usually there is a run on Halloween cupcakes at the grocery store for the school parties! To celebrate, I put a few of my recent Halloween projects on this cute little cake stand my friend gave me the other day! The Clear Tiny Treat Box is easy to decorate and the Mini Curvy Keepsake Boxes are really cute. There are so many fun things to make for Halloween, just not enough time!

Halloween is such a fun holiday and one we all probably remember from our childhood – what costumes we wore, what kind of candy we got, school parties! I’m still good friends with a mom I met at my youngest son’s kindergarten class Halloween party!

These Coffin Treat Boxes were really fun this year, I thought! They were easy to put together and almost any way you decorated them they looked great! I used the Monster Bash Designer Series Paper and also the Spooktacular Bash Stamp Set, plus some leftover pieces from the September Paper Pumpkin Kit.

Coffin Treat Boxes Decorated For Halloween

After I took the photo I tied ribbon around them to hold the lid on after I put candy inside. The top decoration I popped up on two dimensionals at the top and bottom so there would be space in between to slide a ribbon. Here is a post for the first Coffin Treat Box I made and how to assemble it.

And then the other fun Halloween project was making these treat boxes with the September Paper Pumpkin Kit! “Craft supplies” (chocolate!) being put to proper use!

Paper Pumpkin treat boxes

Even though Halloween will be over after today, if there is anything in the Monster Bash Suite you loved and want more of for next year you can still order it!

Have a safe and fun Halloween Night! Don’t let the goblins get you!

Are You Getting My “12 Weeks of Christmas” Holiday Emails?

12 Weeks of Christmas Banner 2019

Every week for the past four weeks I have been sending my mailing list subscribers a free holiday project that you can use to make your holiday preparations easier! This is a thank you for my mailing list subscribers that I like to do every year. Just like in my regular weekly email, I send a photo of a project, a list of supplies needed, and all the directions to make it.

In the first 4-5 weeks, I send card ideas since it’s likely that is the first thing most of us will work on at this point. Next, come a few weeks of gift ideas and finally, as we are doing Christmas shopping, some ideas for gift wrap, bags, and gift tags.

These are exclusive projects that I won’t be posting on my blog or anywhere else. You may copy directly, take inspiration from the idea and come up with your own project, or simply enjoy seeing another stamping idea! I know I am all about seeing as many ideas as possible.

However, the only way you can get these special 12 Week of Christmas emails is to be on my Stamping With Karen Mailing List! You have already missed the first 4 weeks, but you can get the rest, beginning Wednesday! All you have to do is sign up in the red box in the upper right of my blog or in the form below.

Subscribe to My Mailing List! 

Exclusive Projects

Stampin’ Up! News & Updates

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Halloween Witch Boot Candy Favor

Halloween Witch Boot Candy Favor

This Halloween witch is ready with her Halloween Witch Boot Candy Favor! I’ve made these for several years now and they are very simple to make. The witch isn’t simple, just the candy treat! The witch I made (lots of them!) back in my crafting and craft show days from a pattern I probably bought at the International Quilt Show held annually in Houston back before I ever heard of Stampin’ Up!

The Witch’s Boot is easy to make. Just grab an empty toilet paper roll or cut down a paper towel roll or whatever roll you have. Wrap some designer paper around that you think looks like a sock. Then make a boot collar for the base. It just wraps around and meets in the middle. Then fold back the corners. The only thing to watch for is to make it wide enough so you can add a buckle. Then add a long strip for the base of the boot that is only as wide as the toilet paper roll. Narrow it down diagonally on each side and curl the tip if you like. No measurements, you can just do it for your size roll.

To make an easy buckle, just cut a square of some kind of foil (I used Copper on this one) and then make a smaller black piece for the center to look like it is going through the buckle.

Here is my witch’s boot with a purple striped sock and here is one with handmade stripes with cardstock! That gives you more ideas!

That’s all there is to it. Fill a cello bag with Halloween candy and put it into your Halloween Witch Boot Candy Favor!

Halloween Witch Boot Candy Favor Closeup

Playing With a Box: A Paper Pumpkin Haunted House

Paper Pumpkin Haunted House Front

You know how they say little kids have the most fun playing with the box a gift came in? In this case, I had a lot of fun playing with the Paper Pumpkin box to make a Haunted House! I also had a lot of fun making the cute treat boxes in the Paper Pumpkin Kit! The first haunted house idea came from a Stampin’ Up! employee who then did a Facebook Live explaining his tips on making your own haunted house out of the Paper Pumpkin September Kit box. It was a special edition box in Gorgeous Grape instead of the usual red so that really lent itself to making a haunted house!

I followed the same pattern that the Stampin’ Up! employee found online. It needed to be enlarged and then printed and then placed on the opened box. A couple of pieces had to be reversed so that the outside of the box was on the outside of the house. I found a video online of a lady who made the house and showed exactly how she laid out her pieces. However, I wanted the outside of my house to have the pattern going in the correct direction so I laid my main pieces out a little differently. It all worked. You might want to make a practice house out of other cardboard or cardstock to see how it all goes together but I jumped right in!

Paper Pumpkin Haunted House Layout

Be sure to label the pieces as you trace them and cut them out. Use a heavy-duty scissors or utility knife of some kind. Hot glue is recommended for assembling the house. The thing is, since it is a “haunted” house, you don’t have to worry about strings of hot glue or glue that shows or house pieces that aren’t perfectly straight because any pieces that are “off” just make the house look even spookier!

After assembling the house, use whatever embellishments or pieces from the Paper Pumpkin Kit to decorate the outside of the house. I also used images from the Monster Bash Designer Paper. I didn’t decorate the roof of the house because I like the “Paper Pumpkin” showing on the top!

To get the mailing label off the outside of the box, use your heat gun and then peel it off. I don’t think you will get all the adhesive off so just pounce the Embossing Buddy all over it, which will still show the powdery effect but that’s okay because it is a haunted house! And I put that piece on the back of the house anyway!

For the base, just cut a piece of any other cardboard according to the pattern and cover with Mossy Meadow Cardstock if you like. I cut a door in mine but you could also just adhere something to look like a door. I cut out the UPC number from the box, planning to use it as the “address” on the house, but I lost it because it was so small!

This was really fun to make and easier than I thought to assemble. If you don’t have a Paper Pumpkin box, just use other cardboard and decorate. As I write this post, you CAN purchase the same Bone Appetit Kit and refill in the Stampin’ Up! Online Store but you must be a subscriber to access this category. Sign up now for Paper Pumpkin and get the Holiday Kit coming in November and possibly the past October kit for holiday cards!

Here are photos of the other sides of the house!

Paper Pumpkin Haunted House Right Side
Paper Pumpkin Haunted House Back
Paper Pumpkin Haunted House Left Side

Here is a link to the Stampin’ Up! directions and tips.

Have fun turning your Paper Pumpkin box into a haunted house after you make the fun treat boxes that are inside!

How to Decorate Candy Bars For Halloween Treats

How to Decorate Candy Bars For Halloween Treats

Here are some ideas on how to decorate candy bars for Halloween treats. If you happen to have a box of chocolate candy bars (I mean, craft supplies) in your pantry, you can have a good time decorating some of them (not all of them, of course!) with Halloween designer paper and embellishments. Maybe you don’t want to give out these regular size candy bars out to the trick-or-treaters but maybe it would be fun to make them for family, friends, office mates or neighbors. You could also do this with the little snack candy bars if you wanted to make a lot.

Just wrap a piece of cardstock or designer paper around the candy bar. I found that a piece of 5″ x 5″ Monster Bash Designer Series Paper worked fine. To make sure I had a good adhesive to hold the paper together after I wrapped it around, I used Tear & Tape. If you use Snail Adhesive, I would put it on both ends so the tape sticks to itself and makes the hold stronger. I do this a lot.

Decorate the candy bar however you like. On these Halloween candy bars, I used one character face from the Monster Bash Designer Paper layered on a 1 3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch. The other two have stamped greetings from the Spooktacular Bash Stamp Set. I layered each on a die-cut from the Ornate Frames Dies. Each die-cut was too big so I just cut them down in the middle and matched up the two ends underneath the greeting. It worked well enough for candy bars!

You could make these as fancy or as simple as you like, depending on who you are giving them to. Most likely you want to make them fairly simple. You could also use stamped or plain cardstock with some kind of embellishment. Here are some little candy bars I decorated several years ago! It really is fun once you get started. You may not want to stop!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online HERE!

Gather Together Fall Votive Holder

Gather Together Fall Votive Holder

We can do so many things with all our Stampin’ Up! products and supplies and papercrafting skills, like making a piece of home decor such as this Gather Together Fall Votive Holder. I think the colors and items of fall just inspire us so much, like pumpkins, leaves, gourds, mums, scarecrows, and more. That’s what makes it so fun, especially getting relief from the heat of summer!

You can easily make something like this, probably with something you already have in your house, or you can make it for a gift for someone. All you have to do is add a candle inside or one of the flameless ones to be extra safe. If you are using a real candle, make sure the paper is nowhere near the top of the votive holder.

It’s funny how I can start a project with one idea in mind and then come up with something totally unplanned. I almost don’t need to tell you how to make this exactly because I’m sure you have something very similar in your stash and can use what you have.

I started with a checked strip of the Come To Gather Designer Series Paper. When you are using glass, it would be nice if you can to use something that also looks good on the inside since it will be able to be seen. Although unplanned, this strip happens to have the same pumpkins on the opposite side which you can see through the inside of the glass that I used on the decoration.

I started out thinking I was just going to do something with colored leaves but it’s hard to resist the siren call of the beautiful Come To Gather Designer Series Paper. I cut out some of the pumpkins from the paper and I also found some stamped pumpkins from the Gather Together Stamp Set in my stash that I had already colored with Stampin’ Blends. I thought they still fit in with the other pumpkins even though they are more colorful. Next, I stuck in some stamped and die-cut or punched leaves I had just done or already had in my stash. The larger leaves are from the Rooted In Nature Stamp Set.

Once I decided my pumpkins and leaves needed a little background, I die cut a piece from the Ornate Frames Dies. You should really check out these dies because they are pictured in the Halloween section but they CERTAINLY can be used for other things. There is nothing “Halloween” about them. I think they will be very useful well past Halloween. I die cut a large one out of Pretty Peacock Cardstock, even though it is barely visible.

Play around with your elements before adhering and see what layout you like the best. Some of the pumpkins are popped up with Stampin’ Dimensionals® and some are flat. Then I stuck in the leaves and sprigs of greenery wherever I thought they would look good.

Votive holders like this one are fun to decorate for any holiday or occasion so stock up a few at the dollar store or wherever you find them! Here is a Christmas one I made a few years ago. You could also decorate all the way around the holder. So many possibilities!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online For the Best in Papercrafting Products!

Everything Is Rosy Medley on Clearance!

The Everything Is Rosy Product Medley is now available for 15% off through the Clearance Rack. Everything Is Rosy was the first Stampin’ Up! product medley and sold May 1–31, 2019. After the sales period ended, they found enough remaining inventory to bring this limited-time product offering back—but this is the last opportunity you will have to purchase it.

The Everything Is Rosy Product Medley includes these exclusive products:

  • Everything Is Rosy Photopolymer Stamp Set—18 stamps; suggested blocks: a, b, c,
  • Everything Is Rosy Dies—10 dies; largest die 2-7/8″ x 1″ (7.3 x 2.5 cm)
  • 6″ x 6″ (15.2 x 15.2 cm) Designer Series Paper Stack—48 sheets; 8 each of 6 double-sided designs
  • 6″ x 6″ (15.2 x 15.2 cm) rose gold foil paper—8 sheets
  • Printed die cuts—2 sheets
  • Rose gold die cuts—4 sheets; 2 each of 2 designs
  • Rose gold adhesive backed mirror embellishments—60 embellishments; 1/4″ (6.4 mm)
  • Melon Mambo 1/4″ (6.4 mm) Ruched Ribbon—10 yards (9.1 m)
  • Night of Navy/Rose Gold 3/8″ (1 cm) Metallic –Edge Ribbon—10 yards (9.1 m)
  • Rose Gold Shimmer Paint—1/2 oz. (15 ml)
Everything is Rosy Products

This Medley is available beginning October 8, 2019. It is priced at 15% off the original price. Available WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!

150059 Everything Is Rosy Medley Orig. $80.00 USD. Sale $68.00

Everything is Rosy Sample Pink Card
Everything is Rosy Sample 10

If you missed out on this Product Medley the first time, you might want to pick it up at a discount! I know the Rose Gold Shimmer Paint was a hit, but the whole group of products is beautiful!

The advantage of a Product Medley is you get a whole BUNCH of coordinating products, from stamps to dies to papers to embellishments and more. No picking and choosing what you really need and what you might be able to do without. It’s just all there for you and ready to begin creating!

SHOP THE STAMPIN’ UP CLEARANCE RACK!

Mini Curvy Keepsake Halloween Boxes

Mini Curvy Keepsake Halloween Boxes

These Mini Curvy Keepsake Halloween Boxes are so easy and fun to make! We’re already through the first week in October so Halloween is approaching! It’s time to make some fun treat boxes or use them just as Halloween decorations!

The main thing you need is the Mini Curvy Keepsake Box Die to make these treat boxes. There is the one main die to make these boxes and then quite a few smaller dies for miscellaneous things plus tags. Just lay the die diagonally on a 6″ x 6″ piece of cardstock and it will fit. This die scores the lines where you need to fold.

If you want to make some Halloween treat boxes like mine, do the decorating first before you assemble the box. You might partially assemble the box by creasing all the score lines and see how the box will go together and decide which side you want to be the front of your project. The first time I used this die I had trouble getting the sides to fit over the handles. I found it useful to crease those handles on the score line first, then push down on them as you fit the side slits over them.

To make the Pumpkin Mini Curvy Keepsake Box, I just drew Pumpkin Pie Stampin’ Write Marker lines on all four sides of the box. For the nose, I just snipped a piece of Basic Black cardstock. The mouth, as you can tell, I just drew on myself with a Stampin’ Write Basic Black Marker. It is not a good mouth AT ALL, but I thought I would leave it so you can see a Demonstrator doesn’t do things perfectly either!

If you have the Harvest Hellos Stamp Set, you could stamp the pumpkin face on the box instead. However, you might like adding Googly eyes to your pumpkin. I just used some retired Stampin’ Up! eyes I already had, but you can purchase the cute colored Assorted Googly Eyes in the Holiday Catalog. I also just die cut a leaf and adhered it to the top of the pumpkin box. Any kind of leaf will do and you could also add a greeting if you liked.

For the Frankenstein Mini Curvy Keepsake Box, you can draw or make the face however you like. Look through your dies and see what little pieces you could use to embellish the face. I also added googly eyes to Frankie. You can’t see it, but I cut a piece of Basic Black Cardstock to resemble his bangs, but I made it too short and you can’t really see it on the box tucked up under the top. I just added a greeting that I made into a tag and tied it on with a double piece of the Mossy Meadow Linen Thread in the Magnolia Lane Ribbon Combo Pack. The greeting is stamped from the Itty Bitty Greetings Stamp Set (a must-have, I think!).

There are SO many creatures and critters and boxes and things you can make with these Mini Curvy Keepsake Box Dies, even ideas from back in the day when we had the larger ones. Use them for treats or small gifts for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays (like this one), Valentine’s Day…..well, all the holidays and most occasions that you can think of! But I really like these Mini Curvy Keepsake Halloween Boxes!

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Paper Pumpkin September 2019 Kit Halloween Treat Boxes

Paper Pumpkin Sept 2019 Kit Halloween Treat Boxes

I had so much fun making up this Paper Pumpkin September 2019 Kit with Halloween Treat Boxes yesterday while watching the Houston Texans lose another football game that they didn’t need to lose. It was good I had a distraction! I really enjoyed making this kit and not just because it was a Halloween theme!

Paper Pumpkin is a monthly papercrafting kit made by Stampin’ Up! that comes to you in the mail when you subscribe. You may think you do not want to be committed to a “subscription” but there really is no pressure or risk to a Paper Pumpkin subscription. You can go into your account at any time before the 10th of any month and “skip” a month or two if you like. If you want to cancel, just cancel. I consider it a gift to myself each month to receive this special box in my mailbox!

The presentation of the kit is wonderful, too! They don’t just throw all the materials in the box. All the materials are packaged up and wrapped in tissue paper just like a gift. There is also an exclusive stamp set and small ink spot. I think one of my favorite parts about the Paper Pumpkin Kit is opening it up and laying out all the materials provided in the kit! I love to see all the pieces I have been given!

Paper Pumpkin Sept 2019 Kit Contents

In this September Kit you can see the pamphlet with directions (there is also a helpful video online for each kit), the stamp set, the treat boxes, the various tags, the embellishments for the boxes, the bag of little black clothespins, the adhesive dots and even some black mini dimensionals to pop up some of the pieces.

I didn’t close up all my boxes yet, just some to see what they would look like and to show you in this blog post. I don’t want to have to undo all of them when I actually put candy or treats inside closer to Halloween! I got 20 boxes to make in this kit. I made 16 and am deciding if I want to make some alternative projects instead of all the boxes! Obviously it is your kit so you can use the materials however you like in any month! Sometimes I do half and half….make half as designed and make some other projects that I see online for something different!

Paper Pumpkin Halloween Treat Boxes

Here is a closeup of some of the boxes so you can see the decorated Halloween tags that are then clipped onto the handle of the box with a small black clothespin! The skeleton hand is adhered to the front of the clothespin with the glue dots. Such a cute project! Maybe you can see the clothespin clipped to the top of the box in this side view below.

Paper Pumpkin Sept 2019 Halloween Treat Box Closure

If you are interested in trying Paper Pumpkin, it is just the right time because the next two month’s kits will coordinate for the holidays! The October 2019 Kit will be 10 cards and the November Kit will be 24 holiday-themed gift tags of 4 various sizes and designs. Sounds like fun to me! I can guarantee you will be glad to have 10 extra cards, even if you are making some on your own, just in case! I know I always have a few more people I want to send cards to. And we all will need gift tags!

Paper Pumpkin Winter Wonders 2019

The cost of each monthly kit is $22 plus tax but that includes shipping. In your first kit, you will receive an acrylic block made for Paper Pumpkin with which to mount the stamps. In all the kits you will receive an exclusive stamp set, an ink spot, adhesives, and all the materials to make the project, whatever it is! No need to design something yourself or order supplies you don’t have……it’s all in the box! Just open and craft! And of course, you will have the stamp set and ink spot to use in the future. In fact, the ink spots are great to use with the Stamparatus!

October is coming up tomorrow and the important date to remember is October 10th! And then November 10th, if you don’t subscribe in October! But I suggest subscribing by October 10th so you receive both kits and will be ready for Christmas! Do it today so you don’t forget!

JOIN PAPER PUMPKIN HERE!

Monster Bash Halloween Clear Tiny Treat Box

Monster Bash Halloween Clear Tiny Treat Box

Make this Monster Bash Halloween Clear Tiny Treat Box so quickly and easily for all your Halloween ghosts and goblins! It’s practically October and you know that means it’s time to think about fun Halloween treat packaging!

This treat might be something more for family, friends, co-workers or other people, more than random trick-or-treaters since you will be using the Clear Tiny Treat Boxes. I always keep a package of these on hand for small treats or gifts. They are so easy to use and so versatile, not to mention they store flat. Just take off the bit of plastic wrap on them that protects the surface and crease the scored lines to form the treat box.

For this Halloween treat, I simply wrapped a strip, about 1 3/4″ wide, of the Monster Bash Designer Series Paper around the box. It will be longer than you need but just wrap around the box, creasing fairly lightly at each corner. Then take the paper off, trim the end to overlap the front edge just a little bit (since the decoration is going to hide where the paper overlaps) and use a Bone Folder to crease those score lines you created, keeping them straight along the edge of the strip of paper. Now put the paper back around the box and use a little adhesive to join the overlapping ends.

For this box, I wanted to just keep it super simple. I just cut out one of the Halloween character images from the Monster Bash paper with my Paper Snips and adhered him to the front of the box with two Stampin’ Dimensionals. I could have die cut a layer, maybe one of the Ornate Frames, to mount him on, but I was making it quick and easy!

After putting my candy inside (you could add some paper shred if you didn’t want so much room for candy!), I tied a Basic Black Satin Ribbon around the top to make sure the lid stays closed. The recipient can easily untie the bow to get to the candy!

Here’s another example in this post of a Halloween treat box from last year using the Clear Tiny Treat Box.

Another option would be to wrap the designer paper around the box across the top and decorate the top of the box, then wrap the ribbon around the sides of the box. Or just put some decoration on top of the box.

These would be cute party favors at a Halloween party and easy to make! The boxes are clear acetate and food safe so you don’t have to worry! And with the cute Monster Bash Designer Series Paper, you have no limit on decorating options for your treats! Try the Monster Bash Halloween Clear Tiny Treat Box for some Halloween fun!

Shop the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog Here!

Fun Stampin’ Up! Videos After the Houston Floods!

Yesterday was a very wet day in Houston – actually, the third wet day in a row in Houston, which you probably heard about on the news. On Tuesday there was a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico which got named Imelda pretty quickly, which I did not take as a good sign that they named a storm! That means it reached certain criteria and that usually isn’t good!

We knew we would get rain, but we needed rain, so at least for the first day it would be good. It all would depend on where you lived and where this storm went how much rain anyone would get. Unfortunately, even the first day coastal towns and towns east of Houston got a lot of rain and flooding. The second day Houston thought the storm had moved on and we dodged a bullet….but then we got big storms late in the day from the heat. Then yesterday, or even the night before for lots of people, the city of Houston itself got plenty of rain, flooding highways and roads and houses. You saw all the pictures on TV. It’s a terrible situation but one we have seen often in all the years we have lived here. We’ve just been lucky, so far, that we haven’t been stranded somewhere on the road or had water get in the house. When Houston gets too much rain, this happens, and often it is difficult to predict or these storms have a mind of their own, no matter how hard the weather people work to get it right.

So for today, let’s just relax and watch some Stampin’ Up! videos for Holiday Catalog products!

You saw the fall birthday box I made for my husband for his birthday instead of a card yesterday in THIS POST.  There are SO MANY ideas for these Mini Curvy Treat Dies Boxes, you won’t believe the cute ideas creative people come up with! I made one Halloween pumpkin one with my daughter but have to make some more here at home.

A great addition to our stamping supplies, I think, are these So Many Stars stamps and dies in the Holiday Catalog.  You can purchase the So Many Stars Bundle and save 10%, which includes the So Many Stars Stamp Set and the Stitched Stars Dies.  Stars are not at all just for Christmas!  You can use them for any celebratory occasion like birthdays, graduations, and many more.  The stars I have had in the past I have used a lot.

Be sure to notice the Mercury Glass Designer Acetate in the Holiday Catalog on page 33 at the bottom.  You could easily overlook it. See in this video how they die cut the acetate and then layer it on a white background. I think this Mercury Glass is very interesting to use for lots of projects!  Certainly something very different that we haven’t had before!

Enjoy your day and set aside some Holiday Catalog reading and browsing time for your pleasure and inspiration!

Mini Curvy Keepsake Box For A Fall Birthday

Mini Curvy Keepsake Box Fall Birthday

Yesterday was my husband’s birthday so instead of a card, I decided to make this Mini Curvy Keepsake Box For A Fall Birthday. I was looking online for ideas, thinking of something birthday-ish or fall-ish and I saw this idea of making a window in the box so you can see the candy or treat inside! I thought that looked pretty cute so that is the main idea I went with!

Instead of cardstock, I used a piece of the Come To Gather Designer Series Paper. I wanted something that would look good on the outside as well as the inside. The inside doesn’t really matter, but if you are making a fall box, you probably don’t want to use a Christmas paper with a generic pattern for the outside and some Christmasy pattern on the inside of your fall box! Depending on the pattern, pay attention to the direction of your paper. Think about which way the design will go on the outside of the box and maybe even the inside of the box.

What you need for this Mini Curvy Keepsakes Box Die is a piece of 6″ x 6″ paper. Then lay the die down with the points diagonally on the paper. If you put any point straight up on the paper, it will not fit.

Mini Curvy Keepsake Box Fall Birthday Die Cut

After die-cutting the box piece and creasing the score lines and folding, I decided on which panel I was going to put the little window. Ultimately I decided on the 1 3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch for the punched hole. Since the area was so small and narrow, I actually die cut a piece of window sheet for one panel and then trimmed that down by hand to fit the area. I just used Snail Adhesive in tiny bits around the hole to hold the window sheet in place.

Mini Curvy Keepsake Box Fall Birthday Window

I just recently made my first box with my daughter on vacation and I couldn’t figure out how to hook the top together! Luckily a video provided the answer! As you are trying to fit the side pieces with the long slits over the “handles”, PRESS DOWN! That lowers the handles, provides the curve to the box and allows the slit pieces to fit over the handles and hold everything in place! Very easy but I didn’t know to do that until I watched a video!

In order to put the candy in the box, I assembled the box except for one side. Then I could put the candy in and fill it up.

Mini Curvy Keepsake Box Fall Birthday Open

Then all was left was to decorate the box! I stamped some leaves with the Gather Together Stamp Set, die-cut some brown stems with a little die in the Mini Curvy Keepsake Box Dies, and punched some stems with the Sprig Punch out of Crushed Curry for some color. I also punched some Old Olive leaves with the Leaf Punch. Then I over-stamped those leaves with the large leaf stamp in the Gather Together Stamp Set.

My birthday greeting is stamped with Pretty Peacock Ink and a stamp from the Itty Bitty Greetings Stamp Set. Then I just die cut the greeting with a die from the Ornate Frames Dies and tied the box handles together with a piece of Crumb Cake Nature’s Twine. I just poked the twine through the hole on my greeting tag and pulled the tag up to the box.

I didn’t initially order these dies to make these Mini Curvy Keepsake Boxes but I’m glad I did as there is a LOT you can do with them! Check them out in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog!

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