Category Archives: 3-D, Gifts & Things

Make a Falling in Love Handmade Gift Bag

Here’s how to make a Falling in Love Handmade Gift Bag very easily! The Falling in Love Designer Series Paper will make any number of beautiful gift bags and other projects with the lovely patterns and bokeh look on many of the sheets. This bokeh look is actually a little difficult to photograph because by definition it has some blurriness in it, which also photographs as being blurry! But you will love the paper when you see it in person!

I started off making this gift bag to be for Valentine’s Day with the heart patterned paper and of course it could be. But it could also be for a wedding or shower or baby gift or birthday or any occasion! And if I used the pattern on the opposite side, that would also be beautiful!

To make this gift bag, I just cut a 12″ x 12″ piece of designer paper in half. Think about your pattern as you make something like this so the pattern doesn’t end up upside down (as I almost did!) or sideways. Your scoring and cutting will determine which way the pattern goes.

You could easily use the Gift Bag Punch Board, but today I chose to use my Simply Scored board. Score at 1 3/4″, 5 1/2″, 7 1/4″ and 11″.

Then turn and score lengthwise at 1 3/4″ and 5 1/2″. This is where you need to think about which way the pattern of the paper is going because the 1 3/4″ area will be the bottom flaps.

Then crease all the score lines and see how your bag will go together. Cut out the small piece on the bottom edge and cut up on the score lines that will make the bottom flaps of the bag.

Apply strong adhesive to the narrow flap on the right in the photo above. Fold the bag flat in half so that you adhere the other side to this sticky flap. I used Fast Fuse Adhesive.

Decorate the gift bag how you like. I made a banner out of the Falling in Love Designer Paper that the bag is made out of but a piece that had more hearts printed on it, with a layer of Blushing Bride behind it. For a greeting, I inked up the “Celebrate…” stamp from the Beautiful You Stamp Set with a Melon Mambo Stampin’ Write Marker so I could omit the “…” at the end of the stamp and used that color so it would show up better on the Blushing Bride cardstock. I just stamped this on plain cardstock first and then punched with the Sweetheart Punch. To jazz up the little heart, I used the Silver Metallic Thread just wrapped around my fingers and then adhered down a little bit on the back of the heart and then adhered to the banner on the bag. I also punched two holes in the top of the bag and tied a bow with the Silver 1/8″ Ribbon.

You can adjust the size of any bag you want to make by doing a little math. Leave the bag open at the top if you like. I almost did on this bag because the inside is so beautiful.

The Stampin’ Up! computers and systems are up and running today so if you are ready to order from the new Occasions Catalog (and who isn’t??!) and get your Sale-A-Bration rewards FREE with each $50 purchase, go right ahead! If you have any questions or problems, just let me know and I will try to help!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online Here!

Happy Festivus! Last Minute Christmas Ideas!

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If you were a Seinfeld fan back in the day (and still are!) as we were, you must know that December 23 is Festivus! Festivus is a non-commercial holiday celebration with a Festivus dinner (meatloaf), an unadorned aluminum pole, the “Airing of Grievances” and more. My only “grievance” today is lack of time before our kids arrive this evening!

Since many of you probably feel the same way, I thought I would pull up some past Christmas ideas from last year that might help with tags and bags for wrapping gifts at the last minute (I haven’t started!). Maybe you have these stamps and paper as opposed to some newer ones from this year. Just click on the photo to go to the blog post if you need the instructions and information!

Hope these last minute Christmas ideas give you some inspiration for today! If you are celebrating “Festivus” today, just “air your grievances” for a minute and then get back into the holiday mood! Do what you can and let the rest go! If you need more ideas from my blog, just click on the drop down box in Categories and select Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

A Couple of Things About Paper Pumpkin by Stampin’ Up!

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In case you haven’t heard, Paper Pumpkin is the papercrafting kit that comes to you in the mail once a month! Each month is a surprise, and as you can see by the December 2016 kit it is not always cards! This December kit is designed to be made into a mini scrapbook of sorts, or whatever you would like, but you could make cards with the pieces as well. Usually you receive an ink spot and an exclusive stamp set, but for the first time, they are instead including in the kit this rotary stamp and a black marker with which to ink up the words on the rotary stamp.

Now, it is too late to subscribe for the December Kit, but if you subscribe for the January 2017 Kit, you can go back and purchase any of the past kits or refills that are available. And right now Stampin’ Up! is offering the full December kit, #143596, so you don’t have to wait, but you do have to subscribe! Past kits are only available to current subscribers. So join Paper Pumpkin HERE and then put the December 2016 Kit on your order! You’ll also find more information at that link. Please choose me as your Demonstrator.

If you need a last minute gift for someone, consider the Prepaid Subscription to Paper Pumpkin. Add your choice to your order and you will receive an email from Stampin’ Up! telling you how to activate your account, plus a printable Gift Certificate! You can forward this to your gift recipient if you like.

Or maybe it is for YOU! Just show your husband or mother or daughter or son or whomever the link, either for joining month by month or for the Prepaid Subscription. Let them purchase it for you and print out the gift certificate!

Here’s a video showing how to assemble the December Kit!

Here is Carrie from the Home Office telling more about the kit and showing alternative ideas for the kit if you don’t want to make the album.

JOIN PAPER PUMPKIN TODAY!

Easy to Make Suite Seasons Christmas Gift Bag

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Today is the first day of Winter and only four days until Christmas!! Are you ready?? If not, maybe it is because you need a few more gift bags! When you need a few more gift bags and wrapping for your last minute gifts, don’t run out to the store, just look in your collection of bags you know you have. Find a plain bag or even one with the store’s printing that you can cover up and decorate as simply or as elaborately as you like!

For this bag, I found one in my utility room (You can also buy a bunch at the craft store!) and covered the store label with my card stock. I used a piece of Real Red cardstock, covered with a layer of Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper (sold out). This is often a good time to use up some of your older designer paper you are hoarding! Stamp a greeting, as I did from Suite Seasons, punch or die cut and add a layer underneath! I used the Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies (coming back in mid-January!) and layered on a scalloped circle from the Layering Circles Framelits Dies. The ribbon is a lovely retired one that I happened to have out on my table. Now you could add even more things to decorate your bag, but I was keeping it simple and last minute.

Don’t forget the Stampin’ Up! Year-End Closeout Sale! Unless you expedite, it’s too late for Stampin’ Up! ordering, but you can always make up a gift certificate or “IOU” if you want to gift someone!

Go make some easy Christmas gift bags so you will have some ready for those last minute gifts!

Stampin’ Up! Lovely As a Tree Christmas Card and Christmas Tags

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What would Christmas be without a Lovely As a Tree Christmas Card and matching Christmas Tags?! Lovely As a Tree is a classic stamp set, maybe the oldest stamp set that Stampin’ Up! carries. It’s been around as long as I’ve been a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator. There was a funny moment at one Stampin’ Up! Convention when Shelli Gardner was on stage stamping and she couldn’t believe Lovely As a Tree was still a current stamp set! I’m not sure, but I think most all of us prefer to keep Lovely As a Tree around for a lot longer because it just works so well for many cards and projects. If you google this stamp set, you will find the most gorgeous, creative cards! I think it was one of the first stamp sets I ever bought as a customer!

To make the card, I tore a piece of computer paper to make a rough edge and laid it down along the bottom of the Thick Whisper White card base. Then I just sponged on some ink – Soft Sky at the bottom and Marina Mist farther up. Use a light touch because you can always go back and apply more ink.

For the fun part of stamping the evergreen tree, I used Pear Pizzazz, stamping once and then stamping again without reinking to get that lighter look. The stamped greeting is from the Wondrous Wreath Stamp Set. For a finishing touch, although you cannot see it in the photo, I used the Clear Wink of Stella Glitter Brush for some shimmer and shine on the trees and here and there on the snow at the base of the card.

As long as I had my materials and stamps out, I thought I would make a couple Christmas tags. The smaller one is punched with the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch. If you prefer a different look, you can use the Ornate Tag Topper Punch which happens to be on sale in the Year-End Closeout. The little banner is from the Sweet Home Photopolymer Stamp Set as is the word “Merry”. It’s easy to cut out by hand with Paper Snips. The second tag I just cut by hand to make it wider. Again I sponged the snowy ground and sky with a scrap piece of cardstock that just happened to be curved. To make the snowflakes, I put down dots of glue with the Fine Tip Glue Pen and sprinkled on Dazzling Diamonds Stampin’ Glitter. Again, the Dazzling Diamonds Glitter is a long-time product of Stampin’ Up!, we have used it forever, and I personally hope they keep it around for a long time. So easy to use, although I have to say I miss the retired Glue Pen we used to use on the trees. Using the Fine Tip Glue Pen gives a bit of a 3-D look, which worked well with the tiny snowflakes.

If you don’t already own the Lovely As a Tree Stamp Set, please put it on your next order! You won’t be disappointed and will get lots of use out of it. I have the original wood-mount stamp set, but now you can also buy it in Clear-Mount. It’s great for masculine cards, Christmas cards, all-occasion cards, birthday cards, you name it!

Don’t forget to check out the ongoing Year-End Closeouts Sale!

Shop Stampin’ Up! 24/7 in my Online Store!

Reindeer Christmas Gift Tags

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What a fun day I had yesterday! In the afternoon one of my customers, who has become a dear friend to me, and her little girl came over and we made these Reindeer Christmas Gift Tags for a children’s group for their stockings. Since we were making 24 tags and for both boys and girls, we needed something relatively easy to make, something that appeals to either a boy or a girl, and something for different ages.

Right away I thought the Cookie Cutter Christmas Stamp Set was probably the way to go, with lots of choices of stamps and creative possibilities, not to mention the coordinating Cookie Cutter Builder Punch which would make assembling the tags easy by punching instead of cutting with a scissors. Before I knew exactly what design I would come up with, I looked in my retired “stash” and found the Season of Style Paper Stack with 24 sheets of each of two patterns so I knew we would have plenty of the same paper! As it turned out, I found an idea online for tags that just had strips of paper on the sides of the tag, so we had no problem with the amount of paper we needed. My friend had already purchased some large white tags, 6″ x 3″, so at first it was a bit of a challenge to decorate a large tag. But it can be done! If you need a large tag for a gift, just cut one the size you need from cardstock and play until you find the right decoration for it!

The reindeer is stamped with Memento Black ink on Crumb Cake cardstock. What reindeer would be complete without a glittery red nose, so we used a 1/2″ Circle Punch with Red Glimmer Paper and snipped off just a top portion of the circle to fit the stamped portion of the nose. The bow is also in the Cookie Cutter Christmas Stamp Set and the bow can also be punched with the Cookie Cutter Punch! Easy peasy! My friend’s daughter, Miss Elsie, did a lot of the work on these tags, adhering the strips of paper on the sides of the tags, cutting and gluing the noses on the reindeer, and stamping the little hearts in the background for just a little something extra. She’s been stamping since she was little, even teaching how to stamp in her preschool class a few years ago!!

The greeting is from the Tin of Tags Photopolymer Stamp Set. This stamp set is on sale right now in the Stampin’ Up! Year-End Closeout Sale. I would recommend you pick up this set now at a discount because it has great Christmas greetings, but if you look closely, you will notice that there are other greetings you can use any time! Really, there are just four stamps that I would say are only for Christmas, and if you used careful “markering” on certain words in those stamps, you might be able to use them for other occasions! And for fun, go ahead and get the Tin of Tags Project Kit, also on sale, either for yourself or to give as a gift. If you are giving it to a non-stamper, you can make the tags yourself and then put them in the cute red tin for the gift. As I’ve said before, I LOVE that red tin!

One of the best things about Stampin’ Up! are the people that you meet, and yesterday afternoon is a perfect example! Just by me being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator and this customer finding me online, back in the day when the Demonstrator Website was a fairly new thing, I have come to know her family, her mother, and one of her best friends who usually stamps with us. What a perk from just being associated with Stampin’ Up!

Spinach & Phyllo Dough

And in the morning, I attended a Holiday Cooking Class given by my neighbor! If you are in the Houston area and are interested in learning either how to cook or some new ideas, check out Chef Ellen! Follow her on her Facebook page www.facebook.com/chefellenhouston or her website at http://chefellen.weebly.com/. She’s doing another Holiday Cooking Class December 18th with different foods. Just in time to give you new ideas for your holiday dinners or parties!

What fun and what delicious food she showed us how to cook, some of which we cooked ourselves! It was a lot of balls in the air at one time, but she pulled it off and we had so many samples to try and some to take home that I’m not sure I can even remember what all we made! I wasn’t taking photos with the intention to post on my blog, just to help remember the things we made, so they are “real” photos, nothing staged! The photo below is a brie wheel with a delicious sauce of cranberries and pears in a sugar syrup. Yum! The first photo above is spinach with a phyllo dough topping.

Brie Cheese with Cranberries & Pears Sauce

Cranberries & Pears Sauce

Biscotti-like Cookies

Mushroom Soup

We made delicious mushroom soup, learned about artichokes and roasted one, crab cakes with a super-delicious sauce, a ricotta cheese appetizer, desserts, and more!

So if you are looking for some new cooking ideas or would like to book your own personalized class with Ellen, email her at chefellen@earthlink.net. I’ve know her a long time, our daughters have been friends since they were little girls and still see each other whenever possible. Get out of your cooking rut and try Chef Ellen!

Cooking and Stamping! It’s all about creativity and new ideas!

Shop the Stampin’ Up! Year-End Closeout and other current Stampin’ Up! products! You may want some boxes or cello bags to package your holiday food you may be giving as a gift!

Tin of Tags and Christmas White Gift Box

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The Tin of Tags was one of the things that first caught my eye in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog because of the red tin! Essentially I bought the red tin and the tag kit came with it!! You can make 30 tags, 3 each of 10 designs! You do also need the Tin of Tags Stamp Set, unless you want to use other greetings you already have or even make some of the tags for other occasions. You get the embellishments, baker’s twine, and washi tape in the tag kit! And the best news, the Tin of Tags and the Tin of Tags Stamp Set are both discounted right now during the Stampin’ Up! Closeout! Don’t hesitate in case other people also think this is a great deal, now that we are getting close to “wrapping season”!

While you are ordering the Tin of Tags and stamp set, put the White Gift Boxes on your order as well! They are perfect for small gifts or treats but they are not teeny. They are 3″ x 3″ x 3″. You can decorate them so many different ways and for any occasion. Good to have on hand! For this gift box, I just made a belly band from the Warmth & Cheer Designer Series Paper Stack. I cut each strip 2″ wide and matched the patterns (pretty well) on the sides since one obviously did not go all the way around. This paper is even on sale half-price!!! Gotta have it! I also tied the Real Red 3/8″ Stitched Satin Ribbon around the middle.

Watch Donna Griffith at the Stampin’ Up! Home Office talk about the Tin of Tags in this video!

Scoop up your red tin, I mean the Tin of Tags Project Kit and Tin of Tags Stamp Set, while you have plenty of time!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online HERE!

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Mini Treat Bag

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Last year I decorated a kraft gift bag much like this Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Mini Treat Bag and it was quite popular. This year I thought I would try something similar with one of my favorite products, the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Dies! I loved this project because you can use the treat bag as a treat holder, a small gift holder, or as a Christmas card! If you look closely you can see the top of the card I inserted in the treat bag with a strip of the Candy Cane Lane Specialty Designer Series Paper.

To make the mini treat bag, of course I used the Big Shot and the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Dies. I made this bag out of our Kraft 12″ x 12″ Cardstock. Rudolph’s antlers are punched with the Tree Builder Punch. The eyes are punched with the 1 1/4″ Circle Punch out of Whisper White and the black pupils with the 3/4″ Circle Punch. I marked a little “highlight” on the eyes with my White Stampin’ Chalk Marker. The Red Glimmer Paper nose is punched with the 1″ Circle Punch. And I had to tie a bow on the reindeer with the Real Red 3/8″ Stitched Ribbon.

The card is cut from Whisper White Cardstock to fit inside the treat bag. I adhered a strip of designer paper to the top and stamped a greeting from the Tin of Tags Stamp Set. You don’t have to have the Tin of Tags in order to make good use out of this stamp set. It stands on its own!

LAST DAY For STITCHED FROM THE HEART STAMP SALE!!

Today, November 30, is the last day for the Stitched From the Heart Stamp Sale! Check out the list one more time (click HERE) and see if you can pass up any of these great stamp sets at 25% off!

New Announcement!

Check back tomorrow, December 1st (if you can believe that December will be here tomorrow!!!) to see the list of all items from the 2016 Holiday Catalog that are retiring and will no longer be available for purchase after January 3, 2017.

I don’t know yet what is on the list! We will all find out tomorrow! Check back here on my blog or at my Online Store HERE. I’m sure you will be able to click on the banner you see there to see all the products!

I hope you got a kick out of the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Mini Treat Bag and can use this inspiration for one of your own projects!

SHOP STAMPIN’ UP! ONLINE HERE!

White Gift Box Santa Wrap

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Stampin’ Up! recently had these White Gift Boxes on sale on the Online Extravaganza, so yours might be on their way if you ordered them, or you might have already purchased them, or sale or not, they still are a good product to have on hand! Look at just one way you can decorate them, like this White Gift Box Santa Wrap. You can also add a greeting or tag to the top.

To decorate this White Gift Box, I creased all the folds and assembled the box. Depending on what cardstock you have, you can do this one of two ways – or maybe even three ways. Since I had Real Red 12″ x 12″ cardstock, I cut a 3″ x 12″ wide strip and wrapped it around the box. You might think it would fit exactly, but those folds on the box just take up a little bit of space, so you do end up a little short at the back of the box. Now if you cut a piece from regular size cardstock, you could make it 3″ x 11″ and still do the same on the back that I will explain. Or you could cut 3″ x 3″ pieces for each side of the box.

Where I came up short on the back of the box, I just cut a 3″ x 3″ piece to cover it. I used Multipurpose Liquid Glue to adhere the cardstock to the box because it gave it that little bit of time to position the paper exactly right on the gift box.

To keep that little half circle where the tab tucks into the gift box, traced the opening onto the Real Red piece that would be on the front and punched with the 3/4″ Circle Punch (or just cut out with your Paper Snips). Yes, that tiny bit of white shows, but I decided it wasn’t important. If you don’t like that bit of white, then adhere a strip of Real Red onto that tab.

To make it look like a Santa coat, I cut a 1 1/4″ x 11″ strip of Basic Black. This I began gluing at the back of the box because I knew the belt buckle would overlap the part that didn’t reach on the front portion, Who would know?? For the belt buckle, I used a 2″ x 2″ piece of Gold Foil Sheet. Instead of cutting and putting the “belt” through the buckle, just cut a 1 1/4″ square piece of Basic Black (same width as the belt) and glue it in the center of the foil, making sure it lines up with the belt! Neat trick, huh?!

To finish off the box, I glued a 3″ x 3″ piece of Real Red cardstock on the lid of the box. After that you could add a stamped greeting or tag or whatever to the top.

These White Gift Boxes also come with a clear plastic sleeve to go around the box, but I didn’t use that this time. While these boxes are not large, they are not teeny either, so they’re pretty practical to keep on hand for any occasion. You could even decorate all the boxes in the package ahead of Christmas and then your gift-wrapped box is ready for the gift inside, like this Santa Wrap idea!

To purchase your White Gift Boxes and any other Stampin’ Up! products you need, please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store HERE!

Don’t forget: Today and tomorrow are the last days for the Stitched From the Heart stamp sale!

Wondrous Wreath Wine Bottle Tag for Thanksgiving

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If you are taking a bottle of wine or another beverage to your Thanksgiving dinner for the host or even if you just want to fancy up your own wine bottle, make a tag to decorate the bottle, something like this Wondrous Wreath Wine Bottle Tag for Thanksgiving. It is so easy and won’t take you more than a few minutes to make a simple one. Of course you can embellish it to your delight, but if you are short on time, just make the tag and stamp something simple on it. That’s it! Your host or hostess will be thrilled!

To make the bottle tag, cut a piece of cardstock 9″ x 3″ and score at 2 1/2″. Punch a hole in the small portion using the 1 3/8″ Circle Punch. Add a Very Vanilla layer to the tag base of 8 3/4″ x 2 3/4″ and stamp or decorate. I used the Wondrous Wreath Stamp Set and die cut with the Wonderful Wreath Framelits Dies. To get the multi-colored fall colors, I first stamped the wreath in Crushed Curry and then took Stampin’ Write Markers to color in various leaves randomly with Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie and a little Cherry Cobbler, I added a bow of Peekaboo Peach and popped the wreath up with Stampin’ Dimensionals, The greeting is stamped from the Suite of Seasons Stamp Set (on sale now, 25% off!). I’m so glad I purchases that stamp set for myself on the sale because I have used it many times already!

If you aren’t taking a bottle of wine, perhaps your hostess would enjoy a few cards that you made and are hoarding in your craft room! Put them in a cello bag and tie on a ribbon or make some easy pretty presentation!

Don’t forget about the Online Extravaganza during the Thanksgiving Holiday! Stampin’ Up! Online will be open all through Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Punch Art Turkey Candy Bar Wrapper

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If you want a quick and easy favor for your Thanksgiving dinner, try this Thanksgiving Punch Art Turkey Candy Bar Wrapper. Just get some chocolate bars and wrap them in designer paper. I used this generic sheet from the Halloween Night Specialty Designer Series Paper.

To make the punch art turkey to fit on the candy bar, I used the 1 3/8″ Circle Punch for the body and the 1″ Circle Punch for the turkey head. The feathers were cut out with the Layering Ovals Framelits Dies and Big Shot, but you could also use an oval punch. The turkey feet are punched with the feet of the Owl Punch! What would we do without the Owl Punch?! The eyes are also punched with the Owl Punch but I just colored in the pupil with a black marker. The red waddle on the turkey is the little heart from the …..Owl Punch! Just cut the beak freehand.

The Thanksgiving greeting is from the ever-useful stamp set, Teeny Tiny Wishes and punched with the Classic Label Punch. I still love and use the Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp Set a lot. It has almost every greeting in it that you could possibly need.

Just a fun punch art turkey to make for a Thanksgiving candy bar wrapper or you could make the same one on a Thanksgiving card. Play with the idea and make something fun!

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Thanksgiving Candy Turkey Cookie Favor

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This Thanksgiving Candy Turkey Cookie Favor is not made with stamps, ink, or paper but it still is one of my favorite things at Thanksgiving! I think I found the idea in a family magazine way back when my kids were little and I made lots of them for preschool parties and elementary school or Scouts or whatever at Thanksgiving. There are similar ideas out there, usually involving Oreos, candy corn and frosting as glue. Those are cute, too, but I always thought these were the easiest to make and so cute!!

You will need Keebler Fudge Stripe Cookies, Hershey Kisses, candy corn and Kraft Caramels (or whatever similar brands you find at your store).

Unwrap several Hershey Kisses and have them sitting on a plate or napkin so they are ready, with a cookie and candy corn handy also. Put a caramel on a plate nad microwave it just a few seconds until it is slightly soft, but not melted or too soft. When the caramel comes out of the microwave, plop it on top of the Hershey’s Kiss. Immediately “smoosh” the cookie against the backside of the caramel until it sticks. Take the candy corn on edge and stick it into the caramel! There you have a turkey!

These turkeys are so fun to make for Thanksgiving! To make multiples, just have your ingredients ready to go. You can soften several caramels at a time on a paper plate in the microwave, maybe about six. You want to be able to work quickly when the caramels come out of the microwave so you can stick everything together. Have extras on hand because there will be some broken cookies! And you will need to kind of test your microwave and caramel softening factor to get the timing right. So just have extra ingredients on hand. And of course you can eat any malfunctions or leftover ingredients!

You can place these at each setting at your Thanksgiving table. If you want to add a placecard with someone’s name, can probably do that one way or another. My, how I used to like making placecards for family dinners when I was little!!

Pick up these ingredients at the store and try your hand at these Thanksgiving Candy Turkey Cookie Favors! Something different for Thanksgiving!

Don’t forget the Stampin’ Up! Online Extravaganza starting Monday, November 21! Lots of products and special bundles on sale up to 40% off all week plus a Flash Sale on Monday ONLY, plus another Flash Sale on the last day, November 28. Get your wish list ready this weekend so you don’t waste time on Monday! You may be cleaning and cooking, but you deserve a break and some shopping!

Download the Online Extravaganza List HERE.

Shop Stampin’ Up! HERE!

(On Monday when you click the store link you will undoubtedly see a banner about the Online Extravaganza but it’s not there today yet.)

Ghirardelli Chocolate Candy Treat Holders

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While we are on the subject of chocolate (from yesterday!), here are two more versions of Ghirardelli Chocolate Candy Treat Holders. Honestly, once you get started on these, you hate to stop! So many possibilities!

The first candy treat holder on the left is a folded over piece of Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper, cut 9 3/4″ x 3 1/2″. It is scored at 3 1/4″ from each end so that the paper is scored in thirds. That gives a flap to fold on the inside to hold the candy (you could also do this for tea bags) that is trimmed at a diagonal so you can see the candy. Use an adhesive to hold the bottom of the triangle shut to hold the candy like Fast Fuse. Then just decorate the front of the candy holder however you like. I used the new Stitched Shapes Framelit Dies to cut out the greeting from the Oh What Fun Photopolymer Stamp Set. This stamp set is one that is on sale during the month of November. You will be able to get lots of use out of this stamp set making your holiday cards and projects.

The smaller chocolate candy treat holder is cut 5 1/2″ x 2″ with each end punched with the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch. Then it is scored at 2 5/8″ and 2 7/8″. Fold, put the candy inside, perhaps with a Glue Dot to hold it inside, and tie with a ribbon at the top. I used the Gold 1/8″ Ribbon. I chose a piece of the Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper for the small piece on the front of the candy holder. The little greeting is from the Oh What Fun Stamp Set, die cut with the new Stitched Shapes Framelit Dies. You DO want these dies in your collection!

Go stock up on some candies you can use in your holiday crafting, then have fun making all kinds of cute things like these Ghirardelli Chocolate Candy Treat Holders.

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online 24/7 for all your crafting needs!

Easy Ghirardelli Candy Holder

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Here is an easy Ghirardelli Candy Holder for you to make, perhaps as a little table favor for your Thanksgiving guests or really for any occasion. All you need are the basics on how to make this and you can decorate and embellish for any occasion. The other day I came across one of these I had made a long time ago for Valentine’s Day and I thought it was time for an update!

I cut my Delightful Dijon Cardstock 3″ x 9 5/8″. Actually, once you have the idea, you can modify the measurements to whatever you like. Then I scored this strip at 2 3/4″, 3″, 6 1/4″ and 6 1/2″. We used to use the Word Window Punch (retired) for the candy slot so today I tried the Classic Label Punch. Before you punch, fold on all the score lines and see how the packet will go together. I made the area that was a bit shorter to be the top flap. Therefore the longer area went inside and was punched to make the candy slot. From the bottom of the strip then I inserted it into the punch all the way, being careful on the sides to make sure it was centered. In this case, the punch was as wide as the paper, but you still need to make sure where the punch is in relation to the paper. After punching, I adhered the punched flap just about 1/4″ below the inside score line and used Fast Fuse Adhesive to hold it. If you are using SNAIL Adhesive, I would probably put the SNAIL on both areas that I was adhering. I think that makes it hold better and stronger if you need that.

Now once you have the basic candy holder made, you can decorate it however you like! If you don’t find the exact greeting you want, just look through your stamps and surely you will find something generic you can use. I opted for this “For You” greeting from the Birthday Blooms Stamp Set. I’ve used that greeting over and over because I love the font and it suits almost any occasion.

I stamped the greeting on Whisper White and die cut with the Big Shot and the wonderful new Stitched Shapes Framelit Dies. Yes, you are going to love these new dies when you order them! These dies put just a little bit of a stitched look around the shape. Many times it is just a little something that you need to make your card or project “pop” and these dies will do that! I could have put an oval layer behind the greeting, but for one thing, there wasn’t much space and for another, it looked good the way it was! I stamped it in Mint Macaron ink because that is one of the coordinating colors of the designer paper. Cut some designer paper for the front flap, leaving either a 1/4″ or 1/8″ border around the outside. Since my outside flap was 2 3/4″ x 3″, I cut the designer paper, a pattern from Petals & Paisleys, to 2 1/2″ x 2 3/4″. I think this paper is beautiful for all your fall and Thanksgiving projects!

To finish my candy holder project, I used a piece of Delightful Dijon ribbon in the Ribbon 3/8″ Trio Pack, just tied around to hold the flap down, in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog. You can view the catalog online or if you would like your own hard copy, please email me at Karen@KarenStamps. com. I’ll be happy to mail one to you. It’s not too late to enjoy the Holiday Catalog and enjoy you will!

So go hit the “craft supply” section in the candy department and pick up some candies you know you can use during the holiday season, starting now! These square chocolates are good for a lot of projects!

Shop Stampin’ Up! for color coordinated paper and ink!

5 Ways to Relieve the Election Stress

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Here are 5 ways to relieve the election stress the day after! Whether you are celebrating or disappointed today, take some time for yourself, and of course, Stampin’ Up! has all the perfect things! We all know stamping is therapy!

Join Paper Pumpkin and have stress-free crafting time once a month when your Stampin’ Up! kit arrives in the mail! All supplies are included in the box (normally red!). All you have to do is sit down and craft! It comes with a video and directions. Subscribe by tomorrow to get the November Kit in this Special Edition Holiday Box. Stampin’ Up! says if you like the box, you’ll love what’s inside! Can’t wait! Click HERE!

2. Treat yourself to the brand new Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies that just came out November 1st. These will be in the new annual catalog later on so this is an exciting pre-release! Mine are coming today!! And of course get yourself a Big Shot, too, if you don’t have one! I use mine almost everyday!

3. Order anything you want from Stampin’ Up! Go ahead, your husband said you could after the election! See, even Stampin’ Up! says on their banner, “now do something nice for you!” Click HERE to shop!

4. Sit down with the therapeutic Stampin’ Up! catalogs and enjoy the inspiration! Every time you look through the catalogs you will notice a new idea or want to try something you see! Best reading material on the planet!!

5. STAMP!! Go ahead! Just sit down with your supplies at hand and STAMP! That stamp and block in your hand can work miracles! Just STAMP! Get your desk all messy with your paper, ink and stamps, then stand back and admire all the beautiful colors and materials!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Cooking and Stamping! It’s all about creativity and new ideas!

Shop the Stampin’ Up! Year-End Closeout and other current Stampin’ Up! products! You may want some boxes or cello bags to package your holiday food you may be giving as a gift!

LAST DAY For STITCHED FROM THE HEART STAMP SALE!!

New Announcement!

Check back tomorrow, December 1st (if you can believe that December will be here tomorrow!!!) to see the list of all items from the 2016 Holiday Catalog that are retiring and will no longer be available for purchase after January 3, 2017.

To purchase your White Gift Boxes and any other Stampin’ Up! products you need, please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store HERE!

Don’t forget: Today and tomorrow are the last days for the Stitched From the Heart stamp sale!

Don’t forget about the Online Extravaganza during the Thanksgiving Holiday! Stampin’ Up! Online will be open all through Thanksgiving!

3. Order anything you want from Stampin’ Up! Go ahead, your husband said you could after the election! See, even Stampin’ Up! says on their banner, “now do something nice for you!” Click HERE to shop!

4. Sit down with the therapeutic Stampin’ Up! catalogs and enjoy the inspiration! Every time you look through the catalogs you will notice a new idea or want to try something you see! Best reading material on the planet!!

5. STAMP!! Go ahead! Just sit down with your supplies at hand and STAMP! That stamp and block in your hand can work miracles! Just STAMP! Get your desk all messy with your paper, ink and stamps, then stand back and admire all the beautiful colors and materials!

There you go! The 5 ways to relieve election stress! Hope you enjoy your day!