Tag Punch Treats

Here's another idea for your Valentine Treats - (as if the monsters aren't cute enough?!)

These were made with the new Scalloped Tag Topper Punch ($22.95, item #133324 in the current seasonal catalog). SUPER simple! These were sized for a Ghirardelli's chocolate, so the Whisper White cardstock is 6-1/4" x 2" (they can't be any wider than 2" in order to fit into the punch). I scored at 3" and at 3-1/4".

Whip a bunch out for YOUR Valentines!
Michele

Gift Card Holders

What a wonderful Thanksgiving! I hope you had as wonderful a time as I did! I hosted this year and our table was surrounded by some of my favorite people - my husband, sons, mom, dad, brother, and his girlfriend. I am truly blessed...

Now onto Christmas preparations! I am having just one class this month to help with all of your gift-card-holder-making needs. Here are some samples I've made recently:

These cards use the new Envelope Punch Board to create the "file folder" look. I love this new tool - it is so simple to use, and so affordable too! (item #133774, $19.95)

 When you slide the belly band off and open the card, it looks like this:

Instead of using a belly band, you could also just tie a ribbon around the card:

Here's another sample:

 ...and let us not forget that the Envelope Punch Board can ALSO make custom-sized envelopes - which you need for this particular card!

 Here's one last one I made for a friend's 40th birthday...

Such a fun and simple card - with a wonderful purpose! I do believe every one of my nieces and nephews will be receiving one this year!

Hugs,
Michele

Pretty Pumpkins!

I made a bunch of these adorable pumpkins and placed them at the table for my MOPS ladies yesterday (I'm a Mentor Mom this year - how did that happen?!). They turned out so cute!

I did use some retired Designer Series Paper - you can just use whatever orange and gold colors you have! The Antique Brads on the top are also retired. (EDITED: Antique Brads are NOT retired!! Don't know why I thought they were! #117273, $5.95) But I felt this was a perfect way to use them up! (I just used regular brads on the bottoms).

My strips are 3/4" wide by 6", so you get a LOT out of one sheet of 12x12 paper. I used 12 strips for each pumpkin.

Since these brads were a bit top heavy, I decided to tuck a little surprise inside to help hold the pumpkin upright. Who doesn't love chocolate?! They're easy to get to - just spread the strips apart a little bit and you can easily get the treats in or out.

I've seen a lot of these made with fancy leaves, but I used what I had... mine came from the Label Bracket Punch (#132153) found on page 37 of the Holiday catalog. I sponged the edges with some Soft Suede, snipped it in the four corners, and then used a bone folder to curl up the corners. Easy-peasy!

I think I may make some more to put on my Thanksgiving table this year. I am blessed to be having my parents, my brother, and his girlfriend all coming from Texas to celebrate with us!

Michele

October Paper Pumpkin Ideas

Here are a few of the ideas I made using the stamps in the October Paper Pumpkin kit!

This first one sits on my desk to remind me of the things I'm running out of so I can include them in my next order! Handy-dandy! (and that Quatrefancy DSP matches a LOT of Sticky Note colors!)

This next one is made from a mini composition notebook and is well suited for use in a purse or car.

The last one I will share here is a beautiful note board that can sit on your counter to delight you through the holidays!

Remember that I give each of my personal Paper Pumpkin subscribers an Inspiration Sheet each month full of ideas on how to make the most out of their kits. It includes photos, instructions, and supply lists. If you are interested in signing up for your own Paper Pumpkin subscription, just give me a holler! ...and then you, too, can begin receiving monthly inspiration from me!

Happy Pumpkin-ing!
Michele

Spooky Banner

Need a Halloween decoration? This one is fun and easy to make!

In order to create this banner, you simply need:

• Build a Banner Simply Created Kit (#133507, $19.95)
• Halloween Banner Simply Created Accessory Kit (#132698, $9.95)
• Hot glue gun
• Ink pads (recommended colors: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, & Summer Starfruit)
• Sponge Daubers

I created this banner using the instructions found below. Here are some closer looks:

Click on the thumbnail below for the full instructions! (you're welcome)

Happy Spooky Halloween!

Michele

Witches Brooms!

Here's another cute and fun Halloween treat idea - witches brooms! They are super simple to make... I'll tell you how below!

The each contain a strip of black licorice - not everyone's favorite candy, I know, but then who in their right mind would want to disassemble these cuties to eat it anyway?!

Here's how to make them:

1) Cut a 12" x 2-1/2" strip of Designer Series Paper (an excellent use for all of your retired paper that I KNOW you still have lying around!).

2) Score the 12" side at 1-1/2" and then run a strip of Sticky Strip along this score line. (The score line simply serves as a guide for your Sticky Strip.)

3) Make small snips from the edge up to the Sticky Strip (do this on the larger half of the strip, so your snips are about 1-1/2" long). Do this along the full 12"... takes a wee bit of time, but it's perfect for when you're catching up on your favorite TV shows. ;)

4) Place a piece of black licorice inside of a 1"x8" cellophane bag and seal shut (Note: I've even seen chocolate licorice now - so you could get a brown handle for your broom if you wanted to).

5) Pull the adhesive backing off of the Sticky Strip. Lay the sealed end of the licorice onto one end of the fringed paper all the way to the bottom of the broom so it will be sturdy enough to stand up. Roll TIGHTLY all the way across.

6) Make a tag and decorate as desired!

I hope that made sense... leave a comment with your e-mail address if you have any questions! Have fun!
Michele

Spooky Bats!

My goodness, I have been B-U-S-Y! There's just something about a house full of boys that keeps me on my toes! Although I haven't been posting, I HAVE been sprinkling my days with a bit of Stampin' Up! I will try to get caught up on my posting...

First, here are some cute bats we made at my last Stampin' Escape:

You may recognize these from page 5 of the Holiday catalog! They are super easy and fun to make. Here are the steps:

1) Adhere some black cardstock to a Multipurpose Adhesive Sheet (#120805) and then punch it out with a 2-1/2" circle.

2) Cut that circle in half and use a 1-3/8" circle punch to make the bottom of the wings.

3) As shown below, peel back just a portion of the adhesive backing on each wing and overlap them. Place a small piece of Sticky Strip over it to secure. This Sticky Strip helps hold the wings together and will also hold the chocolate in place.

4) Using Whisper White Craft ink, stamp the sentiment onto the center of a 3" x 1-1/4" piece of black cardstock. This sentiment came from "Halloween Hello" - page 21 in the Holiday catalog.

5) When the ink is dry, wrap it around a Hershey Nugget and secure with strong adhesive (Tombo glue works well).

6) Remove the adhesive backing on the Sticky Strip and place the wrapped chocolate on top as shown below.

7) The best part: Remove the rest of the adhesive backing on the wings and sprinkle with black glitter!

Nothing to it! Have fun!
Michele

Gift Card Holders

I saw these gift card holders among a bunch of swaps a few months ago (I'm sorry I didn't make a note of where it came from) and I had to make my own version. They are super simple, super cute, and super functional - what could be better than that?!

Here is a version closed:

 ...and here is how it opens:

Here are some basic instructions, and then you can see more samples below.

Start with the base piece (8-1/2" x 2-3/4," scored at 4-1/4").  Apply Sticky Strip as shown below:

Sandwich a "pocket" piece (4" x 4," scored at 2") inside to keep the gift card from falling down too far.

The top piece is 9" x 1-1/2," scored at 4-1/2."  It gets sealed shut with Sticky Strip as well. The top and bottom pieces get "hinged" together with a decorative brad. (If you still happen to have a Crop-A-Dile lying around, that works best for poking the hole all the way through the layers.) Decorate as desired, and there you go! Here are a few more of my samples:

Now go make some of your own and get to gift card giving!
Michele

Easy Treats!

For my recent New Catalog Launch, I wanted every person to walk away with a little treat made with some new products. The Chalk Talk bundle fit the bill and these treat bags were a cinch to whip up!

I can see some Halloween treats in the makings, can't you? I've had the pleasure of previewing the upcoming Holiday catalog and there are some super-cute Halloween stamps that would be adorable on this tag... not to mention Christmas goodies! Whatever the occasion, pair the Chalk Talk framelits up with some cellophane bags (item #102757, $4.50 for 50) and a spool of ribbon, and you're all set to make someone smile! ...oh, and don't forget to buy extra chocolates for yourself!

Have a fantastic week everyone!
Michele

Chalk Talk Framelits

#129983, $24.95

Treat Boxes

At the end of the school year, I wanted to give Maddox's teachers a special gift. I searched for a simple treat box and found one that uses only 1/2 sheet of cardstock... easy-peasy! Here is my version:

...and here's what it looked like after I tucked in a baggie of yogurt-covered pretzels (yum!) and a gift card to our local spa!

Here are a couple other color variations:

The next one is what we'll be making at my home this Thursday... it's my birthday, so I told folks that their workshop would be free if they made and brought me a homemade card using Stampin' Up! supplies! I can't wait to share what they bring!

And last, but not least, here is my favorite:

Isn't he just so cute?!

The teachers loved them, and since I had fun making them, I'd say it was a win-win all the way around!

Michele

PS:  I received so many e-mails asking for the instructions for this box.  Again, please know that I did not create it!   These were based on a design by Julie Davison.  If you follow that link, you'll go directly to her page where she has the tutorial.  But, if you want the quick nitty-gritty, I created this image for you... click on it to view it larger.  I hope it helps!

Secret Garden Magnetic Frame

Here is another project we did recently - but I can take absolutely no credit for it, as my upline, Amy Taylor, was the one who showed it to me first.  

This is a magnetic frame - see how the pretty (now retired) brads stick to it? We just removed the tines on the back and added a strong magnet. The design is using the wonderful Secret Garden stamp set and framelits - and has been made all the more wonderful with the new magnetic platform! Yay for that!

Happy Monday!

Michele

$39.95, item #130658

Father's Day Wallet

See what happens when I neglect my blog? I have all of these great cards, but the occasions have already passed and sometimes the stamp sets have already retired! *sigh* Life just seems to move too fast for me!

In any case, here is another wallet I made - this one I did in Basic Gray, and I textured the front with the Stripes embossing folder.

Doesn't this texture look great on the wallets?!

Here's the inside:

I sent it to my dad with a couple dollar bills in the large pocket and a gift card to Lowe's in the window pocket. He totally loved it and was SO impressed! (I love it when I can impress my dad!)

Michele