SSINKspiration Gift Packaging: Beautiful Blizzard

Good afternoon!  While we're all working on getting ready for Thanksgiving we will be in full Christmas gear soon (if you're not already) and one of the things we all need is gift packaging.  Today on the SSINKspiration blog we're sharing gift packaging ideas perfect for the holidays.  Today I'm sharing a cute gable box that is one of the projects at this years Holiday Gift Packaging and Tags Class.

For this project I used the Silver Mini Gable Boxes and then used the Beautiful Blizzard stamp set to stamp the background panel (on Balmy Blue cardstock) as well as the greeting (stamped on Whisper White cardstock with Night of Navy and Balmy Blue ink) and then cut the greeting out with the Big Shot and Layering Circles Framelits. 

I used the coordinating Blizzard Thinlits die to cut out the small snowflake using Silver Glimmer Paper and the final touch was to tie a bow using Silver 3/8" Metallic-Edge Ribbon (this is one of my favorite ribbons either by itself of coloring it using Stampin' Blends to create whatever color ribbon you need for a project).

This is a quick box that is perfect for all sorts of gifts and is sure to delight the recipient!  I'm thinking this will be perfect for a teacher gift (and yes gift cards will fit in the box) and of course jewelry will fit (just giving hubby a hint, haha!)

Below are easy ordering links for products used on today's card:

Product List

Beautiful Blizzard Clear-Mount Bundle [149921]	Big Shot [143263]	Silver Mini Gable Boxes [145568]	Silver 3/8" Metallic-Edge Ribbon [144213]	Silver Glimmer Paper [146960]
Layering Circle Framelits Dies [141705]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]	Balmy Blue 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146982]

Have a great weekend!

Diana

Using Your Stash: Paper Pumpkin Meets Lots of Joy

Good morning!  I have to apologize for the absence, boy has this holiday season had me off my toes trying to keep up and while I’ve been spending lots of family time(which I love) I’ve been away from my computer a lot to be able to share all that I’ve been creating (I’m sure you know exactly how I feel).  I’m sure just like you I have a lot of people of our gift list and I try to come up with gifts for each person and fit it in our time and budget constraints which means I’ve been making a concerted effort this year to look to my gift and gift packaging stash first to see what I can use for these gifts that will not only save time and money but will reduce the size of my supply stash.  Today I’m sharing the gift we made for Aidan’s Tae Kwon Do instructors and staff (he had 8 people to give gifts to).  I was looking through my studio and found one of my Paper Pumpkin Kits from last year (October 2014, I believe) and noticed that the pie wedge treat boxes could easily be repurposed to look like trees so I decided to use them for a candy treat holiday (boy do these boxes hold a lot of candy!!).

 

To finish these boxes I started by using the Tree Punch to punch out the window and then covered it with a piece of clear Window Film (so the candy wouldn’t escape).  After assembling the box I did notice that my flap showed at the bottom of the tree to so I did use another punch to punch a little piece off the flap so that it didn’t show.  Next I used the star punch from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack to punch a star out of glimmer paper (I used some retired Champagne glimmer paper but you could easily use the Gold Glimmer Paper).  I also used a piece of Real Red Satin and Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon (once again retired, remember, I’m using up my stash but any ribbon would work) to tie around the box with a nice big bow on top.

For the greeting I used the Lots of Joy stamp set and used Stampin’ Write Markers to color the rubber before stamping and then punched it out with either the XL Oval Punch or 1 ¼” Circle Punch and attached it to the box with a dimensional.

 

I love how easy these gifts came together, they were easy for Aidan to transport to class (always a plus) and I was able to use all supplies I already had on hand, other than the candy, score!!!  If you really like this idea just a hint, there are more of these past paper pumpkin kits (both the full kit and refills currently available on the Stampin’ Up! website so you can order your kit today (if you’re a Paper Pumpkin subscriber) and you’ll be one step closer to making lots of cute little tree gifts as well!!

I’ve been making lots of these types of projects this year and it’s really helping to get those gifts crossed off my list.  I have to admit I’m so motivated by how well this is going that I’m already working on the gift list for next year (based on our lessons learned this year) and am going to take a little bit of time to plan out gifts, using more items from my stash, to get a head start on 2016 (crazy, I know!!!)
 

Below are easy ordering links for the current products used on today’s project:
 

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

 

Have a great day!

Diana

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Blog: Teacher Appreciation Gifts

Good morning!  With the come of spring it means the countdown has officially started for the end of the school year (I know Aidan’s looking forward to summer break).  As we look to the end of school year activities one thing that’s always on my “to do” list is teacher appreciation gifts so today over on the Stylin’Stampin’ INKspiration blog we’re sharing ideas perfect for teacher gifts.  We give Aidan’s teachers gifts all year long for all the holidays so this isn’t the first time we’ve let his teachers know we appreciate they’re service but I like to do something special at the end of the year.  When the Occasions catalog was released and I saw the Berry Basket die an idea immediately popped into my head and this is the result.  I made an uber cute berry basket to hold a set of coordinating note cards.

I used Wild Wasabi cardstock for the basket base and after cutting it out with the Big Shot and Berry Basket Bigz L Die I embossed it using the Delicate Dots Embossing Folder.  I used a piece of DSP from the Painted Blooms Designer Series Paper package for the trim of the basket and used the Mini stapler to assemble the box and attach the trim (the whole box comes together in just a couple of minutes, which is perfect!)  I added a bow using the Whisper White Organza ribbon. 

I made the tag for the box using My Digital Studio (I’m so going to miss this program) and started by using the Decorative Label Punch in MDS and creating the tag inside the punch so I knew when I printed the tag it would perfectly fit in the punch, then I just attached it to front of the box using dimensionals.

To make the matching note cards I started with the Crumb Cake Note Card set (these are perfect since they’re a little smaller than traditional A2 cards and already come precut and scored with matching envelopes.  All I did was add a piece of the coordinating Painted Blooms Designer Series Paper and a piece of Pear Pizzaz Chevron Ribbon.  The greeting is from the Lovely Amazing You and I stamped it in Rich Razzleberry and Pacific Point ink, punched it out with the 2” Circle Punch and then punched out mats using the 2 3/8” Scalloped Circle Punch.  I did use dimensionals to attach the greeting so it popped up over the ribbon.  The final touch was a few rhinestones for a little bling.  I decided to make thank yous for the basket since I’ve noticed we get a lot of notes from teachers so I thought they would get more use out of them.

These are too cute and I love the floral patterns in this DSP (do you know that the DSP was created based on actual watercolor paintings some of the artists in the home office created (awesome!)  Now I have one teacher gift ready to go, just a few more and we’ll be all set.  The designers are sharing more great ideas over on the SSINK blog so check them out for more ideas!

Below are easy ordering links for the products used on today’s card:

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Happy crafting,

Diana

Quick and Easy, Last Minute Christmas Gifts

Good morning!  We've entered the last days before Christmas, are you ready?  We had a great weekend relaxing and enjoying some holiday traditions but I must admit I still have more things to get finished than I would care for.  It always seems like you have some last minute gift needs that come up so I thought I would share a super quick and easy gift that is sure to please.  There are some friends that Aidan wants to give a little something to so I found this glass milk bottles in the dollar section of a local store (they were sold in packages of two) as wells as these cute paper straws, I thought of adding the straws to go with the "milk".  I just filled each of them with candy and then decorated them for a fun threat.  I added circles of DSP from the Trim the Tree Designer Series Paper Stack that were punched out with the 1 3/4" Circle Punch on the top of the bottle top for some extra festive fun.

I wrapped a piece of Under the Tree Specialty Designer Series Paper around the bottle and made sure to include the straw inside the DSP wrap.  Next I tied a piece of Silver Baker's Twine around the bottle.  I used two different stamp sets for the greeting, Mingle all the Way and Merry Everything and after stamping the greeting used the 1 3/4" circle punch to cut them out and use dimensionals to attach them to the bottle.  I added cute little flag to the top of the straw using extra tags I had from the Many Merry Stars Simply Created Kit (the Cherry Cobbler stars are also from the kit).  I also used some Silver Glimmer Paper and the star punch from the Itty Bitty Accents Punches Pack to make some glimmery stars.  The greeting on the flag tag uses the Project Life Holiday Cheer Stamp set.

Here' a close up of one of the bottles, aren't they cute?  These are so easy and Aidan's really excited to deliver these to his friends in the next couple of days.





Below are easy ordering links for the products used on today's projects:

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Good luck wrapping everything up on your To Do list, enjoy!

Diana

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Blog: Halloween Boxes, Bags, and Tags Oh My!

 Yeah, I'm back with a bonus post today for extra fun.  Today over on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Blog the designers are sharing lots of great boxes, bags, and tags perfect for Halloween (plus remember you can always change up an idea for another holiday or event just by changing colors, DSP, and stamps.  I love Halloween and I'm in the middle of making lots of gifts for Aidan's teachers, class, family and friends so this is perfect.  I adore candles and Bath and Body Works has these great candles in canning jars (that are so popular right now) and will fall scents I will be using these for gifts but I need the perfect packaging, and the new Gift Box Punch Board comes to my rescue.  This board can make lots of different sized boxes perfect for what you need, in this case my finished box is 3 1/4 x 3 1/4 x 4.  After scoring following the boards instructions I just folded on all the score lines and my box popped into shape.

 

To decorate the box I used some Motley Monsters Designer Series Paper on all four sides.  The tag is made using the Mingle all the Way stamp set and was stamped on Sahara Sand cardstock with Momento Ink before punching it out with the 2 1/2" Circle Punch.  I used the Big Shot and Window Collection Framelits to make a mat out of Tangerine Tango Cardstock.  I added a piece of Basic Black Chevron Ribbon to one side for a fun accent.  The final touch was to use the Holiday Invitation Stamp set and I stamped the moon and bat image on Crushed Curry cardstock (I added a couple extra bats for fun) and punched it out with the 1 1/4" Circle Punch.  I used some rhinestones for a little bling and to mimic the stars before attaching the circle the front of the box with dimensionals. 

 

 

I wanted to show you what the box looks like inside, the cool thing about this is that if your giving these as gifts and traveling you can completely make and decorate the box and keep it flat to travel and then just fold the box up and add the candle at your destination so nothing gets crushed (awesome for the holidays!!!)

I definitely see lots more of these boxes in my future, I love how easy they are and versatile.  Please go check out the other projects the designers are sharing, I love them all!!

Below are easy ordering links for the products used on today's project:

Holiday Invitation Photopolymer Stamp Set

$21.95

Motlley Monsters Designer Series Paper

$10.95

Mingle All The Way Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$17.95

Gift Box Punch Board

$19.95

Basic Black 12" X 12" Card Stock

$5.95

Sahara Sand 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Crushed Curry 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Tangerine Tango 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

$6.95

Basic Black 3/4" Chevron Ribbon

$8.95

Rhinestone Basic Jewels Embellishments

$4.95

1-1/4" Circle Punch

$15.95

Big Shot

$99.95

Window Frames Collection Framelits Die

$26.95

2-1/2" Circle Punch

$16.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Diana

Quick and Easy Chocolate Tin; Pop and Place Tags Make it a Breeze

Good morning!  Are you running around working on last minute holiday gifts?  I wanted to share a really fun and easy project I made to give to some of the service personnel who support us all year long, such as the mailman, house cleaners, etc.  I shared a version of these tins in November, see original post HERE, but these are different versions using different designer series paper, ribbon, and tags.  One thing I love about the Pop & Place Gift Tags is that the tags are already pre-printed and scored so you can just pop them out and you’re ready to go, plus the Christmas Tagables Photopolymer Stamp set, coordinates perfectly with the tags and our punches so it makes gift tags a breeze.  Another great things with these is that even if you don’t have the same tins that I used you can use any other type of container or box, wrap a belly band around with paper and ribbon and attach the gift tag and it instantly adds a special touch that the recipient will appreciate (even if you use a store bought gift container).

You can still make simple and heart felt gifts that friends and family will really appreciate and understand that you took time to make it unique for them.

Good luck with all your last minute tasks and have a great weekend!

Diana

Stylin' Stampin' Squad December Blog Hop: Gift Ideas for the Holidays!

Thank you so much for joining us for the December Stylin' Stampin' Squad Blog Hop!  This month our projects focus on quick and easy gift ideas for the holidays. As we enter the month of December, we find that the Christmas holidays are fast approaching. From decorating our homes to holiday baking, we realize that shopping days are running low. That...'s why we want to share quick and easy gift ideas that anyone can create in time for that special someone! 

As you hop along, you will see that many of our design team members are giving away some great blog candy this month. Leave a comment for each project and you will automatically be entered in to win!  Winners will be announced Monday, December 16th on our individual blogs, so don't forget to leave us those comments! We love to hear from our readers!

You should have just left stop number 7 on the Stylin’ Stampin’ Squad  blog hop – Tonya B. of Stampin' with Tonya. If so, you are in the  right spot. If a link doesn’t work or you get off track, you will find  the full blog hop lineup below.

I was so excited for this month’s blog theme since I’m working on lots of gifts right now to give for the holidays.  My first project is a really simple notecard set and matching box.  Personalized items are really popular and personalized note cards are a great way for your friends to be able to send unique notes all year long and think of you every time you use them.  I started with Very Vanilla cardstock for my cardbase and added a layer of Wisteria Wonder cardstock that was embossed with the Big Shot and the Fancy Fans Embossing Folder.  To this I added pieces of Afternoon Picnic Designer Series Paper.  I also added a piece of Victoria Lace Trim Ribbon across the center.

For the monogram I used the Morning Post Alphabet Stamp set and punched it out with the 1 3/8” Circle Punch and matted that piece with the Scallop Circle Punch.  Dimensionals were used to attach this layer to the card so it stands over the trim ribbon and adds a little pop.

Below are pictures of the coordinating cardbox that was created with an 8 1/2 x 11piece of cardstock.  I used some of the same colors and designer series paper to decorate it.  A piece of Basic Gray ¼” Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon is tied around the top and holds it closed.

Cardbox Closed

 

Cardbox Open

I have a second, bonus project for you as well. This time of year is also full of fun and treats and it’s great to have some simple, fun little treats ready to go for kids, coworkers, neighbors, the mailman, etc.  For this project I used the Real Red Goodie Gear kit (love how all the elements are included and ready to go).  I filled the bag up with some Hugs and Kisses candy.  The Crumb Cake tag comes with the kit and I embossed it with the Big Shot and the Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder (I used a sponge and Crumb Cake ink to highlight the embossing on the tag).  For the greeting I used the Pop & Place Gift Tag Kit for the two cardstock layers (love that they coordinate with our punches and framelits, and come pre-printed with the patterns and ready to go.  The greeting is stamped in Cherry Cobbler with the Christmas Tagables Photopolymer Stamp set, so they fit perfectly in the tag.  For some extra special texture I added a small piece of 1/8” Silver Ribbon and Cherry Cobbler Chevron Ribbon.  These kits are so great since you can make the gifts as simple or as elaborate as you want in very little time and for all sorts of occasions, not just holidays (would make great party favors).

Remember, all this month’s hoppers are offering blog candy to help you get ready for the holidays.  All you have to do is leave a comment on each of the hopper’s blogs to be entered and the drawings and announcements will take place on Monday, December 16.  I’ll be giving away a package of Gusseted Cello Bags, Snow Festival Designer Printed Gift Tags, and Cherry Cobbler Sweater Trim (you’ll be all set to make great gifts with this kit).  Don’t miss out!

I hope I’ve given you some fun and easy ideas for gifts you can make now and still have time to give this holiday season.  Make sure to check out the rest of the blog hop for lots of other great gift ideas.  If you click the “Next” button, you’ll go to  Heidi’s site but you can also access any of the hopper’s site from the full blog list below.

 

Blog Hop Participants:

1. Dawn S. of Dawn's Creative Chalet
2. Darcy J. of DJ's Stampin' Place
3. Annie L. of Love Me Cards
4. Cynthia R. of Ink-a-Doodle Creations
5. Jamie H. of Unique Ink
6. Kim R. of Stamping with Kim
7. Tonya B. of Stampin' with Tonya
8. Diana E. of Stampin' Fun with Diana
9. Heidi B. of Stuck on Stampin'
10. Bree R. of Craft-Somnia  
11. Anastasia R. of Stampin' Blondie
12. Pamela W. of Stinky Tofu
13. Darla R. & Nancy K. of Stampin With Darla and Sisters

 

My Digital Studio Make Gift Giving So Easy!

Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving Eve!  I've got double the fun today and I'm back to share some fun projects I'm sharing over on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration blog today.  So we're going to spend our Christmas Holiday this year on a Disney cruise (whoo hoo!) and if you know anything about Disney cruises, the cruise fanatics have created all sorts of fun onboard activities, including Fish Extender exchanges.  Basically families sign up in advance and bring this fish extenders (these are kind of like shoe organizers that are personalized with your family information) and then throughout the cruise you randomly drop off gifts for the other families in your group.  It's lots of fun to come back to your room and see what kind of fun surprises await.  So we've signed up for these and I decided to make fun cruise survival kits for the families and used My Digital Studio to design the cover and end used a full wood mount block case for the holder. 

This was so easy to do and I love that I was able to get them printed through Stampin' Up's professional print services and just cut them down and it fit perfectly.  I designed the case so that after the cruise families could use the cases as a keepsake from their trip.

This is the back of the case that lists of the information on the contents and fun things that can be used with it.

This is the inside of the case.  I had to really cram everything in (and then realized that I forgot the tissues, so they'll be separate).  Lots of great fun and useful things for the cruise.

I also designed bookmarks and key chains using MDS also.  For the bookmark I used the kid's bookmark template, shrunk it down and then modified it for the cruise.  For the keychain I added a 1" circle punch in MDS and filled it in with the Disney Cruise graphic.  After printing it out all I had to do was punch out the image and attached it to a flattened bottlecap.  I did use an epoxy sticker to cover the image so it's nice and sealed.

I also decided to give gifts to each of the kids in our fish extender group (I think I'm going to need a whole suitcase just for these gifts).  I simply used the gusseted cellophane bags (currently on the clearance rack) and added lots of candy, glow bracelets, a bookmark, and key chain. 

The gift tag was designed in MDS.  All I did was pick out a tag punch, filled it in with cardstock, stamps, text, and embellishments and printed it out.  I'm also working on gift bags for the crew members and I just enlarged this tag, and changed up the words.

It's so easy to make gift elements in My Digital Studio and you can still take advantage of Stampin' Up's 30% off select digital download and professional print product specials through the end of the month (there are several other projects I'm working on to get printed to take advantage of the sale) so there's still time.

 

Enjoy and happy digital crafting!

 

Diana

Bonus Halloween Gift Wrap Idea

I'm back again for a bonus share since I have a couple of Halloween projects I want to share and am running out of time.  This weekend we were invited to a Halloween Costume contest with neighbors so I wanted to bring a gift for the host.  I decided you couldn't go wrong with a bottle of wine, but I had to dress it up, so I made this cute tag.  I started with a piece of Tangerine Tango cardstock and used my Simply Scored Board to score the line to get around the bottle curves and used the 1" circle punch to punch a whole for the wine bottle neck to fit in.  Next I added a piece of Witches Brew Designer Series Paper and piece of Silver/Black striped Satin Ribbon from the Halloween Banner Simply Created Accessory Kit that was tied into a bow.

 

I decided to use the Toil and Trouble stamp set for my stamped images and started by stamping the large text image with Whisper White Craft Ink and Basic Gray cardstock before cutting it out with the Big Shot and the Apothecary Accents Framelits.  I used dimensionals to attach this element to the tag so it stands up.  Next I took a piece of Silver Glimmer paper and punched an oval with the Large Oval Punch.  This piece adds some sparkle and is the perfect layer for the bird image that's also from the Toil and Trouble stamp set that was stamped with Basic Black ink and Summer Starfruit cardstock and cut out with Paper Snips.  I also used a dimensional to attach the bird to give him some pop.

 

This tag turned out so lovely and the great thing was I was actually able to make it really quickly with tools I already had (love how the tools we offer can be used for so many projects and ideas).  With us starting to get into the holiday season this is a perfect project for all those hostess/neighbor/coworker gifts you have on your gift list, just change up the paper, stamps, and accessories for something unique for each recipient.

 

Enjoy!

 

Diana

End of the Year Class Gifts, Super Simple with My Digital Studio

Happy Wednesday, we're greeting today as the first day of Summer vacation and Aidan is so excited to start summer camp.  I wanted to share the super fun and easy gift we made for Aidan to give his classmates for an end of the year gift.  We made these cute bookmarks in My Digital Studio (MDS).  I bought and downloaded the Book Buddies Designer Template (only $2.95) and all four of these bookmarks were already designed.  Then all I did was add the text to personalize it for Aidan's school and year and they were ready to send of to be printed. 

 

I used Stampin' Up!'s professional print services (took advantage of the recent 25% off sale) and printed them on heavyweight cardstock.  Once they arrived all I had to do was cut the bookmarks apart, punch a hole and add a ribbon flag.

 

These bookmarks are so cute and I know the kids will enjoy using them this summer as they work on their summer reading assignments.  Hope this gives you another fun idea to use MDS to make great projects that look great and are super fast.

 

Enjoy,

 

Diana

End of the Year Teacher Gift Class - Awesome Projects that are Sure to Impress!

Good evening!  I wanted to share with you the projects that we'll be making that this weekends End of the Year Teacher Gift class.  This class started when I was talking to several friends about all we had to do to get our gifts ready for our kids teachers, assistance, etc. to thank them for all they do throughout the year.  Unfortunately spring is usually a really busy time for families so this is a great way to have six gifts all made and ready to give when the time comes! 

 

The class is this Saturday at 7:00 PM and the class fee is only $25 for all the supplies necessary to complete these projects.  Several of these items accommodate gift cards (a great gift for anyone) so all you'll need to provide is the gift cards.

 

 

These gifts are so fun that even if you don't have kids they'll be great to give to neighbors, friends, coworkers, etc.  Please make sure to register for class by Wednesday to save your spot.

 

Have a great week and I hope to see you Saturday!

 

Diana