12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS TREATS: Peace on Earth Pecan Cafe Bag...

I am hosting a Christmas Game Night later this month.  I try to do this every year - I love a good game night!  Normally we exchange gifts, but one of our friends decided to end the tradition.  Since it's Christmas time, I couldn't completely give up on sharing with my friends!  So I decided to make some favors for my guests to take home.  The first one is this cute Peace on Earth Cafe Bag filled with Cinnamon Sugar Glazed Pecans (recipe at the end of the post).

Since I had a lot of pecans to make, I wanted to make a quick and easy treat bag for them.  I decided to use one of the samples in the Holiday Catalog that had a natural feel.   I thought it went perfectly with the pecan treat, but I just needed to tweak it a bit.  With the new foam style ink pads, you can usually emboss with them if you move quickly (if your ink pad is dry, just add some more ink).  So I heat embossed the stamp image with Iridescent Ice and added Gold Glitz Dazzling Details to layer on the *sparkle*!

Stamping over the creases on the bag can be a bit spotty.  Just go ahead and emboss the image as stamped.  Then go back and draw in the skipped portions with a brush marker and IMMEDIATELY sprinkle with the embossing powder as soon as you complete a section.  It worked perfectly!

PEACE ON EARTH PECAN CAFE BAG SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – Nature's Peace (W#135116 $24.95, C#135119 $17.95)
• Ink – Early Espresso
• Ribbon – Natural & Old Olive Two-Tone Trim (#135837, $4.95)
• Accessories – Petite Cafe Bags (#135826, $5.95), Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder (#101930, $4.95), Gold Glitz Dazzling Details (#133755, $2.50)
• Tools – Heat Tool

CINNAMON SUGAR GLAZED PECANS RECIPE

• 2 egg whites
• 2 lbs. pecans
• 2 C sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 TBS cinnamon

1.  Whip the egg whites to a froth in a mixing bowl large enough to hold the pecans.  Add the pecans to the egg whites and toss until well coated.

2.  In second bowl, mix the salt, cinnamon and sugar together.  Slowly pour the mixture over the pecans and mix until the pecans are evenly coated with the sugar mixture.

3.  Place pecans on a lightly buttered (or use a silicone mat) jelly roll pan at 300 degrees for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes (try to separate nuts when stirring).  Be sure not to overcook.  When out of the oven, separate the nuts as best as you can and allow to cool.  These make great gifts and are SOOOOO good!  Enjoy!!!

LOYALTY REWARDS - When you purchase $50 or more, you qualify for my Loyalty Rewards program!  This Frequent Stamper program is my way of saying "thank you" to my returning customers in appreciation of their business and is in addition to other Stampin' Rewards.  Earn FREE stamps with MarieStamps.com!

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS TREATS: Glitzy Gold Christmas Takeout Box...

Have you seen our new Takeout Boxes from the Holiday Catalog?  I overlooked them at first.  There's just so much in that fabulous catalog, it's easy to do!  Once I got them though, I had to play with them!  Their large size is great for generous sharing with your friends and family!

For the Takeout Box itself, I decided to *Put on the Glitz*!  I used the Metallic Gold Encore pad and pressed it directly all over the outside of the box before assembling.  Then I applied Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder and embossed it.  Presto!!!  A golden, glitzy box perfect for Christmas!  And so easy!

For the tag, I used some pieces from the Under the Tree Tag a Bag Accessories Kit along with some star cutouts.  It is definitely a *starry* Christmas this year!

GLITZY GOLD CHRISTMAS TAKEOUT BOX SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – Endless Wishes (P#136829 $15.95)
• Card Stock – Under the Tree Specialty Designer Series Paper (#135825, $12.95)
• Ink – Metallic Gold Encore Pad (#132141, $9.95)
• Ribbon – Natural & Old Olive Two-Tone Trim (#135837, $4.95)
• Accessories – Takeout Boxes (#135827, $5.95), Under the Tree Tag a Bag Accessories Kit (#135865, $7.95), Gold Basic Metal Buttons (#133763, $7.95), Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder (#101930, $4.95), Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430, $3.95)
• Tools – Big Shot, Heat Tool, Stars Framelits (#133723, $26.95), Bitty Banners Framelits (#129267, $14.95)

LOYALTY REWARDS - When you purchase $50 or more, you qualify for my Loyalty Rewards program!  This Frequent Stamper program is my way of saying "thank you" to my returning customers in appreciation of their business and is in addition to other Stampin' Rewards.  Earn FREE stamps with MarieStamps.com!

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS TREATS: Olaf the Snowman Curvy Box...

Time for my Christmas Bunco, so I needed to come up with some Christmas treats for the ladies!  I went with the Curvy Keepsake Box Thinlit.  I just love that die - so many fabulous options come to mind!  For this project, I decided to make this little snowman box and I filled him with Lindt Snowman Truffles.  My daughter says his face looks like Olaf from Frozen, so I'll go with it!  LOL  I went with a simple punch art design since I had to make 12 of these.  Later this week, I will share another Curvy Keepsake Box!

The snowman's eyes are made with the 1/2" Circle Punch and the large and medium circles on the Owl Builder Punch.  The mouth is also the medium circles on the Owl Builder Punch.  The nose is the wing from the Bird Builder punch, trimmed down just a bit and then outlined with the Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker.  The little tag die is one of three that comes with the Curvy Keepsake Box Framelits.  I had to emboss it with Iridescent Ice (Dazzling Diamond Dust technique) for a little sparkle!

OLAF THE SNOWMAN CURVY KEEPSAKE BOX SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – Endless Wishes (P#136829 $15.95)
• Card Stock – Whisper White, Basic Black, Tangerine Tango
• Ink – Island Indigo, Bermuda Bay, Basic Black, VersaMark
• Ribbon – White & Tangerine Tango Two-Tone Trim (#135838, $4.95)
• Punches – 1/2" Circle (#119869, $5.95), Owl Builder (#118074, $16.95), Bird Builder (#117191, $16.95)
• Accessories – Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder (#101930, $4.95), Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430, $3.95)
• Tools – Heat Tool, Big Shot, Curvy Keepsake Box Thinlit (#135853, $32.95),

CURVY KEEPSAKE BOX ASSEMBLY TIPS:

1. Cut your card stock to 6" x 8-1/2".  You will be able to cut two of the dies.  You need two dies to make one of the boxes.  Lay each as as shown to fit both on the card stock.

2.  Apply Sticky Strip and place the two pieces together as shown to create a bottom.

3.  Using a bone folder, gently curl the sides as shown.

4.  Bring the handle sides together.  Slide one slot over the handles and then the other. 

5.  Finish off with a tag.

BIG SHOT SANDWICH FOR FRAMELITS (from the bottom up):

• Magnetic Plate OR Multi-purpose Platform with both tabs
• Cutting pad 
• Card stock with framelit – cutting side down 
• Cutting pad

LOYALTY REWARDS - When you purchase $50 or more, you qualify for my Loyalty Rewards program!  This Frequent Stamper program is my way of saying "thank you" to my returning customers in appreciation of their business and is in addition to other Stampin' Rewards.  Earn FREE stamps with MarieStamps.com!

TOM THE TURKEY FRY BOX TREAT...

I am hosting Bunco tomorrow night at my house!  Of course, I had to make some treats for the ladies!  I love the new Fry Box Die and I thought it would be perfect for a Turkey Treat Box.  Punch Art is always a favorite of mine, so I had fun designing it.  I tried to keep it pretty simple though since I was making 12 of them.

I used the larger of the two dies from Feathers Framelits in the Holiday Catalog for the turkey feathers. I think it would have looked really cute with another row of feathers with the smaller feather as well, but again I was trying to keep it simple.  For the beak, I used a 1" Square folded in half diagonally.  Then I trimmed it down a bit on each side.

Here is a little tutorial on how I did the feathers for the turkey box:

FEATHER DIRECTIONS:
1.  Apply adhesive to the top of a Scallop Circle.  Place 9 feathers across the top portion as shown.

2.  Apply adhesive over the feathers and the rest of the scallop circle as shown.  Adhere to the back of the assembled Fry Box.


TOM THE TURKEY FRY BOX SUPPLIES:

• Card Stock – Chocolate Chip, Cherry Cobbler, Cajun Craze, Hello Honey, Whisper White, Basic Black
• Punches – 2-3/8" Scallop Circle (#118874, $16.95), 1-1/4" Circle (#119861, $15.95), 3/4" Circle (#119873, $12.95), Modern Label (#119849, $16.95), 1" Square (#124094, $15.95)
• Accessories – uni-ball Signo Gel Pen (#105021, $3.95), Sticky Strip (#104294, $6.95)
• Tools – Big Shot, Fry Box Die (#132966, $32.95), Feathers Framelits (#135852, $12.95)

LOYALTY REWARDS - When you purchase $50 or more, you qualify for my Loyalty Rewards program!  This Frequent Stamper program is my way of saying "thank you" to my returning customers in appreciation of their business and is in addition to other Stampin' Rewards.  Earn FREE stamps with MarieStamps.com!

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, DAY #21: Silver & Gold Christmas Boxes...

Today I have two 25 Days of Christmas projects for you.  They are both wrapping / packaging ideas featuring the Kraft Gift Boxes.  I love these little boxes as they are quick and easy wrapping tools and only cost $2.95 for four boxes.  These boxes may look a little "plain jane" (see the photo at the end of the post), but don't let that fool you!  With just a little bit of help, these boxes can be dazzling!

My go-to design choice for these boxes is panels of Designer Series Paper, which is great, of course.  However, I decided to step outside of "the box", so to speak.  This silver box features our Platinum Shimmer Paint.  I just sponged the paint on the box with a Sponge Dauber.  This color of shimmer paint is opaque and results in this yummy foil coverage!   LOVE!

I used a Silver Dazzle Marker on the edge of the oval punch out to add a little pizazz.  Here is a closeup of the box, so you can really see the "silver foil" yumminess of the Platinum paint! 

NOEL SILVER FOIL BOX SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – Greetings of the Season (W#128030 $15.95, C#128033 $11.95)
• Card Stock – Whisper White, Red Glimmer Paper (#121790, $4.95)
• Ink – Cherry Cobbler,  Silver Dazzle Marker (#128978, $3.50), Platinum Shimmer Paint (#1116807, $5.95)
• Ribbon – Cherry Cobbler 3-1/2" Scalloped Tulle (#127841, $6.95)
• Punches – Decorative Label (#120907, $16.95), Extra-Large Oval (#119859, $16.95)
• Accessories – Kraft Gift Boxes (#124106, $2.95), Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder (#109130, $4.75)
• Tools – Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430, $3.95), Sponge Daubers (#102892, $10.95)

For my second box, I chose a "gold" palette and used our fabulous Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint.  Again, I sponged the Shimmer Paint on the box with a Sponge Dauber.  However, this color shimmer paint is quite different from the Platinum - it is very shimmery and transparent.

It is so hard to capture the golden shimmer with the camera.  I took dozens of pictures, but none of them do this box justice.  If they showed the shimmer, then the picture was very blurry.  You can see it on the top of the box a bit better here, but still is so much more glittery and beautiful in person.

GOLDEN SNOWFLAKES BOX SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – Snowflake Soiree (W#127922 $29.95, C#127925 $21.95), 
• Ink – Early Espresso, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (#116806, $5.95)
• Ribbon – Early Espresso 3-1/2" Scalloped Tulle (#119859, $16.95)
• Accessories – Kraft Gift Boxes (#124106, $2.95), Iridescent Ice Stampin' Emboss Powder (#101930, $4.75)
• Tools – Sponge Daubers (#102892, $10.95)

LOYALTY REWARDS - When you purchase $50 or more, you qualify for my Loyalty Rewards program!  This Frequent Stamper program is my way of saying "thank you" to my returning customers in appreciation of their business and is in addition to other Stampin' Rewards.  Earn FREE stamps with MarieStamps.com!

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, DAY #20: Wrap it Up with Wreath Wishes Glassine Bag...

Today's 25 Days of Christmas project is a simple little bag I did to hold a little treat for your someone special.  And they are easy enough to make a dozen of them! 

I used the Glassine Bags that are part of the Ghoulish Googlies Designer Kit in the Holiday Catalog or the Petite Treats Bundle  (#132770, $13.50 - a $16.85 value).  I ordered bunches of extras (I can always use those adorable googlies!) as I LOVE this little glassine bag!  I embossed it as I really like the extra detail it adds to the bag.

This project also features a SNEAK PEEK of a stamp set coming in the Spring Catalog - That's the Ticket.    I have been waiting for a stamp set that fits the Ticket Duo Punch and this one is great because it covers so many holidays and occasions!

I used the Delicate Doilies Sizzlit to make the wreath and then used the smallest Floral Frames Framelit to cut out the center hole.  Then I embossed the the larger cut-out, put them together and added a Scalloped Tulle Bow and some Dazzling Details berries.  Enjoy!

WREATH WISHES WRAP IT UP BAG SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – (W#12 $26.95, C#12 $18.95)
• Card Stock – Gumball Green, Whisper White
• Ink – Cherry Cobbler
• Ribbon – Cherry Cobbler Scalloped Tulle (#127841, $6.95)
• Punches – Ticket Duo Builder (#119859, $16.95)
• Accessories – Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details (#125585, $2.50), Glassine Bags from Ghoulish Googlies Designer Kit (#126914, $7.95) OR  Petite Treats Bundle (#132770, $13.50 - a $16.85 value)
• Tools – Big Shot, Delicate Doilies Sizzlits (#126999, $21.95), Floral Frames Framelits (#127012, $26.95), Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder (#127819, $7.95), Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430, $3.95) 

LOYALTY REWARDS - When you purchase $50 or more, you qualify for my Loyalty Rewards program!  This Frequent Stamper program is my way of saying "thank you" to my returning customers in appreciation of their business and is in addition to other Stampin' Rewards.  Earn FREE stamps with MarieStamps.com!

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, DAY #17: Rudolph the Reindeer Fancy Favor Box...

Today's 25 Days of Christmas project is a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Box.  I decided that Frosty needed a friend for the holiday season!  I love using the Fancy Favor Die for boxes, because it makes it so quick and easy.  Read on for how I made the antlers...

 

This photo is a bit blurry, but I wanted to show the depth created by using Stampin' Dimensionals on some of the features as well as the ribbon handle.

Ever since some of my favorite Big Shot dies that were perfect for antlers retired, I've been trying to figure out what to use.  I've tried a few things, but wasn't really happy with any of them.  Then the new Autumn Accents Die came out and I thought that the Oak Leaf from that might be good.  However, it still looked like... well, like an oak leaf!

So I tried off cutting out the leaf, and then recut it again by off-setting it in one direction (photo #1) and then the other (photo #2).  These antlers were definitely better (photo #3).  However the antler structure just wasn't open enough for me.

So I decided to try opening the structure up by using the Word Window Punch to punch into the open space between each "branch" of the leaf as shown at the left.  Sometimes it required more than one punch - punching again just a little bit to one side or the other.  I ended up liking this version best, but I may tweak it again in the future! 

RUDOLPH THE REINDEER FANCY FAVOR BOX SUPPLIES:

• Card Stock – Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, More Mustard, Red Glimmer Paper (#121790, $4.95)
• Ink – More Mustard, Chocolate Chip Classic, Chocolate Chip Marker
• Ribbon – Chocolate Chip 1/2" Scallop Dots (#124142, $7.95)
• Punches – Word Window (#119857, $15.95), 1-3/4" Scallop Circle (#119854, $16.95), 1" Circle (#119868, $12.95), 3/4" Circle (#119873, $12.95), Blossom Petals Builder (#121808, $16.95), Owl Builder (#118074, $16.95)
• Accessories – l (#119859, $16.95)
• Tools – Big Shot, Fancy Favor Die (#115965, $39.95), Autumn Accents Die (#127812, $21.95),  Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430, $3.95), Stampin' Sponges

LOYALTY REWARDS - When you purchase $50 or more, you qualify for my Loyalty Rewards program!  This Frequent Stamper program is my way of saying "thank you" to my returning customers in appreciation of their business and is in addition to other Stampin' Rewards.  Earn FREE stamps with MarieStamps.com!