From the Kitchen of.....Me!

This was a hard one to get a good picture of.....I hope you get the idea.  I baked a loaf of banana bread for a friend, but wanted a fun way to "wrap" it.  So, I made a paper band and decorated it with the Stampendous! stamp set From the Kitchen.   It's a fun set to work with.  I randomly stamped various images from the set and colored them in with my Prismacolor pencils.  I then randomly added clusters of 3 dots with my Zig markers to fill space.  The center image is also included with the set (it is called "From the Kitchen" after all!)  I added 2 silver brads to embellish the name bar.

This would be a cute way to package baked goods for bake sales (note to self:  remember this for the Fall Bake Sale at church!!!).  It was quick and easy to make and could be done ahead of time and then wrapped around a loaf of bread at the last minute for a quick gift.  All the supplies (except the banana bread) are available at Michaels.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world....take time to get inky today.

recipe:  Stampendous! From the Kitchen Perfectly Clear; Recollections Paper; Prismacolor Pencils; Tsukineko Tuxedo Black Ink; Recollections Silver Brads; Marvy Scalloped Circle Punch; Zig Markers



Embossed Easter Eggs

Happy Easter!

While I was brainstorming trying to decide on a 3D project for Stampendous BlogStars, I was talking to my boys about Easter and they were asking when we would dye our Easter eggs.  Ah-ha!  There was a perfect 3D project for me to try!

I first hard-boiled my eggs and let them cool (maybe a little too cool - more on that later).  I stamped small images from the Stampendous Luv Bunnies and Flower Cross stamp sets with VersaMark ink and then used Detail White Embossing Powder.  Then used my heat gun to melt the powder - I had no idea how long it would take to melt the embossing powder when it's sprinkled on a cold egg!  I didn't think it would ever melt!  (Note to self:  bring eggs to room temperature next time!)  I then dyed the eggs using McCormick Food Coloring, and used paper towels to wipe the dye off of the embossed areas. 

I hope you'll want to give this project a try while you and your family are preparing for Easter.  I'm working on another project for Easter that I hope to be able to show you soon.

Hope you'll take time to get inky today!

recipe: stamps:  Stampendous Luv Bunnies, Flower Cross, VersaMark ink; Stampendous Detail White Embossing Powder; eggs; McCormick Food Coloring; vinegar

In the beginning....

"In the beginning, the Lord created chocolate, and He saw that it was good.

The He separated the light from the dark and it was better."

This is the valentine's gift I made for my son's preschool teachers a couple of years ago (I can't believe I haven't posted this before)  It was such a fun thing to make and the teachers all LOVED it!  In fact, I'm still getting compliments on the recipes that I included inside.

The envelope took awhile to get "just right" since I was starting from scratch and had to figure out the dimensions, but once I figured that out, the other 8 that I made came togther really quickly.  I made a few extra to have on hand for little gifts - and boy have they come in handy!  The outside reads "IN the beginning the Lord created chocolate and He saw that it was good."  Inside reads "And then He separated the light from the dark and it was better."  Inside this pouch, I included 16 chocolate recipe cards that I decorated with various heart images.

I also included with the gift this little Chocolate Ghirardelli box and included 2 milk and 2 dark chocolate squares.  Fun to give and receive!

Hope you're staying warm in your corner of the world, it's REALLY cold here in the Chicago-area....BRRRRRR! 

Take time to get inky today!

 

recipe: paper:  The Paper Co, HOTP Chocolate Chips; stamps: Hero Arts Fill Your Heart; ink:  Tsukineko Coffee Bean, Pearlescent Orchid; Stampendous Clear Embossing Powder; Marvy Scalloped Square Punch

Cocoa Changito

My youngest son wanted to bring his little Preschool friends a little Christmas gift on the last day of school before Winter Break.  This little cocoa packet was what I came up with.  It's hard to see in this photo, but I stamped snowflakes on the glassine bags with White Stazon ink.  Inside the bag is a package of cocoa, a little baggie of marshmallows and a mini candy cane.  It was a quick and easy gift to put together - and ended up being pretty cheap, too, since I found a great sale for the cocoa, marshmallows and the candy canes.  An added bonus was that the glassine bags were given to me by a friend as samples from her work.  Woo-hoo!  I love free samples!

It's no secret that Changito is one of my favorite little buddies.  This image is perfect for the gift of cocoa!  I'll be making more of these next Christmas!  They are great for school goodie bags!

Take time to get inky today!

recipe:  stamps: Stampendous Changito Snow Play, Hero Arts Winter's Butterfly; Tsukineko Tuxedo Black ink, White StazOn ink; Prismacolor Pencils, GooGone, Tortillons; CM Oval Cutting System; The Paper Co.; glassine bags; cocoa, mini marshmallows, mini candy canes; Offray ribbon

The Gift of "George"

Every year for my niece and nephew's birthday, we give them one dollar for every year.  I like to package them creatively and every year try to come up with something new.  Last month, my sweet niece, Alyssa, turned 11 years old (where does the time go?)  So this year, she found her eleven Georges wrapped around Hershey Nuggets.  I made it an even dozen and added a Happy Birthday message to one piece of chocolate.  I then made a box with an acetate window to hold them all.  It was a fun project.  Last year we gave her Cold Hard Cash.  I better start gathering ideas for her 12th birthday!

The funniest thing about when Alyssa opened her birthday gift, was when my sister-in-law saw the money and chocolate she jokingly said "All she's missing now is the diamonds, then she's got all of a girl's best friends!"  What Debbie didn't know at the time, was that her other gift was a pair of tiny little diamond earrings!  What fun to spoil my favorite (and only) niece!

Take time to get inky today!

recipe: paper Bo Bunny; white felt snowflake Menards; misc pink button; Westrim Crafts white snowflake sequin; Hero Arts pink bling; chocolate: Hershey's Nuggets; George:  US Mint

Teacher's Appreciation Week - Day 4

Here's today little Teacher's gift. TJ has it all loaded in his backpack ready to go. The item on the right is a pack of Trident gum. It is surrounded by a sleeve that is "watermarked" with stars. The cute little guy is an Archiver's Exclusive Stampendous stamp called Love Buds. It also includes a cute little girl. Instead of using any of the sentiments included with the set, I wrote "I CHEWS you" on the heart with a marker. I was feeling punny when I made this!

It's a new day and time to get inky.....

recipe: Stampendous Love Buds, Hero Arts Galaxy of Stars; Tsukineko Tuxedo Black, Watermark; Prismacolor Pencils, Goo-Gone, Tortillons; Fiskars Border Punch; Offray Ribbon; Trident Gum; The Paper Co.

Teacher's Appreciation Week - Day 2

Well, yesterdays little teachers' gifts were a success. TJ came home from school so excited about having little gifts to give all of his teachers yesterday - he loved making all his little deliveries. It didn't take him long to ask "What will I take them tomorrow?"

Well, here it is! Teacher's Appreciations Week Day 2 gift and card. Today he is taking this cute little card featuring Max the Mouse. I found a card in the Stampendous catalog that inspired my version. Inside the little matching gift is a pack of TicTacs. This is so easy to make, it's really just a cover that folds around the pack like a book. Fun and quick to make. I think these little TicTacs would make a cute bridal shower favor with the message "Truly MINT to be together!

Better run, and start getting busy working on tomorrow's Teachers' gifts. I also need to get busy on Mother's Day cards and, unfortunately, have a sympathy card to make today. Hope you'll take time to get inky today!

recipe: Stampendous School for Max, School for Changito, Book Border; Prismacolor Pencils, GooGone, Tortillons; DCWV Glitter Mat Stack; The Paper Co.; Offray ribbon (black), American Crafts (yellow); Sakura Clear Star pen; Walmart metal bling

Teacher's Appreciation Week - Day 1

Today is the first day of Teacher's Appreciation Week at my oldest son's school. To show our appreciation to his wonderful teachers, these are the little goodies he took to school with him today. The card was inspired by one I found in the new Stampendous catalog. The little can is a "recycled" pop-top fruit can. Inside I placed a handful of Hershey's Bliss chocolates. These are easy to make, and they always impress. It's fun to have the recipient try to figure out how I got the candy inside, yet the pop-top hasn't been opened. I'll let you in on a secret...shhh....you use a safety can opener to remove the bottom of the can, fill the can with the treat, add a little shred for cushioning and then glue the bottom of the can back on with Diamond Glaze. I usually use a can of soup as a weight until the glue dries. I use a bunch of ribbon scraps to decorate the pull-tab. These are so much fun to make!

recipe: Stampendous Book Border; The Paper Co.; Prismacolor Pencils, Goo-Gone, Tortillons; Tsukineko Tuxedo Black Ink; misc ribbon scraps; DelMonte fruit can

Ghirardelli Chocolate Box

This little box was the perfect addition to the chocolate recipe holder I posted earlier. The box holds 4 Ghirardelli chocolate squares (yum!) I included 2 dark and 2 milk (though I'm partial to milk chocolate). It's an easy little box to make, I found the directions on www.splitcoaststampers.com. If you've never checked out that site, take a look. You'll find so much inspiration there and some great tutorials!

recipe: Paper: chocolate chips HOTP; solid The Paper Co.; stamp Hero Arts; Marvy Scalloped Square punch; Tsukineko Cocoa Bean Ink; clear embossing powder

Valentine's Day Lollipop

Last year as I was making treats (see post below "Take Note, Valentine"), my youngest son asked what I was making. I told him they were treats for TJ to give his friends for Valentine's Day. Ben then asked, "Well, what about my friends?" Being 3 years old, and not yet in school I didn't think I had to worry about what he would give for Valentine's Day. So, I asked him "Who are your friends, Buddy?" He replied "All the Mommys and the teachers at TJ's school!". So, because he was so cute about it, I got busy making Valentines for Ben to hand out. I made these lollipops for the kids and the adults. I have to admit, I was glad I did, because Benny was so stinkin' cute and sooooo excited to share. We got to school early that day to pick-up TJ, and there Ben sat with his little bag and waited for all the other Mommys and Daddys to come pick up their kids. As he handed each adult a lollipop he said "Happy Valentine's Day, this is for you!" It was just so sweet. When all the parents had left, and he saw he had treats left, he decided to go to the other classrooms and give treats to the other teachers. He's such a sweet little boy - usually ;-) ! Anyway, enough bragging from this proud Mommy!

The lollipop inside this little wrapper was from Walgreens and is heart shaped. These would be easy to adapt for any holiday or for a birthday goodie bag.

recipe : paper: The Paper Co; Marvy scalloped circle punch; Tsukineko Graphite Black ink; watercolor pencil & H2O pen; ribbon JoAnns; lollipop Walgreens; stamp: Hero Arts

Teacher Gifts - Chocolate

Who doesn't love chocolate? I think these are cute little additions to the Teacher's Gift packages. One is a Wilton Pretzel bag (I told you I like those lately!) with 4 Dove chocolates sandwiched between cute little snowmen. The other is a triangular package with 4 Hershey's Kisses inside. It doesn't seem like much, but will be the perfect little pick-me-up for the teacher's during their hectic holidays.

recipe: paper: The Paper Co; Hero Arts Snow Place, Hero Arts Winter Warm, Hero Arts Winter's Butterfly; Stampin Up Watercolor Wonder & H2O pen; Marvy Scalloped Circle Punches; ribbon: JoAnns; Tsukineko Graphite Black ink, VersaMagic Red Brick Ink, Wilton Pretzel Bag

Teacher's Gifts

This was the gift I made for our boys to give their teacher's this year. It was a fun one to make, but let me tell you I spent many evenings coloring snowmen....I made 13 gift sets....that's a lot of snowguys! The set consists of a junior legal pad notebook (a la Mish Mash), 4 Dove chocolates, Hershey Kisses, a bookmark, and a set of gift tags. All the items were placed in a decorated gift bag with yet another snowman! Although I used it as Christmas gifts, it could also be given for a winter birthday. These cute little snowmen are sure to bring a smile to anyone's face!

recipe: paper: Jillibean Soup Grandma's Christmas Soup, The Paper Co.; stamps: Stampendous Jumbo Snowman, Hero Arts Snowplace, Hero Arts Winter Warm, Hero Arts Winter's Butterfly, Hero Arts Holiday Tags; Ink: Tsukineko Graphite Black, VerseMagic Red Brick; Stampin' Up Watercolor Wonder & H2O pen; Crystal Stickles; ribbon: JoAnns; Vinyl coated Paper clips; Fiskars border scissors; Martha Stewart snowflake punch; Mark Richard Nailhead stickers; Wilton Pretzel bags; marvy scalloped circle punches; Dove chocolates; Hershey Kisses

Last Year's Christmas Gifts

This was the gift I gave some of the teachers and a few friends last year for Christmas. The bag is filled with sugar coookie mix, and has a bag of sprinkles attached. Inside the to-go coffee cup is a bag filled with cocoa mix. The plastic spoons were dipped in melted chocolate and have marshmallows on them. The little pop-top ban has a handful of Hershey's kisses inside. Stay tuned I'll show you this year's gifts in the next few days.

recipe: Paper: The Paper Co; ribbon: JoAnn's; coffee cup: Archer Farms; Stamps: snowman: Studio G, snowflakes & sentiment: Hero Arts