Treat Yourself!

We had a lot of ice-cream this summer - both as a way to cool down in the scorching heat and as a perfect dessert to finish off our dinners. I wanted to share some of that cool delicious joy with a friend, so I whipped up a quick card with an inside pocket - the perfect place to stick an ice-cream giftcard.

Thanks for reading,
~Elle~

Halloween Boxes

What else goes bump in the night? Trick-or-treaters!

Every year, I dress up the candy we give out for Halloween. We don't get too many kids, really - only about 30 or so - which means I can make all kinds of cute treat boxes, bags and decorations.

Last year, I made 2x2x2 boxes that fit a mini candy bar or a little bag of M&Ms. They feature fun Halloween paper (that I buy, but never use the rest of the year), some twine and charms made with a retired Halloween die and cardstock.

I got the instructions for the box from Sam (Pootles): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBwm81fgok8
She is a SU demonstrator and does absolutely lovely boxes, treat bags and more. I do enjoy watching her videos and always feel inspired to make a special box or two.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

YNS: DT Dare!

It's time for another Designer Dare! Your Next Stamp gave us a challenge to make something with the theme "Just For You" - a theme that's both wildly open to interpretation and focused enough to get those creative gears going. My first thought when I saw the theme was the upcoming Father's Day and making a special gift for dad.

Dads can wear many hats - from hard-working providers to strong "rock" protectors to goofy fun-loving best friends - and each dad is a little bit different than the next. Some dads love sports, others would rather spend their time looking through a telescope or playing a video game match. But regardless of their interests, virtually all dads always need one BIG thing -- Time. Every Dad (and Mom!) I know wishes they had more time for something. So, in our family, we've made a tradition that the best gift we can give to someone on their special day is plenty of TIME to do what they feel like doing.

This is where today's project comes in - it's a coupon book meant to give Dad some time to enjoy his favorite activities. It could be a night out with the boys, or a "no chores" break for one day. With the coupons and help from his family, Dad is guaranteed to find some time to do the things he loves.

To decorate the coupon book, I used the brand new Waddles - Bring on the BBQ stamp set. I loved Waddles for this project, in particular, because there's a big variety of Waddles stamps in the YNS store that can be used to personalize each coupon. You can find a winter-loving Waddles, a baker Waddles or even a relaxing-on-the-beach Waddles. With just a few sets, you can have an entire adventure's worth of fun activities.

This project is a great project to do with children. Your little ones can help you come up with coupon ideas, decorate the cover or even help write descriptions. It's a great way to get them involved in creating something special for dad without breaking the bank.

Head over to the Your Next Stamp blog to see more takes on this fun challenge.

Thanks for reading,
~Elle~

Easter Treats and Card

Between a very heavy workload at work and preparing for Easter, I've had very little free time to sit down and blog. I did, however, steal a little moment to make some adorable treat boxes as well as a few cards for close family.

I made the milk-carton boxes by following this tutorial from PootlesPapercraft. Not only did the boxes turn out absolutely adorable, but they were pretty easy to make. I made a total of 30 boxes over a week or so and didn't feel overwhelmed. Each box is filled with chocolate eggs and Hershey's kisses.

Box Supplies:
Base - Neenah Desert Storm in 80lbs
Paper - Doodlebug SPRINGTIME 6 x 6 Paper Pad; Bazzill Marshmallow card stock (for sentiment circles)
Stamp -  Lawn Fawn Happy Easter
ATG
Spring Pastels ribbon
Chocolates
 

For the card, I used Honey Bunny set by Mama Elephant to create a cute bunny couple. Since I was making several cards for Easter, I wanted to keep the card relatively simple and easy to recreate.

I started with a craft cardstock base, using Neenah's Desert Storm in 100lbs. It made for a very sturdy base. I adhered a piece of patterned paper to the card, leaving a border around the edges.

After stamping the bunnies on a piece of white marker paper, I colored them in using my Copic markers. I gave them bright jellybean-like colors. Or maybe they dyed their fur to celebrate Easter? I fussy-cut them out and adhered them to a circular panel. I then mounted the panel to a larger pink cardstock circle. I stamped the sentiment from the same set and added it to a piece of pink cardstock.

I adhered both panels to the card, using foam squares to add a bit of dimension. I also tied a piece of antique white satin ribbon to the top of the card.

The final touch was a couple of sequins and an enamel dot for just that extra bit of color.

Card Supplies:
Base - Neenah Desert Storm 100lbs
Papermania Spots/Stripes Pastels 6x6, Simon Says Stamp #100lbs card stock in Doll Pink
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Stamp: Honey Bunny by Mama Elephant 
Copics: Blue (B00, BG01, BG07, R20), Purple (V12 V04, V06, V17)
Some Odd Girl Spring Mix sequins
Prima Flowers Delight Enamel Dots
Antique white satin ribbon