Fall or Halloween Treat Box

Here is a cute little treat box from the September Make and Take last year. This particular box was all dressed up for Halloween, but it would make a really adorable Valentine's treat box if you switched out the colors and put a heart on the front.

• Bermuda Bay card stock 3-3/4" x 8-1/2"
• Tangelo Twist card stock 2" x 10"
• Basic Black card stock (two pieces) 1-7/8" x 1-7/8"
• Motley Monsters DSP 1-3/4" x 1-3/4"
• Basic Black 1/8" Ribbon 10"
• Stamps: Chalk Talk
• Ink: Bermuda Bay
• Accessories: 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1/8" Basic Black Ribbon, Scalloped Tag Topper Punch, Sticky Strip, Paper Snips

With the 8-1/2" edge of the Bermuda Bay card stock against the top of your Simply Scored score at 2", 4", 6", 8". Then rotate the card stock 90 degrees clockwise and score at 1-7/8". Use Paper Snips to trim the card stock so it looks like the image below. Then add Sticky Strip onto the one narrow flap on the right side. Fold the card stock on the score lines. 

Form your box by removing the Sticky Strip liner from the narrow flap and adhere it behind the card stock on the other end. Then fold in and glue your bottom flaps in place. 

Now take your Tangelo Twist card stock and place it on your Simply Scored with the 10" edge against the top. Score at 1", 2", 4", 6", 8", and 9". Punch both ends with the Scalloped Tag Topper punch. Then add Sticky Strip in the locations shown. Fold the card stock on the score lines. 

Remove the Sticky Strip liner from your Tangelo Twist card stock. Place the little Bermuda Bay box into the center section of the Tangelo Twist card stock then fold up the ends of the Tangelo Twist to adhere to the sides of your little box. 

Put a treat in your box then thread the Basic Black ribbon through the holes and tie it into a bow. Glue the DSP onto the Basic Black card stock then glue it onto the front side of the box. Finally stamp the "for you" from Chalk Talk onto a scrap of Whisper White card stock in Bermuda Bay ink. Punch out the greeting with the 1-3/8" Circle Punch and stick it onto the front of the box with a Stampin' Dimensional. 

This little box is perfect for a sweet treat. What do you think? 

Never Let Anyone Dull Your Sparkle!

Fair warning, this is a sponsored, and picture heavy, post. But... it's also a tutorial! There is even a handy dandy coupon so you can get some DecoArt goodness with a discount! Opinions are 100% mine. I have loved using DecoArt paints for quite some time on any painting project I chose to tackle. I have wanted to make one of these signs for quite a while so it just seemed natural to tie it in with a coupon so you can get some paint goodness at a discount.

So.... here is what I painted...

This sign has some fun bright colors and lot of sparkle!

Do you know it's really hard to get a good photograph of glitter and actually show that it's sparkly? This sign looks so much more fab and sparkly in real life.

So.. what do you need???

• Electronic cutter
• 12" x 12" piece of Vinyl
• 12" x 12" cutting mat for electronic cutter
• 12" x 12" transfer paper
• 1 x 6 that is 18" long (or a 5-1/2" wide x 18" long hunk of wood)
• DecoArt Americana Paint: Titanium White, Citron Green, Whispering Turquoise, Purple Pizzaz
• DecoArt Multisurface Satin in Dolphin (or an Americana shade of gray, but this is what I had)
• DecoArt Decou-Page
• DecoArt Glamour Dust Glitter Paint in Turquoise and Lavender
• Painter's Tape, four sponges, plastic tray for paint, craft knife, bone folder or old gift card, and a craft paint brush

Start off by making sure your board is sanded to make it smooth then wipe it off with a damp rag to get all the dust of. Now mix Titanium White paint half and half with some water and brush it onto the front and sides of the board. Allow this to dry for at least an hour so it is completely dry. You don't want the vinyl to pull up the paint later. You can also paint the backside with this whitewash too if you are picky like me. 

Create a file in your electronic cutter software to cut your vinyl template with the words. I used my Silhouette Cameo with Silhouette vinyl and it worked like a charm. Don't want to hassle with getting the template just right? Well if you're using a board the same size as the instructions you can just download this pattern from my store. It even comes with a large size JPEG file so you can make it bigger if you want! 



Weed out the letters and borders from the vinyl. Then cover with the 12" x 12" transfer paper. Rub it down really good with a bone folder or an old credit card. Now take a craft knife and carefully cut between the vinyl so you have two separate pieces to work with. Pull up the first piece slowly to make sure you have all the vinyl pieces. 

Then apply the vinyl onto the sign being careful to center it between the top and the bottom edges so your words are straight. Then add the other half just like you did the first. Make sure you rub the vinyl down really good to get it to stick to the board and peel the transfer paper up slowly to make sure all your vinyl pieces stuck. 

Now take some painter's tape and cover up the seam between the two pieces of vinyl, but make sure you don't cover up any of the letters. 

Coat all of the letters with some DecoArt Decou-Page. No matter how well you rub down the vinyl you will always have some paint bleed underneath on the first coat. So if your first coat is clear then that clear layer will bleed through but you can't see it when it's done. So you end up with nice crisp paint lines. 

Add a small squirt of each paint color into some sort of disposable plastic container. 

One color at a time dab the sponge into the paint. Then using a dabbing up and down motion sponge the paint onto the letters. Use a different sponge for each color of paint. Make sure you're careful when you get close to a word that is in a different color. Allow the paint to dry on the letters for about 15-20 minutes then add another coat of paint onto the letters to get nice coverage. 

Allow the letters to dry again for 15-20 minutes or until it is completely dry. Now squirt a little Turquoise Glamour Dust Glitter Paint into your tray. Take a fresh sponge and sponge just the bottom half of the letters you painted in the Whispering Turquoise. Allow that to dry for 10-15 minutes and add a second coat just to the bottom half of the letters. This gives them kind of a sparkly ombre look. 

Now squirt some Lavender Glamour Dust Glitter Paint into your container and with a fresh sponge dab on the glitter paint over the word "sparkle". Allow this to dry for 10-15 minutes. Repeat to add two more coats of Lavender glitter paint allowing it to dry between each layer. 

Now just let the paint dry completely. I left it sitting for about an hour but that's because I had to cook dinner. 30-45 minutes should do the trick though. Then just gently peel off the vinyl. Carefully use a craft knife or needle tool to pick up the edges of the center of the letters like e, a, o. 

Now your sign is done! If you would like to protect all your hard work you could add a spray sealer of Americana Glossy or Matte sealer to protect your paint while still letting the glitter sparkle and shine. Just add some hangers to the back and hang it up. Or just lean it on a shelf for display. 

Now are you ready for a coupon??? Of course you are! Who doesn't want to get crafty goodies for less. 

Get free shipping!!!

Here is what you have to do...

Go HERE. 

Make sure you put something in your cart from one of these categories: 

Craft Twinkles - 2 oz.

Craft Twinkles Writers

Glamour Dust Glitter Paint

When you are ready to check out add the following coupon code: 

Then your order will have free shipping! This coupon code is valid for only US addresses and only from June 22nd to June 30th! So head on over and snatch up the paint so you can make one of these fun signs for your home!

Do you love this sign and want one for your space but don't want to have to get your fingers painty? Here it is in my shop! It took a couple tries to get a good tutorial done for you. So I actually ended up with a couple of these signs. Mine has the word "sparkle" in turquoise. So I thought I would share this lovely with someone who would prefer to have some purple thrown in. There are just so many great colors of the Glamour Dust Glitter Paint I had to play with more than just one!

What projects would you use glitter paint on to add some sparkly glam to your space?
Linking up to these parties. 

Slate Roses and Fun Watercolor Technique

This soft and pretty card uses a really fun watercoloring technique to make the patterned paper. It's loads of fun so you should totally try it out for yourself!

Here's what you'll need: 

• Smoky Slate card stock 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", scored at 4-1/4"
• Pool Party card stock 4" x 5-1/4"
• Smoky Slate card stock 3-1/2" x 3-7/8"
• Whisper White card stock 1-5/8" x 3-7/8"
• Pool Party card stock 2" x 3"
• Silver Glimmer Paper 1/4" x 4"
• Stamps: Stippled Blossoms, Sassy Salutations
• Ink: Basic Gray, Pool Party, Versamark
• Reinkers: Strawberry Slush, Pool Party, Gumball Green, Coastal Cabana, Wisteria Wonder
• Accessories: Apothecary Accents Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals, Fancy Fan embossing folder

This fun technique works best with a two-step stamping set. This is also a bit messy, or maybe I'm just a messy crafter, but you might want to wear an apron to keep the ink off your clothes. 

1. To make this card I started off by making my own DSP with some Whisper White card stock, stamps, and ink. So first take a plastic container of some sort. I cut one of the large old wood mount cases in half and used it for this project. Randomly drop a few drops of reinkers. For the flowers I used Strawberry Slush, Pool Party, and Wisteria Wonder. 

2. Now take a spray bottle or Stampin' Mister with water and spray onto the ink drops until its nice and watery. 

3. Take the larger flower images from Stippled Blossoms. Press the stamp into what looks like a watery mess, then stamp it onto the card stock. Repeat to add all your flowers. In a separate plastic container add drops of Gumball Green and Coastal Cabana reinker, spray with water like you did before, and use this mixture to stamp the leaves. It will look like a total mess right now, but just let it dry completely. 

4. Now you have this beautiful piece of paper. The colors blend so beautifully as the ink dries. If you've been stamping for a while you'll notice less pink and blue. Just add more drops of re inker and mist again with water to make more of your "watercolors". 

5. Rub the entire card stock with your Embossing Buddy. Now take the smaller images from the Stippled Blossoms set and stamp with Versamark ink. Cover the stamped images with White embossing powder, tap off the excess, and heat it with a heat tool. The white embossing powder adds detail to your colorful blotches. 

6. Now you can take your beautiful DSP and cut it down for your card. Glue your handmade DSP onto the bottom of the large piece of Pool Party card stock. Run the small piece of Smoky Slate card stock through the Big Shot in the Fancy Fan embossing folder. Use Glue stick to glue that at the top of the Pool Party card stock. Glue the piece of Silver Glimmer Paper over the seam of the previous two layers. Then glue this panel onto the Smoky Slate card front.

Finally stamp the smaller image of the rose onto the small piece of Pool Party card stock in Pool Party ink. Then stamp the greeting from Sassy Salutations on top of the rose image in Basic Gray ink. Cut this out with the Apothecary Accents framelit and stick it onto the card with a couple Stampin' Dimensionals. 

I really love the blended look of colors you get and all those fun artsy splatters! I hope you give this fun, yet somewhat messy, technique a try!

Present Gift Card Holder Tutorial

I mentioned quite some time ago that I would share a tutorial for the present gift card holder that my guests made at a make and take last year before Christmas. Well I never got around to it, and then I thought no one was interested until I got an e-mail recently requesting the tutorial. So... here it is! Sorry it took so long. :-)

This one uses the Retro Fresh DSP from the Occasions Catalog to make a fun birthday gift card holder. 

When you lift up the top the piece with the greeting (and with the gift card) slides up. 

Here is what you need: 

• Bermuda Bay card stock 4-1/4" x 11"
• So Saffron card stock 3" x 5-1/2"
• Tangerine Tango card stock 1-1/2" x 4-1/4"
• Silver Glimmer Paper 1/4" x 4-1/4"
• Retro Fresh DSP (squares pattern) 1-1/4" x 4-1/4"
• Retro Fresh DSP (stripes pattern) 2-1/4" x 9-1/4"
• Retro Fresh DSP (squares pattern) 3-1/4" x 4-1/4"
• Retro Fresh DSP (squares pattern) 1" x 2-1/4"
• Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge, Endless Birthday Wishes
• Ink: Bermuda Bay, Baked Brown Sugar
• Accessories: Gift Bow die, Scallop Border Punch, 2-Way Glue Pen, Sticky Strip, Multipurpose Liquid Adhesive

1. Take your piece of Bermuda Bay card stock and place it on your Simply Scored with the 11" edge against the top. Score at 1-1/2" and 6-3/4". Stamp the 4-1/4" long section with the small dots splatter image from Gorgeous Grunge in Bermuda Bay ink. 

2. Flip over your Bermuda Bay card stock so you're looking at the non-stamped side. Apply Sticky Strip onto the 4-1/4" long section just on the edges. Remove the Sticky Strip liner and fold the card stock up and press it down onto the middle section. Now you have a nice little pocket. Glue the 1-1/4" x 4-1/4" DSP onto the front of the gift card holder with some Glue Stick.

3. Take your So Saffron card stock and place it on your Simply Scored with the 5-1/2" edge against the top. Score at 3/4" and 4-3/4". Stamp the "happy" and "birthday" from Endless Birthday Wishes in Bermuda Bay and Baked Brown Sugar ink. You want the greeting to be close to one of the score lines, but in the middle section. 

4. Now flip over the So Saffron card stock and add Sticky Strip to the top flap as shown.

5. Flip the card stock back over to the stamped side and fold up on both of the score lines.

6. Insert the So Saffron card stock as far into the pocket as it will go. Then remove the Sticky Strip liner and press the flap of the gift card holder closed. This gets the So Saffron card stock stuck down in just the right place.

7. Punch one long edge of the Tangerine Tango piece with the Scallop Edge Punch. Glue this under the flap of the gift card holder with some Glue Stick.

8. The Tangerine Tango card stock should bump up against the score line on the So Saffron card stock. Now when you open the gift card holder it looks like this.

9. At this point you can insert your gift card. I keep a store card that I don't really use in my craft room for when I make gift card holders. That way I know I have the right size pocket. The fold on the bottom of the So Saffron card stock holds the card and pulls it up when the gift card holder is opened. Cool huh?

10. Now use some 2-Way Glue Pen to glue the strip of Glimmer Paper at the edge of the flap. Gotta have some sparkle right?

11. Use the Gift Bow die to cut the remaining pieces of DSP. The stripe DSP is for the long section of the bow. The smallest is for the little piece that wraps around the middle, and the remaining piece is used to cut out the tails of the bow. Once you have all the pieces cut take the long section of the bow. Fold the ends toward the middle and glue the tabs into the middle one at a time with Multipurpose Liquid Adhesive.

11. Now glue the tails onto the bow with Multipurpose Liquid Adhesive.

12. Now glue one end of the small strip. Wrap the strip around the bow and back around to the back and glue the end down onto the back with more Multipurpose Liquid Adhesive.

13. Finally use a little more Multipurpose Liquid Adhesive to glue the bow onto the top of your gift card holder.

Now it's ready to give! With gift cards being such a popular gift it would probably be a good idea to have a few of these on had for that last minute gift.

What do you think? Are there any other specific projects or tutorials that you would like me to do?