After I made the little snowmen out of the favor boxes I had the big plastic box left that held the containers. What to do? I removed the cardboard insert and made my own with Whisper White card stock. Ta-da!
His eyes are the 1 1/4 circle punch, mouth is the 1/2 circle punch and his nose is hand cut. I added a 1 inch strip of Ski Slope DSP at the bottom to make a scarf. The felt flurries at the top are tied together with a Baja Breeze button.
Add a little tag made with Punch Pals and the scallop punch and you’re finished! (That’s a fake dew drop in the center from the floral section at Michaels.) Now I’m wondering what other plastic boxes I can alter! Lots of make up and bath sets come in plastic boxes – I may be buying Christmas gifts for people by choosing boxes I can decorate! Enjoy! Hugs, Fran
Category: Special Projects
Measurements for Tag Tin
I’ve gotten quite a few requests for the measurements on the tags and the insert for my little tag tin project – 
The finished tag sizes are 2 1/4 x 4 1/4 (long tag) and 2 1/4 x 2 1/2 (both small tags)
To make the insert, start with a piece of card stock that is 4 3/4 x 6 1/8. Score at 2 1/2, 2 7/8 and 3 1/4. This will give you the center fold to divide the box in half.
To make the piece that divides the right hand section in half, start with a piece of card stock that is 2 7/8 x 1 3/4. Score at 1/2, 7/8 and 1 1/4. Fold it and adhere the flaps at the center of the side section.
Enjoy! Hugs, Fran
More Tags
Here’s another set of tags using the Winter Posts stamp set and the Holiday Treasures DSP – and a few of the wonderful felt snowflakes. 
I didn’t add the silver cord to the longer tags so that they can be tucked into the presents. I can always add it later if needed! Enjoy! Hugs, Fran
Punch Pal Tags
How about a tag set that fits in the tins Stampin UP! is selling? These are made with Punch Pals and Frosty Days DSP. To adhere the paper to the tin, I used the Tombow Multipurpose adhesive – works great!
Enjoy! Hugs, Fran
Snowman trinket box
I found these little plastic boxes in Michaels in the bridal section. They are simply labeled Party Favors (20 to a box.) I decided to turn them into Snowmen!
The bottoms are wrapped with a 1 7/8 x 7 strip of Whisper White and the hats are 1 x 7 Basic Black with a 1/4″ band of Ski Slope DSP. His face is punched with the 1/4″ circle punch and the nose is hand cut from Pumpkin Pie. I add a bit of Blush Blossom pastel to his cheeks. To make the top piece with the hanger, cut a piece 1 5/8 x 1 5/8 and punch a hole in the center using the 1/16″ hole punch. Thread 9″ of Silver cord through the hole and adhere with Sticky Strip. You can add a small present – or chocolate – and hang him from the tree or use as a tie on. Enjoy! Hugs, Fran
Advent Calendar
Here’s my advent calendar for this year – only it uses last year’s DSP! Sorry about that – but I am on a mission to use up the paper around this craft room! This is done on a piece of canvas on a wooden frame that I found in the art section at Michaels. 
To adhere the Real Red (4 x 20) and the Dashing DSP (6 x 6 squares) I used Mod Podge. The card stock of Old Olive and Real Red (4 x 4 squares) were adhered with Sticky Strip. I decorated the tins with more DSP and adhered them with velcro dots and finished the edges of the frame with Real Red 5/8 inch grosgrain ribbon.
The title is computer generated and the Santa’s are made with the Big Shot scallop die and a hand cut hat. The pom poms are from the pennant die. 
We have three birthday’s in December so I marked those with the star stamp from Spotlight on the Holidays. 
The numbers are die cut from the Go Go Boots alphabet and the last tin is decorated with another stamp from Spotlight on the Holidays and Real Red brads and the scallop square punch. Enjoy! Hugs, Fran
More Ornaments
I started to post this ornament yesterday –
which is made with the Big Shot Bird with Leaves and Flowers die. I cut it out of chipboard and embossed using my Versamark pad (really “smoosh” it on there!) and Silver Embossing Powder. Color a flower from the Pretties Kit with a Real Red SWM and adhere with a glue dot – topping it off with a half pearl. Then I added some crystal beads from the Pretties Kit to the hanger. Okay – it’s alright – but this is better – 
This one I die cut twice so I could layer the wing (which is hard to see in the photo, sorry!) I used one of the hat pins from the Pretties Kit and added some Pearls and Flowers so she’d had a branch to sit on! (Adhered with Crystal Effects.) Then I strung the fishing wire hanger with pearls instead of crystals. While I was making ornaments – how about a glass ball (this one is kind of a flat ball) with a Rub On and snow? 
The Rub On is from Word Flurries (which is on sale right now!) and I added a gem to the center. Then I flipped it over and did another snow flake on the other side.
Sorry to go on and on! Enjoy! Hugs, Fran
Snowman ornament pouch
I love to hang treats on the tree! The Big Shot Pillow dies makes this easy!
This cute guy is cut from Whisper White card stock. His eyes and mouth are the 1/4 inch circle punch and his nose was cut freehand from some Only Orange. Use a sponge to add some Pretty in Pink to his cheeks and white gel pen to highlight his eyes. A loop of silver cord makes the hanger and a scrap of ribbon makes a charming scarf. Put a piece of chocolate inside the pouch and he makes a yummy treat! Enjoy! Hugs, Fran
Join in the Cheer ornaments
I just had to pull out the Big Shot Join in the Cheer die cut strip and try it on some glass ornaments. The question was – which adhesive would work best? I’ve done some experimenting so you can skip the parts that didn’t work! I started by running the die cut through my Big Shot machine using a 3 x 12 inch piece of Real Red. After I cut the individual words apart I tried using my Xyron (machine), glue dots, Snail adhesive and Crystal Effects to adhere the words to the glass balls. They all stuck to the ornaments – at least at first! To make a long story short, the only adhesive that held up well before, during, and after was the Crystal Effects. Yes, it takes a bit longer to allow for drying – but the end results were great! Here are the ornaments – minus the “cheer” because the Xyron adhesive didn’t hold up at all and I scrapped that entire ornament and will have to remake it!
Hummmmm, they could use some bows! So what are you waiting for? Get busy making ornaments! Enjoy! Hugs, Fran
Christmas ornament
It’s almost time to start decorating for Christmas – or at least getting ready to decorate! Can you believe how fast this year has gone? So this week I’m going to feature ornaments that you can make for your tree or packages. 
This ornament is a porcelain disk that I bought at Michaels. The stamp set is Season of Simple Grace. I stamped the image – using my Stamp a ma jig – in Versamark on the ornament and embossed it with Gold Embossing powder. This takes a little bit of time and the ornament gets VERY HOT before the powder begins to melt. And it stays hot for a while! Patience is required here! Take a gold paint pen and go around the side and then add a star punched out of Brushed Gold card stock. I adhered it with a mini glue dot and then pierced a hole through it. The half pearl is from the Pretties Kit and is adhered with Crystal Effects. Sorry the picture is a bit blurry!
You could easily add a “to/from” on the back and attach it to a present – or it could be a present on its own! Have fun trying this ornament! Enjoy! Hugs, Fran