RubberStampingDiva.com

Today's post is my entry in Amy Celona's "Impress Me Design Challenge".  The theme was a "3-D Halloween" project and while I thought about creating something else…yet ANOTHER Triangle Treat Box was begging to be made

I know….why didn't I think of this idea sooner?  All I can say is, "DUH!"  Truly….it is kind of a no brainer!  And yes, I could have sponged the colored bands onto white cardstock and made it easier on myself (I certainly wouldn't be sitting covered in glitter!) but really…what fun is that????  And this is for a Challenge…for those of you who don't know Amy , well…she does NOTHING half way…and I wasn't about to create anything sub-standard! 

Let's break this down:  The white and yellow bands are strips of cardstock that have been torn and then attached to the orange box piece (8.5" x 4.25").  The torn edges were covered in a light layer of glue (2-way glue pen) and immediately dipped in glitter (to make them look "sugary").  The 'peek-a-boo' window…again, may be a bit much for some of you and is completely optional…but isn't fun to get a peek at the goodies inside?  Surrounding the window, I used "omission stamping" to get just the words from the stamp (Batty for You, ©Stampin' Up!) and then used the Coluzzle cutter to cut the circle out of the middle (a punch wouldn't reach and with the Coluzzle's clear template, I was able to center the circle EXACTLY!)  I punched a large circle out of a piece of page protector and glued that over the window opening.  Finally, I filled the box with Candy Corn (natch!) and tied it closed with a piece of narrow, orange grosgrain ribbon.

Isn't this a great idea for a quick class or Teacher Treat?  Still more to come…stay tuned or sign up for my e-mail updates!

For those not completely over my obsession with these Triangle Treat Boxes – today we have a witch!  I’m sure there MUST be an easier way to make her….but I haven’t figured it out yet…if you know, please share!  

This time I used a half sheet of cardstock cut lengthwise (4.25" x 11") to give me longer, narrower Treat Box.  I recovered the top portion with black cardstock and a strip of orange as her hat.  But it still needed a brim!  Here’s where it got interesting: I cut out a "donut" shape using my Oval Coluzzle template, snipped one end and wrapped this curved piece around the box.  The brim is held in place with 2 glue dots.  It’s not perfect, but it works.  The rest of her face follows the same basic pattern we’ve been using: Circle Punches for the eyes (don’t forget the penwork, this is very important!) 3 Flower Punch petals for the lashes, Tab Punch nose, Oval Punch for the ears (I think she needs some earrings!)  I drew her mouth on and added a small mole/beauty mark.

The final detail was a teeny tiny spider made from the 1/2" and 1/4" Circle Punches.  I used the remaining flower petals as legs and popped the spider’s head with a mini-foam dot!  

The finished Treat Box just makes you smile…and that’s the real *magic*!

I wasn’t kidding when I said I was on a roll with these Treat Boxes (can one really "roll" a "Triangle Treat Box"…hmmmm?)  Today’s fang-tastic addition to the line of Halloween Treat Boxes seems almost ready to say, "I vant to eat your treats!"

I made him for my two daughters who, like almost EVERY other teen on the planet lately, seem obsessed with all things vampire!  They’re into the Twilight series, Vampire Diaries, Evermore…and me being the bookworm I am, I’m just happy they FINALLY see reading as fun!  

There’s nothing too fancy about Dracula, here…his widow’s peak is simply a strip of cardstock that’s been punched using the Large Circle and the Word Window punches.  His brows are the curves of the Tab Punch, his nose is the Word Window punch.  Originally, his eyes were made using the Oval punches but he came out looking to cruel/mean for my tastes…I wanted a cute & friendly vampire, you understand  So I re-did his eyes using the circle punches and added some penwork.  His lips are half of the Small and Large Oval punches, his fangs are made from a "double punch" of the Tab Punch.  I tied the box shut using a piece of black grosgrain ribbon, because Dracula was always dressed to the nines

Yes, I am still working on that Triangle Treat Box tutorial I promised…things aren’t going as smoothly as I would like, but I should have it up within a day or two!  On a technical note: for those of you who are subscribers to this site: Have you been receiving you updates by email this week?  I am trying to figure out if there is a problem with my FeedBurner feed and I need YOUR input – Thanks!

Nope!  Just going a little "batty" for these silly Triangle Boxes again!  For those who requested a little reminder in the creation of the basic box form…no worries, I am working on that tutorial for you  This one was made from a quarter sheet of cardstock (4.25" x 5.5") if you can believe it!  And while he didn’t turn out exactly as I planned…he is growing on me.  His ears are petals from the 5-Petal Flower punch.  His nose, toes and fangs are also petals from one of the 3-Flower punches.  His wings were a little tricky…I really need to get some new product apparently!  But for now I just went with what I had on hand and used my Coluzzle and cut the largest circle I could from a quarter sheet of cardstock.  I cut the circle in half, then used the Scallop Circle punch to take "three bites" out of his wings…giving them their scalloped look (I hope that makes sense!)Next time I might just use the Large Circle or Oval punch for this…I added wiggle eyes to make him more fun because really, isn’t that what Halloween is all about?  Still more to come…stay tuned!

 Here I go again!  I don’t know what set me off this time…because as you may have guessed I have been a busy little mommy bee…buzzing my babies hither, thither and yon…with nary a moment to myself….I promise!  No crafting, no shopping, NOTHING!  I keep saying I’m going to paint my mini-van yellow with a balck & white checkerboard and take on extra fares in between pick-ups and drop-offs to make extra gas money!  To give you an idea how behind I am….I have actually made a list of "thank you’s", "birthdays" & "new baby" cards that I need to make when I find some time (and this is Nat’l Cardmaking Month…I am sooo ashamed!)…usually I have a few extras of those lyin’ around!  

See!  I go sidetracked again!  Back to this Treat Box – so, I’m laying in bed, thinking I need to get all the Halloween stuff out of the attic, make those cards I was just telling you about AND get ready for Trunk-N-Treat….when *POP!* this little guy just appears in my brain!  Needless to say, I got none of that other stuff done….I drug out all of my supplies and got to work!

He was soooo simple to put together, I promise!  A basic Triangle Treat Box made from a half sheet of cardstock (8.5" x 5.5").  I’m pretty sure everyone knows how to make those by now…if not, let me know!  I don’t know that y’all need a tutorial if you don’t TELL me  His hands are made from the Keytag and Word Window punches.  His eyes are the 1/2" & 3/4" punches with a little bit of pen work.  His mouth is the Small Oval punch.  The scallop edge along the bottom was created using the Tab punch.  The box is kept closed with a bit of black hemp and a little tag was stamped using SU!’s "Batty for You" set (retired?)  Oh, and don’t forget those wiggle eyes!  I think this little guy would be an ideal "Boo-ing" gift for my new neighbors…filled with something sweet and a gift card or two…

P.S.-

There is PLENTY more where he came from!  You won’t believe what I have coming up this month Stay tuned!

Like any good scrapbooker, I am driven to use EVERY scrap in front of me!  You say, ‘compulsive’ I say, ‘creative’.  And every once in a while, I come up with a project that’s as cute as the original…case in point…Lil’ Frankie!

When I made the 2-5-7-10 box, I saved the 2" long flap that needed to be cut away to create the box.  The result?  This sweet Little Frankie…I think he’d make a great bookmark (nobody would bother your book!) or addition to a Halloween scrapbook page….if he had a pocket on the back, he could hold: pixie sticks, licorice, pencils, etc.

He was assembled in much the same way as the original…I did end up using the Key Tag punch for his nose though (the Tab Punch was too wide for this slender version.)  Don’t forget the sponging and the Gel Pen accents…I can’t say this enough…it’s all about the details!

I am often asked where I get my ideas from.  Sometimes (not often, mind you!) an idea just hits me!  Oftentimes I see something in a store, and I think, "I can make that!" and then there’s the rest of the time…when I am inspired by something created by one of my Sister Stampers.  The other day, Cambria Turnbow posted this adorable bag/box on her blog and I just had to make one for myself.  Now, I don’t have the Big Shot or the die she used…as I said I was ‘inspired’ by her project.

I took her original project, used the supplies I had on hand and my own imagination and came up with my own Frankenstien Treat Box.  Frankie, here is actually a basic 2-5-7-10 box.  I used brads and hex nuts for the bolts in his neck.  I used the Tab Punch for his nose and 3 different Circle punches for his eyes.  The extra brads in his head are holding the flap closed (this is in place of ribbon from the original design) and allow you to open the box without damaging all my hard work  

Here you can see more of the detail and the dimension that really make Frankie so much fun!  This box also could be made with black cardstock with a green layer for the front.  The key with any Paper Piecing project though is in the details…don’t forget to sponge those layers, pop-up layers with dots and add sparkle with your gel pen.  That’s what will take your work from blah to BRAVO!

And I mean that both literally and figuratively. As you may know by now, I was in charge of this year’s Trunk-or-Treat for the kids’ school and everything is always under control until the last 2 or 3 days…then it all seems to snowball on me! Last minute forms turned in…necessitating last minute changes to the pizza order…well, you get the idea. My point here is that I left my own “trunk” theme until the last minute and well, when you are a stamper every problem becomes an opportunity to “play”….so I dug out my stamps, stamp pads, punches, card stock and glues dots and just like *magic* I had a miniature carnival for my trunk! I hot glued felt to make bean bags for the “Pumpkin Toss” and those were stamped with a pumpkin face and Staz-On. Then I wrapped bowling pins in gauze (yes, I keep plenty of both on hand…because you just never know!) and used the glue dots to hold the gauze in place. I used the punches to make faces for my little “mummies” and voila’ I had “Bowling for Mummies”! We also offered a “Pick-a-Pop” for the toddlers and a Webkins raffle….needless to say we had a VERY popular trunk!
Now, you may never need to make a face for your bowling pins, but remember to drag out those punches the next time you need to whip up a card or a gift tag….you just never know what will happen when you get a little “punchy”!

…everything becomes an opportunity to stamp and use your stamping supplies!  I was in charge of the school’s Trunk-or-Treat again this year (and by this I don’t mean I ran a committee…I mean I WAS the committee!)  After collecting the fees and all the prizes (top 4 decorated cars/trunks get prizes with the top car receiving a “Best in Show” award) I couldn’t very well hand out plain ‘ol gift cards and gift certificates and a carboard box filled with Halloween decorations.  There’s that ancient saying, “If all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail”…well, if you are a stamper than if it doesn’t move, STAMP IT!  (If it does move, stamp it faster!)  So I took, this collection of unadorned items and turned them into things I was proud to give away!   Of course, I donated an item or two myself…the now infamous Peeps in a Jar and some gift certificates got a coordinating look with some Designer Series Paper.  The tall envelope was created using a standard envelope that’s been crimped and had the end  snipped off for the bottom.  I then took another envelope (same size), cut it in half, decorated it and used it as the topper.

This box from Staples was the only thing I found strong enough and large enough to hold all the Halloween items that were donated by one family…it’s almost a Halloween Party in a Box!  I hated to leave it plain so I stamped the images from the Batty for You set and punched them out and glued them randomly all over the sides of the box.  Finally I covered the printed labels with the words from the Creepy Crawly Designer Series Paper.

The top two prizes were dining gift cards and a gift certificate…small items but with a large dollar amount and I wanted the wrapping to reflect that.  I created a special envelope for the gift certificate complete with a medallion and google eyes.  The gift cards went into a 2-5-7-10 box that was decorated with…what else, more DSP and the Batty for You set.  Between the ticket sales, glow stick sales and a Webkins® raffle we made a little over $600 for the school last night!  Not too bad for a one woman show.

This one’s an oldie but a goodie and just perfect for all the little ghouls and goblins who may come knocking on your door this All Hallows Eve…Simply cut a piece of cardstock in half so that it measures 5.5″ x 8.5″. Now, stamp as desired (here I used the Batty For You set.) Score the cardstock at 2″ and 4.25″ (this way the center section is the largest) and use a circle punch to punch half way thru the top of the center section (this gives you the notch…making it easier to add and remove your treats!) Apply adhesive to the back flap and crimp the bottom to complete. Yes, I went a little overboard adding a belly band of Creepy Crawly Designer Series Paper and a medallion complete with google eyes…but it was so easy! Now, what to fill these with, you ask? Well, how about:

• pencils
• individually wrapped licorice
• peppermint sticks
• seasonal straws
• pixie sticks
• fast food coupons
• glow sticks
• slap bracelets

• really anything long, skinny & flat!

If you stamp the card stock all at once, then cut it , then score, etc. This project really does go fast! Yes, I speak from experience….and yes, I will be making 70 of these for Wednesday! Happy Halloween!