Dannie's Designs

Halloween Box

This morning when I took the kids to school it was chilly outside and very foggy.  I guess that put me in a Fall mood because when I sat down to stamp I immediately pulled out my Halloween stamps.  I saw the cutest Halloween box in the September Stampin' Success magazine (a newsletter for Stampin' Up! demonstrators) so I had to make my own.  Of course I made a few changes along the way.

 

The Batty for You stamp set is my favorite Halloween stamp set.  I love stamping the images, layering them like the one picture above, and attaching them to Peppermint Patties.  They also make great gift tags or accents on cards and boxes. 

I just realized that I forgot to do one thing on this project--add googly eyes to the spider.  I'll have to fix that.

With the help of my Big Shot, this project was so quick and easy to make.  The box was cut out using the Fancy Favor die and the Basic Black layer was embossed using the Spider Web embossing folder. 

The handle is an 8 1/2" x 1" piece of Pumpkin Pie cardstock.  I had a spool of this Halloween ribbon sitting in my stash, so I decided to add it to the handle to dress it up a little bit.  I used a couple of black brads to help reinforce the handle.

This box is the perfect size to fill with a cello bag full of chocolates or some other treat.  You'll notice that I don't have anything in mine.  That's because I would eat all of that chocolate before Halloween even got here and I could give it away.  I will wait until the night before I give it away to fill it with candy.  I just know myself too well so I don't even tempt myself. 

Be sure to stop back by my blog on Wednesday.  I have a huge SURPRISE for all of you that you don't want to miss out on!  Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps:  Batty for You
Paper:  Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black
Ink:  Basic Black
Accessories:  Black Brads, Dimensionals,
Punches:  Circle (1 1/4", 1 3/8"), Scalloped Circle
Big Shot:  Fancy Favor Die, Spider Web Embossing Folder

Cookie Stamping

Today I have another fun goody from convention to show you.  This fall Stampin' Up! will be releasing a set of stamps for your COOKIES!  It will come with three different designs and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will be coming out with more exclusive designs in the future.  They did NOT say that they would have other designs in the future, I'm just hoping.

If you click on the image, you can see a larger version to get a better look at the images.  These cookies are about 3" across.  During lunch one day at convention, they gave us all a cookie to eat that was stamped just like these.  They were delicious.  The best part is that the cookie stamps will come with cookies recipes that work well with the stamps.

Here's a sleeve of the cookies packaged in a cello bag with a darling tag attached.

Here's a box (which we will be selling in the Holiday Mini Catalog) that is the perfect size for holding four cookies.  I can't wait to get my hands on these cookie stamps and these boxes.  This will make giving gifts this holiday season so easy and my kids will love helping me make them.  The cookie stamps will be available for purchase on October 1st.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Pumpkin Box

I can't believe it's October already.  This is my favorite time of year.  The kids are back in school, the weather is cooling off, and all of my favorite holidays are just around the corner.  The fall is my favorite time of year to bake and to stamp.  I enjoy blog surfing for fun holiday projects to try.  Look at this darling project I found on Becky Robert's blog (click on the link for patterns and directions).

 

Isn't that cute?

The box is much tinier than I thought it was.  It will hold a couple of miniature chocolate bars or a couple of Hershey's Nuggets.  It's a quick, easy project that you can make and give away to let people know you're thinking of them.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Stamps:  Autumn Days
Paper:  Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery, Close to Cocoa
Ink:  Pumpkin Pie (sponged on the edge of each oval), Old Olive
Accessories:  Silver Brads, Sticky Strip, Sponge
Punches:  Wide Oval

Halloween Peppermint Patties

I wanted to put some candy inside my Frankie box that I made in my last post, so I played with some Peppermint Patties and came up with these.



Normally I cover the peppermint patties with my Scalloped Circle punch, however I wanted to see what I could make with my other punches.



I used three large oval punches and two small oval punches to make this pumpkin.  I sponged Pumpkin Pie ink around all of the ovals before I assembled them together.  I punched out another set of ovals to cover the back of the Peppermint Pattie too.  I used a scrap piece of Close to Cocoa cardstock to make the stem.



For the ghost I cut two pieces of Whisper White cardstock to 1 5/8" x 2 1/4".  I stacked them both on top of each other and inserted them into my 1 3/4" Circle punch like this...



and then punched them to get the rounded top.  For the bottom of the ghost I used the 1/4" Square punch and punched along the bottom like this.



I finished the ghost by adding two 1/4" Basic Black circles for eyes and sponging Going Gray ink around the edges.



I made the curved portion of my tombstone the same way I did for the ghost.  I took a marker and wrote "RIP" on the tombstone.  I finished it by adding some grass (cut Kiwi Kiss cardstock) to the bottom.



I think Frankie is my favorite.  His face is 1 5/8" x 2 1/4".  The whites of his eyes and eyelids are made using the 1/2" circle punch and the black of his eyes and his nose are the 1/4" circle punch.  I added the tiniest arrow from the My Way punch for the bolts in his head.  I also put a tiny piece of dimensional behind each eyelid and his nose. 



Here are all of the Peppermint Patties next to the Frankie Box.  I love the way they turned out.  Have fun playing with some Peppermint Patties and see what you come up with.  Leave a comment with a link to your creations so I can check them out.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

2-5-7-10 Frankie Box

While I was swapping at convention I got the cutest Frankenstein card by Kathy Alt.  Of course now that I'm talking about it, I can't find it to take a picture.  Then again if you could see my stamp room you'd understand why I can't find it.  It's a disaster because I've been going through all of my stamp sets and pulling out the retired stamp sets that are for sale.

I used Kathy's card as inspiration and decided to make a 2-5-7-10 Frankie box.



Didn't he turn out cute?  I love it!  I started with an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of Kiwi Kiss cardstock and used this tutorial on Splitcoast to make the box. 



I punched out two large arrows from Brushed Silver cardstock with the My Way punch.  I adhered those to either side of the box lid flap.  Next I glued a 2" x 3" piece of Perfect Plum cardstock on top.  I took a pair of scissors and cut out his hair.  It's difficult to see in the photo, but I also sponged Perfect Plum ink around all of the edges of the Perfect Plum cardstock.



Here's what the box looked like before I assembled it together.  I drew the mouth on the cardstock with my Basic Black marker.  The whites of the eyes and the eyelids were made with the 1 1/4" circle punch.  The blacks of his eyes were made with the 3/4" circle punch.  His nose is the small oval punch. 

I sponged Old Olive ink around the edges of his eyelids, nose, and on all of the edges of the box.  The nose and eyelids are attached with dimensionals to help them stand out.  I used my white gel pen to draw some highlights on the black part of his eyes.  I used Velcro dots to hold the lid closed.

Be sure to check back tomorrow to see what I filled the box with.  I'll see you then!  ~Dannie

Paper: Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black, Perfect Plum, Brushed Silver
Ink: Perfect Plum, Basic Black, Old Olive, White Gel Pen
Accessories: Dimensionals, Sponge, Velcro
Punches: Circle (1 1/4", 3/4"), Small Oval, My Way

Cookie Making Kit

I apologize for going MIA the past couple of days.  I needed to slow down for a few days and concentrate on what's most important to me--my family.  We've had fun working on jigsaw puzzles, baking cookies, and playing together.  It really rejuvenated me.

Over this past month (since my surgery) I have been the recipient of so much service.  People from church gave my children rides to and from school and their various activities, brought dinners to us, did my dishes, and even picked up groceries at the store for me.  Many of the people who helped are stay-at-home mothers just like me.  I was trying to think of something I could do to thank them for their service and then it hit me--cookies!  I had so much fun baking cookies with my children that I thought I could share that fun with them and let them bake with their children too.  So I made this...



a cookie making kit.  I purchased the cookie mix, frosting, cookie cutters, and napkins from Target (I used the napkins to line the bottom of the bag).  The cookie mix was in the baking aisle and everything else was in the Halloween section.



I punched a 1/4" hole in the sealed portion across the top of the cookie mix bag.  You don't want to punch the hole too low or the mix will spill out the hole.  I threaded some grosgrain ribbon through the hole and tied on two of the cookie cutters.



I bought this fun orange frosting with Halloween sprinkles in the lid.  I cut a 3 1/2" x 11" piece of designer series paper and wrapped it around the outside of the frosting container.  I added a 1" x 11" piece of Basic Black cardstock for a belly band and then tied some Tangerine Tango ribbon around it.



I also added a scalloped medallion to the top of the frosting can.



The last item I made was a 3x3 card to use as a thank you note.  I used three large oval punches and two small oval punches to make this pumpkin.  I sponged around the edges of all of the ovals to make the layers stand out more.  For the stem I used a thin piece of Close to Cocoa cardstock.

The pumpkin seemed to be lost sitting on top of the designer series paper (it was too busy), so I added the black circle.  I used the Baskets & Blooms big shot die to cut the circle out--it's the bottom of the basket.

I have several more of these to make and then I can deliver them, so I better run.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Stamps: Batty For You
Paper: Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa, Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss, Ghostly Greetings DSP
Ink: Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain, Tangerine Tango Ribbon, Crafters' Tool Kit
Punches: Large and Small Oval, Scallop Circle, Circle (1 1/4", 1 3/8", and 1/4")
Big Shot: Baskets and Blooms Bigz Die

Big Shot Scallop Envelope Box

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  With the days flying by as quickly as they are, Halloween will be here before I know it.  I love to give my children's teachers a Halloween gift, so I made these Scallop Envelope boxes.



As I blog hop, I like to open new tabs every time I see a fun idea I want to try.  It's my way of temporarily bookmarking the page without using bookmarks.  I had about 10-15 tabs open last week--one of which was to the original creator of this idea--when somebody used my computer and closed all of my tabs!!!  Yeah, I was a little upset.  So I don't know who to credit for this wonderful idea.

Here's how I made the box.

Step 1: Using the Big Shot, cut out 4 Scallop Envelopes.  Make sure to cut these out one at a time.  If you try to cut out more than one at the same time, the die may cut the cardstock where it should score it.  The sandwich I used on my Big Shot was Cutting Pad, Crease pad shims (white plastic sheets that come with the Crease Pad), Scallop Envelope Bigz Die, Cardstock, and the Premium Crease Pad.  Remember, if you're using the Premium Crease Pad, you do NOT use the top cutting pad.

Step 2: Look at the scallops on the envelopes to see which is the front side of the cardstock and which is the back side.  As you can see in the photo below, the front side is smooth where the dotted lines are cut near each scallop.   The back side of the cardstock is all bumpy where the dotted lines are cut near each scallop.  You can click on the photo to see an enlarged version.



Step 3: With the front of the cardstock facing up, follow the score line and cut off the right flap on all four of the envelopes as shown in the photo below. 



Step 4: Turn the cardstock over so the back bumpy side is showing.  Add two pieces of Sticky Strip to each envelope as shown in the photo.



Step 5:  Remove the sticky strip off the right flap and adhere one of the other scalloped envelopes *on top* of the flap.  Even though this is the bumpy back side, this is the outside of the box so the flaps need to be under the envelope to the right.



Step 6:  After all four envelopes are adhered together, bring the last remaining flap around and adhere it to the inside of the first envelope.



Step 7:  Turn the box upside down so it's standing on the scalloped edges.  Fold in the top and bottom flaps.  Add Sticky Strip to the left and right flaps.  Remove the red liner on the Sticky Strip and fold the left and right flaps in to form the bottom of the box.



Step 8:  Now that the bottom is formed, it's time to decorate the sides.  The distance around the box is greater than 12" so it will need to be pieced together with two pieces of designer series paper (DSP).  I started with a piece of DSP that measured 2" x 11" and adhered it to the box as shown in the photo below.  I cut a second piece of DSP that was 2" x 2 1/2" and adhered it on top to cover up the remaining side of the box.



Step 9:  Remove the red liner on the Sticky Strip on each scalloped flap and adhere all four flaps down.  Decorate the box with ribbon and embellishments as desired. 

The finished size of the box is 2 1/4" tall and each side is 3 1/4" long.

If you decide to make one of these, I'd love to see your creations.  Please leave a comment on this post so I can see what you've made.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Stamps: Batty for You
Paper: Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Gray, Ghostly Greetings DSP
Ink: Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Basic Black Grosgrain, Sticky Strip, Dimensionals, Crafters' Tool Kit, Large Cello Bag
Punches: Scalloped Circle, Circle (1 1/4" and 1 3/8")
Big Shot: Scallop Envelope Bigz Die, Premium Crease Pad

Batty for You

I hope you had a fantastic weekend.  My recovery has gone very well and I'm beginning to feel like myself again.  I even managed to drive my children to school today.  Now the only thing holding me back is this terrible cold I caught this weekend.  Ugh!  At least I was finally able to stamp today--yeah!



I used Beate's weekend sketch challenge to get my creative juices going.



This card came together so quickly.  I love this new Ghostly Greetings designer series paper.  It's perfect for making Halloween cards and treats.



I added booglie eyes on the little bat.  As you can see, the left eye is one size larger than the right eye.  I think it gives him more of a "batty" look.

I plan on being back tomorrow with another new card to show you.  I've really missed being able to stamp.  Now that I've started again, I don't want to stop!  Thanks for stopping by.  ~Dannie

Stamps: Batty for You
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss, Pumpkin Pie, Ghostly Greetings DSP
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Kiwi Kiss Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Booglie Eyes, Crafters' Tool Kit
Punches: Scalloped Circle, Circle (1 1/4" and 1 3/8")

Halloween Card

I hope you had a wonderful Labor Day.  I had a great birthday weekend.  We went shopping, went out to dinner, had a birthday party, had a barbecue, went swimming, and lots of other fun stuff.  I couldn't have asked for a better birthday.  Thank you to all of you who helped make my birthday special by sending cards, emails, or leaving a comment on my blog.  I really appreciate it.

Now that my birthday is over, that means the holidays are right around the corner.  This is my favorite time of year.  I know not all people celebrate Halloween, but I love Halloween.  I think it comes with having the last name "Graves."  LOL!  Today I thought I'd show you a simple, fun Halloween card that's made without any stamps!



Isn't that a cute mummy?  I saw this idea a couple of years ago and I *think* it was Jan Tink who made it.  I can't find the original card so I'm not 100% sure who to credit.  I remember that the eyes were stamped, but I decided to use circle punches instead. 

To make the mummy you'll need

• One piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock cut to 3 5/8" x 4 7/8"
• Four pieces of Very Vanilla Cardstock cut to 5 1/2" x 1"
• One piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock cut to 5 1/2" x 1/2"

Sponge all of the edges with Creamy Caramel ink.   For the 1/2" wide piece, you want to sponge both sides (front and back) because both sides will show when you tie it in a knot.



Take the 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of cardstock and pull it across a pen to help break up the fibers.  You do this the same way you would pull curling ribbon across a pair of scissors to make it curl.



Once you've done this, *gently* tie your cardstock into a single knot.  Don't pull hard on the ends of the cardstock or you'll rip it.  You want to fold your cardstock into place rather than pull on it.  Set this aside.

Next you want to adhere the mummy's eyes to the largest piece of Vanilla cardstock.  I made the eyes with three circle punches--1 3/8", 1 1/4", and 3/4".  Rotate the mummy's eyes so he's looking cross-eyed or however you'd like.  You'll notice that I placed the eyes more towards the right side of the card.



Adhere the four 1" wide pieces of cardstock to the mummy.  You want the ends of the 1" strips to hang off both sides of the cardbase.  Overlap the strips and angle them differently so it looks like the mummy is wrapped in bandages.  Add the "knotted" cardstock bow to his head.



Turn your mummy over and trim off the excess cardstock.  Once you've done that, you need to go back and sponge more Creamy Caramel ink on the ends of the strips right where you just cut.  This helps the mummy's bandages look old and aged.  Adhere your mummy to your card base and you're done!

Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Paper: Very Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Perfect Plum
Ink: Creamy Caramel
Accessories: Sponge
Punches: Circle (1 3/8", 1 1/4", 3/4")

Happy Halloween!

When I went down to Kathy's for her mini convention, she showed me how to make the paper cups that were demonstrated at convention.  I wanted to make a Halloween gift for my children's teachers, so I thought I'd give the cups a try.

I used the Dixie Grab 'N Go 12 oz cups. 

Here's a picture so you'll recognize them in the store.  I've seen them in Wal-mart as well as Target.

To get the pattern for these cups, you have to take one apart and trace it onto chipboard.  I used my Spooky Skyline wheel across the bottom and the star stamp from Background Basics across the top of my Pumpkin Pie card stock.

For the tag I rolled my Happy Jacks wheel across white card stock and used my Tag Corner Punch on the top corners.  Then I layered it on Pumpkin Pie card stock.  I filled the cello bag with chocolate. 

Happy Halloween!

Stamps: Spooky Skyline Wheel, Happy Jacks Wheel, Background Basics, Batty for You
Paper: White, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black
Accessories: Pumpkin Grosgrain, Black Grosgrain, Cello Bag, Tag Corner Punch, Circle Punches (1 3/8", 1 1/4", 1/8"), Scalloped Circle Punch, Dimensionals, Dixie Cups