It is Thursday and time for the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge!  This week we have a color challenge and oh what a timely color combination it is!

Isn't this combination perfect for Halloween?  

I used the Takeout Treat Box to make this cute Halloween treat.  One of the dies in the Takeout Thinlits cuts out the window.  I cut a slightly larger piece of window sheet so my "mummies" would stay in the box.  The sentiment is from the versatile Itty Bitty Greetings set.  I used Stampin' Write markers to create the two tone saying.  The pumpkin leaves are from the Detailed Leaves thinlit.  To make the spirals, I wrapped a thin strip of Granny Apple Green cardstock around a wooden skewer.  To finish up my project I  used the 1/4" Mini Striped Ribbon in Gorgeous Grape.

Be sure to check out what the other members of the design team created. I am always inspired by their projects.

Just one more sleep until the Stampin' Up!® Holiday catalog goes live!  One of my favorite bundles in the Holiday catalog is Peaceful Poinsettias.  Just how much I have enjoyed playing with this set surprised me.  I pre-ordered this set because I was curious about the doily die and liked the other images and sentiments.  I have barely played with the doily die and instead have fallen for the big poinsettia.  Here's a link to a card I made using the big poinsettias.

Today I want to show you how I used the bundle to decorate a Kraft Pillow Box.  

This month when you use the Host Code S93G4H96 and place a $50 order (before shipping and tax) with me, I will send you a package of these Pillow Boxes.  Click here for more information about this gift  and Host Code.  I also want to point out the beautiful Cherry Cobbler DSP.  This is from the Dashing Along DSP.  

This DSP is a FREE  gift when you host a qualifying event ($250 in sales before shipping and tax) in September.   Contact me if you would like to host an event in September.   In my next newsletter email (9/5)  I will be sharing other ideas using the Dashing Along DSP and 4 tutorials for fun fall projects.  If you want to receive my newsletter be sure to complete the signup box on the right hand side of the blog.

Be sure to check out my Facebook page to see another pillow box using the Peaceful Poinsettias bundle.

Welcome to the Paper Pumpkin Pop Up Blog Hop! We are all fans of this monthly crafting kit and want to share with you our enthusiasm for this box of fun and creativity. The beauty of the Paper Pumpkin kit is that you can follow the directions provided in the kit to make the projects as they were designed, or use the supplies as a starting point and let your creativity run wild. On this hop we will be sharing lots of ideas with you on how to use  this month's Paper Pumpkin kit: Broadway Star.

This month's Paper Pumpkin kit is the first time the kit also coordinates with  a product suite in the Stampin' Up! Annual catalog.  Can you guess what suite it is?  It is called the Broadway Bound Suite and can be found on page 69 of the catalog.

When I opened the Paper Pumpkin box I was so happy to see a black and white striped card bases.  You know I have a thing for black and white and stripes.  

The first thing that came to mind was to make a box.  This box and lid were made from 2 card bases.  In fact everything I used on this project was in the Paper Pumpkin box except for the Black Satin ribbon which is part of the Broadway Bound suite, the purple star candle, and the surprise inside of the box.

Now you can see a little bit of what is inside.  I decorated the package with some of the many elements in this month's kit.  

Have you figured out what the package is?  It is a packet that makes an individual brownie cake in the microwave.  The person who gets this will be able to make themselves a little cake and use the purple star to make a wish.  Honestly I have no idea what the cake tastes like.  I just think it is such a fun little gift. 

Are you currently a Paper Pumpkin subscriber? If not, now is a great time to join in the fun.  Contact your demonstrator to get started or CLICK HERE* to subscribe.

Thank you for joining us as we share with you the possibilities of Paper Pumpkin, now hop over to blog to see what the talented Cheryl Hamilton has created.

Today's project just uses products that are on the Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog Last Chance list.  In fact the Designer Series Paper I used, Whole Lot of Lovely has already sold out.   This is my way of saying, don't wait too long to order off the Last Chance list.

This little purse is pretty small and holds about 5 little candies, perfect size for a little table favor.  I filled it with orange Mentos candies to coordinate with the paper.  

The other items I used are still available(at least the last time I checked) on the Last Chance List.  I will miss that sweet little flower from the Tree Builder punch.   In addition to the sweet little flower there is also an apple, raindrop,  little bird, and of course a tree.  A very useful punch indeed!   

All of the Enamel Shapes are being retired.  These little shapes are available by color collections, so you can get them in Brights, Regals and Subtles. There are 5 shapes on each sheet: hearts, stars, and 2 sizes of circles.  These make great little accents and though they be little they add a lot.

The Crushed Curry and Old Olive Mini Chevron ribbon are both being retired.  This ribbon is a great width (3/8"), soft and perfect if you are ribbon challenged.  I like this width a lot, works well for both cards and 3-D items.

Have a great Sunday!  I am going to spend some time with members of my team so it will be a fun day for me!  

Here's a fun little box perfect for St. Patrick's Day.  

It all started when I found these chocolate coins at the store and knew I had to make something with them.  Thinking about gold coins made me think about a pot of gold and that is how this project came to life.  Finally I can say that I found that elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.   

The box was made with the Lots to Love Box Framelits.  I cut  Emerald Envy card stock to 4-1/4" x 4-1/2", you will need 2 of these.  The 4- 1/4"side  is the length of the box.  I lined the flap  of the die to the edge of the card stock and cut the box.    This makes a finished box of about 2-3/4"x 3"  and holds 7 gold coins. 

 The trickiest part of this project was the rainbow.  It would have been so much easier if I had the Rainbow Builder Framelit Dies but since I don't I needed to improvise.  I cut strips of Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Emerald Envy, Pacific Point and Eggplant Envy.  I glued them on to a piece of black card stock to keep them together.  I used the same die that I used to cut out the window to cut the edge of the rainbow and hand cut the rainbow using the corner of the box as a guide.  

Are you wondering where the "lucky" came from?  It is from the Charming Cafe and is part of the sentiment, "I am Lucky to have a Friend like you".  I used a black marker to color in the word and stamped it.  

Wondering how I made the pot and the shamrock?  I used the heart design from the Window Box thinlits to cut out the hearts.

This thinlit cuts out 2 sizes of hearts.  I used the larger hearts for the pot.  When I shared this project with  my club some people also made the shamrock with the smaller hearts to put next to the lucky.  It was adorable.

I love my little pot of gold and until I found the real one, this one will do!

Don't you love when you find something that just perfectly coordinates with your stamps?  

I almost squealed out loud when I saw this  package of gum at the checkout at Target.  So cute, right?  I couldn't wait to get home so I could make this sample!  I pulled out my Lots to Love Box framelit dies and the Magical Day bundle and got to work.    

1..Cut out 2 of the Lots to Love Box framelit.

2.  Measure the gum packet from the bottom to where you want the circle to begin (7/8").  Use the #5 circle (#1 being the smallest) Layering Circle framelits and position it at 3/4" from the bottom edge of the box.  Why the difference?  There is about a 1/8" rim from the edge of the framelit to the actual cutting edge of the framelit.  Cut out the circle.  Assemble the box.  Insert the gum packet.  You may need to adjust it slightly to fit and have the unicorn show through the window.

3.  Stamp the unicorn from the Magical Day stamp set.  Color using Stampin' Write markers.  I used Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay, and Lemon Lime Twist.  I used a Q-tip to add a little Pink Pirouette cheek blush to mimic the unicorn on the gum.  Cut out the unicorn using the Magical Mates Framelits dies.  

4.  Wrap the 3/8" Lemon Lime Twist Mini Striped Ribbon around the box and tie a bow.  Attach the unicorn using Dimensionals.  

5.  Use a Black Stampin' Write marker and color in the sentiment only on the stamp from the A Good Day stamp set and  punch out using a 1" circle punch.  Punch out a Lemon Lime Twist 1-1/8" Scallop Circle.   Layer the punches and attach to the box using a Stampin' Dimensional.

I am entering this project in the What Will You Stamp challenge#156 Magical Day.  I would encourage you to check out the challenge!   The Lots to Love Box frameltis are the best!.  So many fun ways to use them, kind of like the little black dress of framelits.  

Are you a subscriber to my newsletter?  I always have a tutorial or 2 every time I send one out.  I am working on one that will be going out soon.  You will find a sign up box on the right hand side of the blog.  

I found these cute little chocolate Santas and knew I had to package them up using the Lots to Love Box framelits.

Isn't he so cute?  I love how Santa looks like he is wishing you a Happy Christmas.  I had to play around with the placement of the dies to make sure the speech bubble lined up with Santa.  The DSP I used is  Christmas Around the World and it is full of plaids and happy designs.  It is hard for me to decide which side of the paper to use.

Be sure to check out the Clearance Rack.  There are some seriously great deals.  

I am more or less done with my Christmas shopping, cards and best of all mailing!  Yesterday I went to the Post Office and it was busy but I really did not have to wait very long.  I am just so happy that I got it done!  What does this have to do with the Lots of Love Box dies?  Here's a very little something I gave to the person who helped me at the counter.

I used the Lots to Love Box dies to make this cute little box.  The box comes together quickly and it's a cute way to give a little gift.  After the Post Office I went to the store to see what other little goodies I could find to package up.  I will share those soon.

Here's another idea of how to use the framelits.  I cut down the box to fit these tea bags.  Isn't the Christmas Around the World DSP just perfect for these tea bags?  The box holds about 3 tea bags and I am making more of these.   I may just be a little obsessed with this little box and what it can hold.  I will be sharing more ideas on my Facebook page so be sure to follow me there too.

I love the Acetate Card boxes that are in the Holiday catalog.   They are great for packaging up cards and treats too.  I found these little candy bars that were all dressed up for Halloween.  I wanted them to stay upright and organized in the box so I placed them in the 2" x 8" cello bags and then into the acetate card box.  To make the little gift even more festive I made a belly band using the images from the Spooky Night Designer Series Paper. Did you know that the Patterned Pumpkins Thinlit Dies cut out the pumpkins featured on the Spooky Night DSP?  Isn't that awesome?!  I love how there is so much coordination between the products in the Holiday catalog.  I also used the Cat punch to punch out the cats that are also on the Spooky Night DSP.  The sentiment is from the Spooky Cat stamp set.  

Product List

Spooky Cat Photopolymer Stamp Set [144749] $17.00	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $6.00	Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad [126945] $6.50	Spooky Night Designer Series Paper [144610] $11.00	Cat Punch [144666] $18.00
Patterned Pumpkins Thinlits Dies [144670] $27.00	Layering Ovals Framelits Dies [141706] $35.00	Acetate Card Boxes [144628] $6.50	2" X 8" (5.1 X 20.3 Cm) Cellophane Bags [141703] $3.00

This quick and easy project is super fun to make and give.  

It's another late night posting!   I am always picking up something here and there that I think will make a cute project.  Can you guess what I picked up and packaged?

I used the Beverage Bar stamp set for the cute glasses and sentiment.  No, there isn't a bottle of champagne in the bag.  

I never knew there was such a thing as champagne gum!  I tried to mimic the image on the package and used Pink Pirouette and So Saffron ink.   I added some Fine-Tip glue to make the contents look more like liquid.  The Striped Treat Bags are very pretty and shiny.  It doesn't take much to create some pretty packaging when you start with such a beautiful bag.   The bags are also food safe.  

Add some Striped Treat Bags to your next order and you will always be ready to create some pretty packaging!