Welcome back to my Blog Hop Post – below you will find more photographs, details and how to’s for my items featured this past weekend. The fabulous brand new Holiday Mini is now available – you can order from it now and you can view the online catalog by clicking HERE – you can also place an order directly online by clicking on my 24 Hour Shopping button to the right.

The stamp set from the Holiday Mini that I used for the Blog Hop was Pumpkin Patch – it is a set of 11 stamps and you can find it on pg 9 of the Holiday Mini Catalog –

I love versatile sets that I can use for more than one occasion and when I first saw this set I knew it had potential…if you are on a budget this coming Holiday season then this is the set for you – out of one stamp set costing just $22.95 you have all the stamps you need to produce projects for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas…my little creations are below :-)

Elegant Halloween Treats…


I wanted to create ‘grown up’ Halloween treats that would be perfect for teachers, work colleagues & friends and came up with a gift set containing Cocoa and Hershey’s Nuggets – can you tell I like chocolate? :-)

The Nugget Box is sooo easy to make and is made completely out of Cast-a-Spell DSP – the little drawer slides out to reveal 3 nuggets – what a yummy treat in a cute holder :-)

I used the same DSP and jack-o-lantern to decorate the top of the box to continue the theme of my card as I am giving them together as a gift package, and I used 1/4″ Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain. I stamped the faces onto bits of DSP measuring 1″ x 3 1/4″ and using Sticky Strip adhered them to the nuggets. You can find the tutorial to make the Nugget Box by clicking HERE – you need to use a strong adhesive to stick the box flaps down – I would definitely recommend Sticky Strip :-)

The Cocoa Card – take a piece of Basic Black cardstock and cut lengthways in half to give 2 pieces that each measure 4 1/4″ x 11″. Score at 5 1/2″ and again at 10″ and fold along the score lines. Use a very strong adhesive tape – I used Sticky Strip – to tape down both sides to create the pouch which holds the cocoa sachet and tape the little flap down, then decorate – I used Cast-a-Spell DSP and 1/4″ Black Grosgrain ribbon – and I also used a little piece of purple DSP to cover the top of the cocoa pouch which looks much cuter than just popping the white sachet in there. I used my Paper Snips to trim the edge of green DSP to create ‘grass’. I stamped the jack-o-lantern faces onto orange DSP and punched them out using my 3/4″ Circle Punch – I punched out a black 1″ Circle and adhered the pumpkin face to it with a dimensional so that it pops off of the card front – it turned out sooo cute :-)

The two sentiment stamps I used on this card are from the fabulous set ‘Teeny Tiny Wishes’ that you can find on pg 145 of the catalog – I LOVE this set – there are 24 sentiments in there which cover almost all occasions during the year – it is just fabulous value for money and since purchasing it, I have used it for almost every card I have made.

Halloween Treats for Kids…


I was trying to think of different ways to package candy for kids using this stamp set and came up with a couple of cute ones…and I love that the pot can be used after the holiday…

The Flower Pot – I painted a pot that I found at the craft store using orange acrylic paint and used Black Stazon Ink to stamp the face. I took a treat bag and put a twist into the end of it and secured it using tape. I then filled the bag with candy and sealed it at the bottom. I placed this into the pot and twisted a pipe cleaner around my taped twist at the top, attached leaves and used a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes that I made into a tag using my Circle Punches which I then tied on with raffia. I will also attach a pumpkin seed in a decorated envelope so that once the candy has been eaten, the child can fill the pot with soil and see how their seed grows :-)

Jelly Bean Sweet Treats – I think this would be perfect for kids and adults alike – isn’t it cool? The clear container that you see on the front is a brand new product – Sweet Treats Cups that you can find on pg 7 of the Holiday Mini Catalog – there is a co-ordinating stamp set – Sweet Centers – that you can use with them for projects all year round as it contains stamps for valentines, halloween, Christmas and also stamps to make a hot air balloon and flower petal and leaf stamps – how versatile is that?!

But for the Blog Hop I wanted to show you that you are not limited to using them with just that stamp set and that you can use these fabulous Sweet Treats Cups with other stamp sets too :-)

All you need are the cups which are an absolute bargain at just $2.95 for a pack of 12, a 1 3/4″ Circle Punch and some imagination :-) I am planning to use these cups for school halloween and holiday treats – I have to make for 45 kiddies in total – and I can use up lots of my cardstock scraps making these, so it is only going to cost me $12 plus the cost of candy to put inside them – I think that is a fabulous price for producing such cute and different treats :-)

Fall Colors Flower Birthday Card…

So on to something a wee bit different – as soon as I saw this set I had lots of ideas of how it could be used for other occasions – Pumpkin Patch comes with 3 stamps that you can use to make pumpkin shapes – I figured that the ovals would make great flower petals :-)

I stamped the ovals using Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust and More Mustard inks and cut them out, adding a Corduroy Button for the center. I adhered them to a piece of Very Vanilla that I distressed the edges of by using my scissors. I attached this to a piece of patterned orange DSP that is from a brand new pack that you can find on pg 36 in the Holiday Mini called Pawsitively Prints.

I then ran a piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock through the Big Shot using the Perfect Details Texturz Plate and cut the frame to size using my craft knife and mat – I used dimensionals to mount this over the flower image to create a framed window effect and I then mounted this onto a piece of Creamy Caramel on which I used my Paper Piercing Tool around the edge and layered it into on to two more pieces of cardstock. Finally I stamped my sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes (again, how versatile is this set? Love it!) and punched it out with my Word Window punch and adhered it to the card adding a piece of Very Vanilla Tafetta Ribbon for a finishing touch – and there is a card using those beautiful Fall colors :-)

I love how it turned out and thinking more about how to use those oval and circle stamps for another occasion I came up with a…

Sparkling Christmas card…

I stamped the circle and oval stamps using Versamark Ink onto White cardstock – for perfect circles, I punched them out and then stamped the Versamark onto them (punches dont like to go through glitter too much!!!) and used Heat & Stick Powder, my Heat Tool and Stampin’ Up’s fabulous fine glitters to create these very sparkly ornaments – you simply stamp your shape using Versmark, sprinkle Heat & Stick Powder on, shake off the excess and heat with your Heat Tool until it melts. Then sprinkle on glitter, shake off the excess and give it a quick heat again to make sure it is well adhered.

I cut a piece of DSP to size and adhered my ornaments on – I then made the tops for them by using my 1/4″ Square Punch and Brushed Silver Cardstock. I used Silver Elastic Cord for the strings and adhered the ends underneath the little squares and at the top, behind the DSP – yup, it too is featured along with the Gold version in the Holiday Mini on pg 27 – I just love this cord as the ends do not fray (unlike other brands that I have used in the past from the craft store) and it was sooo easy to tie those little bows at the top of the ornaments.
I attached this layer onto a piece of Old Olive and tied around a piece of Whisper White Satin Ribbon. My sentiment is from Chit Chat Rub-ons (pg 177) and I put two Clear Rhinestones next to it. Finally using dimensionals I attached this layer to a base of Brushed Silver. I think it is sooo elegant…and it is sooo sparkly in real life :-)
And finally, announcing the winner of my Blog Hop Candy…as selected by Random Number Generator…the winning comment is no. 34…
Wow, I never would’ve thought to use a Halloween pumpkin for a flower or for Christmas ornaments! Great idea! Lucinda August 29, 2009 11:36 PM
A big congrats Lucinda – your goodies will be on their way to you very shortly :-)
A big thank you for visiting me today – please Contact Me if you have any questions at all…have a fun stampin’ day :-)
Happy Holidays Blog Hop
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70 thoughts on “Happy Holidays Blog Hop

  • August 30, 2009 at 1:46 pm
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    Love the wide variety of cards showing all kinds of uses for stamps: beyond the obvious!

  • August 30, 2009 at 5:08 pm
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    I LOVE how you used the pumpkins to create all different kinds of things…esp the flower card!
    (leave me out of blog candy)

  • August 30, 2009 at 7:48 pm
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    Hello Sarah, I really like the Hershey nuggets box. Lot's of ideas for chocolate lovers! I have your blog bookmarked. I'd love to win your blog candy – thanks for the opportunity.
    cmfouts431@sbcglobal.net

  • August 30, 2009 at 9:06 pm
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    Everything is so awesome! You are just awesome. I'm so glad we're pretend stampy friends!!

  • August 30, 2009 at 9:30 pm
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    WOW…you've made it incredibly hard to choose a favorite! All your creations were so inventive & adorable!! However, choosing one creation, I'd say my favorite would be the pumpkin card you made using the sweet treat cup! It is too adorable with those jelly beans… what a CUTE pumpkin!! I didn't even think about using the treat cups with a stamp set other than the "Sweet Centers". THANKS for the inspiration!

  • August 30, 2009 at 9:34 pm
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    WOW…you've made it incredibly hard to choose a favorite! All your creations were so inventive & adorable!! However, choosing one creation, I'd say my favorite would be the pumpkin card you made using the sweet treat cup! It is too adorable with those jelly beans… what a CUTE pumpkin!! I didn't even think about using the treat cups with a stamp set other than the "Sweet Centers". THANKS for the inspiration!

  • August 30, 2009 at 11:23 pm
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    Great ideas! I love the flowerpot, and the idea for using punches to make ornaments! Thanks for sharing!

    Sharon

  • August 30, 2009 at 11:33 pm
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    I don't think I can pick a favorite project. I really love chocolate but the little pumpkin pot is toooo cute! I'd have to say that my favorite thing about your projects is the versatility of the rounds and ovals as non-pumpkins. I had this set on my wishlist but now it's on my next to order list. Thanks for sharing.

  • August 31, 2009 at 12:05 am
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    Pick just one favorite project!! Oh my goodness…I loved your candy for kids items especially the pumpkin seed idea for after the candy is gone but I have to confess that my eye kept coming back to the Fall Colors Flower Card. Very soothing colors and the simplicity of it is very attractive. Have to say the sparkly ornaments are also fun but I think I'll go with the Fall card. Though I'm crossing my fingers for your generous Blog Candy so I can try the sweet treat cup trick too. – LoL!

    You are already in my bookmarks and on my blog list so I'll end wit thanks for sharing the creativity and I'll check back Tuesday for all the lovely details.

    Hugs and blessings – Jean

  • August 31, 2009 at 12:21 am
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    Hi Sarah! I love the flower pot and I loved how you used the sweet treats as the center for your pumpkin. You are so creative!
    I am going to make some for are fall assisted living party. The residents will LOVE them! Thanks for a Great idea!!!
    Noreen

  • August 31, 2009 at 12:32 am
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    Hi Sarah: I love all the projects you created, but my favorite is the Fall Flowers one. I loved the way you used the stamps in this set.

  • August 31, 2009 at 7:06 am
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    OMG I LOVE how diverse you were able to make this set!!! I'm not usually a glitter person, but I would say the ornaments on the Christmas card are BEAUTIFUL!!!

    Amy Saucer

  • August 31, 2009 at 7:29 am
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    Love your blog – AND what you are showing to do with holiday Mini items!!! Such an inspiration.

  • August 31, 2009 at 8:57 am
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    Your ideas are just awesome. I wonder how many of these sets will be rodered now. Me for one! :)

  • August 31, 2009 at 9:33 am
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    These are all so great! You've given me so many ideas to try for the holidays. And now I'm going to have to get this set. . . .

  • August 31, 2009 at 12:33 pm
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    I really like the Halloween pumpkin card with it's simplicity and clean lines while projecting a sense of fun.

  • August 31, 2009 at 12:44 pm
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    Thanks for putting together such a great blog hop. They are a lot of fun and very inspirational.

  • August 31, 2009 at 12:45 pm
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    Thanks for the great blog tour/hop. It is funa and inspirational. There are always some neat ideas.

  • August 31, 2009 at 8:25 pm
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    Sarah- I love them all, but I think my favorite is the flower birthday card!

    Hugs!

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