Southern Scraps

Are you overwhelmed with Black Friday Sales yet? Me too. That's why I'm home shopping on the net. It gives me a little more time to look and think without fighting the crowds. Here are two sales you should take advantage of this weekend- Shabby Apple From now until November 30, 2012, you can Save 20% off EVERYTHING on their site with code JOYFULSEASON.    It would be a great time to get a new dress or outfit for that Holiday Party. Hair piece You also need to take a gift wrapped in style to that party so check out SouthernScraps for tags and cards . You could even get the gift too- earrings, a statement necklace or a brooch pin . Now through November 25, 2012, take 20% off everything with code HOLIDAY20. Happy Shopping!

Oh my! Only 20 days left until Halloween and so much left to do! Need some help getting your treat bags in order? I have a selection of toppers and tags in my etsy shop . And  now until Friday Oct. 14, 2011, you can save 20% off any purchase with the code spooky. spooky treats candy corn set eat drink and be scary treat tags stamped treat bag toppers trick or treat

If you are new to paper crafting and wondering what tools to invest in, I highly recommend punches. They are versatile and can be used for many projects. Here are some things I've done recently with my punches. I made these tags using a scalloped punch (about 1 1/4 in), angel punch, 1 inch circle punch, 2 inch circle punch and 2 1/2 inch scalloped circle punch. I layered all the circles to get what you see here. Here's a mini breakdown:  The word circles are from Cutting Cafe .  You just print and punch out! These tags can now be used for lots of things- dress up candles, gift packages, gift bags, and treat bags. You could even hang them on a Christmas tree as ornaments. I also used another file from the Cutting Cafe and a scalloped square punch to do these cupcake toppers . I have a lot fun with my punches! Thanks for looking. I'll be linking up to some parties listed on the side.

I started working on some Christmas card and tag designs this weekend. (I'm really behind the curve on this.) Sketches are always a great inspiration for me. I almost always reach for a sketch when designing a card. I used this sketch from Jen at i{heart}tostamp for my cards.  One of my cards does not follow the sketch EXACTLY because I only have one embellishment/flower instead of two. But that's the beauty of a sketch- you are free to use your own interpretation. Here are my cards: I used BasicGrey Wassail papers and some vintage digital images from VintageHolidayCrafts. When I finished the cards, I used the scraps to make some tags. The next time you need some inspiration, turn to a sketch and your scraps. 

I've started working on my designs for treat bags . I usually make about 50 treat bags for the trick or treaters that come our way. You can see last year's design here . This year I wanted to do something a little different. I punched some skulls out of K&Co. paper and attached them to punched scalloped circles. I stamped "spooky" and cut out strips and attached to the bottom circle as well.  I've punched holes in the bottom layer to insert a twist tie into to attach them to the bag.  I'm including some photos so you can get a better idea. The toppers: Details:

Really fancy or fun packaging makes the simplest gift feel super special. The Timeless Tuesday challenge at Flourishes Newsletter this week was to make a tag. Here's mine: Details are really simple. Cardstock; patterned paper by HOTP; Martha Stewart lace doily punch; Flourishes All Wrapped up stamp set, color pencils, ribbon, nestabilities. Thanks for looking and have a great week.

Today I'm sharing a cute little gift bag I just made for the Cuttlebug Challenges Be Inspired Challenge 31 - a 3D project. The template for this bag can be purchased at The DigiChick . The Cuttlebug items I used on my bag are the Flowers2 Die and the Funky Circle. I made the embellishment for the bag with these. Thanks for looking and enjoy! Close up of the embellies!

The challenge this week at Our Creative Corner was to make a gift card holder. Perfect timing for this challenge for me since I am making cookie mix in a jar gifts for the neighbors and giving them a Publix gift card. They will get a sampling of the baked cookies too and some other goodies. I designed my gift card holder to be one of the tags that embellishes the jar. The card slides right into a pocket. The recipe is on the other tag. It's for cowboy cookies- chocolate chip and oatmeal..mmm...hubby's favorite. The recipe can be found here.

Slip this lovely bracelet by beadsme into a little gift bag and tie on this tag by SouthernScraps . You'll have a bright cheery gift that will bring delight to anyone.

On a lighter note (from my previous post) today is National Chocolate Chip Day. Well... it's not a "National" Holiday as it has no Congressional proclamation but nonetheless, a chocolate chip is certainly worthy of celebrating. The vast majority of my well used recipes involve a chocolate chip- cookies, cakes, muffins. MMM.. and don't forget chocolate chip pancakes and trail mixes. Oh, and how about a handful of plain chocolate chips for snacking? (I've found evidence of my hubby doing this when he has a sweet craving.) How about celebrating chocolate chip day by sharing with a friend? Cookie mixes in a jar are always a nice gift. For this recipe (from craftbits.com) you will need a jar that holds around 1 quart or 1.130 litres. If your jar is airtight add the ingredients directly otherwise place them into an airtight or ziplock bag and attach the recipe card instructions. Jar Ingredients: 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup white sugar ...