Vintage Cupcake Box

I'm in love with the Cupcake Box die. Although it is the perfect size for a cupcake, it's also a great container size for all sorts of trinkets and ephemera. In fact, my very first thought with the Cupcake Box was that it would make the PERFECT gift box for a rolled-up necktie. So I asked my husband for a tie I could use as a prop to photograph with the box and he said that he doesn't have one!

So I went ahead and decorated the box with a more neutral collage of postage and mail themes -- and now instead of a tie box gift, it'll be on Grandma's writing desk holding her postage stamps and return address labels. Isn't it funny how projects evolve?

Supply List:
Stamps: Purple Onion Designs, Innovative Stamp Creations and Stamp Francisco
Paper: Almond Cream (Bazzill Smoothies)
Inks: Vintage Sepia VersaFine (Tsukineko); Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink (ClearSnap)
Accessories: Cupcake Box Die, Clear Acetate Sheet & Killer Red Tacky Tape (Creative Cuts & More); Authentic antique letter & postage stamps; Buttons (various)

Belli Challenge Time

This week, Creative Cuts & More is sponsoring the Belli Challenge! It's time to be wowed by our participating Design Team members and the Belli Challenge Design Team. What gorgeous work they did! Here's some eye candy:

Steph Zerbe:

Carla Mayfield:
Kim Ross:
The winner of their Fall/Halloween challenge will receive their choice of a Girl or Boy Birthday card kit. These card kits are jammed packed with supplies. Your kit will contain 12 die cut cards and envelopes, and many of the cards included in the kit are exclusive to CC&M. The kit is worth over $30.

Follow the instructions on the Creative Belli Blog to enter. If you post to SCS or PCP or any other online gallery please use keyword CBC74 so we can find it.

Clearly Easy Box

My husband's favorite day of the whole year is Thanksgiving. He primps the house for days before and cooks his heart out. He even has an apron embroidered with a turkey especially for the occasion. There's so much fuss and preparation going into a big event like that, I don't have the desire or the time to create elaborate little party favors. I want something adorable, quick, and easy.

CC&M offers a total of twenty-two different boxes cut from acetate, and I chose to show you the Butterfly Box. It was so easy to create! The simple steps:

• Run the flat Butterfly Box through the BigShot machine with the D'Vine Swirls Cuttlebug Embossing Folder
• Fold box and adhere the bottom and side with the exceptionally strong Killer Red Tacky Tape
• Fill with fall-colored candies
• Interlock top to secure

It would be a snap to make a bunch of these for a wedding, party favors, little Valentine's Day goodies for the kids to give away at school, a token holiday gift for all those acquaintances at work or around the neighborhood, etc.

Be sure to check back here on Monday (9/14) for our Fall-themed September Blog Hop. You'll be pleasantly surprised by all the inspiration the team has in store for you!

Doodlebug Baby Projects

I'm a big fan of the cute, whimsical designs from Doodlebug... and I love that everything coordinates.

TIP: Did you know that Bazzill Criss Cross textured cardstock is dyed to match Doodlebug products? Takes away all the guesswork and makes coordinating a snap!

My card uses several of the dies from CC&M -- 5-1/4" - Square Window Card #01 - Border Windows, Heart #02 - Large with Layer, and Photo Corner #02 Set, all cut from the Criss Cross textured cardstock -- plus Doodlebug stickers, gemstones, and patterned paper.


The box was created from several CC&M dies also: Tall Gable Box, Heart #02 - Large with Layer, and Photo Corner #02 Set, all cut from the Criss Cross textured cardstock -- along with Doodlebug stickers, gemstones, and patterned paper.

I made two enhancements to the flat cardstock stickers (hippo & turtle) that were used on the projects. I used the EK Success Powder Tool to neutralize the adhesive. This allowed me to put pop-dots on the stickers so they'd have a little dimension. I added more interest to them by adding the self-adhesive jewels. Now they really pop!

Diva Dresses

These dresses are from one of the newer dies from Creative Cuts & More, the Dress Box die. It's so easy, and very versatile!

My wedding dress was very easy to make. It was cut from Bazzill Smoothies Coconut Swirl. The only embellishments used on the project are Prima Marketing's new Say it in Studs self-adhesive embellishments. The studs were arranged in an ornate frame pattern. I used my sharp Tonic snips to cut only certain parts of the frame to create the bodice, waist, and hem adornments.

Because these studs are self-adhesive, they were very easy to adhere. They're nice quality, too, and the segments held together very nicely.


My other sample was also very easy to put together. This next dress is cut from BasicGrey patterned cardstock from the Two Scoops collection and tied with a thin pink grosgrain ribbon. I made this to show that this die is not just for weddings!


Dresses cut from other patterns and other colors could be used for all sorts of occasions:

• Pretty floral dresses for Mother's Day, Tea Parties, Bridal Showers
• Matching dresses for Bridesmaid gifts
  
• Pastels for pretty Easter Dresses
  
• Dresses in school colors for graduations
• Dresses in sorority colors for Bid Day, Initiations and other special occasions
• Red or purple dresses for Red Hat events
• White dresses for Confirmations, Baptisms, First Communion, etc.
  
• Pink and/or sparkly dresses for "Princess" party favors
• Black, scary dresses for witches at Halloween
• A whole variety of dresses for favors at an Oscar party or a Mardi Gras/Costume party
• Pretty dresses for prom or homecoming
  
• Gold or silver dresses for 25th or 50th Anniversary parties
  

The possibilities with this dress are endless! Creative Cuts & More carries a few patterned papers. However, you can also have CC&M cut papers that you send in -- and they cut it for a reasonable cutting fee. You can visit the Contact Us page to inquire via e-mail or by phone.

Acetate in August

Welcome to our big August Acetate Blog Hop! We're shining our spotlight on the clear plastic acetate material that makes terrific cards, boxes, embellishments, and more. It can be stamped on, painted, and embossed -- which makes it a very fun, versatile choice for any project.

Let's start this party with some new, never-before-seen samples made with acetate components of our adorable Birthday Boy Card Kit, designed by Pam Smerker:


And here are a few more from the kits:

And here we have a card from Dusty Patrick. It is the A2 Acetate Card plus straight frame in black cardstock. The rubons are from Basic Grey.





Another sample is this card by Trish Estrella. It is the A2 Gate Fold Crescent Card with Band in Acetate. The stamps are from Fancy Pants.


And now for some fun news! We're getting ready to show off a fabulous new designer kit very soon -- and we're offering one up as a prize. It's so new, we don't even have a photo yet! It's the new Sealife 8"x8" Album Kit. It uses the adorable Doodlebug papers and embellishments, and includes chipboard, cardstock and acetate pages. Here are the four different ways to win it:

(A) Leave a comment on this post. (This is limited to one per person unless you meet the criteria of B, C, and/or D below.) Tell us all about your Christmas card plans. How many are you making? Do you usually say "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas"? Are they fancy or whimsical?

(B) Leave one extra comment if you've posted a link to this blog candy on your own blog. Make sure to include a link to your specific post in your comment.

(C) Leave one extra comment if you become one of our blog followers. See the right-hand navigation column to follow us.

(D) Leave one extra comment if you click over to our page on Facebook and become a fan.

Thank you for coming! The prize has already been awarded.

Speaking of designer kits, there's yet another fabulous kit in the works! It will feature some gorgeous Autumn patterned papers and a nice variety of die-cut cards and embellishments. It will be called (f)All Occasions, and it will feature sentiments for birthdays, thank-yous, and more. Want to see? Okay, here is the very preliminary sneak peek of just some of the beautiful patterned papers:


Our hop today starts with Angie and she'll direct you to the next blog, and they'll direct you to the next blog, and so on. If for some reason a link is broken, don't panic. Just return here to the list and complete your journey.

Hoppin' Team Members:
Angie Pearl
Kim Ross
Carla Mayfield
Chrissy Dickinson
Carissa Peach, Guest
Jennifer Johnson
Eva Dobilas, Guest
Lindsay Weirich
Stephany Zerbe, Guest
Pam Smerker

Before you head to Angie's blog and start hopping, we've got some special savings for you! Save 15% at the Creative Cuts & More Store through August 14th by using the code acetatebloghop0809 at checkout.

Happy Hopping & Happy Shopping!

Harvest Time Is Here

Harvest time is here and it's time to start planning projects for fall feasts like Thanksgiving! Today, we've got some great projects highlighting the Tacky Tape Shapes -- specifically the small pumpkin. (Keep in mind that while it's called the "small pumpkin", it measures 3” high x 2-3/4” wide -- large enough to make a striking focal point for a card!)

Tacky Shapes were introduced in our last post via the sparkly spiders on Lila's coffin box. She chose glitter to cover her spiders. Many other materials are suitable for use with the Tacky Shapes, including microbeads, flock, and today's idea: gold leafing.

For both cards, the top protective layer over the Tacky Tape was removed to reveal the adhesive. I selected the more copper-looking pieces from the package of leafing and applied those to the stem. Then I applied the more orange pieces to the pumpkin itself. Using my index finger, I worked in the leafing and use a paintbrush to brush the flakes back into the container.

And here is a closeup of this card:



And the second card, which is a Square Scalloped 5-1/4" Card cut from Acetate:



Remember, this Pumpkin cut from cardstock or other materials could make a fun addition to holiday place settings and room decor!

There is still time to win this month's drawing. Click the link to find out how!

Thank you for joining us today, and we'll see you again soon!