Valentine's For Work Peeps 2013

Hi Everyone,
Here I go again with a rambling blog post.  I am so in L-O-V-E with my 2013 Valentine's that I my brain is moving faster than my typing fingers.  This was just one of those projects that just makes me shout the phrase "Awesome Crafty Goodness!"  This was one of those projects where I bought little and produce something I really liked.  That picture above . . . was a date stamp that was in the garbage at work.  I knew I had to rescue it.  It was just waiting for me to cut it apart for some reason.  All I did was run a bit of adhesive across the block and there you have it, my little Valentine tag.  Those little tags were cut with MTC and my ZING.  I used MTC to modify my Stampin 'Up word window and modern label punch and reduced them to those little cuties. There you have it the first two parts of these little Valentines that I am love'n.  But wait, there is more, here is a picture of the graphic I used for the body of the Valentine:

Why am I so excited you ask. Well, I bought that digi download of Echo Park's "Yours Truly" last year from Jessica Sprauge and I just loved the papers from the start.  I used my CraftArtist 2 to split and flip the graphic at the right point so that the word LOVE is right side up on both the front and back of the Valentine. Other than me who would notice but hey it makes me happy. Gee, I just can't say enough how much I love my CA2!  See the black outlines.  They are there because on my Fiskars cutter the blade is exactly 1/4 inch away from the index line on the right side.  That is how they get cut so quickly and perfectly to fit.  Between CA2 and Fiskars, template making is easy peasy good! But wait, there's more! Xyron!! I love Xyron . . . check out this picture:

That's a lot of stickers! when you need an edge to edge adhesive Xyron is the go to machine.  I bought my 850 in the late 1990's and I still use it today.  It is one of my tried and true tools.  I forgot to mention I used my We R Memory Keepers corner chomper to round those corners. Need I mention that I just ordered their envelope board from Scrapbook.com.  I can't wait to get it.  Now you might think the next picture would be the finished product but no. I have to show the parts of the whole because that is my favorite thing.  I love when all the parts are prepared and waiting to become the whole. Here is the picture:

OMG! Just look at all that crafty goodness! See the little AVON lip gloss, how cute are they? and the  XO tags that I printed on some old 3 column journal paper, love them!. Those odd looking bases were designed in my KnK studio software and cut with MTC.  My Valentine's came out great and if you come back and visit on Friday, I will be posting the end result and the file share. I don't mean to be a tease, it's just that I want to finish a few more and get a pic.  Thanks for visiting and check back because I think you are going to love this file as much as I do.
Lysa

Happy Valentines Day 2013

Hi Everyone,
I have an oldie but goodie from years ago to share with you today. I am sure you have some version of it in your file stash already, but as you know we file collectors need it all!  Back in 2008 or so I had made a cute little Valentine "purse".  I made so many of them I could make them in my sleep.  I was so proud of the cut out I even uploaded it to the SCAL forum.  People liked it and it is still there today. You can find it at that forum just by searching "Rorysnonna".  So I never had made the file for MTC (which is what I use today along with my ZING) I thought I will just convert it and share it with you all.  Please, I never even added score lines back in the day. And the file was really off, meaning it wasn't quite straight or even.  It just wasn't worth sharing it without bumping it up and fixing it a bit.  I completely remade the file using MTC and the best part was mapping the score lines.  This little bag has a wider bottom, the top narrows just a bit.  Well, thanks to MTC basic shapes I was able to add a trapezoid shape, fit it into position, cut off the top, convert the rest of lines to dashed lines and there you have it, perfect score lines that you can use.  Geee, I love my MTC!!!  Here is a picture of the file:

 

I have uploaded this file to my mediafire account and if you want the PDF you can find it here:

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?c31jf7kgqgi4x7q

And for the MTC peeps (my favorite peeps, ever!!) the link is here:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?i8p0lqegjdeaedi

I hope you all have use for this file.  Please feel free to re-size it to your needs. I hope you all find a bit of time in your weekend to get crafty as Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Enjoy your weekend,

Lysa

EDITED 1/20/13 at 11:30 am

Hi Everyone,

I just saw a line in the .pdf file that was incorrect.  I have made the change and reposted the file.  Thanks so much for understanding when I make an error.

Lysa

A Valentine Quickie!

Hi Everyone,
Valentine's Day is upon us, I know this because I walked into Walgreen's today and just about everything was red and pink. O.K. so my Christmas tree is still glowing in the living room.  It's all good though because this weekend I am going to do nothing but put Christmas away.  So I thought if I got my blog post done tonight I could spend the next 3 days cleaning! So this is a quick post to send this cute little Tic Tac holder for Valentine's Day file your way.  This little box will hold a Tic Tac container perfectly. You could even use it for some fun size candy bars as well.  Here is a picture of the file:

This is a quick and easy file because if you use a digital cutter you don't have to hand score.  You can download the .pdf file here:
http://www.mediafire.com/view/?7xmxqk9i9u061px
And for MTC peeps the link is here:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?cv0ws612n012g05
I hope you like this little quickie, feel free to alter the file to suit your need.  I am sure with little effort you can remove the heart and add any shape topper you would need for any occasion.  Thanks for stopping by and please check back soon as I ordered these adorable mini Avon lip glosses that I plan to give to the work peeps for Valentine's Day.  I can't wait to get them so I can see the size and start to plan the package.
Have a great weekend (you know I will be cleaning!)
Lysa

The First Crafty Goodness Of 2013!

Hi Everyone,
I wish I could tell you that all the holiday decorations were happily living back up in the attic, but I haven't even started to take them down.  Everyday I make a plan and everyday I get sidetracked in another direction.  Of course the Hubs already got the big giant wreath and all the outside lights down and put away.  He really is the Energizer Bunny!  I, on the other hand had to do a quick project for someone at work who is having a huge "Alice in Wonderland" themed party.  She asked if I could make her 120 "Drink Me" tags for the wine glasses.  The theme is from the newer Tim Burton Alice and she has purchased these awesome life size cutouts of the characters from the movie.  I am sure her party is going to be a blast just based on the decorations alone.   I didn't have to ribbon them for her so it was a quick and easy project for me.  I just can't imagine tying all these tags on to the glasses.  Here is a picture of the tags:  I put them on a ring with a red spacer at every 60 tags to help keep them organized.  I believe that they will be tied with turquoise ribbon to match Alice's dress.

I like how they came out.  I made the tag in CraftArtist2 and hand punched them with my Stampin 'Up modern label punch.  The black shadow was cut with MTC.  I just love a project that uses my favorite things.  I hope to get my house in order this week so that I can get started on a Valentine's Day craft. Enjoy what is left of the first 2013 weekend and thanks so much for stopping by.
Lysa 

A Happy New Year To All!

Hi Everyone,
Just a quick shout out to wish you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year!  It was a crafty good 2012 and I can't wait to see and play with all the new crafty good toys that will be shown at CHA Winter.  I bet there will be some awesome new things that will get our MOJO going.  I have been so busy this Christmas season and surly wish I had posted more through out the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  So much to do when you work full time out of the home.  I must say with the help of the family I was able to stay one step ahead of things.  I have been planning a Valentine's Day favor and will share it here sometime soon.  Thanks to you all for visiting I look forward to many crafty shares in 2013.  Blessings to you and yours.
Lysa

Digi Christmas

Hi Everyone,
Wow! Here we are at the end of 2012! The year just flew by a bit to quick for me.  I just wanted to check in as the year comes to close.  We had a wonderful Christmas here at our home this year.  Great family time, great food and a lot of laughs.  We got a few pictures and I already made a digi page for my Mother in Law. I love how it came out. 

Just look how happy Mom is singing with her grand daughter Amanda (my niece) and Rory, her great grand daughter (my grand daughter). I made this page in CA2 using Stampin 'Up digital art.  I just love my CA2!  I still am hooked on 8 1/2 X 11 pages.  This software is amazing.  I used the palette creator and pulled all the colors from the strip of holly paper in the background.  I also used the cutout studio to create the holly leaves embellishments. The shadow tool is awesome too!  There is a free download of this software available at the DaisyTrail website. You can find it here at this link:
http://www.daisytrail.com/freestuff.html
It doesn't have all the full features but once you play with it I know you will want the full version.  The interface is easy to use.
New Years Eve is here at our house so I won't have much more time to play today.  As soon as I get a handle on putting away all the Holiday things I am going to make an album for sure.
I just want to send wishes to you all for a Happy and Healthy New Year! Thanks for visiting and I will see you in 2013!
Lysa 

Reindeer Food 2012

Hi Everyone,
Oh my!, Christmas is upon us all, I am still forging forward toward the day when I can sit down with my family, take a breath, and thank the Lord for all I have.  I have hit the holiday wall!  Have you?  I just long to be finished and to able to enjoy the season, but the mad dash is on!  It's all good though because we are pulling as a team here. Baking and Reindeer Food is now done.  Shopping is done too!  I am so lucky to have the Hubs, my Daughter and Grand Daughter here to help with all the prep for the big day!! This past weekend, Rory and I (between baking with her Mom) were able to complete our annual Reindeer Food! Here is a pic of the "big bowl":

See all that oatmeal goodness.  Please notice no GLITTER!  I beg each year that all my crafty good friends use no glitter in the Reindeer Food.  Not only is it not "GREEN" it hurts all our wildlife friends.  There is just no need for it when sugar, oats, cinnamon, and candy will do the trick!  As always Rory had a blast mixing up broken candy canes and all kinds of sugary goodness to create the magic.  You can see she was really into it, worried about just the right ratio of oats to sugar!

 Then the awesome mix was poured into tubes and decorated, and place into the perfect spot for all her friends to grab when they leave the house after a play date.  Here is how they look sitting by the door:

We created the tags in CraftArtist2 and quickly punched them with a Stampin 'Up tag punch. On the back of the tag is our standard Reindeer Food poem.  You know it. It goes
Sprinkle on the lawn at night
The moon will make it sparkle bright
As Santa's Reindeer fly and roam
This food will quide them
To your home.
What a quick and easy craft we completed while we waited for cookies to cool so that they could be decorated.
I hope everyone of you is organized and moving forward to the point of a wonderful and joyous Christmas. I am almost there!  Thanks for visiting.
Lysa

Luv, This Tree Is 4 U!

Christmas Tags Done!

Hi Everyone,
I am so happy to say I have my Christmas wrap together.  I just love to shop at Joann's for my Christmas bags because they have kraft paper bags every year. This year I went with the pine tree/cardinal bag.  I bought many of them in the 3 available sizes that they had.  The one you see above was 29 cents.  I dressed it up with a tag I made using a Just Rite stamp image.  Oh I am in love!!! I just can't wait to start filling them up with goodies to give.  I have to tell you I am a bit nutty about tags.  I just love to make them.  I have this image as a digi so I made larger ones for each of the 3 sizes of the bags.   You can see I didn't take to much time coloring them. I used Sharpie ultra fine point markers for all but the white.  The white a Uniball Signo gel pen. They went super fast and I made 30 of them so far.  I used my Stampin 'Up
1 3/4 circle punch to punch out the tag and my ZING along with my MTC software provided the scallop circle.  The back of the tag has a basic "To/From" saying on a kraft paper circle as well. The tag and the bag are sprayed with with Stampin 'Up champagne mist.  Here is a close up of the tag:

Most of the white dots that you see on the tag is really gold mist.  The camera just picked it up as white. I wish you could see how they shine.  I am excited about giving these because I really didn't make to many handmade gifts this year. So at least my gift wrap has a bit of a handmade touch.  Tomorrow is my big shopping day.  I will not come home until I have completed my gift list!  Once that is done, I will be wrapping and I must tell you wrap day is one of my most favorite days!  I hope all of you are enjoying the season and are spending time with family and friends.  Our house is filled with wonderful decorations, scents of baking and filled with excitement. I am almost to the point where I can take a breath, step back and remember to be thankful for all that is around me.  Thanks for visiting,
Lysa

Teal & Mustard Are Not Christmas Colors!

****Alternative Title: Avon, What Were You Thinking!***
Hi Everyone,
As I sit down to type I realize that I am not going to have an easy go of it.  I wanted to post a lovely picture of the favors I made for the work peeps and I am still sitting here looking at them. I made 20 and I was not on board from the get go.  The "get go" would be when my adorable Avon Lady Donna L.(love her!) delivered them to me.  Now first off I love, love love Avon for that little somethin' somethin' that they have in almost every catalog.  I always buy a quantity of  either lip balms or nail files that I use for favors.  Avon even has great hand sanitizers that work great for favor making. So this year I bought a 69 cent lip balm that I knew just how to package up. O.K., so I thought I knew.  My problem was the colors.  They are teal and mustard! and they have a red Santa on them.  Really, its Christmas!  How about ... let's say ... ummm .... I don't know, maybe red and green or white, silver or gold.  Here is a picture:

Now I am not sure which is worse, the fact that Avon chose those colors or the fact that I had the perfect matching paper. Apparently I must like this color scheme because if you look closely at the picture you will see a stack of Post it Notes in the background and there are the same darn colors. Well with all that said I wanted to make a clear snowflake embossed box for these lip balms. So I gave it a try.  I made the little mini pillow box, I embossed it with a snowflake folder from Darice. I stuffed the little balm into the box with a bit of white shreds and a white bow.  It almost looked o.k. and then I made the snowflake tag using the teal and mustard. Ughhhhhh! I thought, Wow there should never ever be a mustard yellow snowflake! I know you know what I was thinking. Remember that song "Don't eat yellow snow"!  I didn't even take a picture.  So then I took the bow and tag off and tried a red bow and a white snowflake. No it wasn't a winner either. I spent way to much time switching out the paper shreds and bows. Trying tag after tag nothing was working but I had to use them.  I have 20 of them. So to save you the story of the screaming sounds that were coming from my craftspace (really, it was bad . . . but on the upside I now know how to get the family to turn tail and run) Here is a couple of pictures of how they turned out:

I still don't really love them but I at least feel o.k. about using them as favors. After all those who receive them know my heart was in the right place.  I hope you all have your crafty mojo going as there is a mere 16 days till Christmas. I still have shopping to do so it is really time to get organized.  Have a great week ahead and thanks for stopping by.
Lysa

First Of The Christmas Favors

Hi Everyone,
Whew, I have been on a bit of a holiday marathon.  It started the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and here it is December 1st. This past week was so busy with work and trying to get organized.  With all family hands on deck, we have arrived at Christmas 2012!  I am so happy to say the outside lights are up along with the big giant wreath and window candles.  The tree is glowing in the living room and I must say as I pulled into the driveway last night after work I paused and took a breath.  I was just so happy to be home so I could enjoy all the efforts we had made decorating.  Our annual "family tree day" was so much fun this year and my favorite memory is that my 9 year old grand daughter can now reach higher branches than I can.  Really, its true.  She was able to hang ornaments higher than I could.  I'll tell you this, the next time we paint she can do the ceiling! Another great memory is that this was the first year she stuck stead fast to the "No Clumping Rule"! So funny, she did an awesome job and it was so much fun for us all.  I also was able to get some favors done this week too.  I needed 20 favors for a holiday dinner that I am attending next week.  I used the single Rocher holder with the window cut out that I had posted back at Halloween.  You can view the original post and grab the file here:
http://www.lysaandhueyink.blogspot.com/2012/10/more-halloween-crafty-goodness.html
When I made it back during Halloween I knew it would be perfect Christmas treat holder as well.  Here is a picture of how they came out:

I just love how they worked out.  All the boxes, tags, and die cuts were cut using MTC and my Zing. I used plain kraft cardstock that I stamped with Stampin 'Up Crumb Cake ink and a small inkadoo clear stamp.  Don't you just love the tone on tone. You can barely see the holly leaves.  The belly strip is some old provocraft paper called holly argyle.  My favorite part is the die cut. Funny thing, I saw that exact cutout on a Teresa Collins Cricut cartridge.  But then when I was looking a Google images of holly branches I saw the exact one as clipart from Zazzles.  So who copied who?  Makes no difference to me as the Zazzles image traced perfectly in my MTC software. The die cut is less than 1.5" and it cut beautifully with my Zing. I used a multi toned piece of green paper from K&Co. and just added a bit of marker accents. I hope you like them as much as I do.  I am off to start working on the lip balms I bought from Avon.  They will be the favors for my work peeps.  It will be a simple fold over of some sort. Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by.
Lysa 

Oceans Apart, But On The Same Page!

Hi Everyone,
Today I have a lovely story and an awesome little box to share.  I received a note from Lynne Armstrong from the MTC forum.  I am here in the States in Jersey and Lynne is over in Australia.  WOW! We are oceans apart.  But no way, no how, is a bit of water and geography going to stand between two crafty girls like us! You can see what Lynne is up to on her blog here:
http://www.doodlebuglynne.blogspot.com/
What happened was, Lynne told me Hershey nuggets are just not readily available in her area.  I come to find out that Rocher and Lindt chocolates are easier to obtain. Well after a bit of discussion we decided to increase the depth of the original nugget tag box that I had posted earlier this month so that it would hold Rocher instead of the Hershey Nuggets.  The original box for the nuggets can be found here by using the download link in this post:
http://www.lysaandhueyink.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-favorite-nugget-box.html
Now please know when it comes to candy. . . In my book if 1 piece is good, 2 pieces is great and(by the size of my pants!) 3 pieces is well. . . AWESOME! so here is a picture of the reworked nugget box that now holds 3 Rocher candies:

 

 I used a plain top on this box but I have the file available with or without the original tag. You can download the files from my mediafire site. Here is a picture of what the file with the plain top looks like.

 Simple and easy, you can make a lot in a short amount of time. Here are the links for the files. The .pdf is here:

http://www.mediafire.com/view/?s4vw9jjd3cmp1jw

And MTC fans will want this one for the plain top box:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?12v2jh4vcb6floc

and this one for the one with the tag top:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?uxj6hffr71gndh8

Now the story goes on, So crafty Lynne doesn't have any Rocher candies at hand but what see did have was some Lindt chocolates.  So she takes the file and reduces it to hold 2 Lindts.  I love it and here is a picture of what she made:

This box was made by Lynne Armstong - She's Crafty Good!

Is that not awesome crafty goodness? I love it! Great job Lynne! Lynne will be making these for a special holiday dinner that she will tell you about over at her blog. I want to say the best part of these boxes isn't the paper or the candy, It's not the ink or the rubber stamp. The best part of this box is 2 crafty good girls from opposite sides of the world sharing a crafty good thought. I had a great time making this box and an even better time making a new friend. I am off to start the Thanksgiving countdown. Once again Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Lysa

Edited to add Lynne's link 

Here is the link to download Lynne's two piece box that she posted on the MTC forum. The file is available as a .mtc file:

http://forum.make-the-cut.com/discussion/28771/nugget-box-rework-now-holds-rocher-and-lindts#latest

And So This Is Christmas. . .

Hi Everyone,
Truth be told it is not even Thanksgiving!  Oh poor Tom Turkey just doesn't get a fair shake! I am in total Christmas mode already.  Yet again all my fall linen and turkeys, crows and ceramic non - jack'd pumpkins won't see the light of day. Need I mention the lovely turkey salt and pepper shakers that once adorned my Thanksgiving table.  It is sad I know.  It seems I just go from Halloween black and orange right to the green and red.  I think it is because my time is so limited with working and general life.  I guess I have just come around to what works for me.  With that said, I wanted to post this file for my double sided carrier tote. Now please know that this tote was once 2 Stampin 'Up boxes that were glued back to back.  But being digi minded I knew there was a better way.  I had made this box for a wedding project in white embossed paper.  It held 6 small bottles of bubbles (3 on each side).  It was just beautiful.  The carrier was on each table so that there were bubbles all night long through the reception.  This little box can hold a lot.  Here it is holding 9 pieces of candy (6 nuggets & 3 Ghirardelli chocolates).  That's a whole lot of candy!
Here is a picture of what the file looks like:

I have the .pdf of the file posted here:
http://www.mediafire.com/view/?4r2o7y9s8j7kj28
The .mtc file is here:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?hhtz2hmnhs17op7

I hope you will try to make this carrier, I think it would make a great snowman soup holder.  If you need it to be smaller you can reduce the size as long as you maintain the aspect ratio.  If you need any tips on assembly just give me a shout out and I will do my best to explain.
I want to send out my best wishes to all for a Happy Thanksgiving and many blessing to you all for a joyous and safe holiday.  I know how busy I get over the next 2 months so posting may be spotty but I will check in to answer any questions you may have.
Thanks as always for visiting,
Lysa

Digi Halloween, Last Year - This Year . . .

Hi Everyone,
I still don't have the Halloween buckets back up in the attic! Hello, its November 11th! Why you may wonder. I have to say every 10 minutes while trying to pack it all up, I would run back to my Huey computer to play with my CraftArtist 2 software and Halloween pictures.  I am sure by the end of today I will be looking at a cleaned house and will be ready to go full force with Christmas crafting.  I have to tell you all that I absolutely love CA2!  The new color palette creator is the bomb! I make all my digi page 8.5 X 11.  I have a large format printer but for some reason I just like the size of a standard page.  I think it is the rectangular shape.  I really need to make a few 12 X 12 pages, just to create a new comfort zone if not for any other reason. Here are last years and this years Halloween digi pages. It is great to see the little one changing from just pretending to be a doll to becoming  a doll!  The one thing that doesn't change is her beautiful smile.

I hope you will take time to play with the pictures you take.  We all seem to take picture after picture (I have thousands) and never play with them.  Pictures are an awesome good craft supply! There are so many great software packages for photos now.  Serif software offers a free download that is not a trial but a scaled down version.  Why not give it a try and get your DigiPic mojo on.  The full version of the software has some great templates for cards, boxes and such.  I hope everyone has a great Sunday, I am off to finish packing up Halloween.  Thanks for visiting,
Lysa

So Cute Snowman ... So Not My Idea!

Hi Everyone,
Just a quick Friday post and check in as this weekend is "TAKE DOWN HALLOWEEN!" OK, so I am a week behind.  Due to Hurricane Sandy, Halloween was postponed and there was no way I was going to take down the decorations until after I saw all the little trick or treaters. So as I sat at the kitchen table with my ipad waiting for my doorbell to ring in hopes of passing out candy I came across the most adorable snowman tea light on a Stampin 'Up web site. Becky Roberts of Inking Idaho (who has an awesome blog) that you can view here:
http://inkingidaho.blogspot.com/
She had this snowman made out of tea lights!  I had to make them right away.  Now if I could I would buy the entire Stampin 'Up catalog, but sadly I have to pick and choose what I can buy. Thanks to my Zing and MTC I can use what I have to create all the awesome crafty goodness I see online.  Here is my snowman that I saw on Becky's site along with my file I used to create the snowman.  I can't wait to make these in a large number.  I plan to hang these off of all the gifts I give this year. Here is the picture and the file links for this project

Here is the link to the .pdf file for the snowman's hat:
http://www.mediafire.com/view/?39i57rh03hsixp2
and the MTC file is here:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?wi0jucjazyho451
 Please don't thank me for this cutie as it is all Stampin 'Up! I used the SU snowflake folder to emboss mine but I am sure any pattern will work just as well.  I used some black gem bling for my "coal" but if you only have clear just color it with a black Sharpie marker. I used my Tombow glue for the "coal" on that one but next time round I think I will try Crazy Glue.  I used a handle from a gift bag for the scarf but on my next one I am going to try something different like fabric.  Enjoy and please make some of these because they are even more adorable in person!!  Thanks for stopping by,
Lysa

My Favorite Bakery Box

Hi Everyone,
I am a bit early posting this week as I am off for Election Day.  I got to the Polls early so that left me with some time to get crafty.  I have the TV on to the local news and all they are talking about is the expected snowstorm for tomorrow.  This can't be, a snowstorm 1 week after a hurricane! Of course I have to work a double tomorrow! I am trying to keep a good thought but I am getting to the end of my rope. With that said, we had Halloween yesterday on November 5th.  I was happy that the kids got to go Trick or Treating but it was so cold and so dark. I felt bad for the kids and the Mom's and Dad's too! Rory went with a few friends with her Dad and Poppy in tow.  I have a feeling all will be sneezing by the weekend. OK, thanks for letting me vent for a moment, Now for the crafty goodness.  Here is my all time, most favorite, awesome crafty good bakery box!  I love this box and as you can see from the picture (and previous blog posts) that I use it all the time. Here is the picture of the file:

It surly looks like a silly pattern but I gotta tell you it is a great box.  Super easy to re-size as long as you maintain the aspect ratio. You can make as big as you need.  I love making it out of Staples index cardstock because it looks so much like a bakery box.  It has no tab closure so you need to tie, ribbon or belly band it closed.  I hope you love it as much as I do.  Here is the link to the .pdf file:
http://www.mediafire.com/view/?k51nonltjhtfn93
And for my MTC fans (who I love dearly) here is the file:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?yg9d75uh6bpuby6
Enjoy this file everyone and if you use it I would love to see a picture.  Please continue to keep us all here in the Northeast in your thoughts and prayers.  So many lost their homes and so many still with no power. I can't say enough how horrible the last week has been for so many.  I will say the kindness of people has been awesome. Blessing to you all and thanks for visiting,
Lysa

My Favorite Cocoa Packet Holder

Hi Everyone,
A few years back I wanted to make cocoa packets as favors for my work peeps.  I always thought packets items like cocoa, tea or soup was just adorable for a hand out item. I just didn't know how I wanted to package them.  I even bought a pattern for a paper mug. I made it and just did not like how the cocoa packet fit into it. It was flopping back and forth, the mug was to just to big to hold the packet I was using.  So I decided to use my pattern for a hanging pillow box.  The packet just fit so nicely in it.  I made the door knob opening smaller and created a little snowflake "charm" to hang in the center.  Now this is a two part story as I had purchased 2 - 24 pack boxes of Starbuck's cocoa, seeing the brown color scheme of the packet I knew I wanted to use one of my all time favorite papers (early espresso from Stampin 'Up) to make the holder. But I had a bit of a mishap with my Christmas cards that I had purchased. In my haste to print and get them into the mail I had made a typo in the sentiment. I didn't catch the typo prior to going to print! Well it all worked out as I recycled the front of the card as a belly band around the base box.  I found a picture of the first color scheme using the SU paper. It was sitting in the background of another picture. On this one I made a little spinning snowflake charm. The belly band was from a K&Co. paper stack. It's not the best picture but here it is:

I needed to use the cards that I had ruined.  They were so pretty and there was no way I was going to throw away the cards.  Here is a picture of a few of them:

Aren't the snowmen cute? I hand stamped the snowflakes on the lavender blueish paper with Tsukineko Brilliance Dew Drop in lavender and cut the fronts of the cards off to create the belly band around the box. I used my DSA2 and my Stampin 'Up tag punches to make the tags. They were a big hit. These were personalized tags for work. I also had a basket of them at the house by the door for anyone that stopped by.
Here is a picture of the file:

Just a note about the snowflake, I used my Martha Stewart punch on mine, but I added a basic snowflake to the file for ease.
Here is a link to download the .pdf file:
http://www.mediafire.com/view/?4rn5v70nfg1bjmj
and for all fans of MTC here is that file:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ba39bv61cvdyssn
I hope you find use for this cute holder, Just think of what you can stuff into it.  You can change it up and do away with the snowflake. Make the circle cutout bigger and hang it on a door knob.  I am thinking this may just make a great holder for this years Reindeer food!  Let me know if you have any questions. Hope you all are thinking about Christmas as it is just around the corner! Have a great weekend.
Lysa

The Storm Named Sandy

Hi Everyone,
 I want to send prayers out to all who have been devastated by hurricane Sandy.  We made it through the storm thanks to the Hubs and the good graces of the Lord.  Power was back for us within 2 days. Though our community still has many areas without power, all are helping out.  Our water front area was hit hard and people have lost everything. Gas is an issue, but the grocery stores have food. We are safe and warm.  For those who have lost their homes, I have no words, only prayers. Today my family and I count our blessings and wish everyone from the Jersey shore and through out the eastern coast and tri-state area a speedy restoration from this horrible hurricane. Blessing to All,
Lysa

A Favorite Nugget Box

Hi Everyone,
See those cute little nugget boxes. I made them for Christmas 2010.  They hold 3 Hershey nuggets perfectly. I made 50 of those boxes and never used them! Yup! I threw almost all of them out! So here is what happened ... Just before Christmas 2010, I got the flu and I landed in the hospital for six days.  Really from the flu! Well that is just what happened, it was horrible! Who knew the flu could take a person down like that! Well apparently hundreds of thousands of people knew and that is why they get their flu shot each year. Now I have joined them and get the shot every year as well. On a happier note I did give out some of them in early December prior to getting sick.  I was afraid to save the rest for fear I had contaminated the boxes! Well now two years down the line I thought I would remake these little guys because I liked them so much. Here is a picture of what the file looks like:

I have posted the .pdf file here:
http://www.mediafire.com/view/?hy7z8a1ehr7b165
And for all you MTC fans you can find the file here:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ngqjbnwqf8vennn
I hope you give this box a try as you can change it up as needed.  It also looks cute without the tree, adding a little embellishment in its place. I use Wilton gold candy foil to back the tree.  You can even do away with or change the window shape to your liking.  I use a corner rounder punch on the top corners for a bit more finished look and as you know I like to hand score.  The MTC file has the score lines on a separate layer so you can shut them off. Let me know if you have any folding questions.  Enjoy and have a great weekend.
Lysa
Enjoy

Just A Quick Hello(ween)!

Hi Everyone,
Today is October 21! So that means 10 days left till HALLOWEEN! Today is a mellow Sunday.  We are all puttering around the house. I have had so much energy lately that it is SCARY!!! Yesterday I recovered the kitchen chair seats. They so needed it. The staple gun is an awesome invention. I put up our favorite slow cooker chicken and dumplings at about 11 a.m. this morning and the whole house smells great.  Laundry is happily washing away and QVC with David in the kitchen is blaring in the background.  I love Sundays! But wait, what is a Sunday without a quick craft? A Sunday without a craft is like a day without sunshine! Really. . . did I just say that? Sorry, that was my Mom channeling me from heaven. Next week I have a Board meeting and I needed just a little some'n, some'n to bring to the meeting. I had 2 bags of Ghirardelli caramel sitting behind me and above is a picture of what I came up with.  Won't these look cute sitting at everyone place at the meeting.  I make a lot of gift baskets and I like to put something sweet in them too. I even add a bit of candy to wrap gifts and cards. Here you see the Ghirardelli caramels wrapped. 2 pieces wrapped with a 1.75 X 5 inch strip of paper, stacked and tied with a bow and a bitty tag.  So simple!! The Board members will start their meeting with a smile. When you are in need of a quickie, think about re-wrapping packaged candy. I have to run because David Venable  is making pumpkin beignets and I have a can of pumpkin puree in the pantry. Yummmm! I know what dessert is tonight! Enjoy your Sunday and thanks for visiting,
Lysa

The Last Of Halloween 2012

Hi Everyone,
Oh my, yet more Halloween crafty goodness.  I say it's the last but until the family steps in and puts a stop to the madness I will keep on crafting.  Sam came home from Walgreen's with this bag of Hershey kisses that are pumpkin spice.  She looked me right in my face and said "Mom, these taste just like your pumpkin chiffon pie"! Really, . . . I mean, do I need to add another favorite candy to my list, let alone to my hips!! Sure I do . . . What's that phrase? You only live once or something like that. So now that left me with a bag of these awesome kisses, which needed the perfect box.  and here it is:

and here is what the cut file looks like:

Once your get a handle on the fold they go together quickly and they don't require a lot of adhesive.
Here is the link to the .pdf
http://www.mediafire.com/view/?uunudcdon60rdk5
And for all of you MTC fans, I have that too! Here is the link:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?sbhhgo5j45yxq19
Enjoy this file, you can change out the window shape or the handle.  You all know I like to hand score but I left the lines for those of you who use them.  This box would be awesome for the Christmas season as well as wedding favors. I add no notes to the files but if you are having trouble with the fold, leave me a comment and I will answer the best I can. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by.
Lysa