packaging

HALLOWEEN LOVERS UNITE!

We’ve always especially loved Halloween at my house; it also happens to be the Mister’s birthday! (cue the confetti—Halloween confetti, of course!) I’ve been sharing sneak peeks on my Instagram but I know some of y’all don’t use Instagram, so I’m sharing here, too. If you wanna throw your name in the hat for some great prizes, check out the Instagram Hop we have going on (this post has the details and you can visit the other stops from there!)

Now, I’m a gonna dish particulars about the samples above! Even tho the Halloween Treat Tags can be used as stand-alones, I really had fun combining them with the Farmhouse tags! My images were all heat embossed (the bat in white on black cardstock, ghost in black on watercolor paper, so I could do some light watercolor shading on her) There’s a double-hole punch on the Farmhouse Tags with a matching reinforcer and I love being able to use contrasting colors for the reinforcer.

Why does a project always seem more “finished” if I knot the ends of my baker’s twine??? If I don’t knot the ends, it nags at me. Baker’s Twine in particular, must.be.knotted. I think it’s an OCD thing with me . . .

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Tiny gold stars make anything feel more special, am I right? I can never resist adding a light sprinkle of them whenever I can . . . I know they look like they were placed completely at random, but I kid you not, I place each one very deliberately, looking for balance overall and when I’m satisfied, I then glue them into place.

Surely I’m not the only one who futzes over such details . . . ?

P.S. If you want to see the entire 2021 EBE Fall Release, check out the release page HERE. The inspiration samples for the release page are nothing short of MIND-BLOWING GOODNESS, and were all created by my girl Heather Meeson. If you don’t already follow her on Instagram, you really should. You really, really should.

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NEVER-ENDING FRINGE IDEAS AND INSPIRATION

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There are so, SO many ways to use the Never-ending Fringe Die—I love having 3 different sizes/widths of fringe to work with! Sometimes you need a smaller size for things like the party picks . . .

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. . . and gift package tassels shown here, which are made simply out of card stock. They just finish off this package so nicely! I recently did a how-to video for making tassels using the Never-ending Fringe over on the Ellen Hutson YouTube Channel, linked HERE.

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Even tho my piñata above ↑ (from Hit That) is not multi-colored in more, customarily, “traditional” piñata hues, I think it turned out adorable in this ombré pink with minty green and metallic gold accents! (Copic marker colors I used are linked below down in supplies)

This DIY Mini Pull Piñata video tutorial I did for the Ellen Hutson YouTube Channel, linked HERE, is another of my most favorite projects—I really cannot wait for St. Patrick’s Day to hand them over to my granddaughters and watch their faces when they pull the strings! Here on Whidbey Island, we have very little of the shopping that folks are accustomed to on the mainland (seriously, a trip to Target is an hour+ drive away), but I am lucky in that our local downtown has a wonderfully well-stocked candy and toy shop where I found darling wooden bead bracelets, gold chocolate coins, colorful salt water taffy, and a few other items to stuff inside. Yay!!!

So, what about you? Are you as smitten with fringe as I am?

Thanks for stopping by today!

SUPPLIES:

Disclosure: Affiliate links used wherever possible; when you purchase via my links I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps keep the lights on around here. And, if I could reach through the interwebs to hug you, you’d be wrapped up in the most appreciative mondo squishy hug on the planet!

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DIY HOT FOIL STAMPED CELLOPHANE PACKAGING

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When a girl’s oven breaks down right before Thanksgiving, she’s gotta scramble. Luckily, the Mister knows how to smoke and grill turkey, and girl knows how to make crock pot mashed potatoes and no-bake pumpkin cheesecake pie; the day was saved! But, the part my oven needs (the control panel ) is (still ) on back-order, we’re in the middle of a Pandemic and Christmas is 12 days away . . .

This year will be the one where everything got dipped. In chocolate. Have you ever had dried apricots dipped in dark chocolate? Sinful. White chocolate popcorn? Heavenly. Chocolate coated pretzels—with the fun little sprinkles? Delightful.

How to gift them in a way that feels special and, dare I say it, “upscale”? Today, I’m taking some plain jane cellophane bags and adding gold foil lettering for a gorgeous, high-end presentation and making Martha Stewart proud in the process! •wink• GO, ME!!!

PLEASE NOTE: I am foiling onto crystal clear CELLOPHANE bags NOT Polypropylene bags ).

My Gemini FoilPress Settings:

  • Medium Heat Setting

  • 15 second timer for a medium sized hot foil stamp

  • 110# sheet of card stock for additional shim

TIPS:

  • This method requires heat/pressure activated foils (NOT toner reactive foils ); while you can try other brands of foil, I have found Crafter’s Companion Paper Craft foils to work beautifully and quite consistently with the Gemini FoilPress system.

  • It’s always best to start with the lowest heat setting first and to test the results before proceeding to your project (be prepared to sacrifice a few bags to practice so you can find the settings that work best for your materials and your FoilPress; once you find the secret sauce, write it down and keep it handy. My notes are taped inside my cabinet door where I store my FoilPress ).

  • Slip a piece of card stock trimmed to fit inside the bag; this will improve foil transfer.

  • Removable/low-tack tape makes a great “hinge” for hot foil stamp placement, and anchoring in place to avoid shifting when sending through the Gemini Jr. I’ve been using Purple Tape, but you could also use washi tape.

  • Always allow the foil/cello bag to cool before peeling to reveal the foil.

  • Over-foiling on cello bags is best removed with the dull edge of the FoilPress Magnetic Tweezers or the dull side of scissors blade. (Do NOT use nail polish remover or rubbing alcohol to remove over-foiling on cellophane; it causes a chemical reaction that discolors the bag in a not pretty way. Ask me how I know . . . )

  • Tape residue on the back of your hot foil stamp can easily be removed with rubbing alcohol.

  • After filling your cello bags with a yummy treat, you can use twist ties, pretty washi tapes or possibly one of those heat sealer thingies (I don’t have one those—yet—but I just may have to bite the bullet . . . ).

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I seriously had THE.BEST.TIME foiling these bags! They turned out SO pretty! I’m packaging food, but DANG!!! you could package SO many different kinds of gifts this way!! YAASSSS!!! •fist pump•

My primary source for food-safe CELLOPHANE flat bags is Clear Bags. I also like their gusseted bags. With the Christmas holiday looming, however, they are currently out of stock of some of their most popular size configurations. ACK!!! You can also find cellophane bags on Amazon and big box craft stores that carry baking tools and supplies. You may even discover some vendors on Etsy that offer them ( ? — I haven’t looked but the thought just occurred to me ).

Thanks for stopping by today!

SUPPLIES:

  • Happy Holidays by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Hot Foil Stamps - EH

  • Gold, Gemini FoilPress Papercraft Foil Rolls - EH

  • Rose Gold, Gemini FoilPress Papercraft Foil Rolls - EH

  • Silver, Gemini FoilPress Papercraft Foil Rolls - EH

  • iCraft Purple Tape 1-1/2 in X 15 yds - EH

  • FoilPress Machine, Crafter's Companion Gemini - EH

  • Crafter's Companion Gemini Junior EH

Disclosure: Affiliate links used wherever possible; when you purchase via my links I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you, so please—buy all the things! And, thanks so much for your support!

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HALLOWEEN TREAT PACKAGING IDEAS

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Halloween’s a comin’ and you gotta’ treat your boo’s, eh?! Well, I got ya’ covered with a variety of ideas—these were (literally) wicked fun to make!

  1. I have a serious addition to little paper sacks and fun paper straws and used some from my stash to make this adorable witch’s broom following this ridiculously easy tutorial. If you’re looking for similar kraft/favor bags, I did find these, which are sized identically to mine, on Amazon: Extra Small Kraft Bags and Black and White Patterned Paper Straws

  2. I modified one of my favorite The Stamp Market Dies, Gift Bag & Tags, to make a larger size bag with assembly flaps. That sounds really confusing but if you watch the video, you’ll totally get it (scroll down or watch on YouTube HERE.). If you are one of those sewing-machine-happy-fanatics (onto paper), then by all means, skip this trick. But, if the idea of dragging out and setting up your sewing machine makes you wanna stick a fork in your eye, (yes, I really am that lazy a paper crafter!) this is an awesome and easy way to modify. (wink) Just sayin’ . . . I’d slip a cookie into this bag. Of the Snickerdoodle variety. (personal favorite)

  3. This Pillow Box by Lawn Fawn looks so cute garnished with a peachy pink web and a bat (bat is on a Mini Action Wobbler for added fun). OH, and, BTW, I gave my bat some fur using a white gel pen. I think he’s ADORABLE all furry!!! EEP!!!

  4. The small bag die in the Gift Bag & Tags set is PERFECT for gift cards—I mean, seriously!!! A Halloween gift card for a coffee treat??? YAASSSSS!!!

Seriously, with these ideas, your Halloween treats are gonna’ be the talk of the ‘hood. BOOM!!!

Before I forget—Ellen Hutson is having a sale on dies Aug 15-17th! Dies are 20% off in the Die Cutting Category with code: welovedies2019 at check out!

NEW HOLIDAY RELEASE COMING

I've had my head down, workin' fast and furious on my upcoming holiday release--eek!  Goes live, this Sunday, Sept. 9th.  

Lemme just say... I LOVE the unlikely combination of Tutti Frutti ink on Pale Rose card stock.  It is BOMB!!!