Uses for Cans - Valentine's Day

i know this is a little late, but i since i was at home sick on valentine's day, i just gave my co-workers their v-day treats this week.

this is what i gave them:

i filled the cans with dry red beans and i used bar-b-q skewers to hold the rice krispie treats.  i covered them in melted chocolate and sprinkled them with little hearts before they cooled.  and then i covered the cans with scrapbook paper.  i cut the paper to 4" x 10".

after i made these a co-worker reminded me of another use for cans.

it got me thinking about multiple uses for old cans... so i feel some more posts coming on new uses for old cans! :o)

hope you're all having a wonderful week!

Lots of Baking and New Finds

on friday i baked all day getting ready for the women's club flea market... here are the treats i made...

double chocolate chip oatmeal cookies (i REALLY love that neiman marcus cookie recipe that floats around the internet... it's my "go to" cookie recipe.  the key is, use really good chocolate.  don't skimp there.)

sour cream coffee cake (my grammie's recipe. she used to make it for us every christmas morning. it filled the house with that divine cinnamon smell.)

blueberry muffins

i found the printable labels on giver's log here.  as you can see on the bottom two images, the frames aren't centered for my printer.  i played around with them on photoshop and centered them for avery 8160 and 6245 labels. i love these labels and think that they really jazz up simple wrapping... labels and some baker's twine and you're good to go! :o)

Free Hand Labels Ready to Print

Framed Labels

of course after i dropped my goodies off at the flea market, i had to support the whole cause and do a little shopping... here's what i came away with...

a fun vintage tea container (and i picked up the sweet peas at the farmers market... i LOVE fresh flowers!!)

and this find i L.O.V.E.  i'm always baking fresh goodies to take to work and i can't wait to transport them in this vintage cake carrier!! i love that it's labeled and i love the handle fasteners!!! too cute!!

now i have to get back to my homework... i'm taking a photoshop class and all projects are due tomorrow night... i'm pretty sure that this butterfly image isn't supposed to look like this:

i've restarted the process 3 times with no success. boooo!   i'm off to troubleshoot some more... wish me luck! :o)

Christmas Tags and Labels

I am ALL DONE making Christmas gifts!!! Woooohoooooo!!!!  Well... kinda.  I need to make truffles and cookies, but that'll be a cinch.  So now on to the wrapping.  I have had so much fun!  I can vouch for the fact that the perfect bow tying tutorial works!!! I had so much fun doing it that I was up until 3 last night wrapping.

So now on to the tags and labels. I used to not bother with tags.  I thought they were a waste of money and too much of a bother.  My option?  Take a Sharpie marker straight to the package or not write anything and just pass out the gifts myself.  Pathetic.... I know.  {grin}

Now that presentation matters to me I made gift tags this year.  They were really simple.  I used a stamp I already had on hand, VersaMark ink pad, embossing powder and a heat gun.

Stamp the image and apply embossing powder.  Tap off the excess.

Heat the image with the heat gun.  The powder hardens and the image is now a little raised.  I love the simple elegant look of it!

Here it is on my package.  I just wrote their names on the back.

I made labels to go with my handmade creations because sometimes people have opened up gifts and have had a confused look.  I hate putting someone through that awkward situation, so here are the labels I made.

I love the simple look and I think it makes the gift look more professionally made.

I hope that you are all enjoying the process of your Christmas preparations (wrapping, baking, decorating, etc.) and that you are able to roll into the actual holiday with a sense of joy and peacefulness.

Blessings,

Nori

It's All About the Packaging

Have you noticed how packaging makes an incredible impact on the gift?  It makes the anticipation of opening a gift even more unbearable.  It makes a home baked treat taste even yummier.  It makes something simple seem like it's worth a million bucks.  Heck, it even makes giving a gift more fun.

I am really enjoying wrapping gifts this season.  That's saying a lot for me.  If you knew me, you'd know that I usually use whatever roll of paper I have on hand to quickly wrap a gift and then slap a generic plastic bow on top.

This year I've made a point of purchasing classic solid wrapping papers and wired ribbons that will span the seasons and occasions. I'm finding that the simpler the paper and ribbon are, the more classy they can look with a couple of embellishments. On a side note, I have to say that I have a roll of wrapping paper that I picked up from Costco.  It has red and white diagonal candy cane stripes on one side and ice skates on the other side.  It seemed pretty enough at the time, but after 5+ years of seeing it... I really dislike it and just seeing it makes me not look forward to wrapping. After this revelation, I'm definitely donating it to my local thrift store. I've got to get those bad wrapping vibes outta my house. {grin}

I made these cookies today and wrapped them up and now I'm squealing with delight!

 

I think it would be so much cuter with red and white bakers twine... Now I'm kicking myself for not breaking down and buying some. 

 

I always worry about giving cookies away when I don't know if people have food allergies, so this time I made a little label so they know exactly what they're eating.

Earlier this week I gave my co-workers their gifts (Coffee cozies, Starbucks gift cards and a can 'o cookies). One of the girls was so cute, I talked to her a day after I gave her the gifts and she still hadn't opened them because she thought it was too pretty.  Don't cha just love friends like that?  They make gift giving fun. :o)  

 

I should have taken a picture of all of the cozies I made... I made them in all different colors to match their personalities. 

 

I hope that you all are enjoying this season of giving (and being with those you love)... it doesn't matter how big or small the gift is... it's the love and thought you put into it that counts. :o)

Blessings,
Nori