Saturday, March 12, 2011

Postmarks

That time of the month again:). Tonight Nichole and the team are featuring the new Postmarks set. Oodles of postage and post office-esque details and designs in one little stamp package. Lots to choose from.


I was a total literalist on this project. The song "My Favorite Things" kept going through my head. Particularly the line about "brown paper packages tied up with string". Why fight it? Brown paper packages it was going to be.

I made myself a few origami boxes. These are super simple. Here's a tutorial I found that actually makes it seem a bit more complicated than it really is. (Might be time for a Make It Monday Video with a how-to? )

First, how about a shot of the completed project and then I'll get into details.


The thing I want to point out first is the airmail borders wrapping around the edges of the boxes. Very authentic. I had this in mind when I was thinking about what type of 3-D project I wanted to make. The origami boxes work well because at certain points in their assembly, they can lay flat, allowing for this type of stamping. Just have to mask off edges with Post-It's and stamp right over the creases, first in red and than in blue.



Here's what 1/2 of the box looks like with the air mail borders stamped completely.


 When the box is folded, the borders seamlessly go around the entire box.

Moving on, I used the new Label Basics set to create an "address label" for my box. I wanted to print my message, so I did that first on Papertrey Ink's adhesive paper. Then I stamped over it.


Because the Label Basic stamps are meant to stamp on the die cut without leaving a border, I was able to line the die up properly over the stamped image and then die cut, as opposed to die cutting first and stamping later.  Honestly, I think this is how I'm going to stamp all my Label Basics images. Very easy.
So you are probably asking yourself what is inside these little boxes. Sunshine (made out of a button and the new Sending You stamp set) and rainbows, of course! We all need some of that this time of year. 




The rainbow cookies were something I saw on Etsy last week and thought I could do myself. There's no recipe and I didn't take a lot of how-to photos of the process (messing hands and an inquisitive 3 year old by my side), but I can talk you through the process if you want to make some yourself. 


Rainbow Cookie How-To:

  1. Mix up two pouches of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix. 
  2. Separate1/2-3/4 cup of cookie dough into six  bowls.  You'll have a lot of left over white dough. Place that aside.
  3. Use gel food coloring (Wilton for example) and add color to the six separate dough balls. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Set aside. 
  4. Roll out plain dough into a log.
  5. Individually take colors and roll into a long thin "snake". Flatten and adhere to the side of the white dough log. Repeat with colors in rainbow order. 
  6. Wrap dough in Saran and chill in fridge for a few hours.
  7. Cut into slices and bake according to original directions on cookie mix bag. 


I've eaten so many of these colorful creations that I have a date with my treadmill as soon as I done blogging here. Sugar cookie are so yummy.

Make sure you check out the rest of the PTI Team Blogs to see their creations. Can hardly wait myself. Thanks for stopping by and I'll be back tomorrow with another group post.

Nichole Heady
Jessica Witty
Betsy Veldman
Dawn McVey
Heather Nichols
Lisa Johnson
Melissa Phillips
Michelle Wooderson
Maile Belles
Danielle Flanders

Supplies:
Cardstock: Kraft and Stamper's Select White
Stamps: Postmarks, Label Basics,  Sending You, Scattered Showers, It's Official, Tiny Tags
Ink: PTI Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise, and Dark Chocolate, Close to My Heart's Dutch Blue
Dies: Label Basics, Postmarks, Notebook, Tiny Tags
Baker's Twine
Adhesive Label Paper by PTI
Buttons: Harvest Gold

22 comments:

  1. What a great project! Love the idea for putting the airmail graphic around the edge of the box - thanks for the tip, it looks great. And those cookies are so cute - yum!

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  2. Your decorated origami boxes are adorable and so realistic. What a cute surprise inside ~ rainbow cookies are a new one! Wouldn't those be a fun addition in glassine bags added to a colorful Easter basket?

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  3. Your brown paper packages are so fun, and I particularly like the bakers twine you tied them with! How cool to have all the postage stamps to use with them. Your rainbow sugar cookies look fun, too.

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  4. I had so much fun reading about this project. And I'd love to try these cookies. For some reason the idea of this project just makes me happy! WRE

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  5. Cute creation...and you made me think I could use brown paper lunch sacks and have me some fun! Great looking cookies and I have a pack of that sitting on my counter to bake today with a couple of grandkids...lets see if I am brave enough to let them use the food colors..haha!!

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  6. You're project turned out great and your rainbow cookies are amazing! I feel so inspired! :)

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  7. Hi Erin,

    Love the box that you created! Especially the edges of this one look amazing with these stamps, perfect idea!!! And the cookies, ha, they look amazing as well and delicious and fun! You said they were shipping to the Netherlands?! hi hi ;-)Thanks for sharing all the wonderful ideas today!

    Hugs, Wendy

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  8. OMG, I absolutely love your pizza box that you decorated. It is so dang cute. And those cookies...SO yummy looking. You are amazing

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  9. LOVE it!
    Love, love, love these boxes!:)
    Just how stinkin' cute can you get?!
    Amazing...
    and I want them!
    I'm already picturing gifts like this...
    people will think I'm genius!:)
    Not so much when I confess that I didn't come up with it...
    Thank you so much for sharing this absolutely fabby idea!

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  10. Cute, cute, cute! The boxes create such great packaging for rainbows and sunshine :>)

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  11. Oh how cute! I have several box images in my Silhouette library, wonder if any of them would work?! Thinking of making smaller treat boxes with your ideas!!

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  12. What an adorable project! I love the authentic packaging, and the rainbow surprise inside is pure sweetness! Awesome job, Erin!

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  13. This stamp set and dies really do lend themselves to boxes. Love your project.

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  14. I love the boxes, and the cookies! You've knocked out yet another stellar project!

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  15. Oh my gosh, these are so awesome!! Definitely a great choice for Make It Monday.

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  16. The packages look so authentic, I had forgotten what those look like. As a young girl there were many letters sent sent to soldier friends in the Viet Nam war. Thank you so much for the link to the oragami box and the cookie recipe, you are very generous. TFS.

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  17. Beautiful boxes! So much wonderful PTI eye candy this month! :)

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  18. Yum, those are just beautiful! I'll bet my grandsons would enjoy making them with me! I'll have to try that! :D
    Your packages are awesome! What a cute set...and you used it beautifully. I can't wait until we can buy the March products! Thank goodness it's tonight!

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  19. love how these look so much like real mail. A very fun way to gift something.

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  20. Great looking boxes and cookies.
    Eveline.

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  21. I adore that packaging and the twine put a great final touch on the project! :)

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  22. Grooving on your projects here Erin! Love that recipe and doing it with my five year old girl today as our "special time". That baby girl of yours is far too cute for words. My kids have chubby cheeks too which I feel like gnawing on sometimes! Ha ha!

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