Bridal Shower Favors

Recently a friend of mine asked me to create some party favors for her bridal shower. It is going to be a small, intimate affair so being able to create a one of a kind, unique gift for each of the attendees will be a special treat for each of them. Having an open dialogue with her in terms of theme and colors was important in order to ensure she was happy with the end result.

After deciding on a color palette, it was important to both of us that the women would be able to use the favor again. We went around to various stores and after going to a flea market, we found a variety of these small mason jars that we just fell in love with.

She has bit of an old world, eclectic theme for her wedding so these fit perfectly.

Umbrellas are so fun and the perfect theme for a shower and I knew using my Fiskars tools that I would be able to create a festive altered jar for each of the ladies.

The sticks are bamboo skewers purchased at a local grocery store. Using candy as the jar filler enabled me to be support them so they would stand on their own. Not only is it functional it but it is delicious, too! Each skewer is cut at a different height, allowing you to be able to see each one the toppers at different angles. This is important since they will be sitting on the tables as the guests arrive. Then, I cut various styles with different Fiskars border punches, creating a layered trim border for the neck of the jar.

I couldn't forget about the top of the jar. Adding a scalloped accent along the edge with my Fiskars border punches and a complimentary butterfly ensures that this can be a gift party goers can use again once those candies are gone.

And don't forget about those scraps. Here is a detailed tutorial for you on how to create this raffia by running your scraps through your Fiskars Paper crimper.

The finishing touch is a card for the Bride-to-be. I couldn't resist adding this special card just for her to let her know how happy I was that she asked me to be a part of her special day. I hope you found some great ideas here that you can use on your projects, too.

Playing with Punches and Pluff

Hi there! I have a fun project to share today. Have you heard of Pluffy?

When I was at CHA, I came across this booth. It is a funny story because the gentleman came to use first because he needed some cardstock to match a few things they were doing over there and I told him when we got it unpacked, I would run it over.

Well, I went over and instantly recognized the brand from Michaels (turns out I had picked some up before and had lots of "great" ideas that never came into fruition) and we began talking about Polyform clay and he he gave me some samples to take back to the Core booth. Well, as soon as I got home, I started playing with it and it has such a cool texture. My mind instantly started running.

It's not like the clay you are used to, it isn't sticky...it is very smooth and resilient and it doesn't dry out. Then you bake it when you are done so it hardens. It is so much fun! Because it is so versatile and easy to use, you can easily use your favorite crafting tools when creating with Pluffy.

I used my Fiskars punches, Fiskars Soft Grip Detail knife and Fiskars Hand punch for this project and they worked beautifully.

1.) Roll out the Pluffy and using the Fiskars Circle Punch XX punch a piece of heavy duty cardstock and use as a template on the Pluffy to make the base of the cookie. Use your Softgrip Detail Knife and cut the clay around the punched image.

2.) Next, take the large Seal of Approval punch and press the scalloped edge into the corner of the circle to create the "bite". You will need to apply enough pressure to make an indentation in the clay so you can use the Softgrip Detail knife and cut it out.

3.) Using the 1/8" Hole punch from Fiskars, cut out small holes from the scraps of the Pluffy for the chocolate chips. Again, punch them nice and slow. After each time, open the punch and take out the small circle so they don't stick together. Don't forget to punch a hole in the cookie so you can tie it to your package. You must do this before you bake it.

4.) Press the chocolate chips gently on the cookie base. Bake according to package directions (15 minutes).

5.) Let cool and paint. I added texture paint in between layers to make it feel more like a real cookie.

6.) Spray with some Glimmer Mist for a little shine (just one squirt, not a lot).

7.) Embellish your cookie bag with some baker's twine, sentiment and journaling spot (I used Core'dinations Cardtock).

Here is a close-up: