Mini Curvy Snowman...

So my catalogue case using the Let It Snow embellishment kit (as shown below...with more details here)

Inspired another make... or even two...

As I suddenly remembered one of my first Stampin' Up! stamp sets was still in my possession... even though it retired many years ago...

Thank you, Cold Play...  LOVING having this set out to play again...

Note that the eyes on the last one... are just inking up 2 out of the 3 dots that form the mouth...

Golden Frosted Foliage Snowflakes Mini Curvy Keepsake Treat Holder

So my gold Delicata ink pad has finally turned up after being in back order for a while...

So I put it to immediate use...

For a very quick and simple christmas table treat holder made with a simple pass of the new Mini Curvy Keepsake holder die... and finished off with golden Frosted Foliage snowflakes & Cheers to That greeting...

Though I think I may treat myself to the new 1/4" Gold Shimmer Ribbon to finish them off "properly"....

Perfect for our Lindor and Ferrero Rocher balls this year! Especially for my Boxing Day group meet up plans.... as I have always provided a small  - but perfectly formed - christmas chocolatey treat.... and this one is as simple, fast but still striking as you can make!

More Monday Mini Treats...

Sharing some more of the gorgeous and lovely table treats that greeted us all at our Team meal whilst at On Stage Telford UK...

Call these The Pinks range...

All my Love Lindor Ball box by Julie Wade... yum! Fave chocolate...

Tropical Escape Salted Caramel Kit Kat in a bag by Suse Jepson (Yum!! Not seen these baby Kit Kat treats before)

Falling & May Flowers with At Home With You greeting by Karen Pearmain. with tutorial linked...

Box Frame packaging... so up my street!! Lol... But I have never seen these hearts in Razzleberry before...

Scented Tea Light in a Share What You Love Origami Box by (sadly!) unknown... but such a clever box... but one that I know won't be able to fold back to close!!! Edited To Add! OMG!!! I just did it!!! That's a first...

Fabulous Haribo pouch by Emma Dymond with retired Printed With Love papers... so simple... but so effective... and did I tell you I love Haribos!

 Petal Promenade Chocolate Bar wrapper by (again sadly) unknown...

And This Little Piggy PeekaBoo treat by Sarah Lindsay... 

Love having so many clever crafty friends!! Thank you girls!

Amanda's Quick Links

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Current Catalogues & Products

Chocolate Treat Holder Cube Tutorial for 3D Thursday

A re-make of this very popular Ferrero Rocher or Lindor ball treat holder (in Foil Frenzy papers)... as requested by my lovely ladies! Re-made in the Share What You Love papers this time round...

And... as a result ... I realised that I didn't share the Tutorial at the time... so now there is a Tutorial for you all.... a simple little cube box with lid... be it for chocolate treats... or rings... or even earrings...

Recipe
Base - A4 card- 10.5cm (4 1/8") Square ( I used Berry Burst here)
Lid - Paper (or Card!) 3" (7.6cm) Square

Tutorial
1. Base cardstock panel. Score at 3.5cm (1 3/8") on all 4 sides 
2. Lid paper panel. Score at 2 cm (3/4") on all 4 sides (Note that I used 2 cm which is actually a generous 3/4" for those of you in the US that have no choice with your equipment...)

3. Dart 2 score lines on 2 opposing sides.
Tip - for neatness - I cut straight up the inside of the score lines on either side of the central section... but then with a slight diagonal dart on the narrow/outside sections...

4. Assemble and stick Base
5. Assemble and stick Lid (using your Base to stick it on... so you know your lid fits!!!)
6. Decorate as necessary.
I used a Stitched Shapes die cut small square, with Cake Soiree greeting and a few fussy cut flowers from the same Share What You Love paper

Oh and if you are using stripes or a paper with a particular pattern orientation... click here to check out how to get the pattern the same all the way round the lid! Simple but effective!

Sharing Special Gifts from Special Friends...

Well I could do a month of this series after On Stage 2018... but for today... my gorgeous Centre Stage gifts from my fellow Jems Centre Stage-going teamies... Julie Wade & Sharon Glynn

I think these are so beautiful... and so personal... and (cough!) so time consuming girls... !

First up ... a gorgeous and beautifully embroidered "pocket calmer" to smooth away my stresses... (aka pin cushion maybe... which would be a stress reliever in a different way!... and as I need one of those in my craft space at the moment! And this is too nice not to be visible and hidden in my pocket...) from Sharon...

I could never attempt such beautiful free-hand embroidery (I need holes!!) so I am well impressed Sharon! Something to be treasured for a long time... Love it

Second up... a delightful & gorgeous machine and hand sewn fabric cover from Julie... It contained tissues on the night... but my phone now permanently resides in there... so it goes everywhere with me... just love it Julie!! Right up my street!! 

And spot the SU! logo... well our Julie was very resourceful... amazing what you can get from an old SU! event lanyard... too clever Julie!

And thirdly... though not for Centrestage... but for a secret mission that Julie and I have carried out/achieved for the last 6 months!!! 

So chocolate from Julie... in one of Stampin Up's Silver Gable boxes... and it was full!! of my favourite Lindor goodness... Note the use of WAS... as it all miraculously disappeared last night... yum! So ruining the diet this week!!!! 

Talking of diets... yes that was indeed the secret mission... and I achieved the loss of 1 stone in the last 6 months!!!! I set myself the target of 1 stone loss for this On Stage event 6 months ago in November... and I achieved it even with the Christmas blip!! YAY! 

And for those of you that are not demos... Centre Stage is an invite only event on the Friday evening prior to the Saturday full day Stampin' Up On Stage event... 

Stampin Up invite demos that have achieved Silver Elite+ in career title to a special evening of food, shares, training, gifts and information... and this year 80s themed Fancy dress as well... to celebrate 30 years of Stampin Up! So yup that explains this photo!!! 

In the UK... there were nearly 60 of us... so it definitely is an exclusive event... and one I feel privileged to be invited to... as well as proud that my efforts, customers support and team members efforts allow me to be invited! It is truly special... and I really hope that others in my team will join us in November... or even next year!!!

And nowadays we get the catalogue too!! Which means that we have to run for the hills afterwards... as it would be so awful to spoil that anticipation and excitement for our fellow team members for the following day... but we know that they are all having a great time with each other... so no guilt any more!!!

But it was hilarious a year ago... as it was the first time we were given the catalogue at the Centrestage event... I have NEVER seen such excitement and amazement in a room!!! I think we all spent about 10 minutes just not believing that we were actually going to get it in our hands that early!!

But then the 4 of us at Centrestage that year walked back to meet the rest of the team for after meal drinks as arranged... and we had the catalogue "burning a hole in our bags"... it was so hard not to squeal and tell!!! And so hard to hold a conversation!!! And not long before the 4 of us pretended that we were very very tired!!!

3D Thursday... Chocolate Makes Everything Better Treat Boxes

Little box with lid designed by yours truly to hold my favourite ball off chocolate!! Whether in Red, Gold, Black or Copper... But a box that would also fit the other ol' golden ball itself...

Made for 20 special ladies.... that spent time with me and each other on the Saturday night after On Stage 2018 in Telford... These were the table gifts that greeted them at our favourite On Stage team outing at Zizzis! And we all had a lovely collection... thank you for my other treats friends!  I felt truly spoilt... it is so wonderful to move in such creative circles with such clever people!!

I will come back to this little box another day... but I will point one thing out... as it is something that I hadn't ever though to do before... until it came to the lid...

I wanted the stripes to all be vertical... on all 4 sides around the lid... which isn't possible when you glue the flaps of a stripy paper on the inside of the lid as you would do normally!! So I went "out of the box"... and just stuck the flaps to the outside instead (on the sides)... perfect stripes all vertical...

Decoration care of Lemon Lime Twist & Tangerine Tango Foil Frenzy stripy Papers for the lid... 

Along with a stamped Stitched Shapes die cut small square using a More Than Chocolate greeting ... and finished off with a stamped and 3/8" circle (retired but still going strong!) punched chocolate... and a gemstone...

And here are the 20 together... actually 19... as the 20th had already gone off on an adventure of its own elsewhere...

And here we all are at Zizzis...

 What a great team of girls!!

And with special mention and thanks to Pip our waiter... who knows how to take care of a large group having a great meal out!!! Still can't believe he remembered us from last time!!

Curled Paper "Red Balls" Topiary...

Couldn't put this away for the year without sharing my preferred treats version of the "golden balls Topiary" I shared here earlier... again using Merry Little Christmas papers though with the black side being used too for this one... and double the balls added!

Though I have to laugh as the FR one sat there for 2 months with not a moments temptation to eat anything... but this Lindor one didn't get through a second night without the family devouring them all!! Led by yours truly...

Though I have to admit to preferring the Golden Balls one visually!

And I can report that they have been such a success in the flesh... indeed my mother's favourite project ever! Though I kind of knew that before I finished it...

And before I go... for those of you in the UK... don't forget...

(1) The Spring Summer Catalogue and Sale A Bration promotion launch tomorrow, 3rd Jan. So lots more on that tomorrow morning... but a great time to join me and Stampin' Up! and a great time for extra freebies with your orders of every £45...

(2) You only have a few hours left to order anything not carrying over from the Autumn Winter Catalogue... many discounted and some out of stock forever already...  Click here for more details and relevant links... Now online only till 10.50pm UK time Tuesday 2nd January...

(3) Why not join my Spring Summer Catalogue Product Shares... Click here for more details...

(4) Why not order my Spring Summer Catalogue Paper Swatch Books...Click here for more details... Photo of a swatch book now added too!

(5) Fancy the Stampin Blends alcohol based markers... fancy some Sale A Bration freebies too... why not join my Stampin Blends Club... Click here for the details...

Curled Paper Chocolate Topiary

You have no idea how many years this project has been in my head... but has never made it to to the drawing board so to speak...

But this year was the time... and after some lengthy sourcing escapades for the non Stampin' Up! parts... and a disaster or two along the way... it finally all came together... a lovely centrepiece for the christmas table....

Though photographing it was SO hard... and really really does not do it justice!

So this is one of my special Christmas class projects for this year... coming to you at a Craft Spa Class through December... a Merry Little Christmas curly paper Topiary sweet tree... add Ferrero Rocher or Lindor balls... both work as well! Half Day Class... just £25 including 16 treat balls... or come for a Full Day £45 and make the Christmas Lantern too...

And I am so happy with this project... as I know a few people that are really going to LOVE my handmade christmas gift this year.... just hope they are not sneaking a peek here today!!!

Stampin Up! Products Used
Merry Little Christmas papers
Black & White 7/8" Striped Ribbon
Washi Tape Basics Pack 2
Green Sprigs
Year of Cheer Embellishments
Jute Twine

Candy Cane Lane Treat Holders

Needing something even simpler and quicker for your Ferrero Rocher or Lindor ball treats for your christmas table...

Cut a few Gingerbread Houses out from your Candy Cane Lane papers... make simple box holders and stick together! The box holding the treat is just a 2 3/4" square piece of Early Espresso card scored at 3/4" on all 4 sides...

Pop them in a dome for instant decoration...

And here is the village... too cute!