Be Inspired Blog Hop: Anything But a Card

It’s time for another Be Inspired Design Team Blog Hop – what fun! The Be Inspired Design Team is a group of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators from all over the world who are excited to share our themed projects with you. I’m so honored to be a part of this group of talented stampers!

For today’s Be Inspired Hop, we are creating anything but a card. That’s pretty out-of-the-norm for me because I think in 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ spaces. I’m happy, still, to occasionally turn my creative energies to home decor or gift ideas. If you aren’t starting the hop here, then you probably just popped over from the amazing project shared by my talented Canadian friend Carolynn Sander.

Who doesn’t love a warm treat on a cold day? I’ve used my paper crafting supplies to decorate two Mason jars that are filled with the ingredients for baked oatmeal or hot cocoa. Here’s a look at my decorated gifts:

Mason Jars with Festive Designer Series Paper Covers and Christmas Tags, Stampin' Up!, Brian KingWould you like a closer look at each of the jars with a brief description of the contents of each?

The tall jar is filled with layered with flour, sugar, oats, raisins and walnuts. With the addition of two eggs and some milk, the recipient has ingredients for a delicious baked oatmeal (one of my favorites on a cold, winter morning):

Mason Jars with Festive Designer Series Paper Covers and Christmas Tags, Stampin' Up!, Brian KingThe short jar is filled with cocoa and miniature marshmallows. I think you know exactly what to do with these ingredients:Mason Jars with Festive Designer Series Paper Covers and Christmas Tags, Stampin' Up!, Brian KingTips, Tricks and Reminders

  • Wraps and Tags. I used a beautiful plaid from Under the Mistletoe Designer Series Paper and some sweet tags from the Christmas Traditions Punch Box and Flourish Filigree (both are new items in Stampin’ Up!’s 2018 Holiday Catalog) to add an additional homemade touch to these homemade sweet treats. Here’s a look at the beautiful colors and patterns in the Under the Mistletoe Designer Series Paper: Under the Mistletoe Designer Series Paper, Stampin' Up!, 146921And here’s a look at the fun stamps and punch in the Christmas Traditions Punch Box (you can click on the picture below for a closer look or to see some other samples with this punch box): Christmas Traditions Punch Box, Stampin' Up! 148030AND the metal tin makes a great gift, too – I guess I could have just taken a picture of the tin for my non-a-card project today, huh?
  • Wrapped with Paper. My grandma often packaged homemade jellies and homemade pickles in Mason Jars with a square of cloth between the seal on top of the jar and the screw-on lid. What a perfectly wonderful gift! Isn’t that everyone’s memory of Mason Jars? Instead of finding a cloth square, I cut a piece of plaid paper, embossed it with the Subtle Dynamic Impressions Embossing Folder (to distress the paper a bit and give it a cloth-like look). I wet it a bit with my Stampin’ Mist and molded the panel over the jar – I let it dry before screwing on the lid. I played around with the edges to add wrinkles and folds for the cloth-like look I wanted. Here’s a closer look at the paper wrap after it’s dried:Mason Jars with Festive Designer Series Paper Covers and Christmas Tags, Stampin' Up!, Brian King
  • Two Tags. While the paper wrap on the top of the jars is super-fun part of these project (in my view), the tags I’ve created to accompany the gifts are also quite fun. Here’s a closer look at the tags: Mason Jars with Festive Designer Series Paper Covers and Christmas Tags, Stampin' Up!, Brian KingThis tag features a wood-patterned panel of Nature’s Poem Designer Series Paper on a Real Red base. I stamped the sentiment with the Christmas Traditions stamp set and punched with the coordinating punch (both from the Christmas Traditions Punch Box). Below the sentiment are two branches of mistletoe, punched with the Sprig Punch and adorned with small Pearl Basic Jewels (I pulled this idea from another project in the Holiday Catalog – fun huh?). The tag is punched with the ribbon slot side of the Detailed Trio Punch and tied with Real Red 3/8″ Cotton Ribbon and Real Red 1/8″ Solid Ribbon. Mason Jars with Festive Designer Series Paper Covers and Christmas Tags, Stampin' Up!, Brian KingThis tag stamped with the Flourish Filigree stamp set and punched with the Pretty Label Punch. The sentiment is popped up on two bands of cardstock (Real Red and Old Olive). I punched the end of the tag with the 1/8″ Handheld Circle Punch and added a bow with Real Red 1/8″ Solid Ribbon.

Stamp Sets: Flourish Filigree, Christmas Traditions Punch Box  Papers: Under the Mistletoe Designer Series Paper, Nature’s Poem Designer Series Paper, Real Red, Old Olive, Thick Whisper White  Inks: Real Red  Accessories: Christmas Traditions Punch Box, Sprig Punch, Subtle Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Pretty Label Punch, 1/8″ Handheld Circle Punch, Real Red 3/8″ Cotton Ribbon, Real Red 1/8″ Solid Ribbon, Detailed Trio Punch, Pearl Basic Jewels, Stampin’ Mist, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I’m so glad you stopped by and hope you like my project. I also hope you’ll continue the Be Inspired Design Team Blog Hop to see more projects that I’m sure you’ll love. The next stop is my dear friend from down under, Louise Sharp. Click on the banner below to continue through the hop:

Thanks for stopping by today!

Brian

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In case you get off-track at any point during the hop, here’s a listing of all the participants in this hop:

Here are links to the products I used to create this card:

66 Comments

  1. What a sweet take on the challenge, Brian. (pun intended) Your tags make a fun, old-fashioned presentation. Love the details on getting the paper topper to look like cloth. Great job! Enjoy your day!

  2. LOVE< LOVE< LOVE !!! and I need a hot cocoa now <3

  3. Tags are super cute but I LOVE the idea of the paper wrap for the top of the jars. As always, so clever!

  4. Brian, are you kidding me? This projects are adorable… awesome. Such a great idea. I already notice for myself, that the jars in the US are so much beautiful, than ours her in GER.
    Thx for inspire me.
    Hugs Tanja
    PS: It was so lovely to see you on the trip

    • 🙂 Thanks so much for your sweet comments, Tanja! I’m so glad you like the project. Thrilled to hop with you today. Sorry we didn’t get to spend more time together on the cruise. Hope you are coming to Orlando!

  5. Amazing as always and such an incredible idea about the DSP, Brian! Love it! ???

  6. Such a clever way to top the jars. I like the idea of using the subtle EF to make the plaid paper more cloth-like. And the tags are just lovely~what a great project!

  7. Great tags and great gifts…thanks for the inspiration Brian!

  8. fantastic ideas . . . i love oatmeal cookies, too, along with the tag . . . perfection!

  9. Oh my goodness! These are wonderful! Thank you for the how-to concerning the “fabric” square – very convincing effect! I love it! And now I can’t stop thinking about baked oatmeal? Yum!

    • Isn’t baked oatmeal delicious?! 🙂 Thanks so much, Elisha! I’m so glad you like the project – it was really a fun, creative process for me to pull it together. <3

  10. Love your projects Brian! The dsp looks just like cloth!

  11. Love your ideas. I have been looking for some inspiration for Mason Jar gifts for a holiday bazaar where I have a table. Will definitely use the paper top and tag ideas. Thanks

  12. What a winner project!

  13. So darling! Who wouldn’t love receiving this bit of love!

  14. I too love the way you managed to get the paper covers on when they started as squares! Easy with the fabric but I didn’t think it could be done with paper. For many years I made jellies and jams, preserved peaches and apple pie filling and gave most of it away as gifts. I wish I had been making cards and tags in those days, they would have looked so much prettier! Great job Brian!

    • Thanks so much, Grace! There are some wonderful fabrics out there – and they definitely fold more easily – but this was pretty easy. The recipient of these jars will be surprised that these AREN’T cloth. 🙂 Thanks for your comments, my friend!

  15. You are just so darn creative to come up with the “fabric” squares – it makes so much sense to run them through the Big Shot to loosen the fibers up and then mist them and shape them. To think I thought a doily was enough with a tag and maybe a circle of DSP on top! Even the tags are special from the pearls to the wood grain paper on the one tag! Love them!

    • Thanks, Chris! I was originally going to loosen up the fibers with my bone folder, but I knew that EF would work wonderfully. It worked much better than I originally thought. <3

  16. These are perfect and can be customized for any time of the year. I love your “anything but a card” interpretation!

  17. I love these kinds of projects. They serve a purpose and are beautiful when completed. Who wouldn’t love to receive one or both of these as a gift. I know I would.

  18. Ooooh my friend, you took this to the highest level, it’s BEAUITFUL, pretty , gifts , thanks for sharing ,
    Hugs Frenchie ♥️

  19. LOVE this Brian ;O)
    Great give away’s … and I am off to make some hot cocoa
    And please can you give me the recipe of the oatmeal.

  20. AWESOME… sorry, didn’t mean to shout but I got excited when I say our products being used for more than cards and boxes. I love this idea.

  21. Love your creations ! I remember making cookies in a jar years ago and it was always such fun . Thanks for the tip about the dsp prep. That is helpful .
    I would like the Hot Chocolate one ,please !

  22. Absolutely adorable! I love this Christmas plaid. It looks great on top of the jar, and the tags are so cute! You’ve given me an idea for my Customer Christmas party! TFS

  23. LOVE your projects! I would love even more to get your Baked Oatmeal recipe! Please??? Your ‘paper’ topper is special!

  24. Gifts from your kitchen are always, always appreciated and totally enjoyed, what can be better on a cold day than hot cocoa and oatmeal, walnut, raising cookies!!!!!
    Absolutely beautiful tags and I love how you decorated the lids of this jars, great the tip on how to manipulate the DSP, which is really heavy paper, to mold on top of the glass jar, genus!!!
    Thank you so much for sharing.
    XO

  25. These are adorable…..and your paper tops are genius!

  26. Very nice…..and yummy!

  27. So, so adorable. Love the “cloth” jar topper. PLEASE share the baked oatmeal recipe. I am looking forward to some cooler weather when we can enjoy a warm cereal. The heat this summer has been brutal!

  28. Thank you so much for sharing such a cute and simple project. Christmas is always so much fun but also so much stress. With your jars I am going to make up a bunch of them to put homemade pepper nuts and granola in for all those friends you want to remember at Christmas. Thanks for all your great ideas, I really enjoy seeing them and then trying my hand at them!

    • Thanks so much for your sweet comments, Anita! I’m so glad you like the projects – I love peppernut cookies – is that what you make?! What a great gift! <3

  29. I love what you did this month. It’s a gift that keeps giving! Who wouldn’t love to receive hot chocolate anytime of the year. You’ve truly inspired me to do more. Thank you for that. I hope to see you at OnStage!

  30. Love this project! The paper topper is brilliant!!!

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