Wishing you a Halloween full of treats and screams! 

I wanted to share a couple of Halloween treats (actually the packaging) I put together, last minute.  Very last minute!  The request came from my youngest daughter.  Last night she asked if I would make "something" Halloween for a few of her friends.  Our dialogue went something like this: "Honey, Halloween is tomorrow"!  "Ya mom, I know".   At that point, I knew anything else I might have said was pointless!  My daughter is 16...!

So, feeling really good about her request, I went to work.  All stamps and die cuts are Reverse Confetti.  They quickly became my inspiration, as most of the items were still on my work table from previous projects!      

Clear pillow boxes are something I keep on hand.  I find them useful for package anything from gift cards, to jewelry, to candy. Really anything small.  I purchased these from Etsy.

I hope this post will be helpful the next time you have to put together some pretty packaging, even if you have little to no notice. 

I hope you'll stop by next week for a Thanksgiving project I've been working on.

Packaging...

I can't believe it's already the first week of November!  Where did October go? 

Okay!  Moving on.  Let me ask you, how many of you give gift cards during the holidays, or throughout the year for that matter?  With my family scattered across the country, and teen/tween  nieces and nephews, I find gift cards are always well received, and much less expensive to send. Even my teenage daughters request gift cards. 

Please, don't think that I just send gift cards for the ease of gift giving! When my nephews were younger, I took great pains in finding the most awesome gifts.  Of course, I wanted to be the "coolest " Auntie ever"!  About six years ,when Lightsabers (a fictional weapon or laser sword, made famous by Star Wars) were so popular, I sent my nephews two for Christmas. Later, I found out my sister wouldn't let my nephews have them as she felt they were violent.  Really?  Needless to say, I never sent another gift again.  Gift cards only! 

With that said, I don't like to give a gift card without dressing it up in some way.  It's all about the packaging.  Gift card packaging!

This month, every Monday, I will feature gift card packaging ideas for you.  This week, I'm starting off with a simple gift card die from Papertrey Ink. 

I thought long and hard before purchasing this die.  It's an investment.  I actually calculated the cost of the die verses other packaging option and how often I thought I would use it.  End result, I love it.  I'm so glad I purchased it.  It's already paid for itself!  You can't ask for anything more, right?

Let me show you some examples.  After die cutting, this is what the Gift Card Greetings die looks like.

Here's an inside view.  As you can see, I did some stamping on the inside ("to and from" on the bottom flap and "sending holiday cheer" on the top flap).   Very simple.

Here's a view of the top flap.

Here, I've added some embellishments to the basic die.

And here, a fun interpretation of the Gift Card Greetings die.

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With this one Gift Card Greetings die there are so many possibilities.  Just let your creativity take over.

I hope you'll stop by next Monday for more Gift Card Packaging ideas.

Supplies:  Stamps: Papertrey Ink  Paper: Stampin' Up-Whisper White, Bazzil Black and Red, Unknow Silver, Memory Box-Red Dot  Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Papertrey New Leaf and Pure Poppy  Accessories: Bow Maker, Papertrey Ink Gift Card Greetings die, Unlimited Ovals 1 3/4, Tiny Tags, Twine, Fiskers Square Punch 1 Inch and 1 1/4 Inch Punch, 1/4 Circle Punch.

Packaging...

I love pretty packaging. I'm always on the lookout for pretty packaging ideas (Hello Pinterest)!  When I discovered a die cut for a pillow box, I did a little happy dance. Using up my supplies and pretty packaging all in one easy step.

Recently, I sent my daughter, her roommate and two other freshman (in my daughter's dorm) a Halloween care package.  Included were these pillow boxes filled with candy. 

 

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These were all made from the same die cut along with various embellishments and designer paper.  The die cut I used is from Papertrey Ink.  I know My Favorite Things also has a pillow die cut that's square, and a bit smaller.  I'm thinking I probably need both, right?  Now, I'm sure there are other pillow dies out there, however these are the two that I'm familiar with.

Okay, in an effort to provide full disclosure, I do not work for, or receive gifts from either company, however a girl can wish!

As I mentioned, these pillow boxes were filled with Halloween candy, but just think of the possibilities.  You can use these for any holiday, birthday or gift giving occasion, and aside from packaging for a small gift, they can be used as gift card holders too. 

I hope you don't mind if I share one other item in the Halloween care package.

The girls needed something "Halloween" in their dorm so I made these pillowcases.

I hope you'll visit again because I have a "gift card packaging" series planned for early November.