October! I love October!

The air is getting cool. The leaves are turning colors. Kids are planning Halloween costumes and me? I’m buying candy corn. I love the fresh, soft and sweet taste of these seasonal tri-colored confections. I eat them all month.

But then by November 1st, I can’t stand’em for another year.

Yet, this crazy cycle inspired today’s project using the Limited Edition Pumpkins Nestabilities®, and Harvest Borderabilities® Petite die templates. My little candy glass is perfectly sized to sit right by my keyboard and keep me company while I create and write. I hope it will inspire you to create your own “desk mate” for October or other season of treating!

Instructions:
Cut two 1½x12″ strips of the yellow, white and orange papers. Cut one 2″x12″ strip from the orange paper. Using the 2″ orange strip, cut/emboss S4-226 Harvest Borderabilities Petite (two times). Color the borders and die-cut leaves with metallic rub-ons to give definition to the embossing. Adhere the borders to the glass. I trimmed off the outer parts of the strips at the leaf, as shown here.

Then to make the strips lay horizontally, I snipped the top part of the center leaf and stretched the borders down. I adhered a tiny die-cut acorn to cover the openings. Add the die cut leaves around the glass.

To make the pumpkin “picks,” glue the yellow, orange and white strips together creating stripes. Cut/emboss four #4 pumpkins from the stripes. Stamp the sentiment onto the pumpkins. I chose “Sweet on You.” If desired, sand the pumpkins and add some metallic rub-ons for a distressed look. Glue two pumpkins back-to-back with the bamboo stick at the center. To make one shorter, trim the stick with wire cutters. Cut/emboss On the Vine Borderabilities® Grand from brown checked paper. Trim it to add vines and leaves to each of the large pumpkins.

Taking your 3″ of reserved paper, glue these strips together closer than the for the large pumpkins. Cut/emboss the #1 pumpkin from this. Using a head-pin and jewelry tools, add a green bead to the pin and string it onto the pumpkin, giving it a “Z” turn so it can hang from the glass like a charm.

To finish it up, add the charm to the glass, add some yummy candy corn, place your picks in the candy and ENJOY!

NOTE: Just wanted to remind you that Spellbinders is teaming up with Tattered Angels for a blog hop. Why not hop on over to Terre’s Blog: Terre’s Scrap Therapy for an amazing project using Tattered Angels products and, of course, some Spellbindersâ„¢ products too!

Happy day and enjoy those October treats, Eli

by Jennifer Ellefson

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it is time to shift into overdrive to make all those hand-made gifts we promised ourselves we would this year. Today’s Savvy Saturday feature will highlight a Boxed Letter-writing Bundle that can be made using just one Die Template set from Spellbinders.

Thanks to our Design Team member Jennifer Ellefson who created this elegant ensemble using Rose Borderabilities® Petite (S4-164). So let’s not waste any time today…Gathering just a few supplies will get you moving quickly on it.

Besides your Wizardâ„¢ and regular plates/mats, gather Inkjet printable vellum sheets (8½x11″) and ColorMates Deep Racy Raspberry, both by WorldWin, white cardstock, metallic rub-ons, watercolor pencils, small paint brushes, adhesives and a corner rounder punch. (Remember, though, if you have a machine other than the Wizardâ„¢, you can still do the project because Spellbindersâ„¢ Dies work in nearly all consumer dies. Check out the videos Stacey created for help on how to use our dies in other machines.

A local paper/packaging supplies store such as Xpedx will have a variety of boxes that the set can be placed in as part of the gift set. Selecting one with a clear top will show off the gift in a beautiful way.

Instructions:

• Prepare the stationery by cutting each sheet of vellum to 5½x8″. Round the lower corners as shown. A dozen to 20 sheets would make a nice supply and uses only 6-10 sheets of vellum.
• Cut the 12×12″ raspberry paper into strips: 2×5½”, one per card. Cut one strip 12×2″ for the band.
• Cut/emboss each small strip using the Rose Borderabilities® Petite Die Template (S4-165). Note that the border only cuts on one side, giving the strip its decorative edge. Near the straight edge, the embossing echoes the cut edge.
• After cutting and embossing, embellish the design with metallic rub-ons (use your finger to wipe a small amount of the colorant over the raised design. Start lightly and build up color to the desired amount.)
• Using white cardstock, cut/emboss one (1) heart medallion to be used on the band around the box and one circle medallion for each stationery piece.
• Embellish with watercolor pencils (draw lightly over the embossed lines and use a paintbrush with a small amount of water on it to bring out the water-color look) and allow to dry thoroughly.
• Assemble the stationery by adhering the medallion to the strip and the strip to the vellum. Set aside.
• Make the box band by creating a strip long enough to go around the box loosely. Cut the strip using the die, beginning in the center. Re-align the Die Template at one end and cut again. Continue hop-scotching until it is cut to the end.
• Emboss in the same hop-scotch manner. Embellish with metallic rub-ons as described above. Add the heart medallion in the center and adhere the ends together in the back with slack enough that the band can be easily removed or replaced.
• Place envelopes into the bottom of the box. Stack the stationery on top. Put the clear lid on and slide the band into place.

Begin with Jennifer’s lovely example and think about your recipient. Would she like a different color? Would he prefer a more masculine medallion, maybe snowflakes? Now have fun while you give the project your own flair!

Cheers, Eli