I will never forget the first time Heather Nichols sent me the preview files for this set. As soon as I opened them, it was just so... *Piney*! Rustic Snowflakes is held in this delicate balance between Rustic (as the name says) and whimsical. Heather has officially established her style as a stamp designer and I am loving every bit of it!
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For my project today, I thought I would delve into another gift item. David has several siblings, most of which have families of their own. Each year I try to do a single FAMILY gift to each sibling branch. It is a lot easier than keeping up with each individual's tastes, size or interests. Last year I came up with the idea to do ice cream sundae baskets. They were a big hit with everyone! The kids especially thought it was a special treat! Here are all the details of how I put mine together.
One of the most important parts of ice cream sundaes are the toppings! I designed a small box that holds four of our 4 oz. Round Clear Top Tins perfectly. I have attached a template outlining specific directions on how to make it. Super easy pattern to follow.
Download toppings_box_template.pdf
After I constructed the box, I made a liner to fit inside the bottom. I thought that this would add some sturdiness and serve as a decorative element as well. I created the liner by following the same template as the box bottom, only removing the corner tabs. I also scored just hair further inward. The liner is made from Vintage Cream cardstock and stamped repeatedly with the snowflake border image from Heather's new Rustic Snowflakes set.
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Here is the liner securely adhered inside the box bottom. I think it really makes the box look more polished, don't you?
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The lid of the box is created with a transparency sheet. After a little experimentation with different adhesives, I was happiest with mini glue dots. They were hardly noticeable and looked clean & professional.
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The tins were covered with a strip of Pure Poppy cardstock stamped with a row of different phrases & small snowflakes from this set in vanilla ink. I filled the tins with a variety of toppings that would be appropriate for a sundae. The four ounces that these tins hold will provide enough topping for at least six sundaes, so perfectly suited for an entire family! Yum!
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Here is the finished toppings box. I used the NEW! Silver Sheer Metallic Ribbon to tie around the box. The tag background was created with a few of the snowflake images from this set. I just love how easy it is to build patterns with this set. And the snowflakes stamp SO crisp & clean.
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For the tag accent strip, I started by die-cutting the smallest Double-Ended Tag die from Vintage Cream cardstock. I left the cardstock in the die and used the opening as a means to perfectly center the phrase "toppings", which was created with Simple Alphabet. (You can find a tutorial I did on how to best position the Simple Alphabet letters HERE.)
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I cut a strip of red cardstock just a tad wider than my tag die and scored a line just a fraction from either edge using my Scor-Pal. This is a technique I find myself doing often. I just love the results.
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By layering the tag and the strip, I am able to create an easy accent that adds quite a bit of detail so the tag isn't too visually *boring*!
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Next up was the hot fudge! You can't have a sundae without hot fudge! I picked up an 11.75 oz. jar of Smucker's Hot Fudge Topping. It is as close to homemade as you can get from the supermarket! I wanted to dress it up a bit to make it more personal (and color coordinate of course!). I die-cut some muslin fabric using the Nestabilities largest Standard Scalloped Circle die. I stamped the fabric with Polka Dot Basics using Pure Poppy Palette ink. I also got some thin hemp twine out.
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I placed the fabric circle pattern side down. I then turned the hot fudge upside down and placed it in the center of the circle.
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I gathered the circle of fabric around the neck of the jar and placed an elastic around it to hold it in place temporarily.
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I then tied the hemp around the jar, holding the fabric firmly in place, allowing the hemp to rest in the grove directly under the lid.
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Remove the elastic and there you have it! A homier, customized version of Smucker's Hot Fudge Sauce!
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Something special needs to be included in this gift set to EAT these special sundaes out of, so why not some personalized bowls? I stamped one of the small snowflakes from this set in Pure Poppy onto one of Avery's clear address labels. I punched out the snowflake using my 5/8-inch circle punch. The name was stamped onto a clear label using, once again, Simple Alphabet. It was trimmed with scissors. I adhered both labels to the bowl. Since I used Palette inks for the stamping, they are waterproof. With hand-washing, the labels ought to stay around for quite while, although probably not permanently.
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Here's the completed ensemble. I added a really nice ice cream scoop and assembled everything in this pretty little basket.
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A cute little card was necessary to hold a gift card to the local supermarket for the recipient to use to buy the *best* ice cream, with no worries of what's on sale! Much of the same design concepts used on the *toppings* tag were carried over to the card. A bit more of that Silver Sheer Metallic Ribbon was added to the side as an accent.
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I hope you have enjoyed today's project. Be sure to stop by tomorrow for a peek into another set that I have been just dying to share with you!
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Be sure to stop by Heather's blog to see a few more projects done using Rustic snowflakes.
Melissa has another look at her new set, that you won't want to miss!
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STAMPS: Rustic Snowflakes (available September 15th), Polka Dot Basics, Simple Alphabet
INK: Pure Poppy & Noir Black Palette inks, vanilla pigment ink
PAPER: Pure Poppy & Vintage Cream cardstocks
OTHER: Silver Sheer Metallic ribbon, Spellbinders Tag Trio & Large Standard Scalloped Circle die, 4 oz. Round Clear Top Tins, Bowls, scoop & basket from Wal-Mart.
