I am so glad to hear how excited many of you are for the products we are releasing this month! Believe it or not, we still have even more in store for you!
Today I get to introduce you to Tiny Treat: Birthday. This set has been one of the most highly requested collections to date and we know all of you are going to love all of the fun options this set has to offer! With adorable little images to mix and match with festive, sometimes punny sentiments you will be able to bring back the FUN of creating birthday projects for young and old alike!
The details.
- Tiny Treats: Birthday will be available for sale on January 15th.
- It will retail for $24.
- Tiny Treats: Birthday contains a total of 38 stamps (1 large polka-dot frame, 1 circular frame, 1 loopy border, 18 adorable small images and 18 coordinating sentiments)
- The images & sentiments in this set are done in the same scale as out other Tiny Treats sets, so you can mix and match between them.
- A coordinating die for the large polka-dot frame, entitled Mat stack 5, will be available for purchase separately for $8. The die measures 3-3/4" x 2-3/4".
The Tiny Treats: Birthday set is PERFECT for creating a variety of projects, but today we thought we would focus on creative birthday gifts, favors & wraps that will inspire you to create unforgettable projects for all the special people in your life, especially the little ones.
I've created a super fun little gift ensemble that I am excited to share with you!
(PLEASE NOTE: You can click on any of the images below for a larger view)
Let's start with the card.
I die-cut the new Mat Stack 5 shape from Terracotta Tile cardstock and stamped it with the coordinating frame from Tiny Treats: Birthday using VersaMark ink. Don't you just ADORE it's shape? It looks fantastic both vertical & horizontal!
I stamped the monkey, lion & hippo from Tiny Treats: Birthday onto Vintage Cream cardstock using Black Noir ink. I then colored them with Copic markers and punched them out with a 1" circle punch.
After adhering the Mat Stack 5 frame to my card cover, I added a Double Ended Banner, die-cut from Simply Chartreuse cardstock. Notice the loopy "stripe" down the center? This is a small border from Tiny Treats: Birthday that is such a nice complement to the style of the images! The three animals were then layered across the length of the banner. The sentiment "It's Birthday Time", also from Tiny Treats: Birthday, was added in Black Noir ink.
I used the new By the Numbers Impression plate on the kraft background and slightly inked the edges with Vintage Cream ink.
I love the color scheme this uses and I really like the way that the Mat Stack 5 shape can accommodate three of the images so well!
The accompanying gift tote was created with one the clear boxes that our stamps come in. I've done this type of project several times before, but I thought it was worth sharing again.
I cut about 2" from the top of the flattened stamp box using my paper trimmer. I then wrapped two pieces of 1/4" Scor-tape down one side, around the bottom and up the other side, as shown in the photo above.
I then peeled back the paper backing on both pieces on one side only. I started my Simply Chartreuse Grosgrain Ribbon at the middle bottom of one side, went up to the top, allowed enough ribbon for the handle, and returned down the other side.
Flip the box over and repeat, ending on the bottom where you began. Super easy and CHEAP!
For the tag that I tied onto this tote, I used lots of the fun new dies we are releasing this month. The standard circle and pinked edge circle from Limitless Layers 2.5" collection and the Mat Stack 5 once again.
As I mentioned earlier, the Mat Stack 5 looks fabulous horizontal or vertical. You can see here how well it adapts to be a tag by turning it vertically. The tag is tied onto the tote with a bit of Dark Chocolate Twine and a Simply Chartreuse button!
Now I bet you have been wondering what exactly is IN this gift bag... handmade felt finger puppets! I developed my own set of patterns for these adorable little guys based on the illustrations I did for Tiny Treats: Birthday. They include the hippo, monkey and lion! And they are so easy to boot!
I transferred the patterns I used into a pdf so that you can make these too! They are available as a FREE download here:
Download Finger Puppet Patterns
You want to print out the patterns I made available above onto regular typing paper so they are lightweight. Pin them onto the felt and cut them out around the exterior edge of the gray areas. I recommend using really sharp fabric shears for the best results. You end up cutting out TWO of the main part of each puppet (a front and a back). You want to set one of each of them aside and only embellish and decorate one of them.
Using the FRONT ONLY, keep the pattern pinned in place and sew along the dotted line, right through the paper and the felt. The paper will easily rip away when you are done and this helps you to get your stitching spot on. To rip away the paper, I found it was easiest to slowly "peel" the thin exterior edge away, then the middle pops right out.
All of the puppets are pretty much embellished with simple french knots and buttons. The lion however does have the addition of whiskers. They were created with Dark Chocolate Baker's Twine. Cut three small section of the twine, lay them in place about 1/4" above the center of the mouth and then come up through the back with embroidery floss and do a few small stitches around the twine cluster to hold them in place. I liked the finishing touch of knotting the ends of each whisker too. It will help prevent unraveling and give the puppet a bit more longevity.
A close-up of the finished lion front...
hippo front...
and monkey front.
Now it's time to get out the second "back" pieces that you set aside earlier. To create the puppet pocket for little fingers to be inserted into, you want to run a bead of hot glue around the upper 3/4" edge of the shape, leaving the bottom edge open. Make sure before you start applying the glue that you have both the front and back oriented the correct way.
I had some "little helpers" volunteer to be hand models for my post today...
so cute...
and so fun!
Now that I have shown you a bit of what I have done with Tiny Treats: Birthday, here are some amazing projects that the design team whipped up! You won't want to miss a single detail!
CLICK HERE to read more from Betsy Veldman.
CLICK HERE to read more from Dawn McVey.
CLICK HERE to read more from Debbie Olson.
CLICK HERE to read more from Erin Lincoln.
CLICK HERE to read more from Heather Nichols.
CLICK HERE to read more from Jessica Witty.
CLICK HERE to read more from Lisa Johnson.
CLICK HERE to read more from Maile Belles.
CLICK HERE to read more from Melissa Phillips.
CLICK HERE to read more from Michelle Wooderson.
CLICK HERE to read more from Niki Estes.
Didn't the entire team do an amazing job showcasing the versatility of this set? Every single person really took it to the next level and I am left feeling SO incredibly inspired! What are your initial thoughts of this set? Do you have a favorite image or project that is really speaking to you? What types of projects do you think you would create with this set? We would love to hear your thoughts! You could have a chance at winning an amazing prize package just for sharing your thoughts with us!
- Tiny Treats: Birthday stamp set
- Mat Stack 5 die
- Favor It #1 die
- Favor It #2 die
- Favor It #3 die
You have until 7am EST, Friday, January 14th to leave your comment and be eligible to win. One comment per person please. One randomly selected winner will be announced on our January 2011 Release Winners page no later than noon EST. Thanks for stopping by today and good luck to all!
Beth Silaika has another look at her new set, Inside & Out Birthday.
Melissa Bickford is sharing more using her latest sets, Healing Touch Sentiments & Way to Go, Kiddo!
PARTY ANIMAL ENSEMBLE
- STAMPS: Tiny Treats: Birthday (available January 15th), Polka Dot Basics II
- INK: Black Noir, VersaMark, Vintage Cream
- PAPER: Vintage Cream, Kraft, Ocean Tides, Terracotta Tile, Simply Chartreuse
- OTHER: Mat Stack 5 die, By the Numbers Impression Plate, Limitless Layers 2.5" Circle Collection, Double Ended Banners Die, 1" circle punch (EK Success), Copic Markers (see picture above), 1/8" hole punch, Dark Chocolate Baker's Twine, foam dimensionals
- FINISHED SIZE: 4.25" x 5.5"
FINGER PUPPETS
- FELT: Harvest Gold, Terracotta Tile, Fine Linen (Lion), Dark Chocolate, Fine Linen, Vintage Cream (Monkey), Ocean Tides, Simply Chartreuse, Vintage Cream (Hippo)
- BUTTONS: Dark Chocolate (Lion & Monkey), Lemon Tart (Hippo)
- OTHER: Embroidery floss (DMC), Dark Chocolate Baker's Twine, sewing machine, hot glue gun
- FINISHED SIZE: average 4" in diameter
