Friday, November 1, 2013

Gift Giving Blog Hop


Hello! And welcome to this month's We Create Blog Hop! This month's hop is all about gift-giving. Be sure to visit all the gals in the Hop. We love comments and Pins!

I'm super excited to share my project -- inspired by a recent stamp session with Julie, as usual. I"m teaching 2 Christmas classes in the next few weeks, and I love giving my hostesses a great hostess gift during their parties. This lovely Christmas-themed package will make a great hostess gift. (If you're one of the ladies whose classes I'm teaching, this is what you have to look forward to! Um, Surprise!)


I'm super-duper pleased with how this turned out. It was my first attempt at embossing the acetate cover or sleeve that comes with our Tag-a-Bag Gift Boxes. Even though it sounded intimidating, it was actually super-simple! I'll definitely be doing this again in the future.


After embellishing the box cover, I made a simple belly band for the box. Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, and Crumb Cake cardstock with a touch of bling make for a simple and elegant centerpiece for the box.


Here you can see the box cover/sleeve and the contents of the gift. I love the level of detail that shows up on the acetate sleeve -- so crisp and clear! The ornament stamp is from my favorite Christmas stamp set possibly ever: Ornament Keepsakes. Love it!


 I found a lovely red glass jar at Hobby Lobby, and it fit perfectly in the Tag-a-Bag box! Hooray! I wrapped a bit of our Burlap Ribbon and added 3 simple Basic Jewel rhinestones. The filler in the back is some leftover paper Easter grass -- but hey, it looks Christmas-y, doesn't it?

The jar is filled with homemade relaxing bath salts. They were super-duper easy to make. Here's the recipe! You can use whatever essential oils you like; this citrus-based blend is invigorating, but a touch of lavender makes it relaxing too. Perfect for a nice soak in the tub, maybe with some candles and a great book.

Homemade Bath Salt Recipe 
1/2 cup Epsom salts
1/2 cup Sea salt 
10 drops Wild Orange essential oil 
10 drops Lemon essential oil 
3 drops Lavender essential oil 

Mix in a metal bowl, then store in a glass jar. Add about 2 Tbsp to warm bath water and enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to click on through to see the rest of the fabulous gift ideas the other Hoppers have for you.