Archives for October 2014

How to Make This Witchy Halloween Treat Bag

October 20, 2014 by Cindy Springer Leave a Comment

Halloween is scary close! Are you in a panic for a brilliant Halloween idea? Our Witchy Halloween treat bag is perfect for party goodies or trick-or-treating. It’s absolutely spook-tacular! A big thanks to our friends at Packaging Specialties in Redmond, Washington for sharing this idea.

Your kids will have the cutest trick-or-treat bags anywhere when you send them off with this in hand. We added a custom circle sticker with a Happy Halloween message.

FREE DOWNLOAD

Download and print this FREE PDF template to make the witch’s shoes, skirt and pantaloons.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS:

Start by assembling the materials.
Download and print out the template. Cut out the shoes, skirt and pantaloons.
To fill the acrylic treat bags that make the witch’s legs it’s best to use a straw to open the end of the bag and push the jelly beans inward. If the bag happens to split use tape to mend it.

Gather the skirt at the top and press pleats into the paper. Hold the pleats in place by using double-sided tape on the back side of the skirt top.

Cut a 1 1/2 inch wide strip of tulle for the length of the skirt hem and tape it to the backside of the bottom of the skirt leaving an inch showing below the skirt line.
Tape the skirt to the top of the bag with another strip of double-sided tape. You can also use a hot glue gun to hold in place more securely.
Measure the top of the skirt waist and cut a length of black ribbon to fit. Tape it or glue it to the waistband to cover the top of the pleats.
Using the double-sided tape, press the shoes onto the legs where the self-sealing seam is located. This allows the bag to be opened at the bottom for easy access to eat the jelly beans!

Tape each leg under the skirt. Make sure the feet are turned out and the legs are adjusted to make them different lengths.
Next, tape the pantaloons under the skirt over the top of the legs. This is a close up of how the tulle and pantaloons look.

Using a length of black tulle tie a bow on one of the handles.

To finish off the bag order one of these custom circle stickers with a Halloween message. If you’re giving a gift at Halloween this bag also makes an amazing handmade gift bag. Have fun making this craft project and when the kids bring it home filled to the brim, don’t let them know you’re sneaking the best candy when they’re asleep.

For any questions or assistance making this DIY Halloween project feel free to email us at [email protected]

Butterscotch Crunch Bars

October 20, 2014 by Laura Leave a Comment

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup butterscotch-flavor or caramel ice cream topping
1/2 gallon butter brickle, chocolate, or vanilla ice cream

INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1 – Preheat oven to 400°F. In a medium bowl stir together flour, oats, and brown sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans. Pat mixture lightly into an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven. While still warm, stir nut mixture to crumble it (below). Cool.

Step 2 – Spread half of the crumbled nut mixture in a 9x9x2-inch pan; drizzle about half of the ice cream topping over crumbs in pan. Place ice cream in a chilled large bowl; stir to soften. Spoon softened ice cream carefully over crumbs in pan (below). Drizzle with remaining topping; sprinkle with the remaining crumbs (below). Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours or until firm. Let stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Use a sharp knife to cut into squares. Makes 12 squares.

NUTRITIONAL FACTS
– per square
450 cal., 28 g total fat (15 g sat. fat) , ll2 mg chol., l56 mg sodium, 46 g carbo., ! g fiber, 5 g pro.

Make a Holiday Wine Label with a Photo: A Tutorial

October 9, 2014 by Cindy Springer Leave a Comment

Make Holiday Wine Labels with a Favorite Photo

As the days get shorter and the air has that hint of briskness, most of us begin to look forward to winter and the upcoming holiday season. That is, those of us who don’t shudder at the thought of what gifts to give. Relax! I have a unique holiday gift idea for you. Today I’ll show you how to make a holiday wine label with a photo. It’s so easy you’ll want to make several versions to keep on hand for hostess gifts, Christmas gifts, wine lovers and holiday table settings. All you need is a high resolution photo and either a favorite bottle of wine or a bottle of your homemade wine.

According to the U.S. Wine Institute in the year 2013 892 million gallons of wine were consumed. That’s 2.82 gallons per person. So if you’re thinking wine is a great gift to give then you’re right!

Let’s get started! We’re going to customize a wine label by using the image and text fields and skip the design studio. To make more advanced changes you would click the Customize It button, but that’s for a later tutorial. Remember, we’re making a unique wine label the quickest and easiest way possible. See below.

Step 1: Choose a Template.

We’ll use the holiday wine label template Family Christmas Wine Label in this tutorial.

Step 2: Choose Your Photo.

Look to the right of the label template and locate Image 1 and Change Image 1. On this label the template has a photo of a baby, which is Image 1. We’re going to change it to our photo of a different baby. Click Change Image 1 the gray box. An icon appears above the template that says Upload New Images with a cloud and arrow pointing up. See the example in the image below.

Step 3: Upload Your Photo.

Click on the Upload New Images icon. A window will pop up which allows you to select a file from your computer. After you browse your files and select the photo click Open and you will see this screen:

Step 4: Crop the Photo.

When the photo is done uploading this is what appears next; a box with your photo and the suggested cropping. You can grab and move the crop marks over the photo to get the look you want. If you want to rotate the photo you can do so, but keep in mind the gray area outside the crop marks will be cut off. Click Use Cropped Photo so it fits within the border on the template.

Step 5: Type Your Text.

Now you’ll see your photo on the label template just like in our example below. Type your greeting in Text Line 1 and press enter or your keyboard. Do the same for Text Line 2. Your message appears on the wine label along with your photo!

Step 6: Add to Cart.

All that’s left is to choose your label quantity from the drop down and place your order.

Want to Make More Changes to Your Holiday Wine Label?

If you want to make further changes, like changing the font style, font color or font size or add an additional line of text, click the green Customize It button and the design will be transferred into the design studio for more advanced designing options. See the image below. We’ll save that for another tutorial. In the meantime you have a wonderful holiday wine label with a photo!

Holiday Wine Labels Make Unique Gifts for Family and Friends

Picture giving Grandma & Grandpa, Aunties and Uncles a bottle of wine with your family photo. They’ll be thrilled! Use baby photos, wedding photos, graduation photos, family photos or family reunion photos to make a unique gift for everyone in your family circle. For some families making a photo wine label becomes a yearly tradition. Think of saving one bottle a year for future holiday celebrations. You’re not just making a wine label you’re making memories.

For further help or if you have specific questions be sure to email us at [email protected] or live chat with us on our site. We’re always happy to help with special project like this one.