One of my hostesses in November asked that I demonstrate packaging for her guests.  How fun!  I spent days playing around making all sorts of gift packages, not all of which made the cut for her party.  Some I demonstrated, some I displayed, and some were just terrible and ended up filed in the “round file”.   Here are a few of my favorites.

 Sour cream containers never seem to lose their popularity.  I’ve been making these almost since I started as a Stampin’ Up demonstrator 9 years ago and they still seem as fresh as they did back then.  This one was made using one of the patterns from the Merry Moments Designer Paper.  The tag was made by layering two scallop squares, one punched from Real Red and the other from Chocolate Chip.  The Santa stamp is from the level 1 hostess set, Christmas Punch.  This has become one of my favorite Christmas sets this year.  The variety of images and styles makes it so versatile.  The container is tied closed with a bow made from red gingham ribbon and the tag is tied on using our linen thread.

This super-easy treat box is simply one of Stampin’ Up’s boxes.  I just wrapped a ribbon around it and added a tag – another image from the Christmas Punch set.  This treat box will easily hold a dozen or more cookies or a large bag filled with yummy homemade candies.

This little 2” x 2” little box is another easy box and is just big enough to hold a few pieces of candy or a small stocking stuffer.  To make the box, start with a 6”x6” piece of cardstock – this one is made from Real Red textured cardstock.  Score it at 2” & 4”, then turn it 90 degrees and score at 2” & 4” again.  Cut on the vertical score lines up to the first horizontal score line on opposite sides, then adhere the flaps together to create the box.  For the lid, cut a piece of 3”x3” patterned paper – this pattern is from our Christmas Cocoa DSP.  Score on all 4 sides at just a shade under ½” – this will give you a lid that will fit over your box.  Cut and assemble the same as for the box.  The tag was made using the Holiday Best level 1 hostess set and punched with our Ornament punch.  I sponged a little Creamy Caramel ink around the edges to give it a vintage look.  Tie a ribbon around the box and tie the tag on and your done!

This next box is a little more complicated to make than the others, but the results are oh-so worth it!  Here are instructions to make this Peek-a-Boo box.  I used a snowflake pattern from our Christmas Cocoa DSP for this tiny box.  All the images come from – you guessed it! – the Christmas Punch set!  This gets  a “WOW” reaction every time from everyone who sees it.

I’ll let you decide if this project is a package, a decoration, or a gift!  This was made by cutting 2 round pieces of Christmas Cocoa DSP, then punching holes in them using our 1 ¾” round punch.  The center piece is 2 treat cups (from the Holiday Mini catalog and carrying over into the Occasions mini in January) sandwiched together.  I used fake snow, but you could put a small gift or a treat inside.  The cute little red bird was cut using the Merry Details Sizzlet die.  Do you not love the Big Shot and all the dies we carry as much as I do??  Next time I make one of these, I’ll use either the plain or scallop circle Bigz dies, but for this one I cut the DSP pieces with our Circle Scissors Plus.  The top of the ornament is an image from the Sweet Centers stamp set that coordinates with the Treat Cups.

Whew!  This was a looong post!  Here’s a bonus project to reward you for reading all the way to the end!  This is the thank you gift I gave to my hostess.  It’s a covered note pad I made for her to keep all of her Christmas lists in as she does her shopping.  It was hard for me to give it away!  And yes, that Santa image is from the Christmas Punch set!

Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow for day 4 of my 5 Days of Christmas!