THE EVOLVING GIFT!

So, you are probably wondering about the title of this post - well, it all started out with my idea of making a gift to go along with the card I made for my MIL's birthday yesterday. So, I decided on something to do with chocolate - my MIL LOVES chocolate (as I do!) and her faves are milk and dark. So, I decided I would alter a jar, and fill it with Hershey sticks in her two favorite kinds. I used my SU! rub-ons because they go on so nicely, especially on glass! I used my SAB sets - I have tons of them and they look so wonderful in the white. I did the whole way around the jar and then added some Elegant Eggplant ribbon around the top of the jar and the lid. I also decorated the top of the lid - you can see a close-up here. I used Elegant Eggplant card stock and Cutie Pie dp, punched out some flowers using my 5-petal punch, and added an Almost Amethyst button to the center. All in all, I was pretty happy with this, but decided it just wasn't enough, I needed to make something else. So, I decided on this 4x4 box that I saw on Corie's blog - she did a wonderful tutorial which you can find here. I thought it would be perfect to put some little note cards in because she loves them and I knew she would use them. So, with that thought in mind, and knowing how much she loves the color purple, I came up with this box here. And yes, it IS purple - LOL! The bottom is made using Elegant Eggplant card stock and the top is made of Cutie Pie Dp, Elegant Eggplant, and Almost Amethyst card stock. I covered the edges of the lid with Elegant Eggplant grosgrain ribbon as well. The image is stamped on Whisper White card stock using my Fresh Cuts stamp set - can you believe this is the first time I inked this set up? I actually colored the stamp with my stampin' write markers in all differing shades of purple and got a really pretty effect - here is a close-up of the box top. The corners are all punched using my Ticket Corner Punch. I then added another piece of Elegant Eggplant ribbon to the top and called the box done! So, then I thought that I should make some note cards to actually go IN the box - LOL! And, what better note cards to make for this one than the new Fresh Cuts note cards that came with the set! I had not used these yet either, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE them, and will definitely be doing a lot more! Here are the note cards I made with the matching envies. Aren't they pretty?! I again used my Fresh Cuts stamp set and colored the image in with my stampin' write markers - it does take a little longer but the result is wonderful IMHO! I also punched out flowers with my 5-petal punch in Elegant Eggplant and adhered them to the inside flower, then added a Pale Plum button to each center. I also added some more Elegant Eggplant grosgrain ribbon to tie the card design in with the top of the box. The envies are stamped in Elegant Eggplant classic ink using a stamp from the Fresh Cuts set. Here is a close-up of the cards - I am really happy with the way they turned out! So, now you can see how this gift evolved from a card and dinner to a card, dinner, and chocolates, to a card, dinner, chocolates, a gift box, and some matching note cards....throw in the cake I also had for her and I was done - LOL! She loved everything though and had tears in her eyes when she told me this is the best birthday she has had in a long, long time...I think I will call this a success! I hope I did not bore you too much, but thought it was a fun story to share! I hope you enjoy my creations as much as I enjoyed making them! Have a fabulous day!