2- Introducing Favor It Baby

You may recall that back in February we released two sets that coordinated with one another, Boxes, Bags & Tags and Favor It Weddings.  The concept of the two sets was for them to work together, making it easy for you to create favors & small gifts for weddings.  As promised, we are carrying on with our Favor It collection, and this month we are presenting a baby theme!

Just like Favor It Weddings, Favor It Baby also coordinates perfectly with Boxes, Bags & Tags, bringing you dozens of combinations for baby showers!  I know SO many people having babies and of course I have volunteered to help with all the invitations, favors & decor.  I designed Favor It baby to be the perfect jump start to projects of this sort!  There are twelve sentiments in this mini $5 stamp set and I have assigned our design team to put them all into action!

First I thought I would share my project.  I used the sentiment "About to Hatch".  The phrase made me think of an adorable little baby chick so I thought about how that theme could be translated into a small gift that guests of a shower could take home and enjoy.  David and I actually just watched the movie "No Reservations" last night (and it was FABULOUS if you haven’t seen it yet).  The plot involved chefs working within an upscale bistro in New York City.  The restaurant ended up having cute little boxes made holding a gourmet dessert to give to each customer as a special treat to enjoy later and prolong their dining experience even after they arrive home.  I decided to translate this into my project and create a take-out cupcake box.  I haven’t met anyone yet who doesn’t like cupcakes!

I decided to alter one of our small gable boxes to create my vision!  They are the perfect size for cupcakes or a variety of other special "take-out treats"!  I started by cutting a rectangular window out of the front of the box using a craft knife.  I found the easiest thing to do was to insert a small self-healing mat between the layers of the folded box to ensure that I only cut through the top layer.

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Next, I decided there should be a special "peep-hole" in the top of the box.  I created this by inserting a 1-1/8 inch circle punch through the rectangular window that I just cut.  It is too far of a reach to try to insert the punch from the top of the box.

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Sometimes when you insert the punch on thick white cardstock like this, it can leave behind some metallic residue. No worries!  I good quality white eraser is just the trick!

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Here is the box after all the windows have been cut.

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One of the hard parts about transporting cupcakes is not ruining the frosting while in transit!  I knew that I needed some kind of base to hold the cupcake in the center of the box.  I cut and scored some Lemon Tart cardstock that had the same dimensions as the box interior with 3/4-inch tabs on all four sides.  I then die-cut a hole in the center using Nestabilities.

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I also lined the inside of the box with some floral paper from the Bitty Baby Blessings Collection.   Pieces of transparency were added to line the windows.  With the insert in place, I just about had completed my box!

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As a finishing touch I added a strip of the same floral pattern around the outside of the box.  I also created a tag using the flourish from Boxes, Bags & Tags and the "About to Hatch" sentiment from Favor It Baby.  The tag is tied in place with Lemon Tart satin ribbon.

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The lemon cupcake was frosted with vanilla frosting.  A small mound of yellow frosting was piped on top to form the base of a little chick.  A triangle of Orange Slice candy for the beak and two orange sprinkles for the eyes brought the little guy to life!

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Here is the completed box.  I have to say it is a lot cuter in real life!  It was difficult trying to get some lighting inside the box so you can see the cupcake better.

 

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I just LOVE the way the "chick" on the top of the cupcake peeps through the hole at the top of the box!  So sweet!  That covers all the details of my project!  Now here are some peeks at what the design team has prepared for you!  The details and supply lists for these projects will be revealed on the 15th in our Design Team Gallery!

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Geny Cassady used "Grow Along With Me" as a fun topper for this flower pot.  If you were to make these they could contain either bulbs or seeds so friends of the mother-to-be could watch the growth of their plant, knowing that the baby is growing right along with it!

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There aren’t many people who do not enjoy the relaxing combination of honey and tea.  Heather Nichols created this fun favor combination, playing of of the punny phrase "Mommy to Bee".  Not only is this favor adorable, it is also something that will be used by the recipient rather than just discarded! (the bee images are from Candice’s new set, Honey Bees!)

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A little chocolate can be the perfect addition to a cup of coffee.  Debbie Olson created these yummy favors by utilizing the play on words "Baby is Stirring".  She air brushed plastic spoons with Copic markers and dipped them in white chocolate.  She used a few of the other animal images from Bitty Baby Blessings to create tags for each of the edible favors.

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Practical favors are always appreciated too. Jennifer Ellefson created a custom wrap for an oven timer, using the phrase "It’s About Time".  With so many different types of timers on the market, you could easily find them in a style to suit your party decor or guests personalities.

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Cozy socks will warm up anyone’s toes, although guests will be especially thrilled with the packaging of this favor.  Lauren Meader designed an "oven" box that holds a pair of socks.  She used the individual tree elements from Father Knows Best for the burners and of course "Bun in the Oven" from Favor It Baby.  I love the little oven mitt mini card she created to match!

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Lisa Johnson found a pretty diffuser at Pier One and decided it would be the perfect favor to go along with the phrase "Heaven Scent".  She used some of the bitty versions of the animals included in Bitty Baby Blessings to decorate the band on bottle.  She also custom stamped the twill tape.

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Lynn Mercurio worked with the phrase "A Star is Born" and executed these pretty tubes.  I love the metallic silver paired with our new Lavender Moon color.  The rhinestones at the corners of the star tag are a wonderful finishing details as well.

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"Sugar & Spice" is a phrase used often to describe baby girls, but in the case of Becky Oehler’s baby favor, t is more of the culinary persuasion!  Gingerbread cookies are the essence of sugar & spice so they were also the perfect combination for baby favors!  The recipient can even use the canister later in their kitchen as a reminder of the special event.

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"Parenting Advice" is something that is handed out often at a baby shower.  But why not make a pretty way to collect all of it in one place?  You could stamp the "Parenting Advice" phrase in the corner of several index cards and provide pens for guests to contribute their experiences.  They can then be added to this special book.  You could even use the Bind It All to turn the cards directly into pages rather than adhering them!  Taylor VanBruggen used the carriage image from Bitty Baby Blessings to decorate the cover of her book.

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And last but not least, some of these phrases don’t need to be limited to just baby favors, they can also be used for special gifts given directly to the mother-to-be.  Amy Rysavy used "Special Delivery" as a springboard for a a set of birth announcements.  She packaged them all in one of our clearly creative card boxes.  Any new mom would love the idea of having these all ready to go and that they are one-of-a-kind!

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Well, I hope a few of these projects have inspired you!  Many of them can be used for things other than baby showers, so there are just hundreds of possibilities!

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Be sure to check out Amy’s post today, featuring another sneak peek of Favor It Baby.  Also, Alli has been busy cooking up some more excitement on her blog too!