Introducing Rustic Snowflakes

I will never forget the first time Heather Nichols sent me the preview files for this set.  As soon as I opened them, it was just so… *Piney*!  Rustic Snowflakes is held in this delicate balance between Rustic (as the name says) and whimsical.  Heather has officially established her style as a stamp designer and I am loving every bit of it!

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For my project today, I thought I would delve into another gift item.  David has several siblings, most of which have families of their own.  Each year I try to do a single FAMILY gift to each sibling branch.  It is a lot easier than keeping up with each individual’s tastes, size or interests.  Last year I came up with the idea to do ice cream sundae baskets.  They were a big hit with everyone!  The kids especially thought it was a special treat!  Here are all the details of how I put mine together.

One of the most important parts of ice cream sundaes are the toppings!  I designed a small box that holds four of our 4 oz. Round Clear Top Tins perfectly.  I have attached a template outlining specific directions on how to make it. Super easy pattern to follow.

Download toppings_box_template.pdf

After I constructed the box, I made a liner to fit inside the bottom.  I thought that this would add some sturdiness and serve as a decorative element as well.  I created the liner by following the same template as the box bottom, only removing the corner tabs.  I also scored just hair further inward.  The liner is made from Vintage Cream cardstock and stamped repeatedly with the snowflake border image from Heather’s new Rustic Snowflakes set.

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Here is the liner securely adhered inside the box bottom.  I think it really makes the box look more polished, don’t you?

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The lid of the box is created with a transparency sheet.  After a little experimentation with different adhesives, I was happiest with mini glue dots.  They were hardly noticeable and looked clean & professional.

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The tins were covered with a strip of Pure Poppy cardstock stamped with a row of different phrases & small snowflakes from this set in vanilla ink.  I filled the tins with a variety of toppings that would be appropriate for a sundae.  The four ounces that these tins hold will provide enough topping for at least six sundaes, so perfectly suited for an entire family!  Yum!

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Here is the finished toppings box.  I used the NEW! Silver Sheer Metallic Ribbon to tie around the box.  The tag background was created with a few of the snowflake images from this set.  I just love how easy it is to build patterns with this set.  And the snowflakes stamp SO crisp & clean. 

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For the tag accent strip, I started by die-cutting the smallest Double-Ended Tag die from Vintage Cream cardstock.  I left the cardstock in the die and used the opening as a means to perfectly center the phrase “toppings”, which was created with Simple Alphabet. (You can find a tutorial I did on how to best position the Simple Alphabet letters HERE.)

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I cut a strip of red cardstock just a tad wider than my tag die and scored a line just a fraction from either edge using my Scor-Pal.  This is a technique I find myself doing often.  I just love the results.

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By layering the tag and the strip, I am able to create an easy accent that adds quite a bit of detail so the tag isn’t too visually *boring*!

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Next up was the hot fudge!  You can’t have a sundae without hot fudge!  I picked up an 11.75 oz. jar of Smucker’s Hot Fudge Topping.  It is as close to homemade as you can get from the supermarket!  I wanted to dress it up a bit to make it more personal (and color coordinate of course!).  I die-cut some muslin fabric using the Nestabilities largest Standard Scalloped Circle die.  I stamped the fabric with Polka Dot Basics using Pure Poppy Palette ink.  I also got some thin hemp twine out.

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I placed the fabric circle pattern side down.  I then turned the hot fudge upside down and placed it in the center of the circle.

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I gathered the circle of fabric around the neck of the jar and placed an elastic around it to hold it in place temporarily. 

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I then tied the hemp around the jar, holding the fabric firmly in place, allowing the hemp to rest in the grove directly under the lid.

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Remove the elastic and there you have it!  A homier, customized version of Smucker’s Hot Fudge Sauce!

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Something special needs to be included in this gift set to EAT these special sundaes out of, so why not some personalized bowls?  I stamped one of the small snowflakes from this set in Pure Poppy onto one of Avery’s clear address labels.  I punched out the snowflake using my 5/8-inch circle punch.  The name was stamped onto a clear label using, once again, Simple Alphabet.  It was trimmed with scissors.  I adhered both labels to the bowl.  Since I used Palette inks for the stamping, they are waterproof.   With hand-washing, the labels ought to stay around for quite while, although probably not permanently.

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Here’s the completed ensemble.  I added a really nice ice cream scoop and assembled everything in this pretty little basket.

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A cute little card was necessary to hold a gift card to the local supermarket for the recipient to use to buy the *best* ice cream, with no worries of what’s on sale!  Much of the same design concepts used on the *toppings* tag were carried over to the card.  A bit more of that Silver Sheer Metallic Ribbon was added to the side as an accent.

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I hope you have enjoyed today’s project.  Be sure to stop by tomorrow for a peek into another set that I have been just dying to share with you!

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Be sure to stop by Heather’s blog to see a few more projects done using Rustic snowflakes.

Melissa has another look at her new set, that you won’t want to miss!

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STAMPS: Rustic Snowflakes (available September 15th), Polka Dot Basics, Simple Alphabet

INK: Pure Poppy & Noir Black Palette inks, vanilla pigment ink

PAPER: Pure Poppy & Vintage Cream cardstocks

OTHER: Silver Sheer Metallic ribbon, Spellbinders Tag Trio & Large Standard Scalloped Circle die, 4 oz. Round Clear Top Tins, Bowls, scoop & basket from Wal-Mart.