I have one final project that I thought I would leave you with today as we wrap up the January countdown. It is another Thrifty Gifting idea that was inspired by Lauren's newest template to be released this month, the Take Along Tote.
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If you are anything like me, I always enjoy giving thoughtful gifts to people rather than just picking up something from a big box store. Especially when it comes to gifts for children. Really, how many Barbies can a girl have? So I thought I would show you a fun alternative that I designed for a birthday party we are going to next weekend. I call it the Cupcake Take Along. I gathered a few inexpensive items from the store to create my kit.
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To begin, I wrapped my cake mix box with red cardstock. This required two sheets cut to measure 5-5/8" wide and 11 inches long. I scored the top and bottom of these two pieces at 1.5", creating top and bottom flaps. I then just adhered the two pieces together lengthwise to create a large wrap.
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Next, I cut out the two main pieces for the body of the tote template using red cardstock. I wanted to create a special area for all of the different sprinkles to be kept. So I cut a 1 x 11" strip of white cardstock and scored it @ 1.25" from either end, followed by 3/4" increments in the remaining center portion. Use my photo here as a visual to create your mountain and valley folds. A little piece of scor-tape at the base of each section will help to make the piece secure.
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When you peel away the tape backing and adhere the strip to the interior of your tote, you are left with something that looks like this.
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Now that the tube strip is adhered to the inside, the tote can be adhered to the front of the cake mix wrap with scor-tape.
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I wanted ribbon handles to go all the way around both the cake mix box and cardstock tote that I adhered together, so I laid the entire piece on its side and ran two pieces of scor-tape down, around the bottom and back up the other side.
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I then started applying my ribbon at the bottom and went up a side over the top creating the handle, and back down the other side. I repeated these steps on the opposite end.
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Now that the handles are done, all that's left for the inside of this cute little cupcake tote is a few of our Trendy Tubes filled with the various sprinkles that I picked up at the store. The easy tube strip I created from white cardstock holds the tubes in place securely.
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For the outside, I printed the Take Along Tote Pocket template onto Raspberry Fizz cardstock and assembled it. I adhered it to the front of my tote.
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I created the catchy "Hey, cupcake" sentiment with Fresh Alphabet & Simple Alphabet. The felt flower is from American Crafts and the epoxy brad is from Making Memories.
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Notice the little birthday tag made with Heather's new Around & about Sentiments. It is clipped in place with a bright pink mini clothespin that I have been hoarding for quite some time now. I love it when things like that work out!
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This tote pocket holds a glassine bag which I filled with the decorative heart candies. The top of the bag is folded over and tied shut with raspberry fizz satin ribbon.
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Here is a side view of the tote. Notice how the tubes are a perfect fit for the width of the Take Along Tote template.
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And as one last final detail, I used a Basic Grey magnetic closure along with a patterned paper flap to help keep the tote closed.
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THRIFTY GIFTING COST BREAKDOWN:
3 large trendy tubes: $3
3 sheets pure poppy cardstock: 60-cents
1 sheet white cardstock: 15-cents
1 sheet raspberry fizz cardstock: 20-cents
1 8×8 sheet patterned paper: 17-cents
cupcake making supplies: $6
2 yrds. ribbon: $1.20
TOTAL COST: $11.32
I hope my project today gave you some additional inspiration on ways to use all of Lauren's templates AND how to have fun with the latest stamp sets too. We look forward to seeing all of you at the release tonight!
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Stop by Heather's blog today for one last peek at her latest set.
Debbie created some AMAZING thank you notes using elements from several of the new releases.
Lauren has also recently used the Take Along Tote template that I used in my project today.
Check out her projects here AND here AND here.
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Stamps: Fresh Alphabet and Around & About Sentiments (both avilable January 15th), Simple Alphabet (hey), Limitless Labels (cupcake)
Ink: True Black, Pure Poppy, Raspberry Fizz
Paper: Pure Poppy, Raspberry Fizz, stamper's select white, Raspberry Fizz patterned paper collection
Other:large glassine bag, raspberry fizz grosgrain & satin ribbons, scalloped scissors from SU!, felt flower from american Crafts,epoxy brad from Making Memories, clothespin from Dollar Tree, button from unknown source, magnetic closure from Basic Grey, Trendy Tubes
Finished Size: 5-5/8" wide and 7-3/4" tall.
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I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, this idea/project you’ve shared here. It takes Lauren’s template to another step, it adds in your alphas, and Heather’s set as well….what a team PTI is! I really do appreciate seeing this template used with the ribbon handles and for the first time, I can see the advantage of the score tape with this post!
J’adore votre blog, c’est une mine d’inspiration 😉
nice!!!!!!!
Finally you posted! I have been waiting all day—I live in Australia so what is day here is most likely not over there–oh well. Love the tote Nicole I think its great!
fabulous!!
i would like to taste those cupcakes when they will be cooked!!
where do you get these ideas????? this is so cute and clever.
What a thoughtful gift and so cute!!!! Nichole all of your projects have been wonderful this release. Thank you for your time and effort!
Oh no you didn’t pair PURE POPPY with RASPBERRY FIZZ and it works!! OMGosh this is soooo stinkin’ CUTE and DIFFERENT and pratical!! I would never pair those colors – that combo would scare me – but it totally works. Thanks for inspiring me to think out side of the box, Nichole!
oh my goodness! That is just the cutest thing ever! I love it! smiles…
SO CUTE Nichole!!!!!!! Love it!
oh my goodness! That is just the cutest thing ever! I love it! smiles…
oh my goodness! That is just the cutest thing ever! I love it! smiles…
oh my goodness! That is just the cutest thing ever! I love it! smiles…
You are so clever, I never cease to be thrilled by all the ideas on here, thank you so much for sharing x
Get OUT Nichole!!! That is the cutest gift idea ever! I have assembled cupcake kits in large gussetted sacks but they have never been THIS cute!! I’d never want to open this gift! Fantastic idea, you clever girl.
Just darling! Who wouldn’t enjoy getting a gift like this!!!
What will you think of next? This is fabulous and so pretty in pink!
Absolutely adorable! What a great gift idea!
I can’t believe that tonight is the night! Yea!
WOW! This is so cool! This will make the best gift for all holiday’s and any kind of celebration! I am seeing some fun ideas to do with this in my head with sugar cookies too!
You always get a big “WOW” out of me when I look at your creations… I’m once again totally impressed… Kudos to you !!!
I might have to give this a try…
I can hardly wait for the release. What a great project!! Thanks for the inspiration!!
Love your project! What little girl wouldn’t like her own cupcake kit with all those pretty fixings? I’d say any girl from 3 on up would be perfect.
Oh this is really nice,i love heart shape.It’s really cute.Can i know where did u get this idea?
-Ashley
How awesome is that! I wouldn’t even use it if it were given to me as a gift I would display it! Its so beautiful I love how the colors just pop! 🙂
LOVING your cupcake project. That is just the cutest thing I have seen. Can’t wait to try another great template by Lauren, they are super!
What an adorable idea!
That is just stinkin’ cute!
This is beyond adorable 🙂 and super fun for the birthday girl! TOO cute 🙂
How on earth do you come up with all of these incredible ideas?? Nichole, you are amazing. Thank you for sharing your talents with us and providing such great inspiration!
You are so clever! I’m a newbie stamper, stumbling upon your blog a month ago. I so appreciate the inspiration provided by you and the rest of the design team. Thank you.
You are SO AMAZING and clever! How adorable this is! You are such an inspiration to all of us! Thank you for sharing!
wow! This is just too cute! What a great gift idea!
that is the cuteist gift I have ever seen! I can’t wait to use that idea! It will blow everyone away! Thanks for all your great card and gift ideas Nicole, you keep me looking good when I give one to a friend!
Cindy
What a fabulous idea! I love it!
I don’t usually go for the cutsey…but OMG! This is an absolutely adorable project, Heather! You’ve totally raised the bar!
LOVE THAT! that is just so stinkin’ cute!
This is absolutely adorable! And what little girl wouldnt be wow’ed with this gift? Thanks for so freely sharing your creativity!
This is my fave project of all your sneak peeks Nichole. TFS. Have fun with another sure-to-be-successful release!
OMG Nichole –
This is just wonderful! Right up my alley, cause I love to make things personal. So this will most definitely be added to my list of go to’s.
Thanks so much.
Elaine Allen
That is so super cute and inspiring! I love it!
Wow! You never stop amazing me! thanks Nichole for another wonderful release week. Your organization and inspiration and your designers are fabulous!!!!!!!! Thank you. Thank You!
Total alpha junkie. Everything from monograms to nicknames. Love the new font stamps.
I have given a few cupcake kit gifts to my nieces and godchildren. I LOVE the way that you put this package together!!! It’s just the cutest thing!
How cute is this!! Who would’ve ever thought to do this? Love it!
Oh my gosh!!! This is so amazing!! I love it – what a great idea – you are one of the most creative people I “know”!! 🙂
really adorable package – I like the polka dots with the solid red! you forgot to include the cost of the template plus the glassine bag in your final costs – just sayin’… 😉
That is one of the neatest things I have EVER seen! and I’m OLD! You never cease to amaze me…I would LOVE to get a gift like that! How awesome! 😀
This is amazing! With lots of birthday parties coming up this will be a great hit! I love it!!!
LOVE it!! So super cute! Now I hope a girl birthday party comes up soon so I can make one of these for a gift!
I am in awe. That is just amazing!
What a super cool gift idea and very unique too!
Nichole, this is so sweet – what a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing, I’m gonna have to try this one, my girls would love it, being the junior bakers that they are! lol 🙂
This is adorable! What a neat gift idea. love all your projects. Thanks for sharing with us. You are amazing!
Oh, what a wonderful idea!! Love it.
Wow is this ever cute! I dont know where you get these fabulous ideas but I love them. Blessings.
What little girl (or grown up woman) wouldn’t love to receive this? SO cute!!! Can’t wait to see everything tonight 🙂
ABSOLUTE GENIUS!!! YOU ROCK!! Thank you so much for the CUTE AND ADORABLE ideas!!
What a cute and functional gift! This would make a great hostess gift!
Can you get any more clever?! Adorable! I am so looking forward to the new release!!!
I’m fairly new to Papertrey (as a customer), but I’ve been a dedicated viewer of your blog for months and months… I truly wish I had one tenth of the vision and creativity you have. Do you have a graphic design background?
That is the cutest thing I have seen all day!
Awesome!! It is so cute and I’m sure a little girl would just adore a fun gift like this!
OMG!! Love it!! You are so creative, what a great idea… thanks for sharing.
This is genius! Wow – how creative. This is definitely going into the my ideas folder. Thank you for sharing!
This is soooo darn cute!!!!
So creative and clever!!
Oh my gosh. Awesome over and over again.
possibilites with easter, sweet sixteen birthdays, etc. Love it. TFS
Oh my!!!! This project is AWESOME!
You have got to be kidding me! This is so adorable. I cannot even believe the ideas that you come up with. Awesome!!
You have got to be kidding me! This is so adorable. I cannot even believe the ideas that you come up with. Awesome!!
OMG!!!! That is absolutely darling! We have to go to a 5 year olds birthday party in a couple of weeks. How fun would this be for her to make cupcakes with her mommy! I agree with you as to making a gift personalized, and not just getting a standard gift at the box store. Bravo!! I love your ideas, you are always so creative.
OMGosh!!! That is AWESOME!
That is soooooooooooo cute!!!
This is absolutely the cutest presentation for cupcakes! The detail of your project is unsurpassed! Love the polka dots and the way you secured the tubes for toppings! You have outdone yourself! How do you ever develop such terrific projects? You are such an inspiration! I think this would be so fun to give as a family gift! This release is so exciting! Thanks for sharing your talent!
What a great gift for a child! Just think of the fun a parent and child can have together while teaching/learning some cooking basics at the same time.
What a great gift idea! I love making aprons for budding chefs and this would make a wonderful additition.
Love, love, love your stamp sets. Keep them coming. One of your many fans out here
Wow you guess take the (cup)cake when it comes to creative ideas and thinking outside the box. This is darling and such a simple inexpensive gift idea! I love it! TFS!!
That bag with the cake mix is so clever. What a lovely gift to bring to a party.
Eveline.
Nicole this is such a great idea!! My daughter and grandkids will get a real kick out of this, all I need are the test tubes! You always come up with such fun projects I just love visiting your site!!
This is a seriously cute idea! I cannot wait to use it myself! Thanks for sharing such great ideas!!
This is just adorable! Perfect! You are just too clever. I love the sprinkles in the tubes. Makes them look more chic and expensive. *grins*
this is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. My 22 year old daughter loves cupcakes and sprinkles. I’m going to do this right away.
Oh WOW! You are so creative!
WHOA! THIS IS AWESOME, just awesome…thanks so much for the deets!!
totalement génial!!!!!
Wow… I was going to do something similar to this.. but you’ve definitely taken it to a much grander scale!! Who wouldn’t want to receive this? Wouldn’t it make a great hostess or book to look gift?? Fabulous!
this is so creative and cute…I really can’t wait to give it a try, my niece loves to bake so I am so doing this for her!!!
Wow! This is fabulous! What a great gift idea..especially for the person who already has everything!
OMG – what a wonderful gift idea! I loved it!
Cool idea! A thought that came to me is that you could package the little decor candies in plastic inside the whisk (ever seen those “whisk you a merry christmas” gifties) — Just an idea for next time. It would make the tote part less bulky . . .
What a fantastic project and gift idea. I will definitely be giving that a try!
FAB FAB FAB!!! Love this idea! You are so very creative. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing this creative idea! What a great birthday gift for someone!
For real?!! For real, pinch me! It is the bomb, period! How on earth do you come up with this stuff, Nichole? However you do it..just keep doing it! Luv it Ü
This is sooooo cute! I totally love the idea.
My friend Kimmie sent me over here saying it was the cutest thing ever – and she is so RIGHT!! This is fabulous!
My friend shared this link at a site we visit.. I LOVE this idea! So cute.. I had to share it too! I am off to peek around your blog.. I know I will love it.. I have it bookmarked now! Have a GREAT day!
Beth
TOO stinkin’ cute! Can’t wait to make this for my daughter to give as a gift!!
LOVING it!!!!!! it is sooooo beautiful!
You are so clever!
This project is awesome!.. Original
Wow! TFS! This would make a wonderful gift anytime.
That is so adorable!!!
That is so cute, I wish I was that creative.
WOW I just tried this project and I have to say it was loooonnnnggg project. My cake mix just swims in the box and after checking my cake mix box is only 71/4″ tall so make sure if you are making this. Also the ribbon was very hard to center as the front panel is slightly smaller then the front. But it is reeally cute!
This is so adorable! What a wonderful idea. I just downloaded the template. How do I subscribe to your blog. I didn’t see the “subscribe here”….
Hi I would love to send you pictures of how my cupcake boxes came out. The first one I made was for my oldest daughter who loves horses so hers looks like a barn, hay and all and my other daughter is a caretaker at a castle so I made hers to look like the castle she takes care of. THEY LOVE THEM. Specially where I live in FL and they live in MA and I dont get there for their birthdays. Email me if you would like to see the pictures. Thanks for the great idea and directions
Hi Nicole,
I’m trying to this awesome cake take along and I stuck and would love to email you with my questions but can’t find your email address. I have to make 15 of these. Please email me at kellyklan@cox.net I really appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks for all you do to help all of us be more creative! Kristi Kelly
Hi Nichole, I was directed to your project by Nancy Reilly and thought this was such a cute project that I had to try my hands at it. Here is my version:
http://paperexpressions-lmg.blogspot.com/2009/09/birthday-gift.html
You do such wonderful work. Thanks for the inspiration.
that is so super duper CUTE!!!
I absolutly love your design and your colours.
LOVE IT
Thank you so much for sharing!
Wow this would be nice! awesome idea.
-missey
I just saw this and it’s awesome!!! Thanks for sharing!
That is so clever! I am going to use this as a gift as you suggested.
TFS
Sooooo cute, I am so in love!
Oh my gosh, this is so cute! And you make it look so easy!!!
This is adorable! I would love to feature on my series, Cupcake Mondays! I will link, of course! Let me know if that would be ok!
Wow! really cool i like it. Will certainly visit your site more often now. 🙂
zaijan
Oh my gosh I love this you have the talent girl!! You ROCCCCKKKK!!!!!!!
I am going to try this to send to each daughter!!
Happy V DAY
Wow, so adorable. I don’t eat much cake…but this is such a cute gift! I definitely want to try to make one of these!
Fantasic idea, thanks for sharing.
OMG how creative! I love it 🙂
love this idea! too stinkin cute! where do i find the template?
This is fabulous! So creative and so cute! This would be a fabulous gift! Thanks for sharing 🙂
– Elizabeth
Co-Owner
http://www.missimagination.com
this is one of the cutest packaging ideas EVER!!! thank you for sharing your creative ideas!
I love this! Gonna make great gifts alo as a birthdaypresent!
This is awesome!! I love it!!!
Birthday gift ideas vary for each age of recipient. This is really an affordable Gift Idea. I like this so much. Nice work.
http://www.wholesalepages.co.uk/
i LOVE LOVE LOVE this! Thinking i am going to make these up for cute christmas gifts.. simple and FUN! Will go great in my thermal totes! (check them out!) Thanks!
ERIN at.. http://www.mythirtyone.com/21405
I love your tutorial. I wanted you to know Becky Roberts from Inking Idaho made one exactly the same claiming it was hers. It can be found at: http://inkingidaho.blogspot.com/2010/05/cake-mix-class-directions.html
She made her 1 1/2 year later.
Thanks for the tutorial Nichole!
Brilliant and so cute!
So great!! Found this on Pinterest! And am adding it to my Darling Day finds this Friday!!
Hello,
I am writing to you from Stylelist Home, the Huffington Post’s new site devoted to design and DIY. We are putting together a slideshow about last-minute homemade gift ideas and would love to use your fantastic cupcake take along! We’ll give full attribution and credit to you, including link-outs to your site. Would this be okay? Please let us know!
Best,
Kaitlyn
love this – thanks!
So cute! Great idea for a teacher’s gift! So different!
Cute and lovely gifts ideas….
Very sweet and cute….
http://www.balochbrud.se/
Do you send a newsletter via email??? If so could I please be on your list??? What absolutely wonderful ideas.
This is so cute! Thanks so much! If you are ever interested in exchanging contributions with me where you would be featured on my blog, please please please let me know.
Thanks!!
OMG this is so cute! Really adorable! Keeping this in mind for birthdays and xmas.
So cute! And great for any holiday! Thank you!
I agree I always want to give people a gift that really means something. Putting in a lot of effort into their gift shows you really care about them.
OMG! I LOVE this!!!
What a clever and fun idea thank you for sharing
http://www.rochellescreativeplace.com/
We did this idea for a Halloween birthday party, had to change things a little but OHHH, CUTE!!
WOW Debbie you just have toooooo much time on your hands! This is a very awesome gift idea!
Where do you get the tubes?
Where can I get the Take Along Tote Pocket template?