Sorry I've been MIA lately, my youngest was finishing up her senior year of high school, and we are still working on graduation celebration activities! I just made the cutest little treat holder...of course, I think they're all cute...but this one (like all my favorites) involves chocolate!
It's super simple to make, and the dimensions are perfect for using full sheets of paper. My samples use the
Sweet Shop Designer Series Paper (DSP) from the Occasions Mini Catalog, and some coordinating stickers, which are no longer available. [But I bet they'll show up on the
Clearance Rack so keep your eyes peeled!] You can use any DSP and coordinating card stock you want--I chose mine because I wanted to use it up.
Remember: Click on any picture to see it full-size.
You're going to need some 12x12 paper, and our
Designer Series Paper is perfect, with coordinating double-sided patterns. Each sheet will yield 4 of these holders. In our
Designer Series Paper packages, you usually get 2 sheets of each pattern, so that is 8 holders of the same pattern. For the card inside each, you use 1/8 of a sheet of 8-1/2"x11" card stock, so you can cleanly use a whole sheet of a coordinating color for your 8 holders of the same pattern!
Cut each 12x12 sheet down to four 6"x6" sheets. Using the
Diagonal Plate on the
Simply Scored Tool, score each 6x6 sheet in half diagonally from tip to tip. This means you start at zero on the ruler and score diagonally all the way across the sheet.
Then, you will score at 3/4" on each side of that middle score line. If you look at my photos below, you'll see that I use the ruler across the top, as well as the ruler down the left side, without lifting my paper. This is NOT how the Simply Scored Tool was intended to be used, because the left side ruler does not have the handy channels going down it for your scoring tool to slide into. Unless and until you are comfortable doing this, you will want to turn your paper turn your paper 180 degrees to get that 3/4" mark on the other side of the center line.
Okay, then you will want to turn your paper 1/4 turn from where you originally had it when you scored the first diagonal. On my paper, the cupcakes were upright when I started. In the picture below, you can see the top of the cupcakes are pointing to the right...because I have turned the paper one quarter turn.
Now, score each of the ends at 2-1/4", as shown below. Your 2-1/4" score marks will cross over the lines you already scored. Again, I leave my paper on the board and use both the top ruler and the left side ruler when I score diagonally. Please use only the top ruler with the channels coming down for your stylus, unless and until you are comfortable enough to use the left ruler. Note that using only the top ruler means you will have to turn your paper 180 degrees for the score on the opposite end.
From here is it cake (or cupcakes, as the case may be). Fold each of the 2-1/4" sides in on the score lines, toward the center, as shown below.
Fold this resulting piece in half on the center score line by bringing the criss-crossed "pockets" in towards each other, as shown below.
Then, fold each of the "pockets" back on its respective 3/4" score line, as shown below, so that the pointy tips of your holder meet. Crease firmly, and hold tips together while you punch a
1/2" Circle Punch near the top of the tips. Finish it by looping a 6" strip of coordinating
Ribbon through the holes and pulling tight to hold tips together.
A Ghirardelli Chocolate Square™ fits in one pocket, and then I put a little card in the other pocket on the other side. To make the card, simply cut a sheet of 8-1/2x11 card stock into 8 pieces (2-3/4x4-1/4). Score each card at 2-1/8". I used the smallest of the
Labels Collection Framelits Dies for the front layer of each card. Some of them were turned one direction on the card front (as with the sample at the top of this post), others were turned the other way, just depending on the image I wanted on each.
This is important: each of these die cuts is adhered to the center of each card front with only ONE
Stampin' Dimensional, right smack in the center back. To get your card to fit snug down in the pocket, make sure the points on your dimensional are pointing down into the 'V' of the criss-cross in the holder pocket. This allows you to tuck the card in the pocket, with the criss-cross of the pocket sliding up under the label. So when you pull the card out, the label is actually on the card front, not on the holder--fun, huh? See the pictures below for orientation of dimensionals in accordance with orientation of die cut. The dimensional placement on the left is for a tall-skinny orientation like the 3 samples pictured above. The dimensional placement on the right is for a short-wide orientation like the sample at the top of this post.
That's it, now get to it! These make great party favors (I'm using mine for my daughter's graduation party), but they are also wonderful little thank you cards with a treat in them! If your kids aren't out of school yet, they could easily help you make a handful of these for teachers and administrative staff. If they are having an end of year party with their classmates, they could put their photo on front of the card (cut out with the framelit), and print their name & phone number/email address out on a sheet of return address labels, and put a label inside each card so their friends can keep in touch over the summer.
