MFT Hop Around the Block: Fill Your Jar!

Welcome to My Favorite Things' mid-month Hop Around the Block! This month, we're changing the way you gift! If you've arrived here from Christina's blog, you're right on track. If you stopped by on your own, you may want to start at the beginning with Kim. I'd hate for you to miss a single thing!

Tonight, MFT is releasing two fantastic new stamp sets designed for gift-giving, as well as an all-new packaging product - these awesome 16-ounce, squarish, clear plastic jars! Together they make perfect packaging for personalized and economical gift giving! I've filled my jar with office supplies (binder clips, paper clips, rubber bands) and decorated it with the teacher label set. It's all about presentation sometimes, you know? Would I leave the same supplies in their original packaging and call them a teacher gift? Never. But presented this way? You bet! Especially with a gift card tucked inside the matching card.

I pulled out my Making Memories Chloe's Closet assortment of papers and embellishments for this project. This line is so cute to start with, and with its office look (grid paper, ledger paper, ruler-themed twill, etc.), I thought it would work well for a teacher gift. The one downside is that it is a bit girly. I have two more of these to make, but they need to go to male teachers. Well, tonight MFT is also releasing some new, wonderfully gender-neutral, school-themed digital papers that I can't wait to try just as soon as my stinker of a printer starts playing nice again!

A closer look:












Next up is a spa gift item using the new Time For the Bubbly label set:



I found these tubes of bath pearls in the dollar spot at Target this week and discovered that three of them fit perfectly in one of the oodles of clear card boxes I have left over from doing craft shows a few years ago. (This packaging is definitely inspired by the many test-tube-type projects that have been floating around blogland over the past year or so.) I decorated the tubes and the clear box with MFT's luxurious Chocolate Kiss patterned papers and coordinating ribbon assortment, and then added a fancy tag. Three dollars for the bath pearls and a couple more bucks (at most) for the clear box and papercrafting supplies, and you're looking at a total of $5-$7 - can't beat that!

Did you notice the pleated and stapled twill on the teacher card and the ruffly, pleated pink ribbon on the bath pearls tag? I'll show you how to achieve those looks in this week's How They Do That Tutorial. And this week's What's Up Wednesday Challenge is, you guessed it, ribbon pleating. I hope you'll give it a go!

Some detail shots:








That's it for me! Next stop on the hop is the amazing Holly McMillen! Remember, there are goodies at the very end!!




Teacher Gift Supplies:
Stamps: Teacher Label set (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Making Memories "Chloe's Closet" dp, SU Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss, Buckaroo Blue, Papertrey Vintage Cream
Ink: SU Buckaroo Blue and Kiwi Kiss, Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: MFT clear jar; Chloe's Closet acrylic stickers, ribbons, buttons, flowers, brads; SU mini paper clips, paper piercer and spiral puch; Martha Stewart cornice border punch; Pink Hedgehog Papercrafts burlap string; foam adhesive; paper piercer; distressing tool; staples; office supplies for jar contents


Bath Pearls Gift Supplies:
Stamps: Time for the Bubbly Label set (My Favorite Things)
Paper: MFT Chocolate Kiss dp and Perfect Paper panels; SU Whisper White
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Papertrey Dark Chocolate
Accessories: clear box; MFT and Offray ribbon; EK Success fleur-de-lis punch; SU scalloped border punch, scalloped circle punch, flower punches, and Pretties kit; Labels 3 Nestabilities; Michael's floral dept flowers; Kaiser self-adhesive pearls; Prismacolors, Gamsol, and blending stump; foam adhesive