A Muse Studio

Candy Packages for Valentine's Day - an easy DIY

I love to make homemade, crafty Valentine's... don't you?  The A Muse candy packages are my absolute favorite because they are EASY and fun to make and DELIGHT the recipient.  It's true... show up with a tray full of these candy packages and you'll WOW your recipients!

We designed our candy package dies to be used with Hershey Nuggets and Hershey minis but they work with so many other treats.  I am working on a blog post to share some of the other treats that I've found so stay tuned for that.  

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Cinco de Mayo Party - Part 1

Cinco de Mayo is fast approaching!  It's a great reason to host a party and get some friends together.  I really LOVE this theme for summer parties in general because it's fun and colorful and there's some great food and drink options.

 

Let's start with a fun invitation!  Here we used our Fiesta 6" x 6" patterned paper and our Hola Amigo stamp set. 

A Muse Studio cardstock is perfect for printing your invitations and announcements.  It's thin enough to run through most printers but still has a luxurious, high-quality feel to it.  Over the years I have made thousands of wedding invitations and helped brides make their own using our fabulous cardstock.  I should do a blog post with tips on invitation design and printing using A Muse cardstock.  Will add that to my list.

Now that we've got the invitations sorted, the décor and food is next on my list. 

 

 

Here are a few of my favorite recipes from my Cinco de Mayo party repertoire.

Southwestern black bean dip

This one is super yummy!  Sometimes I add a bit of sour cream and a jalapeno pepper if the guests like spicy.  We also like to make this "dip" and eat it with rice as a meal.  It really is THAT yummy and good for you too!

Queso - EVERYONE always asks for this recipe!

Avocado-Mango Salsa - This one always disappears first!

Tomato-Serrano Salsa - This is the quintessential salsa.  If you like it hot, make it a day ahead as it will get hotter the longer it sits. 

Makenna's guacamole - Makenna started making guacamole when she was three.  I think she liked using the pastry cutter to chop up the avocado and the juicer to squeeze the limes and it just became her thing!  Her recipe is always different but it generally includes:

• 1 avocado - mashed
• 1/2 onion - very finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic - very finely chopped
• juice from one lime
• 1/2 cup cilantro - chopped
• sea salt - to taste
• 1 tomato chopped (optional)

We were excited to learn that you can ripen an avocado quickly by wrapping it in tin foil and placing it in a 200F oven for 20 to 60 minutes (depends on the size and ripeness of your avocado). It's easy to carry over the theme from the invitations to the party décor and favors.

Cupcakes make every party more fun, right?  These ones sure look festive with the Mariachi Man from the Hola Amigo stamp set.

 

These key-lime pies in mason jars are always a big hit!  They are easy to make and completely self-serve.  Love it.

It's easy to make party décor with A Muse Studio products.  These flowers are gorgeous on their own but add to the overall party theme with some fun, hand-stamped decorations.

Our Large Paper Picado dies make PERFECT for your Cinco De Mayo party.  Use our Fiesta assorted pack of cardstock and you're all set!

I have lots more photos to share and my internet connection has been a pain in the patootie so join me back here tomorrow for more fun Cinco de Mayo inspiration.

All of the above products are available from your A Muse Studio Creative Consultant or on our website.

Have a beautiful day!

 

Let's get Nautical!

I have another Candy Package to share with you.  If you do not own these dies yet, I swear... you NEED them. ;)  They are only $14.99 each and they're only available until February 14th.  Get both, you will LOVE them!  Promise.

I have hosted several nautical themed parties and events and these would have been a perfect addition.  I used one of the patterned papers from the Fiesta 6" x 6" assorted pack and the anchor stamp (and matching die) from the You're A Lifesaver stamp set. 

Add a little cherry baker's twine and voila!  Total cuteness!

I've got more inspiration for you tomorrow so be sure to pop on by.

And mark your calendars because next Tuesday, January 27th, I'll have some sneak peeks for you from our upcoming February Collection. 

Have a beautiful day!

 

Kisses for the Mrs (and the Misters too!)

I thought I'd take a break from the Candy Package Posts for a day and share with you some sweet Hershey Kisses that I made.  These are such a fun treat and everyone seems to delight in dressed up kisses!

I used the new Mr and Mrs stamps from the You + Me stamp set from the January 2015 Collection and the polka dot paper is from the Everything's Rosy Assorted 6" x 6" Patterned Papers. 

These are a fun treat for Valentine's Day, an anniversary or wedding.  They'd sure be cute at a bridal shower!

I'll be back tomorrow with another Candy Package.  I know... I am a bit additcted at the moment. LOL

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Valentine's Day!

As you can see, treat-making and party favors are one of my favorite things to craft.  Small projects like this are so fun and rewarding.  There's really NO way you can go wrong (unless your puppy happens to get into your candy stash - not good.)

These sweet treats combine two of my loves... Kraft paper and gold embossing.  So fabulous together, don't you think?

The stamps are from the new With Love stamp set from our January 2015 Collection.  Love the matching die sets.  

To make the glittery red heart, I placed a strip of 1/2" super tape on a small piece of red cardstock, leaving the red liner on.  I then placed  the smallest heart die from the heart trio die set onto the red liner and die cut.  Once you have the heart cut, remove the red liner and pop it in some Cherry glitter.  So pretty!

Remember, the products from our new January 15 Collection are only available until February 14th.  If you see something you like, grab it while you can!

Have a beautiful day!

 

 

Related articles

NEW! A Muse Studio Monthly Collections

Treats for the Team

Candy Packages for Everyone!

Candy Packages for Everyone!

Can't. Stop.

I am having so much fun with the products in our new January Collection.  Best part, is that you can pair them with pretty much anything from our main catalog for endless creative possibilities!

Here I used the Candy Package dies with patterned paper from our Everything's Rosy 6" x 6" paper pack and the medium-size heart from the heart trio die set.  Pretty sweet!

I don't know how I crafted without our new Candy Package Dies before.  Get them now... as they are only available through February 14th, 2015.

Happy Sunday!  Are you cheering for the Seahawks today? 

 

 

Treats for the Team

I love that our school honors the graduating 8th grade athletes for every sport.  Last weekend was the Basketball recognition ceremony and it was my job to design the program and pick up the "gifts".  I love to do these sorts of things and saw an opportunity to take it one step further and make some special treats for the players. 

As you know, I'm in love with the new candy package dies that are part of our new January Collection.  I have been making these treats for years but these dies make it fast and easy!  I stamped the basketball from our Play Ball stamp set and die cut it with the matching die.  Colored the ball with Copics and voila! 

Add a Hershey's nugget and some orange and white baker's cording.  So easy!  Kids LOVED them!

 

I'm telling you... you NEED the Candy Package dies.  Sure, you could get just one but I know you're going to want both.  Get them while you can.  January Collection products are available only through February 14th.

Have a sweet day!

 

 

 

Lovin' the January 15 Collection

I hope you've had a chance to see the A Muse Studio January Collection.  I absolutely LOVE it.  The stamp sets, the dies, stickers, doilies, mini album and more are all so fabulous!

I am especially loving the new Candy Package dies.  There are two Candy Package of them and they make it SO easy and fun to make special wrapped candy treats. Both dies are the same size and work well with Hershey Nuggets and other small treats.  The dimensions of each die are 5 1/4" x 1 1/2". 

LOOK at the adorable treats you can make!

I used the polka dot paper from our Everything's Rosy 6" x 6" assorted paper pack, Gold stickers from our January Collection and the new With Love stamp and matching die set. 

So fun!  I whipped up a dozen of these for the staff at the Senior Center down the street and they LOVED them. 

I'll be sharing a few ideas over the next couple of days so be sure to pop back for more inspiration!

Have a beautiful day!

 

Cupcake Wrapper Easter Treats

Hello!  I hope you are all having a great week so far. 

As part of our party prep late last week, I cut out a bunch of cupcake wrappers.  Our cupcake wrapper die set includes die both regular and mini sized cupcakes.  Even better... they are on SALE this month for only $29.99 (save 25%!)  It occured to me that the cupcake wrappers could make really fun treat holders. Ding!

Here's the supplies you'll need.  The mini cupcake wrapper die, crepe paper, scissors and some adhesive.  You'll also need a mini cupcake liner and something yummy for your treat.  I used gummy flowers by the Lemonhead company.

To start, add a strip of adhesive to the *inside* of the cupcake wrapper from the tab to the far edge.  Then take your crepe paper (do not pre-cut) and place about 1/4" on the left edge of the adhesive (right edge if you are a lefty) and accordion fold along the adhesive strip to make a ruffle on the inside of the cupcake wrapper.  Be sure to go all the way to the edge of the cupcake wrapper so there is no gap when it is assembled.

Here is what it will look like when you are done.

Next I trimmed off approximately 1/4" off the top edge of the crepe paper and then cut into the edge making a fringe.  That part was FUN! 

Here's what it should look like.

I then added a mini cupcake liner, some treats and a bunny die cut for fun.  I think these would be fun at your Easter table.  You could use them as placecards by writing the guest names on the bunnies. 

What do you think?

Pretty cute?

Have a great day!

Patriotic Party time!

We know that a lot of you are planning Memorial Day BBQs and fun get togethers.  Here's some fun Patriotic Party ideas for your event that will wow your friends and family! These ideas were from our June 2012 Spotlight but well worth revisiting here.

Soda bottles with fun paper straws (taped on with washi tape) adorned with a die-cut star.

 

Popcorn boxes - easy to decorate and fill with yummy snacks (pretzels, cookies, cheese puffs, etc.)  We adorned our boxes with rosettes (made with our rosette die) and glittered starts (also a die cut).

 

Pretty food picks are so easy to make with a little striped paper (we used our Candy Cane Stripe - perfect year round!), a star die cut and our Let Freedom Ring stamp set.

These are so stinkin' cute and easy to make!  Simply dip marshmallows in melted chocolate and add some sprinkles.  We've got clear bags in all sizes, tie with baker's cording, add a glittered star and VOILA!

 

Paper Bag Luminaries add a festive look to your outdoor parties.  So easy to make with our white paper bags and some fun stars. 

BBQs at my house always lead to S'Mores making.  Your guests will be thrilled with these fantastic S'Mores kits. We used our Hello From Camp stamp set for these. 

Serve up some cool lemonade or iced tea in Mason Jars with patriotic lids and pretty paper straws.

Here's another food label - using our Let Freedom Ring and Vintage Labels 2 stamp sets.

I have more Patriotic Party ideas to share in the coming days.  All of the supplies used are from A Muse Studio so you'll want to contact your A Muse Studio Creative Consultant for a catalog. If you need assistance finding an A Muse Studio Creative Consultant near you, please call us at 206-783-4882 or use our Consultant Locator link here.