Treat Box, Bag or Envelope

This week over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, the theme is "Treat Bag or Box". It just so happens that I had something perfect for this challenge. The limited edition Holiday Kit from Papertrey Ink this year is called Post & Parcel and has the dies to create these adorable letter boxes that are large enough for chocolates, mints, or candy, and the optional Gift Card Envelope Die that has been added to the regular line is the perfect size to hold those gift cards.  There were so many dies included in the kit this year and that made it very hard for me to resist.

Betsy Veldman's Post & Parcel Sneak Peek

This is the first time I've had a chance to sit down and play with this set, but it was so easy to put together having Betsy's download and YouTube Video available to reference.  Even the adorable little padlock is part of the die cuts included in the kit.  As soon as I saw Betsy Veldman's and Kay's projects, I knew I was in trouble because I loved both of them.  I didn't even have to look at what the rest of the Design Team had done to know I was getting the kit.

Kay Miller's Post & Parcel Parcel Peek

As I mentioned, there was a separate Gift Card Envelope Die that you could purchase and that is one of my favorite things and will be able to be used for many things in the future.  I can hardly wait to make Valentines next year, especially keeping in mind that Betsy has other ideas for the Gift Card Envelope Die.  It is separate item from the Post & Parcel kit which sold out, so it will continue to be available for purchase.

Truthfully, these pastel colors don't photograph all that well, but I had this stripe and damask patterned paper from American Crafts that I've held on to for a long while.  I knew it would be perfect to use with these dies.  I was careful to line up the stripes before cutting the paper. I had thought this paper would match Aqua Mist Cardstock from Papertrey, but it wasn't quite the right shade, Aqua Mist having just a touch more green than the Robin's Egg Blue of the patterned paper. You can see it a little bit in this photograph, but it's okay using elements with such a small amount.  It's just not that noticeable.

One of the things I discovered when assembling my letter boxes is that although there is a die included in the kit that makes a slot for receiving "mail" (such as a gift card) in the box, I felt it weakened the box lid and opted not to use it on most of the ones I made. The one thing I didn't try was a double thickness so I need to try that another time.  The boxes are easy to assemble using 1/4th inch Scor-Tape and I used the 1/8th inch wide Scor-Tape for the envelope flaps and Letter Box top.  

The Gift Card Envelope Die will make a really quick way to dress up any kind of gift card any time of year.  All of the greenery for the swags is included in the kit and the stamp set to make more in whatever color you like is also part of the kit. Think of all the ways you can give a gift card and how many lovely papers you have that you can make envelopes out of.... The possibilities are endless. The die cuts the shape and puts in the score lines for you as well as cutting the little slit for the envelope flap to tuck into.  The Post & Parcel Pre-printed Papers and pre-printed envelope cuts are available in the Papertrey Ink Store on an ongoing basis and are printed on Papertrey's Signature White Linen Cardstock. There are so many elements to this kit and I touched on only a few.  I used one of the kit stencils to add the "Post" word to my letterbox and the stamp set to the insert of the Gift Card Envelope.  Betsy always thinks of all the details.  Everything was assembled using Scor-Tape, Ranger Multi Medium Matte and Thin 3D Foam Squares. Simon Says Stamp carries all of these products.  

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today.  If you have time, drop me a comment because I love hearing from you!