Too Cool for School – all about Tools for the Pals Blog Hop

Welcome to the Pals Blog Hop for August.  This month we are showing off our favorite crafting tools – those Stampin’ Up! tools that we just can’t live without.  We hope you enjoy our projects.

You may just be starting the blog hop or may have come from Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom, number 2 on the Pals Hop.  If you get off track at any time, the full lineup below will help you move along from blog to blog so you see all the projects.

My favorite stamping tool of all time are the fabulous dies from Stampin Up.  Of course, a Big Shot goes right along with all those tools, and let’s not forget the bundles Stampin Up offers (at 15% discount) with a stamp set to go with those fabulous dies.  To show off a new die available in the 2015 Holiday catalog (available for purchase Sept 1) called the Square Pillow Box die. Look at all the extras that come with the box itself.

To honor the square pillow box fully I created three different projects with the same die, but all very different, one for each of the major holidays this year – Christmas, Thanksgiving and Halloween.   Not only is the pillow box just cute as can be by itself, there is a square framelit die included that you can use for cutting a window into the box.  I cut a second box out of Designer Series Paper and used it as a lining inside so when the treats are gone it’s still cute as can be.  Did you notice the sentiment on the window sheet?  That is from a coordinating stamp set called A Little Something that you can purchase, yes, as a bundle, with the box die. The 1/8″ striped ribbon is also new and comes in a role of Garden Green and Real Red. For Thanksgiving I cut the die as normal, then cut off the top to make it open and wrapped with ribbon.   They showed us this idea at convention.  What a great napkin and tableware holder for your holiday feast.  The sentiment is from A Little Something and the Acorn was made with the new Acorn Builder Punch.  I used the Woodland Textured Impressions Embossing Folder on both halves of the box after using the leaf die three times on the front panel. For Halloween I made a double pillow box following the same method as for the Thanksgiving box, then slipped one inside the other and covered it with a belly band made of Old Olive Background Designer Series Paper from the Brights collection, Basic Black and Tangelo Twist retired ribbon.  Again the sentiment is from A Little Something stamped on the Note Tag punch layered over a piece of Old Olive from Pretty Petals DSP Stack punched with the Scallop Tag Topper.  The little pumpkins were cut from the die included with the box.  I had drew on their faces. Thanks for stopping by my site today.  The next stop is Lisa Pretto at InkBIg Academy Stamps! , number 4 on the Pals Blog Hop!  Thanks for visiting; I hope to see you on next month’s Pals Hop! Blog Hop Line-up:  

1. Debbie Mageed at Secret Stamper
2. Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom
3. Lynn Kolcun at Stamping with Avery’s Owlery
4. Lisa Pretto at InkBIg Academy Stamps!
5. Nicole Watt at Pixel Maven’s Retreat
6. Wendy Klein at Doggone Delightful Stampin’
7. Shawn de Oliveira at ShawnStamps
8. Amy at Amy’s Inklings
9. Michelle Gleeson at StampinMojo
10. Candy Ford at Stamp Candy
11. Tricia Chuba at ButterDish Designs
12. Sherrie Gross at Stampin’ Sunshine
13. Kalyn Shubnell at The Stamping Chronicles
14. Pamela Sadler at stampinpinkrose.com
15. Jennifer Michalski at Stamping Serenity
16. Debra Simonis at Deb’s Stampin’ Grounds
17. Jane Knudsen at see jane stamp
18. Jackie Diediker at Stampin’ Jackie
19. Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
20. Deb Cozzone at Deb Cozzone’s Stamping Zone
21. Sue Becker at RnR Stamping
22. Jennifer Spiller at Westside Paper Creations
23. Mary Fish at Stampin’ Pretty