Enjoy the Little Things - Stamp Club Challenge

One of my stamp club members mentioned that she thought it would be fun to issue a challenge to the group. I thought about it for awhile and came up with this idea. I created a Peek-A-Boo treat box for each member and filled it with some small Stampin' Up! supplies. (I got the idea to add stamp supplies instead of chocolate from Bethany Paull's blog, It's Not All Black and White.) My goal was to get them creating in between our stamp club meetings, use some of the items they were purchasing each time, and introduce them to some of the embellishments, etc. ("little things") Stampin' Up! offers that we may not always get to use in the club. I mailed them out along with a note challenging them to "enjoy the little things" and use the supplies to create something - a card, scrapbook page, or other project, of their choice.

I didn't really have any hard and fast rules, but here were the guidelines that I gave in my note.

• Everyone's box of goodies contains 10 different items, but they are all different things.
• The ultimate goal is to use as many of the items as you can. There will be three doorprizes. (In the event of a tie in any of the categories, I will draw for a winner.)
  1) The first will be for whoever uses the most items from their box (they can be used on multiple projects if desired).
  2) The second will be for whoever uses the most other Stampin' Up! items on their project(s) (SU! items purchased throughout the stamp club so far).
  3) And the third will be for the most creative project (this will be voted on by all members present).
• Your creation is not limited to the items in your box. Try to use some of your stamp club purchases in your creation(s). (The key to winning category #2!)
• Your project(s) (and preferably you too!) must be present to win.

As mentioned above, each of the boxes contained similiar items, but they were all different. In each box, I included a selection of 10 items from the following: brads, Rhinestone brads, eyelets, ribbon, chipboard, Felt Fusion Flowers, die-cut blooms, punched shapes, buttons, pieces of Hodgepodge Hardware and small pieces of DSP. The items were contained in a small bag and adhered inside the Peek-A-Boo box - visible through the scallop circle window. I also included a "Packing List" in each of the boxes so they would know what each item was in case they were interested in getting more!

The boxes were made using the tutorial from SCS, but I changed the dimensions slightly. My finished boxes measured 4 x 3 3/4". I started with a piece of Old Olive cardstock that was 4" wide x 11 3/4" long and scored at 3 3/4", 4", 7 3/4", and 8". The inspiration for the front came from this card on SCS. For the front, I started with a piece of Basic Black cardstock that had been stamped with the Stitched background stamp in Whisper White and matted on a piece of Whisper White cardstock. I also added a strip of Whisper White cardstock along the middle that was stamped with "enjoy" from Enjoy Every Moment in Basic Black. Each one was matted on a different color and "the little things" stamp was stamped in the same color. I also added the "Make it Count" stamp from the Make It Count Level 1 hostess set to the middle of the "O" in enjoy. It was punched with the 1/2" circle punch. I added velcro dots to hold the front of the box and the inside flap closed.

The scallop circle window was also stamped with the Stitched background before being punched. Have I mentioned that I love that background!

The door prizes will be little projects that I create. I only have one done so far - a double pocket bag, but I also plan to add a treat slider, and maybe a small box to hold chocolates or something.

I had a lot of fun coming up with the challenge and creating the boxes. It did take some time to come up with all of the different packets for the insides - if I have the chance to do this again, I'll probably go with all of the same. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone creates! (Hopefully I'll be able to post some of the projects after our next meeting.)

Treat Box Recipe:
Stamps: Enjoy Every Moment, Make It Count
Cardstock: Old Olive, Basic Black, Whisper White (for all), Rose Red, Real Red, Purely Pomegranate, Bashful Blue, Blue Bayou, Pumpkin Pie, Groovy Guava, Pretty in Pink (one each)
Ink: Whisper White, Basic Black (for all), others listed above
Accessories: Old Olive Poly-Twill Ribbon
Tools: Corner Rounder, 1/2" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Rectangle Punch