secret santa gifts to give!

This Christmas I took part in a "Secret Santa" swap with the Stylin' Stampin' Squad. We are a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators who host a monthly blog hop. We have our own little Facebook group page and I have had such a fun time getting to know these ladies and being inspired by them!! Many of us from this group even started our own little blog called Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration and if you are a regular visitor to my blog, you have seen me post many times of things I have designed for this blog. Being a part of the design team has really motivated me to blog more often!

I wanted to share the gifts I gave to my Secret Santa, Annie Lee of Love Me Cards. We were to send 3 Christmas cards each week during the month of December and then a box of goodies at the end of December. Well, my poor recipient had to wait a little longer than she probably had expected!! I was behind a little bit on my cards, so I sent two at once and then she really had to wait for my package to arrive...after the New Year! She assured me that it was worth the wait, which was so sweet of her! I just got so swamped with family, Christmas, sickness, etc. I guess that's true life these days!! Annie posted on her blog the first two cards I sent her (forgot to take pics before I mailed them off...oops!) Both of these cards were CASED, but ones that I had pinned and really wanted to re-create because they were such fabulous designs! 

And, now for the package of goodies...

This was my third "Christmas" card I was supposed to send. Since I was so overdue, I decided I would make her last card an everyday occasions card using some new goodies from the Occasions Catalog. This one uses the new Perfect Pennants stamp set, Watercolor Wonder DSP, and Banner Framelits!

 Tucked inside this chevron printed bag are Kit Kat candy bars...Annie's favorite! I simply folded the bag over on the back, tied it with the 1/8" silver trim (still available in the Occasions Catalog) and added a tag from the Tag a Bag accessory kit. I also added a couple of silver glimmer stars for fun! I really wanted the saying to say "you can never have too much chocolate", but I guess happy = chocolate, right?! ;)

This gift I was a little worried would explode during shipping, but I put it in a Ziploc bag just in case. I had created a tag for some Christmas soap last month during the blog hop and thought it would be fun to match a tag with the Sugar Vanilla Wish Bath & Body Soap. I stamped a "new year" sentiment (from Petite Pairs) instead of Christmas since we were already passed. I just love that Champagne Glimmer Paper! It is paired with Coastal Cabana and I used some Crumb Cake ribbon as an accent.

Lastly, I made Annie a gift card holder to hold a Starbucks gift card! I knew she loved Starbucks, so I thought it would round out the gift nicely! The gift card design was something I had seen online somewhere, but I can't seem to find the original post I was inspired by! If I do, I'll come back to link it up. The belly band with the snowflake slides over it when closed. 

I hope to be able to share my cards and Secret Santa gift that I {will} receive very soon!! And, please come back tomorrow for the SSS January Blog Hop! We'll be showcasing some Valentine's Day projects and cards, as well as some of us are going to share some new goodies from the Occasions Catalog! You won't want to miss it!