November 18, 2011

Design Team: Denise O'Connor Week 10


Denise O'Connor's Goodie Treat Box

Happy Monday eCrafters! Today, we have another awesome goodie project from our lovely design team star Denise O'Connor! We must admit, we are getting spoiled by Denise, as she is posting a recipe in every one of her goodie projects! And today, she also prepared a gift for you! Scroll down, to 'redeem' your free SVG image! Denise designed it herself to go along with today's project! Check it out:

Calling all eCrafters!  Today I have 3 BIG goodies for you!  The first is my project for this week using the fabulous Pink by Design Stamps!  We have all been challenged this week to create a 3-D object for you using our eCrafts and our Pink by Design Stamp sets.  I have been using the Beary Merry Christmas set and it is just so adorable!!  I decided to try to vintage up this stamp set with my project this week (and of course this is another food gift item as well).


I made these cute little triangle boxes!  The ornament on the front is cut out of Tim Holtz Seasonal Paper and then I stamped my reindeer right on the patterned paper with some Walnut Stain Distress Ink and heat embossed it.  I then used some watered down Distress Inks to color in the reindeer (with a few Perfect Pearls mixed in for shimmer).  I love how you can see the patterned paper through the transparent color.  The tag is from the Laina Lamb Office Essentials eCraft Design Card.  I just love that SD card, so many things that can add that extra little touch!

I also added some Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls to the ornament toppers.  I used some coordinating ribbons from Papertrey Ink in Pinefeather, Spring Moss, and Scarlet Jewel.  Oh and that sentiment on the tag is also from the Beary Merry Christmas stamp set from Pink by Design Stamps and I heat embossed it in vanilla embossing powder.  Even though it is a small sentiment, it embosses just perfectly!  And I love the font combination too!

Now, for the second goodie for you!  This box was designed by yours truly and made specifically for the eCraft!  I have the SVG for the box and also the ornament overlay available to you FREE!  The box SVG even has the draw lines in it so that the eCraft pen can draw in those score lines for you.  Just make sure when you cut it out, that you cut the paper upside down so that the pen lines are hidden inside the box.  I made it so that there are two pieces that overlap in the middle so you have a reinforced bottom.


Just score the two pieces, adhere them together and then tie it up.  Super simple and quick to do when time is at a minimum during the Christmas season.


Now, I have one last goodie for you!  You may have noticed the treats that were packaged up in these little boxes…well, these are a family tradition that goes back many generations.  In fact, we don’t even know for sure how far back it goes.  My Grandma Elsie would make these and always at Christmas.  My mom started to make them especially because we were not always with Grandma Elsie at Christmas time and the recipe became so requested that now they are made on both sides of my family.  My husband’s family always request these at Christmas, so I usually make at least one Double Batch a season.  I give a few to co-workers and neighbors and I always get asked for this recipe.  I have seen other recipes similar to this out there, but they are never quite the same.  Could be because of all of my childhood memories of these, but I don’t think so!  My Grandma Elsie passed away in 1990 and I miss her greatly and whenever I make these, I think of her.  So in honor of her, I am naming this recipe after her, and I hope you enjoy them as much as me and my family do.

Grandma Elsie’s Buckeye Balls

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter (softened)
16 oz. Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
6 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 TB solid vegetable shortening

Line a baking sheet with wax paper.  In a bowl, mix peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla with hands to form a smooth dough.  Mixture will be very stiff.  Shape dough into 2 tsp. for each ball.  Place on wax paper and refrigerate overnight.  When cool, melt chocolate and shortening together in a small bowl or a glass measuring cup.  Insert wooden toothpick into ball and dip in chocolate to cover half the ball.  Refrigerate on wax paper for 30 min or longer until chocolate is firm.  Store in plastic containers with wax paper between the layers.  Can freeze.

These are truly wonderful!  It just so happens that I am snacking on one as I type. :) Have a great week everybody and I want to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving!


Denise O'Connor

Awesome inspiration, great recipe, and free SVG?! Yep, it feels like Christmas!!!  Thank you, Denise!  Do you have a go-to recipe for goodies? share with it with us!


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