Valentine Treat Boxes...

Oh my gosh! I've been having a blast these past few days making up some super cute Valentine gifties for the girls, some of their friends, and their teachers. I've been chomping at the bit to share them, but wanted to get all of them done first. The kids are celebrating Valentine's Day tomorrow instead of on Monday. There is some big-wig coordinator for the academic program they've started this year coming in on Monday to see how the school is implementing the new program. So, the fun has happen earlier.

A little back story before I show you what I made. If you have read my blog for a while, you know how much I've enjoyed using my Cricut lately and that I've been pining for an Expression (the 12 inch wide version, versus the Baby Bug I have). Well, last month, I came across a really good sale on a program for the Cricut called Cricut Design Studio. You install the program onto your computer and you then hook up the Cricut to the computer via a USB cord. When running the program, you can do all sorts of designing of the images that come on the cartridges. You can resize the images, weld them together and as long as you own the cartridge, you can cut out what you create. This program has been out for years, but I never paid much attention to it, not realizing just what you can do with it. I've been playing with it for a few weeks and it's been fun. Then at CHA, Provocraft announced that they are going to be releasing an online version of the Design Studio, that will be free to use. At first I was a bit miffed that I just bought the program, but after thinking about it, it may be nice to NOT have to be online to design or use the software, so it's all good.

Then, I started thinking about a program I've heard about called Sure Cuts A Lot. It's a third party software that you can use to design images NOT on Cricut cartridges, but you can still cut them out on your Cricut. (not endorsed by Provocraft at all, and it will void the warranty if your machine is less than a year old-mine is 4-5 years old, so I'm good). I was chatting with my friend Erin and she recommended a similar program called Make The Cut. They are similar in concept, but she told me with SCAL you have to pay for upgrades and with MTC, upgrades are free for life. Plus the owner is constantly improving the program based on customer feedback. Based on Erin's recommendation, I bought MTC. I haven't figured out all the ins and outs of what all it can do, but I have been playing with it. Then I came across a blog called Under A Cherry Tree. Oh goodness, this gal does adorable things with svg files (a type of file used in the program) from Lettering Delights.

These two programs have helped me feel better about not having the Expression and the cost for both is considerably less than the bigger machine. I have all the functionality I want. Yes, it would be lovely to be able to create larger projects, but I'm quite content now. *Ü*

All that to share how I came about creating these super cut treat boxes for Valentine's Day. I used Animal Boxes and Bags from Lettering Delights and was completely inspired by this post. If you have some time, you should check out other posts by this gal. She is super creative!

Aren't they cute?? I realize I didn't take any side shots, but these are little boxes that have a flap that folds over the front. The faces are attached to the flap. Inside the boxes are 5 chocolate heart candies. I tried to choose critters that fit the personality of the recipient, or was something the recipient liked. The lion (I made two) is for one of the teachers. Our school mascot is a lion. The bunny is for Jessica and the owl is for Amy. They are tucked away in a cupboard so the girls don't have a clue that I've done this. I can't wait to surprise them tomorrow. I'll be handing them out after school.

In other news, Jessica's grade level is having a Cinderella Ball tomorrow. The kids have been practicing a dance and the parents are invited to come and watch. Afterward, they will be having Royal Sundaes (in lieu of a Valentine's Party). I can't wait. Jessica is really excited about the program.

Okay, that's it from my neck of the woods. It's supposed to warm up very nicely this weekend and I hope to enjoy as much of the nice weather as I can. Hope you're having a good day wherever you are.

Thanks so much for stopping by!