This time of year finds me reaching for my recipes and stocking up on flour, sugar, molasses, butter…  I feel a connection with my mom and grandmother as I spend entire days baking shortbread, fruitcake, cookies and candy to share with friends and family.

 

Now that I’m a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator I have lots of great tools and materials for creating containers to share all these yummy goodies.  Two of my recent favorite Stampin’ Up items are the Gift Box Punch Board and the Under the Tree Designer Series Paper.  I couldn’t wait to make this cute box that Angie Juda featured on her Chic n Scratch blog. Watching her make the box on her video is a great way to learn how to use the punch board and see its potential beyond just the one style of box.

 

I knew that I needed a sturdy little box to hold my shortbread, so the Under the Tree paper is perfect, as it is thicker than regular paper or cardstock. The fact that it is printed on both sides also makes it ideal for this open box.   The designs on all the sheets contrast really well.  I will definitely make more boxes with the other sheets in the package, but I loved the Mingle all the Way look so much that I shamelessly copied it.

 


If you have never tried baking shortbread, give it a try this season. It’s simple to make with few ingredients, and once you taste homemade shortbread, you won’t settle for the store bought variety any more!

 

 

Here’s a classic shortbread recipe:

1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup unsifted flour

 

Cream butter until light, add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until light. Work in flour until smooth. Spray shortbread pan with nonstick oil spray and press the dough firmly into the pan. Prick the surface with a fork and bake in a 325 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool in pan 10 minutes before loosening the edges with a knife and flipping the pan over onto a wooden cutting board. Cut shortbread into serving pieces while still warm.

 

Caution: if you taste it before packaging it to give, you will probably need to make more than one batch. Just the smell of it baking brings my guys into the kitchen for a piece.

 

Stampin’ Up Supplies:

Gift Box Punch Board

Under the Tree Specialty Paper

Mingle All the Way Stamp Set

Cherry Cobbler Ink

Circle Framelits

Sticky Strip tape