Wise Owl Halloween Treats

Whooooooo knew October would fly by so fast! Halloween will be here before you know it. Do you have some spooktacular treats planned for teachers, friends and family? Today, I have some fun treat bags to show you that you can whip up in no time. Gather up your supplies and let's get started!

Today, I have a helper...my good friend Carmen came over to play in my stamping room. She is kind enough to let me use her as a hand model. Her hands are much prettier than mine anyway!

I knew that I wanted to use the PTI's Wise Owl stamp set for a Halloween project. While gathering up supplies, I found that a patterned paper from the First Fruits collection was a perfect selection! The layered design pattern reminds me of feathers on the owl's belly. And the colors were perfect for Halloween too.
Start out the project by stamping the Wise Owl body and wings onto Papertrey's Kraft cardstock, using Palette Black Noir ink. Using Copic Sketch markers, shade in the outline out of the body using some light tan shades. Using a Copic Blender Pen, blend in the ink colors...they'll fade into the Kraft color easily. (Look at Carmen's pretty nails. )

Whoooo's that looking at us? Before we get to the eyes, let's stamp on the owl's belly. I used belly that resembled the feather pattern in the First Fruits patterned paper. This belly image is from the Wise Owl Bellies stamp set, an additional set that coordinates with Wise Owl. Perfect combination. Stamp on the owl's beaks too.
Now for the eyes. Stamp some big, googly eyes onto PTI's Stamper's Select White Cardstock. I punched them out with two sizes of circle punches.
Cut out the owls with a pair of fine tip scissors and add the eyes. I adhered one eye directly to the owl image and popped another eye up on a foam pop dot. This enhances the *googliness* of the owl's eyes.....you've heard the saying, *keep one eye open*, right. Aren't the owls so cute all piled up? (How could you resist these Pine? She loves owls.)
Next, it's time to stamp the sentiments. Cut Kraft cardstock and stamp on a *Happy Halloween* sentiment from Spooky Sweets and the *have a hoot of a day* stamp from the Wise Owl set. Add three little dots with a black marker to the front of the *have a hoot sentiment*. Ink the edges with white ink. (Pretty ring, Carmen.)

Next, cut squares of Kraft cardstock and adhere the patterned paper. Finished size is 3.25" square. Adhere the owls and a the sentiment rectangle.
Bake up your favorite treats. I made Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies, using the recipe straight off the package. I usually add about 1/4 cup more flour so they puff up a bit more. Bake them in a big cookie pan and cut into bars. No time for individual cookies, the big square bars will do! I added Halloween colored M & M's to the top of the batter before baking. Don't mix them in because you won't see them all. Sprinkle them on top so they stay bright and colorful.
Slip the fresh baked but cooled cookies into a Large Glassine Bag. I LOVE these bags, they come in so handy! Fold over the top, punch a hole and add a Dark Chocolate Saddle Stitch Ribbon. Adhere the finished owl piece to the front of the sack with a couple foam pop dots.
If you really want to make your owls look cool, add some Ranger Glossy Accents to the eyes. It will make them look like real googly eyes. Allow plenty of time for them to dry though.
Package up all your goodies in a basket and you'll be all set for Halloween! I love to drop by the girls' school on Halloween day and deliver my treats. The teachers love it when they see me comin'! I always save out two treats for my mom and dad too. They get a real kick out of getting a special treat, all packaged up just for them. Poor Eric, he just gets the outside cookie crust. He feels so deprived on treat days!

Well, I hope you've enjoyed my treats today! Thank you to Carmen for being my helper! Have a spooktacular day!