Friendship Jar Holiday Fillers

After much anticipation I am happy to announce that Papertrey will be releasing a Friendship Jar Holiday Fillers stamp set on the 15th of this month.  Woohoo, friends!  Today I'd like to share a fun holiday project with you using the sugar cookie stars and the original jar image from Friendship Jar.

I have lots of photos to share today so let's get started.  First, I die cut jar images using the coordinating Jar & Lid die.  I then stamped the jar outline image and the star sugar cookies.  Using my handy dandy Copic markers, I colored the jar image with the BG colors and the cookie outline with the E00 color.  I also die cut the label image and stamped the dotty border from Friendship Jar Fall Fillers.  The wonderful Distressed Dots patterned paper will also be released on the 15th of this month.  I great basic to add to your paper stash.

Next, I colored the cookie frosting with the Copic markers shown below, choosing a light and dark version that closely matched my patterned paper.  Tip:  I color the lightest color first, then outline with the darker color...then blend with the lighter color again.  Presto.

Next, I add some blingity bling to my sugar cookies to make them look a little dimensional.  I used a white gel pen to color in some of the sprinkles and then some glittery Stickles for some puffy areas.

To finish up my jar tags, I tied them with Red Baker's Twine and a coordinating color of Vintage Buttons.  The jars were then attached to Tag Sale #2 dies, cut with PTI's Shimmer Cardstock.  I used Pink, White and Gold for my tags.  Soooo pretty.  And shimmery..imagine that!

Next up, I thought it would be fun to share the most delicious sugar cookie recipe in the world this holiday season.  So I printed off the recipes onto White Cardstock (font is Little Days) and adhered them to coordinating shimmery die cut Library Card Tags.

The frosting recipe was adhered to the back of the big tag.  I used the same light marker to highlight the recipe titles.  I love doing that.  It reminds me of all those days of studying and highlighting definitions....but no studying is involved. Only fun markers and yummy recipes.

And here are three completed tags made up in green, pink and yellow.  So fun and cheery for the holiday season.

Along the bottom of my recipe card, I stitched coordinating buttons to XL cut Rick Rack Border felt in white.  I love the candy cane stripe of the Red Baker's Twine.  I tied the two tags together using coordinating colored PTI ribbon.  These can be tied to a cookie plate during a fun holiday cookie exchange.  Afterwards, the recipe can be separated and kept in a recipe box or book, the size is just right.

Now let's party.  Doesn't the idea of holiday cookie exchange sound like so much fun?  Everyone brings cookies and you go home with all kinds of goodies.  Something like that, right?  The cookies that I would bring are called Sour Cream Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting.  Heavenly.  Sinful.  All in one.  I found the recipe on Sherelle Christensen's blog and have been giddy ever since.  I searched far and wide for cookies that resembled the Loft House cookies from my grocery store.  These are it, baybee.  Come to mama.  They bake up so nice and are a little crunchy....but the magic happens after you frost the cookies and let them sit a while.  Back to that heavenly and sinful thing.  Seriously, as Josey would say.

So after you've eaten like 2 or 3 or 10 cookies, you save some for the actual cookie trays.  For my cookie exchange party I would totally use these adorable aluminum serving baskets and trays that I've been collecting.  So cute!

Don't worry about using traditional holiday colors.  If you want to use pink, use pink.  I used some vintage fabric and a pretty place mat for my table setting so it would match my pink cookies.  I think one of those pipe cleaner trees would be adorable with this setting too.  And vintage pink tree ornaments scattered around.

For my guests, I would have lots of the recipe card tags clipped to my favorite cookie jar that is filled with candy canes.

Guests could fill their little trays with cookies and taste as they go along.  Little sprinkles in silver dishes would make great decorations.

And as the evening wound down, each guest would fill their little tray...and take a recipe tag of their liking.  I think some take out boxes of some sort would be a great way to package up the chosen cookies.

Sooo fun to dream up this little cookie exchange party.  I might just have to plan a real one this holiday season, how 'bout you?  :)  Hope you enjoy.....and if you're like me, this post will totally get you into the holiday spirit.  Be sure to check Nichole's blog for even more countdown fun!!