My mom and I used to make these every year, and they were
always a hit with my classmates. They
would be great for co-workers, too. This
is an
You’ll need:
Fine tulle – Choose a shade – red, pink or white are all
beautiful and traditional, but you could be a rebel and make aqua, black, or
even lime green pouches! We have a
rainbow of choices! Netting is 72” wide,
and you’ll want about 1/3 of a yard for every 6 pouches you are making.
Pretty Ribbon – You could use any ribbon – classic satin,
sturdy grosgrain, delicate sheers or extravagant embroidered. Each pouch will
need 1/3 yard, so for every 6 you will want 2 yards.
Sweet Treats: Fill
your pouches with jelly beans, Hershey’s Kisses, conversation hearts, or the candy of
your choice. Or try my recipe for
delicious sugar cookies, cut out with a heart-shaped cookie cutter.
Some sort of gift tags – Now this is the best part. You can do this super easy, buying little premade cards, punching a hole in the corner and tying them
on. OR, with a little more work, you can
make creative, unique tags:
Take two pretty pieces of red or
heart-themed fabrics, place them back to back with a layer of fusible web
between them – iron them, so the bond is permanent, then cut out hearts with
small holes in one corner for the ribbon to pass through. Sew on sweet buttons, bows, or try hot-fix
rhinestones for a blinged love note!
Take heart-shaped chipboard tags
and embellish them – you could use fun stickers, glued-on buttons or sequins, or
doodle in glue and cover in sparkly glitters.
We have so many embellishments to try, we
invite you to have fun experimenting!
Purchase a Heart-Shaped Punch, for
perfect hearts every time with no crease marks down the middle, and punch
hearts from magazines, scrapbooking paper, or plain
construction paper or cardstock.
Instructions:
- Cut
your tulle into 12” squares, and your ribbon into 12” lengths.
- Place
your sweet goodies in the center of the square.
- Bring
the corners together and give the fabric a twist, so all your goodies are
secured in a little pouch.
- Tie
your ribbon around the tulle in a simple knot.
- Put
your gift tag onto the ribbon, and tie ribbon into a bow.
Pretty!
Don’t miss this sugar cookie recipe – you can replace the
almond extract with vanilla, or even lemon, if you prefer. You can also skip the sprinkling sugar and
frost them, instead, if you would prefer.
Most recipes call for unsalted butter, but I love salt-sweet contrast,
so I always use salted butter.
Anna-Beth’s Favorite Sugar Cookies (Valentines Day Edition)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups salted butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Sugar for sprinkling on top (I recommend getting larger crystal
red sugar for your valentines! It’s often available in grocery stores in the
cake decorating section.)
In a large
bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least
one hour.
Preheat oven to
400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2
inch thick. Sprinkle your finishing sugar on in a thin, even layer, then roll gently in – not with enough force to roll your
dough out flatter, just enough to make the sugar stick in the dough. Cut into
shapes with heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8
minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.
Dip in milk for
a wonderful, traditional treat.
Designed and
Written by Anna-Beth Meyer-Graham Exclusively for Pacific Fabrics and Crafts
2009.
