I made this cool holder at my upline's house recently during an incentive day called Diva Day. It was perfect to hold the gift I had already planned to make for my mail carrier to thank her for all her hard work. So, I just added some finishing touches and the completed mug filled with candy and a Panera gift card and voila! These holders are very easy to make and will hold a decorated mug, a travel mug, packets of hot cocoa mix, or large candy bars. Enjoy!

Supplies
- Winter Post, page 31, $26.95
- Christmas Greetings, page 41, $10.95
- Lucky Limeade 8-1/2" x 11" Card Stock, page 176, $6.95
- Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2" x 11" Card Stock, page 179, $6.95
- Early Espresso 8-1/2" x 11" Card Stock, page 180, $6.95
- Soft Suede 8-1/2" x 11" Card Stock, page 180, $6.95
- Whisper White 8-1/2" x 11" Card Stock, page 180, $8.50
- Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad, page 180, $5.95
- Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad, page 180, $7.50
- Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin' Kit, page 26 of Holiday Mini, $21.95
- Victoria 5/8" Crochet Trim, page 194, $6.95
- Cherry Cobbler 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon, page 195, $6.95
- Circle Fire Rhinestone Brads, page 198, $10.95
- White Stampin' Emboss Powder, page 201, $4.75
- Powder Pals, page 201, $19.95
- Heat Tool, page 201, $29.95
- SNAIL Adhesive, page 206, $6.95
- Stampin' Dimensionals, page 206, $3.95
- Sticky Strip, page 206, $6.95
- Bone Folder, page 207, $6.95
- Paper-Piercing Tool, page 207, $3.50
- Mat Pack, page 207, $9.95
- Crop-A-Dile, page 207, $29.95
- Paper Snips, page 208, $9.95
- Craft Scissors, page 208, $29.95
- Paper Cutter, page 208, $24.95
- Replacement Cutting & Scoring Blades, page 208, $5.95
- 1-3/4" Circle Punch, page 212, $16.95
- Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine (includes Multipurpose Platform and Standard Cutting Pads), page 215, $99.95
- Standard Premium Crease Pad, page 215, $8.95
- Circles #2 Originals Die, page 220, $15.95
- Perfect Pennants Bigz L Die, page 221, $32.95
- Scallop Envelope Bigz Die, page 223, $21.95
- Decor Elements Applicator, page 227, $1.95
- Jingle All the Way Small Real Red Decor Element, page 229, $3.50
- pencil, pen, or marker
- solid light colored mug or glass mug
- treats
Directions
1) Cut four pieces of Soft Suede Card Stock to 5 x 5 1/2" each.
2) Build a a sandwich of one Standard Cutting Pad, Scallop Envelope Die with one piece of card stock on top, and Standard Premium Crease Pad. Run through the Big Shot.
3) Repeat step 2 with the other three pieces of card stock one at a time.
4) Fold the envelope cut outs along all score lines using the Bone Folder for nice crisp folds.
5) Place a piece of Sticky Strip along one of the small side flaps on one of the envelopes.
6) Adhere the small side flap of another envelope to the first.
7) Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all four envelopes are adhered together in a long line.
8) Place a piece of Sticky Strip along the last small side flap and adhere it to the first envelope's open small side flap making a square.
9) Fold the bottom flaps in and adhere them together using Sticky Strip to make the bottom of the box.
10) To make the bottom a little stronger and cover the seams and small opening, cut a piece of Lucky Limeade Card Stock to 3" square and adhere it in place in the bottom of the box.
11) Cut four rectangles of one of the patterns of designer paper included in the Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin' Kit to 2 x 3".
12) Adhere the rectangles of designer paper to the sides of the box.
13) Cut two pieces of Lucky Limeade Card Stock to 3 x 11".
14) Lay the long pieces of Lucky Limeade Card Stock on top of each other and use the Crop-A-Dile to punch two holes about 2 inches apart in a line and about 2 3/4" inches down from the top.
15) Adhere the pieces of Lucky Limeade Card Stock to the inside of the box using Sticky Strip. Make sure the two pieces are opposite each other. When you adhere these pieces to the inside of the box, use them to push the side flaps flat against the inside of the box walls and hide them.
16) Fold the two scalloped front flaps on the open sides of the box down and adhere in place using Sticky Strip.
17) Fold the other two scalloped front flaps up and adhere to the long Lucky Limeade strips using Sticky Strip.
18) Thread ribbon and crochet trim through the holes in the tops of the Lucky Limeade panels and tie a bow. Trim ends of ribbon.
19) Curl the tops of the Lucky Limeade panels away from each other by wrapping the card stock around a pencil, pen, or marker.
20) Cut a piece of Lucky Limeade Card Stock to 3" square.
21) Build a a sandwich of one Standard Cutting Pad, Perfect Pennants Die with Lucky Limeade square on top of the smaller scalloped circle, and the other Standard Cutting Pad. Run through the Big Shot.
22) Cut a square of Whisper White Card Stock to 2 1/2" square.
23) Build a a sandwich of one Standard Cutting Pad, Circles #2 Die with white card stock square on top of the second smallest circle, and the other Standard Cutting Pad. Run through the Big Shot.
24) Stamp the snowflake image from the Winter Post Set in Whisper White Craft Ink onto a scrap of Early Espresso Card Stock.
25) Sprinkle on White Embossing Powder and tap off excess.
26) Heat the image with the Heat Tool until the powder is completely melted and shiny.
27) Punch the snowflake image out using the 1-3/4" Circle Punch.
28) Adhere the snowflake punch out to the white circle and then to the Lucky Limeade scallop circle.
29) Poke a hole in the center of the snowflake image using the Paper-Piercing Tool and Mat Pack.
30) Insert a medium red Circle Fire Rhinestone Brad and secure on the back side by bending the prongs flat.
31) Adhere the snowflake image to the front of the box using Stampin' Dimensionals.
32) Stamp the sentiment from the Christmas Greetings Set in Early Espresso Ink onto a scrap of Cherry Cobbler Card Stock.
33) Use the Paper Snips to trim the sentiment out and cut a notch in the end making a banner shape.
34) Use your fingers to put a wave into the banner sentiment.
35) Adhere the sentiment to the front of the box so the end is tucked under the snowflake medallion.
36) Follow the directions on the Decor Elements package to apply the Jingle All the Way Decor Element to the front of the mug using the Decor Elements Applicator.
37) Fill the mug with treats and place inside the box.
Tips
You may get better results cutting card stock with some Dies if you also use a shim of lightweight cardboard or card stock. Each Big Shot and Die are slightly different, so experiment to see if you need a shim or not.
Using the Standard Premium Crease Pad with the Scallop Envelope Die will give you better defined, easier to fold crease lines.
Using the Bone Folder to fold along crease lines will give you sharper folds as well.
I like to keep some scissors just for cutting Sticky Strip. That way I don't get my good scissors all gummed up and dull.
To make it easier to remove the tiny cut out pieces from detailed dies like the Perfect Pennants Die, try putting strips of clear packing tape across the surface of the die where the tiny cut outs are made. Leave the packing tape in place. The cut out pieces should slide ride off the slick surface of the tape keeping your die cleaner so it will cut better. It also makes it easier to pop these little pieces out of the card stock if they stay in place.
You don't have to use the Powder Pals when heat embossing, but I highly recommend them. They make it easy to contain powders, glitter, beads, etc. and return excess to the containers.
You could choose to decorate the front of your box using the self-adhesive die-cut designs included in the Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin' Kit if you prefer.
Please remember that the Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin' Kit and other products featured in the Holiday Mini are only guaranteed to be available through January 3, 2012. After that, they may never be offered again! So, if there are items in the Holiday Mini that you want, be sure to contact me soon to place an order or place an order online.
Here's a look at the mug inside the carrier:

Here's a closer look at the mug itself:

