A number of years ago, Doodlebug made me a Halloween crafting convert! I wasn't much for the spooky and scary, but colourful and cute?! Now we are talking! So each year, when I get ready for Halloween , I grab my Doodlebug goodies and I smile. It has actually become one of my favourite times of the year to craft!
And this year, with the introduction of Ghost Town, I have been crafting up a storm. The candy theme in this collection is, well, sweet! So I couldn't resist whipping up some candy-themed treat containers to help bring a bit of fun back into what will be a bit of a different celebration is my house this year!
Topped off with some adorable stamps from the adorable coordinating Ghost Town stamp set , these little containers pack some serious cuteness!
And backed by some fun embellishments from the Chit Chat die cuts and one fabulous glitter brad to keep it all in place, the containers are layers of Doodlebug fun!
And guess what, there are so easy to make! No special tools required! Really. Don't believe me, let's take a look:
Start with squares cut to 6x6". I used the 12x12 paper for this, but you can use papers from the 6x6" stack too (I just liked the size of the prints on the 12x12 for this particular project).
Now let me warn you - those of you that are very particular in your crafting, just take my measurements and off you go with your scoring boards. My lack of precise measuring and folding may be totally "scary" to you! But I wanted to show you that you really don't need any fancy tools - just something to push down those folds - so that this could be a project accessible to all - even kids! And not only that, it is so fast, you won't believe how quickly these come together. So with that warning in mind, let's keep going:
Fold your paper "almost" in half, leaving about 1/4" exposed at the top.
Now simply fold that 1/4" extra edge in. Use your nail or a bone folder if you have one to really push down that fold. Add so glue to the little 1/4" flap you have created.
Glue the other side down onto the tab and you have made a little tube (sort of).
Now take the "tube" and fold it in half again. Now, Doodlebug paper is really wonderfully thick so you won't get a tight fold here. That's okay. Just push it down again and you are good to go!
Now for you precise crafters, if you are still with me, this next step will drive you crazy. But it works. I promise. And remember, if you have a scoring board, you already know how to modify this project to use it, so go ahead and do that. But for everyone else, we are just going to fold up each end of the "tube" about 1" or so. Try to keep it close to 1" but it doesn't have to be exact. Again, the paper will be really thick but it will be okay. And it doesn't matter if the top edge stays lined up. None of mine did and the project still turned out great!
With a really good pair of scissors, go in about 1/2" on the folded edge and cut outward to the end of the tube. If you are working with kids, you might need to do this step because of the thickness of the paper. Repeat on the other side so you have a trapezoid. 
Open up the fold. Starting on the outside edges of the top of the tube, cut inwards to about the middle from both sides.
Repeat on the other end of the tube. You will end up with a shape like you see above. Now here is where the magic happens:
Open up all of the folds so that you have a bit of a rectangular prism. Grab some Doodle Twine and cut two pieces about 4" or so each.
At the narrowest parts of both ends of the tube, tie your twine. Now stay with me. I totally doubted this would work. But then I pulled GENTLY and....
....VOILA! It pops right together and looks just like a little candy container! 
Tie up the other side with the second piece of twine and you end up with the cutest (and easiest) treat container ever!
Now just a heads up, to keep the integrity of the box, you will end up with a gap at each end of the container. If you are putting mini chocolate bars in there, this gap will not be a problem. But I wanted to fill mine with small chocolate candies. So I simply wrapped the candies in some tissue paper first, twisting the ends, and then sealed everything up. Problem solved! And I actually loved the extra texture and look of the tissue paper sticking out of each end of the container in the finished project! 
Now go ahead and make them in all the patterned papers you love. Because you will want to! Trust me! Top them off with some stamps and/or the cute coordinating die cuts in the Odds and Ends and Chit Chat packs and you are all set!
Oh, and how cute would these look as a centerpieces stacked up on a cake plate (which I thought of after I took these pictures, of course)! you may have hard time giving them away! So no matter what your Halloween is looking like this year, these will have you smiling! I hope you have fun making them.
Ink
