I so enjoy making DIY party favors. What I don't enjoy is fighting with my printer to format the labels, which I have done too many time just minutes before my guests are about to arrive. It makes for some last-minute stress, which I am always looking for ways to eliminate. So I was excited to try Avery's new line of customizable labels with templates to see if they made the task any easier. They come in various shapes and sizes, and I received a sample package including the printable bag toppers with bags, oval labels and arched labels. The timing for the sample pack was perfect since I had a fiesta theme dinner party planned and needed some favors for the occasion. I used the printable bag toppers with bags as packaging for homemade spiced pepitas (I made a double batch for 6 favors). I found an image of a Mexican blanket pattern by searching google images, and was able to easily save it to my computer and then upload to Avery's template for the labels and used it as a background. My friends thought they were store-bought (good thing I printed The Hip Hostess blog address on the back to prove I actually made them!). The labels were fairly easy to print. I did have some adjusting to do, which Avery's site allows for (you print a sample page on regular paper - I used greyscale to save on ink for the test pages - and hold it up in front of the labels to make sure they will be centered). After 3 test pages and a few adjustments I was able to get the alignment just right. The labels had a pre-applied adhesive that made assembly quick (they're sticky enough to stay put but were easy enough to remove a few times while I tried to center the bags on the adhesive). These bags would be perfect for a small business owner looking to sell a food product like cookies, or a small handmade item like soap. The Avery templates online allow you to add a barcode, have several clip-art, pictures and patterns to choose from and the labels even have perforated holes that can be removed to accommodate display hooks (not ideal for party favors though). The printable bag toppers with bags are $20/ package (40 bags and 40 toppers per package).

The next labels I tried were the oval labels, which I have to say are my favorite and are going to be my new go-to labels for party favors. They're the perfect shape - easy to put on any size package or container, and the glossy texture makes the labels look professionally printed (I was worried that the glossy finish would make the ink smudge, as I had happen with other labels in the past, but there was no smudging with these). The package includes 180 labels, meaning I can buy one pack and have them last for many events - especially given the versatile oval shape. I used these labels to make tags for honey favors for Rosh Hashanah. I bought a large jar of local honey from the Finger Lakes and poured it into "upcycled" glass yogurt jars (baby food jars would also work well). I made the labels using one of Avery's template designs and am really happy with how they turned out. Again, they were simple to print (even more so than the printable bag toppers), and only took 1 test page before the alignment was perfectly centered. The oval labels are $20/ package (180 labels).

The last package of labels - the arched labels - will be great for printing custom wine labels or adding a sophisticated label shape to a larger favor jar or package. They're matte with a really nice textured (linen-like) feel, and are water-resistant. I plan to use them to make homemade bloody mary mixes for holiday gifts. I haven't printed anything on them yet, but I assume the template usage will be similar to the others.

WIN IT!!!

Avery has generously offered to give a set of these three labels (3 packages total to one lucky Stylish Spoon reader - a $60 value! Simply leave a comment and you’ve entered. EXTRA ENTRIES: Please leave a comment for every extra entry you complete 1. Blog about this Giveaway (4 entries) 2. Subscribe to The Hip Hostess blog (use text box on bottom right panel - 2 entries) 3. Follow us on Twitter (@hiphostessilana) (2 entries) 4. Like The Hip Hostess Blog on Facebook (2 entries) 5. Link this Giveaway in Facebook (2 entries) Contest ends September 14, 2012 at Midnight PST. Winner will be chosen by Random.org and emailed. USA only please Featured on Sweeps Advantage

Special thanks to Avery for providing samples for review purposes.