Little Boxes

Heree is my entry for the Ranger Gift Wrap Ideas Contest

I have used Tim's Snowflake Blueprint stamp, clear embossing powder, Perfect medium, faded jeans and Iced spruce distress inks to decorate my boxes, tags and the bag which was what all of the enclosed gifts originally came in plus Ranger glossy accents to stick the boxes together.

I Stamped the image onto white card (and the bag) with perfect medium then embossed with clear powder to create a resist before distressing with the two colours, I found the combination of both perfectly matched my twine which has been used in all of my gift wrapping this year.  I spritzed and flicked water over the box lids and tags to give an effect of more snowflakes in the background.  I stamped out a few extra snowflakes and cut them out before sticking over the stamped flakes on the tags to create extra dimension.  I have added futher details on making the boxes below.

To make a box

Over the years I've heard lots of people say they find making boxes difficult. 
Manufacturers come out with all sorts of clever boards to make life easier yet I've never used anything but my fiskars paper trimmer and a ball embossing tool.  The paper trimmer does come with scoring blades but I find those too harsh and prefer the ball tool.  There are other trimmers will do the same job providing it has a built in ruler and works by sliding a cutting blade down a groove.  Apart from the trimmer and ball tool you will need good quality cardstock and some quick grab glue, I used glossy accents.

the M word

Like many I shy away from using the M word, amazing isn't it, we are crafters but so many of us hate maths!  Unfortunately we do have to do a little measuring here but you would have to do that whatever method you use to make a box so here goes.

Measure the object you wish to pack.  My first gift was round and was about 3" wide, and 4" tall.  Add about 1/2" to the width and length measurement or you won't be able to get your gift into the box.  Then multiply the height by 2 and add the width.

 So the maths is 3.5 +(4x2) = 11.5  Or two times height  plus width including wiggle room.  (you count the height twice because you are measuring down one side, across the bottom and back up the other side of the box.)  That gives you the first dimension.  If you want a rectangular box you will need to measure the length as well as width, Height will be the same as before remember its actual length of object plus 1/2" + (height x2).

My box was square so I now know I need a piece of cardstock 11 1/2" square for the base.  For the lid I simply add 1/8th inch all round so my finished lid piece needs to measure 11 5/8". 

I cut two pieces of cardstock the size of my lid piece and then trim 1/8th inch from two adjacent sides so both pieces are still square but one is a teensy bit smaller, the smaller piece is my base and I put that to one side whilst working on the lid.

 

The height of my object was 4" so I scored 4" in from the edge on all 4 sides (ending up with a 3 1/2" square in the middle)  I then marked diagonally from the outer corners to the corner of the middle square and cut out a triangle as shown.  I snipped off the points of the attached triangles (this makes a neater finish when glueing together).  Using a bone folder I then folded along each of the score lines.  At this point I decorated the box as detailed above, folding under each triangular flap so as not to get it inky but also to define the corner folds better.  Once decorated I folded the box into shape glueing each triangular flap to the inside of the adjacent side ensuring the corners remained straight.  Finally score cut and fold the base in exactly the same way, (4" from edge all round). 

 

Making the box this way you don't have to worry about a different set of scoring  measurements or using a different side of a scoring board, you have already deducted the size difference between base and top when you cut the pieces out.

 

I hope you will give this method a try, sorry I haven't put up more pictures and please let me know if it works for you.

12 tags Christmas

It doesn't seem a year since we were dribbling over Tim Holtz Christmas tags yet its Christmas tagtime over at Tim's blog.  I'd like to enter this my take on one of his tags into the 12 tags of 2012 December competition.

I have utilised a previous idea borrowed from Hels Sheridan See earlier blog post for link to instructions) but needed to adapt the size of this gift-velope to incorporate the tag.  I did cut down the tags used to enable me to get two out of one sheet of 12" x 12" co oredinations cardstock.  I used papers from the holidays past ideaology paper stash and inked them all with iced spruce. 

To fasten I have fixed string under the front tag and wrapped it around the back of the card to tie around the glittered brad.

I used distress inks to watercolour the snowman which was stamped with Tim's Christmas blue print stamps and cut out and decoupaged onto the front tag. 

The snowflakes were cut from foiled card with the spellbinders 2012 set and coloured with aqua alcohol ink.

Spellbinders altered metal 'Christmas 'bauble'

I wanted my Christmas tree to look more modern this year, that isn't to say I don't want traditional too but I need to change the colours I usually choose.  I don't have enough decorations in my chosen theme of blues, copper and cream so am attempting to make some.  I initially attempted to make this decoration from craft metal which has a copper colour to one side but it was very difficult to get the three sides to stick so for this, version 2 I stuck metal tape to quite thick kraft card and die cut three pieces using a spellbinders die.  I then coloured the metal with alcohol inks and copper adirondack paint dabber.  Added a piece of wire (stolen from a wine bottle) and here is the first of hopefully many.

One of the hardest parts has been photographing such a three dimentional object in a not very light house but here goes.

A blue and Silver Trio

Its that time of year when we need to make lots of cards so anything that makes it more enjoyable and easier is welcome.  The splodgeaway mat certainly made brayering a lot easier.  I began this set of cards with the Splodgeaway monthly challenge in mind and would like to enter with the snowflake card below centre.  I'd also like to enter this into the WOW embossing powder November challenge .

 

For the snowflake card I stamped background snowflakes (Sheena Douglas) with versamark watermark ink onto smoothe cardstock and then brayered over with Stonewash archival ink.  I can honestly say I had never used the brayer with the splodgeaway mat before yesterday and it made brayering so much easier.  I wasn't sure how others use it but I inked the brayer first then worked the ink onto the mat before applying it to the paper.  Because I wanted a deep blue for the snowflakes to shine through I did lightly reink the brayer once.  After brayering I spritzed some water into my hand and flicked it over the card, left it for a few seconds before blotting with kitchen towel to give another layer of snowflakes.  I stamped the snowflakes and sentiment with metallic silver WOW embossing powder and after layering onto the card added the layered snowflake topper (Kanban).

 

 

To make the other two cards I used Splodgeaways Christmas Wonderland StenScape mask. For the left hand card I sponged through the sleigh on the mask with faded jeans distress ink then heat embossed with Wow white pearl embossing powder which is translucent allowing the colour beneath to shine through, heating from below gives a smoother finish.  The sentiment was stamped using another Sheena Douglas stamp and embossed with WOW metallic silver.  The card on the right was done by layering parts of the stenscape mask starting with the image at the front (sleigh) inked and heat embossed as before but inked and embossed twice to give better depth. Then I inked and embossed the silver on the tree brushing off any silver that overlapped the reindeer so the tree appears behind them.  Next I inked the main body of the tree using iced spruce distress.  The row of buildings in the background was the next layer inked through the mask with a faded jeans first blotting the sponge to make it paler.  I added the windows by layering on the mask, blotting through with just water to remove the blue then inking with a yellow.  Finally I made a mask for the moon (the wow powder pot was an ideal size)  and brayered over the whole card using the edges of the stenscape mask to add some hilly bits to the ground. 

 

I think it took me longer to blog the instructions for the third card than it did to make it so please don't be afraid to try it.

 

I'd also like to enter this trio into the WOW embossing powder November challenge if three projects together is permitted :)

My take on Hels Sheridan's Gift-Velope

I am so pleased I found the instructions for this little gift over at http://snazzysdesignteamblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-christmas-gift-velope-by-hels.html because I need to make several this year.  

I've used the Holidays Past Ideaology paper stash by Tim Holtz, a Stampers Anonymous bauble stamp, cardinal red WOW embossing powder on the stamped image before cutting it out and on the die cut numbers.  I distress inked over the bauble and on the edges of the card. I drew round an embossing powder pot and cut round it to make the cut out on the inside pocket as I don't have any circular punches.

I'd like to enter this into the WOW embossing powders November challenge.

Vintag Earrings

Whilst tidying I found my Vintaj embossing dies and copper shapes so had to play.  These earrings were the result of embossing, shaping (using a pestle and mortar) to give them a convex shape, rubbing with gesso, wiping off all gesso except that in the grooves, then painting with alcohol inks.

To be honest I'm not entirely happy with putting these through the big shot, anything but the lowest platform is too tight but that doesn't emboss very deeply, a shim however makes things pretty tight again and I was worried it would break the machine.

Bauble tree decoration

There is a Christmas Bauble challenge going on at Creative Expressions right now.  I'd like to enter this project.

I decided to use The Pine Cone Christmas set of stamps which has a couple of lovely baubles in it and create something quite simple using a technique that is too easily forgotten about.  I suspect now I have begun I will be trying out all sort of variations.

I used Ranger inkessentials memory frames and glass but the technique could be used on any glass or heat resistant acetate.  First I stamped the image onto a piece of clean memory glass using black archival ink.  If the image doesn't work out first time it can be easily wiped off.  I found that this ink was good as it has a long enough drying time to allow application of embossing powder I used a dark cosmic shimmer one that has added mica in it.  Heat and allow the glass to cool.

 

I used three colours of alcohol inks and found they stayed wet long enough on a piece of glass to allow me to brush/drip them into place where I wanted them.  The embossing prevents them from running out but again if things get messy they can be wiped off and you can start again.  Clean up any smears with alcohol solution.  I placed a second piece of glass in front of the embossed side and fitted it into the frame.