Hotel Chocolat Slab Box

Happy New Year! Today’s project is a box to contain one of my favourite chocolates. These slabs from Hotel Chocolat don’t normally last very long in our house and I have to hide them from Tom or they would all be eaten. The bars are perfect for little presents, however after Christmas and Birthdays, in December the thought of wrapping presents scares me. So I decided to create a box to put the slab/block in. I have previously created a thin bag but thought it did not look right.

Box using Flirty Flamingo Card and the Pattern Party DSP with a belly band using the Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon colour altered with Flirty Flamingo blends.

Measurements

Metric

Base - 16.5 x 13 cm (score at 2)

Lid - 16cm x 12cm (score at 1 1/2)

Imperial

Base - 6 1/2 x 5 inches (score at 3/4 inch on all 4 sides)

Lid - 6 x 4 1/2 inches (score at 1/2 inch on all 4 sides)

1st box using Flirty Flamingo Card and the Pattern Party DSP with a belly band using the Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon colour altered with Flirty Flamingo blends. 2nd box using Basic Black card and the Pattern Party DSP with a belly band using Basic Black Bakers Twine with a sentiment from the Wish for Everything stamp set.

Tips and Tricks

• you can use any card for the base (please do not use DSP as it is not strong enough to hold a weight

• for a snug fit ensure that the lid is slightly larger by adding a shim when scoring the lid (I use a piece of the same card

• windmill the box by making each tab on a different side

• if you are not confident with sticking the tabs down use wet glue as it gives you wiggle room

Box to hold Hotel Chocolat slab using a retired paper and the Highland Heather Grossgrain Ribbon

This is a super simple cute box, which is perfect to practice your box making skills. Pull out your card stash and give it ago. You don’t have to use the Hotel Chocolat slabs, I am sure it will fit lots of different items. What have you managed to fit in yours?

Birthday Card Using Christmas Items

Todays card shows that Christmas items are not just for Christmas but can be used through the year. I am using a few of my most used items from the July to December catalogue, that can be used in different ways. I think that the happy from the Christmas Cheer Dies, is a very versatile die (I am yet to use it in the way it was designed, but I do need to design some cards.)

I have used some non-Christmasy designs from the Peaceful Place DSP and my favourite sequins.

Measurements:

My Metric

10.5 cm x 14.5 cm (14.5cm by 21cm scored at 10.5cm)

DSP and White Layer - 10cm x 14cm

Metric

10.5 cm x 14.8 cm (14.8cm by 21cm scored at 10.5cm)

DSP and White Layer - 10cm x 14.3cm

Imperial

4 1/8 " x 5 ¾" (5.75” x 8 ¼ scored at 4 1/8)

DSP and White Layer – 3 3/4” x 5 1/2”

Tips and Tricks:

• use a Stampin’ Write marker to only add ink to the part of the stamp required

• if you are not confident cutting out a shape - use a punch

• Cut down the piece of card and foam to fit the die

• if you do not have foam, you can stack layers of die cuts together

I hope this has inspired you to use your Christmas dies and papers in a different way. I may need to hide the sequins so that they do not end up on every card. Do you have an item that you need to put away?

Christmas items for Birthdays with #GDP302

Over the last weeks weeks I have been looking for some inspiration. One of my favourite places to see gorgeous cards is the Global Design Project. Every week there is a new challenge on a rotating schedule which includes colour challenges, sketches, themes and a CASE challenge. I have been admiring the challenges for a while and today have decided to share a card that I have made using #GDP302 sketch challenge.

I love the stripes and I also love the inspiration from the design team. I am super excited that I have finally decided on what I wanted from the July to December Mini Catalogue and the delivery arrived this week. So I had some new goodies to play with. I have used the Happy from the Christmas Cheer dies and the striped mask from the Adorning Designs decorative masks.

Instructions

1. Create a card base

2. Create a frame from a piece of scrap paper -line up card at the 1/2 inch line and used the cutting blade from 1/2 inch point on all four sides creating a frame

3. Add Low Tack Stencil Tape to ensure card base doesn’t move

4. Line up the stripes on the mask to make them vertical using grid paper can help ( see image below)

5. Add more stencil tape, to keep the stencil in place.

6. Add the frame to the stencil

7. Use a blending brush to add Polished Pink ink to the whole of the area

8. Use a sponge dauber to add Fresh Freesia to the larger stripes.

9. Allow time for ink to dry

10. Add card to Stamperatus and line up the birthday stamp

11. Mask off the Happy and add Momento ink to the Birthday, add to card

12. Mask off the Happy and add Momento ink to the Birthday, add to card (repeat until as dark as required)

13. Cut Happy 3 times from Scrap White card

14. Cut Happy from Basic Black

15. Layer the happy die cuts together using detailed glue.

16. Add the Happy die cut to the card

17. Add embellishments (I have used the Subtle Shimmer Sequins)

18. Add sentiment to inside Basic White Layer using Momento ink

19. Add inside layer to card

Card Stock Measurements

My Metric

Card Base -10.5 cm x 14.5 cm (14.5cm by 21cm scored at 10.5cm)

Scrap card -10.5 cm x 14.5 cm

Inside Basic White Layer - 10cm x 14cm

Metric

Card Base -10.5 cm x 14.8 cm (14.8cm by 21cm scored at 10.5cm)

Scrap card -10.5 cm x 14. 8 cm 

Inside Basic White Layer - 10cm x 14.3cm

Imperial

Card Base -4 1/8 " x 5 ¾" (5 3/4” x 8 ¼” scored at 4 1/8” )

Scrap card -4 1/8 " x 5 ¾"

Inside Basic White Layer - 3 7/8” x 5 1/2”

Thank you to the Global Design Project for the inspiration. I love the Happy from the Christmas Cheer dies, these dies are for all year round and not just for Christmas!

Clean and Simple Masculine Cards

I have lots of birthdays coming up, it isn’t just ladies that I need to make cards for. I have a number of masculine cards which I need to make. I have spent the weekend with my nieces which was super fabulous but has limited my time in the craft room. I have had limited time to craft so wanted some quick easy cards with minimal supplies.

These are some cards which I made in my last video on ways to use large ink pads video. I have used the same colours Misty Moonlight, Just Jade and Gray Granite and stamped dots using the end of a pencil. You could use anything to create the circles, others have used finger daubers or the ends of pens.

Measurements:

My Metric

10.5 cm x 14.5 cm (10.5 by 29cm scored at 14.5cm)

Inside White Panel - 10cm x 14cm

Metric

10.5 cm x 14.8 cm (10.5 by full length scored at 14.8cm)

Inside White Panel - 10cm x 14.3cm

Imperial

4." x 5.75" (4” by full length scored at 5.75”)

Inside White Panel - 3.75” x 5.5”

This is another card where you can choose your own colours and materials to stamp with. I love this colour way but would love to play with more colours. What colours would you love to play with?

Sweet Birthday tags

Why is it that some times of the year are jam packed with birthdays? It is the birthday month and a bit in my world so was looking at my cards and tags. I used last weeks card as an inspirational idea to use for super simple tags.

When I wrap presents I usually use tissue paper, I have an interesting collection. One of my favourite colours is similar to Gorgeous Grape. The tissue paper has been in the sun too long and is now a gorgeous combination of Gorgeous Grape and Magenta Madness. I am shocked that it looks so good, it is definitely a lucky accident. I used these as the colours to create the tags.

When making tags I start with a piece of A4, I cut down the long side in to strips which are just under 2 inches (5 cm works ) these strips fit in most Stampin’ Up! tag topper punches. I then cut the strips in half (at about 10.5cm) these make the perfect size tags. You could make the tags shorter but most sentiments fit on tags this size as the tag topper takes off part of the strip and there needs to be a gap between the top of the tag and the stamp.

To add the muli coloured sentiment add the lightest coloured ink first and then add the darker ink just to the top half. The ability to see the placement as the stamps are photopolymer makes the double colour easier to do using tags rather than Stampin’ Write markers.

The video below shows how I made the different examples.

It is another choose your own colours and decoration project. Once you choose the stamp set, tag topper and colours you can just sit and play. I am thinking of other combinations, what is your favourite colour combination for birthdays?