Boxing Clever, Anything Goes!

Good morning, does anyone know where July disappeared to? I'm sure it must be to do with my age but goodness the months just fly by!

So that means it's time for a new theme at Lavinia, and this month it's

"Anything but a card"

So, I thought I'd use one of the gorgeous Lavinia dies make a pretty box, it's the perfect size to fit a gift into.

I've actually done step by step instructions for this one and you will soon be able to see it on the Lavinia website.

It was a great way to use up some of the hundreds of tiny seed beads that have been in my drawer for years.

If you fancy joining us in the challenge this month, you could find yourself with a £40 Lavinia voucher to spend. All you need to do is use your Lavinia stamps or dies to create something, you don't even need a blog to join in as email entries are accepted.

I'm using my gift box for the following challenges:-

SBBCB91, Anything goes feather/wings,

F&F, Wings,

PolkaDoodles, More than 1 fold,

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Pretty In Pink Or Feeling Blue?

Oh my, where did April go? I'm finding it hard to believe how quickly the weeks are racing by! 

Can you believe that it's time for a new challenge

 theme at Lavinia already.

May's theme is 

"Pink or Blue",

 or if you really can't choose between them, just go mad and use both! 

I'm only going to share two of my projects here for the moment but if you check back later you will see that I've a busy day planned!

Oh my goodness, I have some gorgeous new Lavinia stamps, if you look carefully at the background of my box you might just notice some text. This I have to say is my new favourite stamp, text is so versatile, and if you're considering treating yourself I'd say that this is a must have! It can be used for any occasion. Here I stamped it onto textured paper so although you can clearly see the text, I've made the hearts that are also on the stamp disappear into the background. I wanted the focal stamps to be the big feature if you know what I mean.

I've not done this sort of thing for for ages but I have to say that I really enjoyed covering this little sweet box, I've had it in the drawer for a while now, knowing that one day I'd work out what to do with it. I ended up filling it with some lovely glass beads that I'd bought for a gift.

(and forgotten to send, sorry Susan) 

It's obviously an "out of the ordinary" month for me, did you ever think that you'd see me using texture paste!

This was actually my practice offcut of card that I tried out my texture paste on, if you call back at 2pm you will see what I actually used it for, it also features some of

 Lavinia's finest stamps too!

I just love this honeysuckle too, simply stamped and a little colour added using my copics.

I'm entering the following challenges:-

SS219, Anything but a card,

MMM, Vintage,
Sister Act 104, Anything goes,
Allsorts 309, April Showers bring May flowers.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Put A Sock In It!

In reality, I put a pair of socks in it lol!

A little personal joke with my nephew means that I always give him a pair of socks at birthdays and Christmas and now that he is getting older, I tuck some money inside them instead of putting them with his present.

I made this box to put them in, the panel with the greeting on slides up to allow the narrow box to open.

I wish I'd thought to take a side view photo.

I'm using this for the following challenges:-

CUYL7, Box,

SPHD19, Male,birthday,diecut,

PDELP, 3D project.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Topped Off With A Butterfly.

Me again, Just realised that I left this off my previous post!

Another project for my Lavina Stamps DT

The New challenge theme being,

Add Beads Or Gems.

I made the box myself with the help from my Nestability scalloped circle and circle die and a scalloped border punch. I know you cant see any scallops created by the border punch but by scoring close to the dip in the scallop I was able to fold each scallop and glue a straight length of card around the circle to create my tubes.

The card is in fact grey pearlescent which has been inked with various colours before being stamped with a selection of Lavinia images.

I'm using this gift box for the following challenges:-

ACC June/July, Non Card, Anything goes,

CFTH21, Anything goes,

MTTC250.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Flowers And A Ribbon.

It's time for a new Ladybug Challenge!

This fortnight it's  Diane's time to host the challenge and her theme is

"Flowers and a Ribbon"

For my DT project I made a "Milk carton" style gift box, in fact it was more like a juice carton in size as I used an entire 12"x 12" sheet of bazzil, scoring it easily using my Fiskars cutter.

I just love how special the front panel looks with the gorgeous digi image "Bouquet Delights" an easy image to colour, I just added tiny coloured pearls and a ribbon along with a thin die cut circle to frame it's beauty.

I'm using this gift box for the following challenges:-

LTS8, No Cards,

MIM145, Anything goes,

MMM, Purples plus 1 neutral,

PP12, Anything goes,

QC12, More than 1 fold.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Snowflakes

Happy Tuesday!!!!!

The Ladybugs have a new theme today and this fortnight the hostess is Diane who wants to see  "Snowflakes"

 

 

Kerry gave each of the Ladybugs an acetate box to have a play with. I coloured my Mr and Mrs Snowman Delight, paperpiecing their hats and scarves.

 





I then covered 4x35g bars of chocolate to go inside, layering the papers and embossing the pearlescent white paper..

 



 

I think this would make a perfect stocking gift or teacher's gift, coming out at under £4 for the four bars and the acetate box.

 

 

 

Here are the sizes and prices for the clear boxes in inches as they will be on the website...

4 1/8" x 4 1/16" x 1" - 45p each

5 5/8" x 5 1/2" x 1" - 60p each

4 7/8" x 6 5/8" x 1" - 60p each

6 1/8" x 6 1/16" x 1" - 70p each

4 1/2" x 5 7/8" x 1" - 60p each

 

I'm using this gift for the following challenges:-

 

C4E7, Anything goes,

DVC45, Anything goes,

Squirrel and Fox 31, Anything goes,

Allsorts 181, It's a gift,

MIM116, Anything goes,

SPS, Gift.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Crafter's Favourite

It's Wednesday and time for a new theme at Scrapbook Sisters, This week it's everyone's favourite,

"Anything Goes"

I thought I'd stray from my usual card making for my DT project.

I've been meaning to have a go at making a circular box for ages, I've never checked out any tutorials so I'm not sure if there's an easier method to do this but I have to say that it was a pretty simple technique that I used so in true crafter fashion I'll share my easy tips. Not the how to make the roses as I'm certain that there are lots of  tutorials out there by talented crafters, not just have a go at it crafters like me.   

I cut two circles of card using my Nestabilities, cut two strips of design paper, slightly wider than the depth I was after. I then used  a scalloped border punch along one edge of each strip and used my Fiskars cutter with the scorer attachment to score as close to the scalloped edge as possible. I then folded over the scallops and run a thin thread of glue along each semi circle, I then bent the strip around the circle of card, sticking the scallops underneath (hope this makes sense) if it doesn't I'll have a go at a tutorial to explain it better. I then glued a scalloped circle of the DP. to hide the scallops . When I made the lid to the box I used the same technique but held the lid on the top of the base as I glued each scallop in place to allow it to be a good tight fit. I then just added a scalloped circle and DP circle to the top before gluing the roses into place.

I'm using my project for the following challenges:-

Celebrate The Occasion 64, Anything goes,

Die Cutting Divas 67, Anything goes,

EAC 195, Anything but a card,

JDE6, Anything goes, useTH products (Distress inks),

Paper Cupcakes, 3 in a row,LH vertical line,

Secret Crafter 197, Anything but a card.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Little Boxes.

Hi there,how you doing this sunny afternoon? I thought you might like to see one of the little boxes that I made for a friend,she's getting married soon and didn't want to give the parents invitations as such but did need to give them menus and directions to the celebration I was going to make cards using the lovely fronts from the original invites but then decided to make boxes instead. I don't have an actual box maker type board but instead I use my trusty Fiskars trimmer/scorer I've discovered over time that if I score my lid dimensions 1mm larger at every fold that once everything is glued together,the lid is a perfect,snug fit.

The letters were cut using my Sizzix Sunset Alphabet and the tiny hearts are  made using Quickcutz dies. I like the look of shadowing each letter using the same cut but in an alternative colour,it makes for a special look in my opinion.

I was going to mess around cutting numbers out for the date etc. for the inside of the lid but decided to trim what I needed from the original invitation. My friend was delighted with the little boxes, I'm going to make one to give to her as a keepsake box as a surprise.  

I'm going to use this for the following challenges:-

CYDA24,Fancy folds,

PCC2,Celebrations,

Fun With Shapes and More 87,Anything but a card,

C.R.A.F.T. 110,Boxes,

Divas By Design 5,Die cuts and punches,

Top Tip Tuesday 41,Wedding or Anniversary.

That's it from me for today, thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x



Oh Happy Day!!!

We've had Sunshine!!!! Yippee,I can't believe how much better everything looks when there's a bit of sunshine,even the dust looks better lol! at least, it didn't expect me to stay home to remove it. I had a little plea from my mum wanting a little box to put a jewellery gift into. I haven't made a box for ages,I'd forgotten how much I like making them. This one was a quick and easy one as the plea for a box came at ten and it was needed by lunchtime, I wasn't even showered when she rang so simple was what was needed but mum was pleased with it and it turned out to be a perfect colour to compliment the gift.

I'm going to use it for the following challenge:-
DYSU 8,Anything goes,
Paper Romance 39,Anything goes.

So anyway,the sun shone it's "Mid Term Break" so off we went for a little outing to Rochester. Coffee and cake,a wander through the Museum and a stroll through the High Street,and purely by coincidence(or maybe not) there's a little shop where you can buy "pick N mix"buttons....HEAVEN,I love buttons!!!!,little jars and wide necked vases full of little shiny jewel coloured beauties. I went there a couple of weeks ago,took loads of photos of my treasures when I returned home but somehow managed to clear my camera without uploading them.


Now I know this doesn't look much to some people but I'm sure that some of you are as sad as me :) You get a little bag approximately 3" square and as long as the top of the bag seals,you can fill it with whatever you want from the selection.

Now you couldn't find perfect matches to sew onto a cardigan but they are just perfect for my needs and to my mind they're a bargain at £3.99 a bag.

I didn't pick out so many pink this week as I got lots of those the other week but I did find some sparkly beauties.

I think I might have to get some little glass jars to divide them into colours. I wonder if I could push my luck and display them on a shelf for all to see???? maybe that's a step too far,don't want to push DH too far lol! You might be wondering how many buttons were in today's treasure bag,95!!! Bargain! The shop is called "Hometown" if you happen to be passing that way.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

p.s.,Please call by again,I'm not mad,honest!

Birthday Box

Thought I'd share with you today the gift box that I made for a party my youngest is going to. It isn't for a close friend of hers so we really didn't know what to get for the birthday girl so the box holds a little birthday kit :- a disposable camera a small birthday photo album and a box of Maltesers.

I should have photographed the inside of the box,I'm really not sure why I didn't think of it.

The box lid and base were each made from a piece of A4 card,I then used another piece of A4 cut into strips around the inside of the box to give it more height and for the lid to sit onto.

Before assembling the lid I did something I will never ever do again, I abused my Martha Stewart punch by using it around the edges of the card. It does look pretty stunning but I could hear her grown with every cut! The flourishes were cut from the same paper as the edge strip using a large sizzix die,I then shaped it using the edge of a scoring bone. The flower was made in the same way as on this post.
I am using the box for the following challenges:-

One Stop Craft Challenge 82. Swirls and pearls, Swirly flourishes and pearl flower centre.

Paper Garden Projects, Fourth Friday,Fun Challenge, Something girlie.

I really enjoyed making this project,couldn't do it without my faithful old Fiskars cutter/scorer.

Hope everyone has had a good Bank Holiday,thanks for stopping by,

Julie.x

Double Challenge

Another birthday party,another gift needing a box so here it is and as luck would have it it also fits in with a couple of challenges.

The first challenge that I'm using it for is "Crafty Creations Challenge 65" where the brief is to make your own background papers.For this I used my Cuttlebug Swiss dots embossing folder. I had to fold the top and bottom sections of the box inwards before placing it within the folder I then repositioned it several times until the entire area was embossed.

The other challenge that I am entering it in is the "A Spoon Full Of Sugar" challenge 101 where you had to 3d something. Apart from the fact that I made the box,I also used 3d foam pads to raise several elements of the box.The images were stickers from my stash bought ages ago.

I made one of these cartons a few weeks ago but have improved on my original attempt. Last time I used a peg to seal the top of the box but this time I came across these binder clips in Wilkinsons,can't remember the price but think they were around £2. for the box of 15 assorted designed clips.

The name was cut using my Sizzix Alpha Bubbles.I used my Martha Stewart edging punch on the top section of card before attaching it to the box. The box didn't go exactly to plan but I'm really pleased with the finished result.

I hope that you all enjoy the Bank Holiday Weekend,

thanks for stopping by,

Julie x

A Pint of Milk

Doing a bit of blog hopping is such a great thing to do. I love seeing what people from all over the world are up to and leaving comments on their work,lets face it,we all like to hear what fellow crafters think of our creations. You can find some great ideas and adapt them to suit your needs. I like to let people know if I've followed any tips,sending them links to things I've made.

Before Easter I found this neat little idea on a blog called "On The Cards"where someone had made these brilliant little cartons to put sweets into. I held it in my memory bank and decided to use it as a gift box for the make up items my daughter is giving for a friend's Birthday

I wrapped a strip of paper around the box first and then embossed a strip of white card using an embossing folder I scored this 1mm bigger than the edges of the box.I brushed the embossed area with a chalk eye and added stickles and punched flowers on to this before placing it around the box.

The large flower was cut using a sizzix die the large gem that I used in the centre comes from Paperchase,as does the peg that I used to hold the box shut.
If you follow the link you can find details of how to make these boxes.I adjusted the measurements to make a slightly larger box than was shown, using an A4 piece of card. If anyone would like to know the measurements that I used I will post a photograph of the template I made.

They are so easy to make,let me know if you have a go so I can visit your blog, I love a bit of blog hopping.

Thanks for stopping by,

have a great weekend,

Julie.x