Christmas-y Notes in a Little Box

Hello hello! It’s like 2 weeks ’til Christmas, and 2 days ’til Hanukkah  – how’s your holiday crafting going?? A while ago, in the thick of my card-production haze, I decided that what I absolutely needed to do–at that very moment–was to make something different. And then the Power Poppy 12 Days of Christmas December Challenge rolled in with some fabulous not-the-usual-cards-and-stuff inspiration. (Seriously, if you haven’t checked it out–click that link!)

Photo Dec 09, 11 41 21 PM

So I’ve been dying to play with the Under Glass: Christmas Traditions set from Power Poppy, and what I came up with were some little holiday-adjacent notes that can be used for post-holiday thank yous, or for tucking into a gift, or as just something to send when you get an unexpected card and need to reciprocate (!!) I love the little scenes that you can put into the cloches, to create your own little world in there…

Photo Dec 09, 11 46 20 PM

I colored these cards with colored pencils, in that same color palette I’ve been working with lately (below).

ac786f77e57000e4672255c2e59fc102

I’ve really enjoyed working with a few select colors. It seems to streamline how I choose to color each element of my projects (limited choices!), and I’ve learned a lot about shading/under coloring, because I can’t go looking for more colors to add in. Bonus: I can be lazy and just leave the pencils out on my table for a few weeks 😉

Photo Dec 09, 11 44 46 PM

Once these cards were colored, I added sparkle with Stickles and Wink of Stella, but these cards can also be colored very simply. I just like to get all extra sometimes.

Photo Dec 09, 11 43 56 PM

Oh, and the “Holiday Hello” sentiment is from Power Poppy.  The others are from a Waffle Flower set (“Heartfelt Thanks”) and Simon Says Stamp (“Thanking you for thanking me”). My notecards and envelopes came from Paper Source.

Photo Dec 09, 11 42 39 PM

To contain and present my cards, I finally got to use my Gift Box die from Lawn Fawn.  While I’m only showing off three card designs in this post, the completed box is sized to hold six 4 bar-sized notecards and envelopes (that’s 3-1/2″ x 4-7/8″ or 8.9 cm x 12.4 cm). What’s really ingenious about the die set is that you use one die for both the bottom of the box and the lid! That’s because you also cut some paper corners for assembling the top, and therefore ensure a perfect fit! If that sounds confusing, Lawn Fawn has a video demonstrating how to use the set, and it’s really much simpler than it sounds.

Photo Dec 09, 11 49 29 PM

I stamped Flowering Santa onto some grey cardstock, and colored him in with that same color palette. Of course, I needed some more sparkle, so I sprayed the whole thing with some shimmer spray, as well as stenciled on shiny aqua embellishment mousse around my Santa.  I also added some glittery Nuvo drops to the flower centers, and a glittery heat-embossed “Merry” sentiment.  Then I assembled the box lid and bottom, and packed it with the note cards.

Photo Dec 09, 10 30 38 AM

This was a fun project to put together.  You can go as simple or as all-out as you want for decorating and coloring, and customize the contents for any recipient.

Advertisement

Shaker Valentines with My Favorite Things

4 valentines I made a bunch of shaker-card valentines, using a new die from My Favorite Things. As soon as I saw Love Centerpieces from MFT, I knew that I had to have it, and that I wanted to dig out my stash of sequins and make some fun cards. Photo Feb 07, 1 29 50 PM Usually, when I make shaker cards, I use foam tape for the center layer.  This time, I tried something new by running the die through with some fun foam, and then used scissors to expand the spaces a bit for more bling room. This let me keep each letter separated, without having to build structure with foam tape. I just used Scrappy Glue to adhere the layers together. Photo Feb 07, 1 29 56 PMI wandered through my local paper crafting store to find patterned paper that would coordinate with the different solid colors I chose. Red valentineI have quite an accumulation of sequins from Doodle Bug, Papertrey Ink, Lawn Fawn, but I have to give a shout out to the Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear sequins. They add such a nice silvery shimmer, without being too distracting, especially if you have other colors in your mix! Photo Feb 07, 1 29 46 PM Here’s what the back of the cards look like: Photo Feb 07, 1 30 11 PM FYI: I made custom square envelopes for these cards (5″ a side), which meant extra USPS First Class postage ($0.70 to $0.91). I’ve pinned a reference sheet on First Class Postage here, but I have had good luck using two “Forever” stamps for my shaker cards and/or square envelopes. Photo Feb 07, 1 30 37 PM Supplies not mentioned in the post:

Solid Paper: Paper Source and Bazzill

Patterned Paper: Doodlebug, Authentique, Crate Paper

Clear Plastic: Dura-Lar .005

What are you making for Valentines Day?

Spooky Halloween Matchbook Candy Holders

Raven

I’ve made an exciting discovery:  the Sizzix Matchbook Notebook die makes a box that’s the perfect fit for a Ghirardelli square! I immediately gathered halloween papers and trims and set to creating.

Photo Oct 15, 12 10 37 PM

I really got a lot of use out of my Tim Holtz rub-ons.  I like adding some spooky words and phrases to make sure the recipient knows that this is a scary treat.

hand scale box

To close the boxes, I attached eyelets and then tied a bow with some Lawn Fawn twine.

witches brew

Glitter!

Photo Oct 15, 1 06 48 PM

I’ve been waiting for a reason to use this 3D eyeball!

Photo Oct 06, 4 44 50 PM

I actually hate siders, but put fear aside to decorate one box.  Maybe the “Poison” box will provide the bug spray??

Photo Oct 15, 1 06 18 PM

Here’s a wicked witch, stamped and heat-embossed on plain card stock. Stamps are by Waltzingmouse.

Photo Oct 07, 9 12 09 AM

My favorite “inside” decoration. The background is Distress ink.

 Ghirardelli makes a Pumpkin Spice Caramel square (delicious, btw) that would be seasonally appropriate, but any flavor square would make a nice “grown-up” treat for a friend.

Box-making Fun with the WRMK Envelope Punch Board

Photo Aug 01, 8 28 54 AM

I was very interested to read the post on Ellen Hutson’s The CLASSroom blog, all about the WRMK Gift Box Punch Board (which I don’t yet own), because there were also instructions for creating a little gift box using the WRMK Envelope Punch Board (which I do own). I made my own gift box and was delighted by the possibilities.

Photo Aug 01, 9 05 43 AM

Photo Aug 01, 9 05 49 AM

Continue reading