Christmas Triangle Treat Box

I needed a little something for a neat group of ladies, so I took the triangle treat box idea I had used before and made it "Christmasy."  To see my Triangle Treat Box Tutorial, please click here.

A few of the ladies are diabetic.  To be considerate, instead of candy, I gave everyone packets of fruity herbal tea.

I used Olive, Cocoa, Colonial White, and Ruby cardstocks and inks from CTMH to create this triangular box.  The patterned paper is nothing more than a small star inked in Cocoa, a tiny star inked in Olive, and a "." inked in Olive for dots.  (All are from CTMH---------"Tiny Typewriter Alphabet" and "Tag the Occasion"--although any tiny stamps you have for the theme would work.  :-)

The tree stamp was from "Jubilation" and was inked in Olive on Colonial White cardstock.  Then I gave the ornaments a little sparkle with coordinating MS Glitter Glue.

The polka dot "ribon" is simply Cocoa cardstock cut 3/8" and I ran all the pieces for all the treat boxes in one "Swiss Polka Dot" Cuttlebug folder.  Then I quickly swiped each piece with fine sandpaper, cut each 4" strip in half, glued them together, notched the ends, and stuck them to the back of the scalloped circle.


I'm a girl on a budget and I'm happy to report I was able to make ten of these treat boxes (each with three packets of various fruity herbal tea pouches) for just $3.98!  All supplies, including ribbon remnants, were something I'd had handy in my craft room.  (If you've been following along with this blog, you might remember I'm having an Operation U.U.S. (that's Use Up Scraps) kind of Christmas.


I hope this inspires you to spread joy using things you already have in your craft room.
Thanks for taking time to stop by this blog.  Merry Christmas!
Blessings,
Brenda

How to Make a Gift Box with Coordinating Cards

 

 

The design for the Gift Card Box came from dawnsstampingthoughts.net.  She has a video and instructions for the box.  If you have never visited her blog it is a must.  Very talented lady, with all sorts of helpful videos.  She has always been an inspiration to me----a must see.

 

There are many other gift card box instructions out there on the internet.  There are even Cricut cartridges with them on them, I think.  Still, I thought I'd post quick directions here.

 

 

 

 

I decorated the box before I put it together, that is helpful when you can work on a flat surface.

 

The measurements for the box are as follows,

 

Cut 1 piece of paper at 6 1/2" X 6 3/4"     This is the top of the box.

Cut another piece of paper at 6 1/2" X 10"       This is the bottom of the box.

 

You will now make your score lines to fold into the box shape.

 

Starting with the 6 1/2" X 10"

Place your paper in the trimmer or score pal,  long side 10" side.

Score at 4 1/2", and then again at 5 1/2" (These are the folds at the bottom of the box.

Turn paper and place in trimmer or score pal, short side 6 1/2"

Score at 1", and again at 5 1/2" This is the side box flaps

 

With the top of the box, place in your trimmer or score pal at the 6 3/4" side.

Here you will score at 2 3/4", and again at 3 3/4", 

Turn paper to shorter side, and score at 1", and then again at 5 3/4  This is the side box flaps.

 

Trim away the four little squares at the top and bottom of the box, see picture below.

 

 

 

You will now add your tacky tape to adhere the sides together.

 

I hope that the instructions aren't to complicated.  Remember you can view a tutorial at

dawnsstampingthoughts.net.

 

 

This makes a great little gift for anyone.  Thank you for visiting. If you have any questions just leave me a comment and I will do my best to answer them.  Smiles coming your way, Joanie

 

 

Tie It Up

Over at Cute Card Thursday the challenge is to interpret the words "Tie It Up."  I stumbled across this card challenge site quite by accident and had thought I'd put together a card for it.  As I was thinking about what I'd do, I thought about all the different ways I could use "Tie It Up."

Well, if your brain is anything remotely like mine, one thought led to another and--before I knew it--a card had led to this album I decided to share with you for the first time today.

 

 

Kraft Envelopes and cardstock, with the help of CTMH supplies, too, create the perfect pockets for this simple mini album.  Don't you just love the hodge podge of ribbon scraps tied to the metal rings?!  If you ever have scraps of ribbon and wonder whether or not their worth keeping, here's a perfect example of why you should.  Just store them ziplock bags by color and see how handy the come in for projects like this.

 

 

 

 

Little finishing touches like, Cuttlebug "Swiss Dots" on the heart, first dry embossed and then inked with a rubber brayer, make this little album special and complete.

 

 

 

 

Pockets for journaling and hidden photos make the album fun to look through because it's interactive.

 

 

 

 

Several Colors--Cranberry, Outdoor Denim, and New England Ivy are repeated throughout the album for a consistent and tied-together look.

 

 

 

 

A little help from CTMH's Cricut cartridges and stamps add just the right amount of color to the layouts.

 

 

 

 

Faux stitching with a fine-tipped black marker adds a touch of whimsy and cohesiveness to the album.  Stamping color on color adds depth to the leaves.  (Note: Use any stamp with a pattern big enough to fit the leaf for a personal touch.  This particular pattern with the dots left un-inked reminded me of fabric--something I felt was a great choice for this particular paper project.)

 

 

 

 

Add a touch of something different to each layout to keep it unique and visually interesting.  Here I added inked Kraft Borders and Marth Stewart Glittle Glue.

 

 

 

Here's a close-up of the butterfly.  I first inked the image directly onto the page.  Then, on a separate piece of Colonial White (Ecru) cardstock, I re-stamped the image, cut it out, added some glitter glue, and mounted it over the page.  Why go to the trouble?  I wanted the intenae to show up without the difficulty of trying to cut around it by hand.

 

 

 

 

 

Here's another page in the album.  Kept simple on purpose, I really wanted the photos to take center stage.

 

 

 

 

Every page in the album is actually an envelope.  I simply folded the flaps in and mounted more Kraft cardstock over the top of each side.  This added adequate strength to the album--ensuring it will hold up to use.

 

I'm not showing all the pages today.  I've loaded up enough pictures on this post already.  But I will point out the tabs for the inserts (shown upper left in the last photo).  Each tab was made with one scallop punch and two circle punches.

 

 

And now, the album is finally ready to personalize.  Very rarely do I make something for myself to keep.  So this album is going to become "My Story."  I'm going to put favorite pictures of my childhood and life--with personal journaling, quotes, and Bible verses.  What do you think?


Thanks for stopping by to take a look!
Blessings,
Brenda

More CTMH for the Classroom

Dear hubby needs a few things for his classroom.  I can check this one off the list.  :-)

I'm glad he likes to have me make things for his classroom.  It's fun to use my paper crafting supplies for something different than the norm.


Here I used Cotton Candy, Buttercup, Key Lime, and Crystal Blue.  I printed the black wording in "Felt" font using my computer.  The title was done with good ole "Plantin' Schoolbook" on the Cricut.


Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Brenda

CTMH for the Classroom

It's fun to use my stamping supplies for the classroom.  When my husband mentioned an upcoming project, I jumped at the chance to design this game for him.  Actually, I made eight.

The challenge was to create a game that would appeal to middle school students.  In other words, I had to drop the "cute" and embrace the "cool."

I cut many 1 1/2" squares from Pacifica, Chocolate, Pear and Sunset cardstock.  Where I wanted the pathway on the board to curve, I simply used the corner rounder punch in one corner.  Then I sponged all the edges of every square with coordinating ink.  Yes, it took time.  Let's just say I caught up on a few episodes of a tv show I enjoy while sponge daubing away.  :-)

To accent the Pacifica squares, I used the chevron stamp from "Whose Your Valentine."  I felt it kind of looked like water, which goes with the watershed theme.

To accent the Sunset squares, I used a stamp from "Dream Big" and a circle stamp from "Grown with Love."  I felt like they, together, looked like little pollution bugs.

 

 

When students land on a Sunset square, they draw an orange "pollution" card.  All "pollution cards have a Sunset-colored exclamation point.

 

 



Above is an example of a pollution card.

 

 

When students land on Pacific "water" cards, their opponent must ask them a question from the blue question mark stack.  Above is an example of a question regarding watershed.

 

 

 

This game was designed to coordinate with the special watershed theme.  However, the plan is to swap out cards for different themes during the school year to review specific science concepts.

 

 

Thanks for letting me share this fun project with you.

 

Blessings,

Brenda

 

 

PS  Here's a picture of another game I made---a game for Valentine's Day using the cute doggy from "A Bowwow" stamp set.  I made this game board with a curving path.  The path was cut by hand, which was different from the one above, and mounted on a piece of 12" x 12" chipboard.

 

 

 

Using color-coordinating supplies from Close To My Heart or the paper crafting supplies of your choice is a fun and easy way to make games for family, for use at school, even for homeschooling.

 

I recommend, when possible, laminating with the thicker, cold lamine product so the game lasts for years.

How to Make a Little Treats Easter Basket

This little basket was something I had seen on You Tube the other day.   The idea came from Connie Stewart from Simply Simple.  She had a great tutorial.  I have put together a picture tutorial for you.

I have a basket weave stamp that I used for the project.  It is not necessary though, you could use your cuddlebug or anything else you would like.  Using Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Ovals Small
I cut out two, one for each side.

This will make the inside of your basket,  paper measures 5 1/2" X 2 1/2".  You will score along the side of the paper 1/4" in on each side.  You need to also score it at 1 3/4" across on both ends. 

I used tacky tape to secure my project together.  Putting the tape on the 1/4" side of the paper.  This will adhere the sides to the basket.  Also note that I have added tape to both of the sides, just at the very bottom of the scalloped oval.  This little edge will fold in under the basket, this helps it set nicely.  Be sure to cut through the tape and card just to the score line on all score lines where they intersect,  there will be four places you will need to do this.

This photo is showing how I adhered the sides to the bottom of the basket.

Now it is time to set the sides in place.  I just set one side at a time being sure to line it up in the same place each time.

 

This gives you a clear view of what it looks like when set in place before begging the other side of the basket.

 

 

On this basket I used the same stamped basket stamp to make the handle.

 

 

The stamp set I used was from CTMH, Hoppy Easter Holiday.

 

Thanks for your visit, have a good day....Smiles coming your way.....Joanie

How to Make a Diaper Fold Card (or Treat Container)

This Fold Card fits easily in a square envelope.  It's a fun little card and can even work as a treat container--since the pocket expands enough to fit several things.

 

 

SO CUTE, right?  :-)  If you like the offset flower, which I made this time using the CTMH circle punch, you can click here to view the offset flower tutorial.

 

 

Here's how to make this easy Diaper Fold Card--which looks terrific when using double-sided paper:

 

 

 

 

Begin with a very square piece of 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" paper.  (Double-sided paper really is recommended.)

 

 

 



 

 Fold the square in half diagonally, crisping the fold with a bone folder so it lays nice and flat.

 

Unfold.

 

 

 

 

Now that you unfolded your square, you can see two triangles made with the fold line in between.  At the tip of the bottom triangle (the triangle facing closest to your body), measure up 2 5/8" and mark it with a dot at that measurement.

 

 

 

 

Insert your paper into a paper trimmer, lining up the dot in the cutting track.  (Tip: Use the long fold crease to line up the paper evenly in the trimmer.)  Then, use a bone folder to score a line from one edge of the paper to the other--over that little dot you measured.

 

Done correctly, you will now have to fold lines that run parallel to each other.

 

 

 

 

Take your paper out of the trimmer.

 

Re-fold the first fold so that the square looks like a rectangle.  Then, fold down just the first part of the top triangle along the last score line you created.  (Done correctly, it will look like the picture above.)

 

Unfold that last fold you just made so it looks like one big triangle again.

 

 

 

 









Using the fold line as your guide, take the left edge of the triangle and line it up under the fold line.  Crisp the crease with the bone folder.  Use the picture above to help you.

 

 

 

 

Repeat with the right edge of the triangle.

 

 

 

 

Fold the top flap back down again.  Stick something in the pocket to set the pocket.

 

Remarkably, you will not need any adhesive to keep this fold in its place.

 

 

 

Decorate the pocket and create a card to go inside.  OR, make it a treat box.

 

 

 

 

Here are a couple of mini versions--which can be used at a baby shower to fill with treats for the guests.

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Blessings,

Brenda

How to Make Any-Sized Envelope the Easy Way

There are times I have become so busy with a paper crafting project that it grew and grew and before I knew it I didn't have an envelope the correct size.  Problem Solved !!!!

 

 

Measuring diagonally across your card find how long it is in that direction.  Then add one inch more and cut out your paper that size.

 

 

 

 

With the card lying in the center of the cut paper, fold in the sides, bottom and top. 

 

Unfold.

 

 

 

 

Trim away the four tiny triangles created by the folds. (See the little notches cut out next to each of the big triangles. Those were the little triangles I removed.)

 

 

 

 

Turn the paper over.  For extra durability, run strong adhesive (like tacky tape) as shown in the picture above.

 

 

Turn your paper back over.  Fold in the sides first and then secure the bottom flap to the sides.


Note: Extra thick paper projects, like the napkin fold, may fit more easily if you add an extra 1/2".  That's what I did and liked the results.


To give a finished look, consider using the corner rounder on the top flap before securing the envelope.


I am so excited to have found this envelope recipe.  Now everything I make will finally fit in an envelope. 


Thanks for stopping by!  Sending Smiles, ;-) Joanie

How to Make a Triangle Treat Box

Cards are wonderful.  Cards are appropriate.  Sometimes, however, we want to do something more.  When a friend is hurting, sometimes she needs prayed for, hugged and a simple gift of chocolate.  :-)


Here's a little treat box I've seen here and there.  I created one that can be made to fit any size.

Just remember this simple rule: Make the lenth twice as long as the width.  The sides will always come together where you need them to.  No guess-work.

 

 

I used up almost the very last of CTMH's Avonlea paper to make this comforting treat box.  I believe the stamp set is something like, "Wishing you Comfort."  It's also CTMH.

 

 

 

 

This is super fast to make.  I made this one by cutting a length of cardstock 4" x 8".  Then I scored it in half.

 

 

 

 

Here's a picture of me marking the middle of the 4" inch sides--with just a little push of the bone folder at the 2" mark.  (I did this on both ends of the paper.)

 

 

 

 

Now you will make four score lines.  Two from each 2" mark you notched with the bone folder.  Look at the picture above.  I positioned the paper in the trimmer so that the 2" mark at one end lines up in the track with the edge of the middle score line.  Then I used my bone folding tool to create a second score line.  I rotated the paper and continued my way around the rectangle to create three more score lines.

 

 









Fold down (mountain folds) along each of the five score lines.  Notice how the triangles come together along the sides.

Punch a hole towards the top of each side.  This will hold the string/ribbon that will keep the treat box closed.

Open it back up and add your chocolate.  (Yes.  It looks a little skimpy.  No, I did not eat the rest.  This was all the chocolate I could find in my daugther's valentine stash to use as an example for the picture.  :-)

 

 

Add your ribbon.  Tie it closed with a cute knot or bow.  Finish decorating and you're done.

 

 

These little treat boxes will work for party favors or even if you work in an office or school.  One of these with a different and appropriate sentiment may be just the encouragement a co-worker needs on a rough day.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Blessings,

Brenda