Christmas Card Boxes!

Here’s a quick and inexpensive Christmas gift. The card box will hold five cards and five envelopes easily. The cards were quick and easy to make and I really loved how they turned out. I used plain white cardstock (like from the office supply store). I cut each 8.5 x 11 sheet in half crosswise, which gave me two cards from each sheet of cardstock that measure 4.25 x 5.5 inches.

(BTW...I recently purchased a Scor-Pal...and it was perfect for this project, although not necessary)
For each of the cards, I stamped the Christmas design in black ink in the corner of the card and then added a word phrase approximately 1/2 inch from the edge of the card. Using template (cut it the same size as the card front, then cut a rectangle from the middle leaving 1/2 inch on each edge) or use the Tim Holtz zero center ruler. Using the ruler, I drew a solid black line 1/2 inch from the edge of the card. When I came to a spot that was stamped...I just skipped over it and resumed my line on the other side of the stamped image.








Now, here's the pattern for the adorable little box. (this is not my original idea, I saw one at Splitcoast Stampers and I've tweaked it for my use.)
You will need an 8.5 x 11 sheet of cardstock (paper won't work for this part - it must be cardstock).

1. On the 11 side, score the cardstock at 3 1/4", 3 3/4" and then at 8 1/4" and 8 3/4 "
2. On the 8.5 inch side score the paper at 3/4", 1 1/4" and then at 7 1/4" and 7 3/4"



3. Cut the flaps as shown in this photo - by cutting away where the black is.



4. The shorter end at the top is the flap of the envelope box. You might want to round the corners on that and on the side tabs that fold in.
5. Fold on all scored lines.
6. Use very stick double sided tape to adhere the bottom flap to the tabs that fold in. (it folds just like an envelope.)
7. Decorate as desired. I used a small magnet under the flap and on the envelope to snap the box closed, but you could use ribbon adhered with brads to tie it together or a small piece of velcro on each side.
Use your imagination..and remember...it's QUICK, EASY, and INEXPENSIVE! (And it makes a great gift!)

Today!

Hi everyone! Instead of a featured artist, today one of the contributing artists will be sharing how to make a beautiful project! Just perfect for those holiday cards! Stay tuned this week and next when a new contest is revealed (tomorrow) and favorite holiday projects made by the contributors! You won't want to miss it! :)
ps- have you been enjoying the projects lately? I sure have!

Gift Bow Tutorial

I imagine by now that most of you have finished making your holiday cards and are placing the finishing touches on any projects you’ve created as gifts. I also imagine you’re a lot like me, and now have a bunch of scraps left over.

Let’s use those scraps! We can make gift bows with them. This is a super easy, quick project. So easy, in fact, that your children can join in the crafting fun.

Using a patterned paper with a design on both sides, cut the following:

8 each – 1 inch x 4.5 inches
4 each – 1 inch x 3.5 inches
1 each – 1 inch x 2.5 inches



Fold all of the strips (with the exception of the short one) as pictured below and tack in place with adhesive or craft glue. When you’re working with the 4.5” lengths, fold 4 using one side of the patterned paper then fold the other four using the opposite side.

Take the remaining length (1 inch x 2.5 inches) and make a small loop.



Pierce a small hole in each bow petal and on the underside of the loop.



Insert a brad through the center of the loop piece.



Flip it over and place the 1 inch x 3.5 inch petals (facing downward) onto the brad.
Repeat the process for the other two layers.



Use glue dots to stack each layer of the bow. And there you go! You now have a package topper that anyone (including the family pet) will find hard to resist.

New Shaped Template!

I came up with this sketch/template while playing around in Photoshop today. I thought maybe someone could use it! It would be great with a horizontal and vertical 4x6 trimmed to fit inside the bracket shape. You can use patterned paper or cardstock for the other pieces, it's all up to you!

As always, I made it into a layered digital template as well for the digital and hybrid girls out there. You can pick it up at the link below. (If you only want the sketch/printable template, just right click on the image above and save it to your computer.)
http://www.4shared.com/file/168488279/6d522886/HL_BracketSketchTemplate.html

(note: this template was inspired by one done by Heidi S. for this site)

Holiday Crafting with Children

My daughter is as excited about crafts as I am! So I should have known she would be excited when she saw my newest supplies! I had planned to make a snowman decoration for our house. Once she spied the packages she asked if she could make one, too! And there is no way I can turn down that sweet little face! I knew my project would be too detailed oriented for her at age 4, so I made some changes and simplified it for her!

She had a sleepover and I decided it would be the perfect afternoon to do our craft! This is what we used for the girls’ snowmen:
· Styrofoam balls in different sizes
· Old cardboard
· Random holiday themed scrapbook papers and stickers
· Modge Podge
· Glitter
· Hot Glue Gun
· Pipe cleaners
· Glitter Glue like Stickles
· Googly eyes
· Glue dots
· Markers
· Sticks (we used lollipop sticks)

We started by covering the Styrofoam balls in Modge Podge and coating them in glitter! One dry, the girls decorated the face and “tummy” with markers, glitter glue, and googly eyes. While they decorated, I made hats out of scrapbook paper. Then I hot glued the Styrofoam balls together while the girls made scarves with pipe cleaners. While the hot glue and glitter glue dried we made the base. I cut out squares of cardboard and gave them lots of scrappy supplies to play with. They covered their bases in paper, die cuts and stickers. Lastly I hot glued the snowmen to the cardboard base and pushed in the arms. They were quite proud of their little creations!!!!





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For my project, I used the following supplies:
· Decorative tin
· Paint, glitter & glitter glue
· Scrapbook papers, buttons, markers, die cuts, etc
· Modge Podge, hot glue, glue dots
· Various glittery holiday picks & trim
· Ribbon
· Felt
· Pipe cleaner
· Paper mache star

I started by painting the decorative tin and paper mache star. I then covered part of the tin in paper, tied a ribbon around it and added silver trim. Next, I Modge Podged the Styrofoam balls and the star and covered them in glitter. The scarf was cut from red felt. I also I created a hat from paper and pipe cleaners. Once everything dried, I attached the hat, scarf, button and drew a face. Next I added glitter glue to the Styrofoam ball and star. I arranged the snowman, star and various picks in the tin and added smaller embellishments as I saw fit.




Hope you can think of a fun craft to do with your children too!!!!

Using Your Scraps

In the tough economy lately, many people are trying to use more of their scrapbook stash instead of buying new products. I have a few layouts and inspirational ideas to share that will help you stretch your scrappy dollars. Most of these layouts were made using simple squares. First, figure out what the smallest scrap you want to use is, then trim it into an even square. Then you can cut or punch squares of the same size out of your remaining scraps. Arrange the squares in a grid pattern, and add a few embellishments. This is a super quick way to get layouts done as well! Here are a few examples...




I made a template and sketch out of the layout below because I loved how it came out. Simple, but fun.



Here's the sketch. If you would like to save it to your computer, just right click your mouse and then click on "Save As".



If you are a digital or hybrid scrapper, you can download a layered .psd file of the sketch/template here...
http://www.4shared.com/file/128725959/e93519cd/MMD_LetsDanceTemplate.html

You can also use your Cricut machine to cut circles or other shapes out of your leftover patterned papers. This works really well with double sided papers because you end up with more options to mix and match. Here's an example...



*Note* Photography on "Jordan at Four" by Heather Munsterman Photography.

A Template By HEIDI SONBOUL!!

Ok, check this out, it is one of the cutest templates/sketches I have seen! My friend Heidi sent this to me and I was so excited when she told me I could feature it! I love how perfect this is for any holiday or celebration! The bag and bow are so fabulous! The detailing of the bow is amazing!

You can see so many more amazing projects at Heidi's blog! If you use this blog PLEASE send it to me at scrappingpam73@yahoo.com , I would love to feature you project! Also if you have a template you would like to share with our readers email me :)
Have a super Sunday!