Project 5 of the Challenge - Back to Basics

 Pretty Stationary Sets

This project required using some pastel coloured A4 papers to make the base folders, and allowed me to blitz the papers requiring 2 and a half sheets of 12 x 12 and one sheet of A4 per folder, plus ribbon.  

A quick gift to make. No tools needed and makes lovely Thank You/Teachers gifts

Simply fold up the bottom of the sheet of A4 by approximately 2”, If you are making more than one use the first one as a measure for this fold to match all the folders. Trim the outside corners before running some glue down the outside edge of the fold to make the pocket.

Next measure the size and the folder and cut 2 sheets of paper 1/2” smaller on the height and width measurements. Glue to the outside. 

Next I used the same papers to make 6 matching notelettes, 

Going back to my craft room I picked up a stack of copy paper. Whenever I sell items or print anything that does not use a full page I save the other half.  I trim the pieces to 14cm x 21 and then fold in half. Putting 10 sheets together I staple the centre . The last thing I make for the folder is a matching note pad, using the 1/2 sheets of 12 x 12. Cut the 15cm x 30cm down to 15cm x 23cm. Gently fold the piece over but don’t push down on the fold. Slide the folded paper into the crease of the fold, Glue the top page of the stack and bring the folded paper down. Turn over and repeat , securing the notepad papers to the cover. 

Pop the 6 cards into one side of the folder and the notebook into the other.

You now have a great set of stationary to gift. Just add some matching ribbon to close the folder . 

I made 5 of these and added them to the challenge stack.

Happy Crafting 

Dee

Challenge Project No 4

 Next cards - Similar but different 

Now on a roll, my next card was something similar in design to the previous cards, but with a little twist.

The cards were covered with the 3.75” squares of patterned papers and a bow of white ribbon was attached to the centre. But instead of an embellishment or greeting added to the card, I added one of my hand made stickpins. 

The card would then be a greeting and small gift - all in one.

These cards were packaged individually with an explanatory note in the package, and I matched the pins to the colours of the background papers. 

I had enough pins to make 6 of these cards and so project 4 of the challenge has been completed. 

Keep checking in for more ideas of how to use up those lovely papers you have. 

Happy Crafting

Dee 

Challenge Items 1 & 2

 First 2 Gift Boxes of 6 Cards 

First 2 boxes of cards have been put together.

The idea that inspired the idea of using up the 12 x 12 pad was the quick gift box.  Made from one sheet of 12 x12 with enough width and depth to add 6 cards and envelopes . In order to decide the size of the card, you need to take the amount of centre space required for the cards & envelopes you are using. As this was 4 x 4 cards, I needed a minimum of 4.5” (allowing the extra for the envelope and a little wiggle room. Then the depth you need to hold six cards all with a little embellishment (stack the cards and envelopes and measure) for the first 2 boxes needed to be 1.5”

This makes the width of the card to make the box needs to be 1.5” + 4.6” + 1.5 =7.6” 

While the length needs to be 1.5” + 4.5” + 1.5” + 4.5” =12” 

This gives you the score lines 

First box had a very simple design. I cut one of the pieces of 12 x 12  papers into 3.75” squares. Wrapped some white organza ribbon arround the papers and then glued it onto a card front. 

Since photographing these cards I have added a small pretty white embellishment with Diamante centre.

These can have a greeting added or left plain as a notelette..

The next box I decided on another simple design on the same theme but this time as Birthday cards. 

First 2 sets completed. I looked in the cupboard to see what else I had I could use, and came across some flowers I had had made some time ago .

Another six cards were quickly made and boxed

Set 3 

As you can see 3 were made with summer colour flowers and 3 with autumn colours .

To if these flowers into a gift box required more depth and therefore a standard box had to be made that required 2 sheets of papers

These were all simple to make and started the Challenge off with a quick win, leaving 

27 sheets for the next projects. 

back soon with more ideas for the remaining papers.

Happy Crafting

Dee

Craft Challenge

 Using Up more Craft room pieces.

In keeping with my attempt to downsize my craft items I have started to tidy up all my boxes with papers, embellishments, gems, ribbons etc. I use a lot of stacking boxes to store my crafts, from the ‘Really Useful Box Company’ . As I go through the boxes I weed out the items I will no longer use and donate to charity and then mark the boxes with the contents, in the hope I will not buy doubles and triples of everything. This is a start, but it also highlights areas of concern. The stack of 12 x 12 & 8 x 8 paper pads which even after donating some, and selling some, leaves me with far too many. I cant bear to part with them just because I love the designs and even though I have no project in mind at this moment, I know I will enjoy using them sometime in the future. I tell myself they will only go up in price and so I am being practical keeping a good stash. All I need to do is to stop buying, and use what I have in the stash. 

Every now and then, I have a reason to select one of the paper pads and get to work on the next project, and so it happened last week. . My sister in law and I attend a craft club, where last week she announced that in Septembers she would be running a McMillans Coffee morning and would like some cards to sell as well. Last year with the same formula her friends and Jackie made over £800 to give to McMillans and they would like to match it again this year.

I went home and started thinking about what I could make for her and decided the best thing to do was select a paper pads and see what I could make with it. I chose one of the  12 x 12 pads by Crafters Companion I had purchased a few when they were on sale. This one was called Hydrangea. There were 34 of the 36 sheets remaining and I decided I would make as much as possible from the pad

Very pretty papers and I wanted to make a lot of cards, so I took one of the papers and made a box to present the first 6 cards. From a 12 x 12 I could make an all in one box that will take 4” cards. The problem being I had no 4 x 4 cards in my stash. A quick check on the internet and I was lucky to find them on sale at Hobbycraft. They were selling off the Craftstash 4 x 4 with envelopes, 50 in a pack, reduced to just £1. Great quality and too good a deal to miss. So I picked up several packs and set too, to make as many cards as possible using the papers and anything I had in the cupboard. 

Over the next couple of weeks I will craft and share my makes with you . So keep checking back to see what I have come up with. 

Happy Crafting

Dee

Special 70th Birthday Card/Memory Box

 Memory Box/Card

My latest project was a special card for a great friend. 

This is not my own design but an amalgamation of a few similar boxes I had seen on YouTube, in particular, and worth checking out NGOC Vang. This is a great memory box and I mixed the ideas from this Explosion Box, with an explosion card I have made before and then butterflies popping up in the middle. 

The outer box is made from a sheet of 12 x 12 card stock scored at 10cm and 20cm on each side, to make 9 squares. Another piece of 12 x 12 was used to cut the 4  hearts to line the corners, and the 4 pieces of  card 14.6cm x 6cm scored at 2cm on the 2 short sides and  1 long side. I then cut the corners and folded each of the scored edges over a  9.5cm square of plain card. This is a holder for the additions embellishments/tags/notelets etc . 

The Inner box is made from a piece of coordinating card stock 9” x 9” and scored at 3” and 6”. 

The corners are made the same as the outer box and each side has a black card photo mat

The centre has been decorated with  butterflies stickers on acetate strips, at different heights.

Thus being the first one I made the whole box took me 5hrs. So this is one for someone special.

Happy Crafting 

Dee