A sweet challenge

I only managed to complete two challenges on In Love With Stamping over the weekend – it was a busy weekend with firework displays, sleepovers and Remembrance Sunday parades.

But this was my second effort – the challenge was to produce a container for sweets or chocolates. I’m better at emptying them than creating them but made this using origami to make the base. Lots of people have asked me for the pattern but I couldn’t find it online. However, I did find this one – which I think would be better as it’s less fussy and the box should slide in and out more easily.

Then I just cut a strip of cardstock and scored it so that it would wrap around the origami box. To punch the aperture in the centre, I made a paper template of the top of the wrap-around piece and folded it into quarters. Then I overlaid it onto the red cardstock and punched, using the score lines to help me find the centre. NB: If your box is more than 3” wide, you won’t be able to punch in the centre because your punch won’t reach.

I attached a piece of acetate on the inside of the wrap-around so that the sweets wouldn’t fall out. Stampin’ Up!® does some Window Sheets which would be perfect for this, although I admit I don’t have any... yet.

The divider inside the box was really simple and is just resting inside, not attached in any way. I did discover that it sits better if you have diagonal strips; just measure the diagonal and cut two strips of cardstock to this length. At the centrepoint of each piece, cut halfway along the width – then you can join slot them together without any adhesives.

As usual, when creating my own boxes (ie not from an existing template), I realised too late that I should have stamped before scoring and sticking. Doh! So this is fairly plain – I just doodled around the aperture and decorated with some punched flowers and a tasty strawberry.

Inside there are not enough jelly beans. The reason for this is that back in April, I visited the chocolate shop in Ambleside, where they have a Jelly Belly Jelly Bean pick ‘n’ mix and bought some strawberry, orange, apple and cherry jelly beans so that I could make something fabulous using all four stamps from Tart & Tangy. It has, of course, not happened yet!

Stamps: Tart & Tangy
Cardstock: Real Red, Old Olive, Very Vanilla
Paper: Merry Moments
Accessories: Real Red and Old Olive markers, Stampin’ Write journaller, Boho Blossoms punch, 1 ¾” circle punch, 1 ¼” circle punch, 1 3/8” circle punch, Bold Brights brads, 5/8” Grosgrain Ribbon – Real Red, stapler, acetate

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.