Bird boxes made with retiring Gift Bag Punch Board

Way back in November I thought I was being organised by buying Christmas gifts for my stamping club ladies. And then I was laid low with the lurgy... for weeks.

All of a sudden it’s spring and I realised I still hadn't given them their gifts, so I gathered together some retiring products and made these cute little boxes, each containing a bottle of Copper Shimmer Paint. What was particularly galling is that by the time they received the gifts, the paint was on the Clearance Rack and half the price. Doh!

The boxes are made using the retiring Gift Bag Punch Board; instead of making it to the instructions, I scored at the "Side 2" point every time, to make a square-based box. For the flap, I cut a separate strip, punched and scored at Side 2 repeatedly, then used the score lines to cut down... so the rounded flap that is normally the base becomes a front flap to finish off the box. Make sense? Didn't think so, sorry.

Other retiring products featured here include the Best Birds stamp set and co-ordinating dies, Nature’s Poem Designer Series Paper, Fresh Fig and Powder Pink cardstock. Get them while you can... if you still can!

Cat and dog treat boxes using the Gift Bag Punch Board

I used the Gift Bag Punch Board to make this cute treat box. You need to make two gift bags – one in black, one in a contrasting colour (I used Lemon Lime Twist, before it goes!). It's a snug fit but the lid does go on if you are careful.

The main image panel is attached to the Lemon Lime Twist on the top, so it slides off with the lid. 

Year of Cheer Designer Series Paper gift bags with SAB sneak peek

Can you spot a sneak peek here? These are some little gifts I made for some of my stamping friends at a get-together last weekend. I used half a sheet of Year of Cheer DSP for each box, and the Gift Bag Punch Board.

These were literally thrown together before I set off in the morning, so they decoration is very simple; just a couple of strips of cardstock (Whisper White and Silver Foil), a piece of ribbon and the finishing touch... yes it’s that sneak peek!

This die comes from a brand new set; a Sale-a-Bration freebie which you can earn from 3rd January. How do I have it early? Demonstrator perk, of course! SAB begins in December for demonstrators, so we can earn freebies for FOUR months instead of three. Whoohoo!

If you’d like perks like this, please get in touch to talk to me about joining. There are literally NO drawbacks, I promise.

Mix It Up Monday: Detailed Dragonfly Thinlits gift bag

It’s Mix It Up Monday again I’m getting to the end of the Peekaboo Peach colour combinations from my In Color charts, which is quite exciting for me, as it’s no secret that it’s not my favourite colour. 

But it’s ideal for creating prototype projects, which is what I did here; this is a ‘first draft’ of a project for my upcoming All-Day Craftathon. I combined a few products – Marquee Messages for the greeting, Awesomely Artistic for the foliage, along with the ever-popular Detailed Dragonfly Thinlits and, of course, the Gift Bag Punch Board. 

The Metallic Ribbon is a Sale-a-Bration item – you get 6.4m each of white with silver, and vanilla with gold, and it’s beautiful. Definitely worth getting if, like me, you’re running low on ribbon, as it will go with everything. 

Detailed Dragonfly gift bag

A bit of coppery bling for the depths of winter... guaranteed to brighten up the darkest day. I created this gift bag using the Gift Bag Punch Board for my friend and downline Alison, who unfortunately has her birthday on Christmas Day. I thought the dragonfly hinted at brighter, sunnier days to come... and also made for a really quick and easy project in the busy days running up to Christmas! A little glimpse of Emerald Envy really stands out from the copper, I think.

Mix It Up Monday with Pop of Paradise and Gift Bag Punch Board

What a horrible, rainy day it is here! What we need is some bright colours, a Pop of Paradise if you will. This colour combination from my latest set of In Color charts is perfect to brighten up this extremely wet Mix It Up Monday.

I made it for one of my Virtual Hostess Club members for her birthday. And then somehow things went a bit wrong as it turns out her birthday isn’t until April. I have no idea why I got so mixed up as it’s all written down on a spreadsheet. Anyway, I’ve told her she’ll have to wait, and I just hope her tastes haven’t changed by then.

The Gift Bag Punch board is an absolute boon for projects like this and it’s on offer for today only, at a mega bargain £12.60. Please click the image to order… and don’t forget to use hostess code BBB4XSCA. If you use the code and your order is £25 or more, I will send you a little thank you gift. 

Cookie Cutter Christmas mini gingerbread pouch

There’s an exclusive little boutique outlet near me that sells all manner of treasures and is especially loved by demonstrators who like to find small treats to package up prettily. The shop is called “Home Bargains” and is where I found these little gingerbread men to go perfectly with the Cookie Cutter Christmas stamp set. I think they were 79p for a pack of for seven individually wrapped packs of three. 

It’s also where I found the mini bulldog clips in a pack of mixed pastel colours (can’t remember the price) and the tiny candy canes (99p for 20).

This is the project I took along to Telford for our little group to make in our hotel room on the evening before the event. I kept the kit very simple, cutting everything in advance, and we used the Gift Bag Punch Board to create the packet, so that we didn’t need a paper trimmer or scoreboard. 

The bag isn’t one of the standard shapes that you can make with the punch board; I adapted it. Here are the instructions: 

You need a piece of Designer Series Paper or cardstock, cut to 7"x7".

1. Insert the DSP into the Gift Bag Punch Board with the left edge at Start Line and punch.
2. Score at Side 2 and along Horizontal line.
3. Move this score line up to Start Line and punch.
4. Score at SIDE and along Horizontal line. 
5. Move this score line up to Start Line (you’ll have to guess a bit) and punch.
6. Score at Side 2 and along Horizontal line. 
7. Move this score line up to Start Line and punch.
8. Score at SIDE and along Horizontal line. 
9. Move this score line up to Start Line and punch.
10. Trim the base flaps with scissors at about halfway and assemble as normal.

Cookie Cutter Christmas Photopolymer Stamp Set [142043] £19.00	Cookie Cutter Builder Punch [140396] £16.00	Gift Bag Punch Board [135862] £18.00	Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper [141981] £10.00
Tag Topper Scalloped Punch [133324] £21.00	Real Red A4 Card Stock [106578] £7.25	Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] £8.25	Tip Top Taupe Classic Stampin' Pad [138325] £6.00
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [126949] £6.00	Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad [126973] £6.00	Candy Cane Lane Baker's Twine [141983] £5.50	Gold Glimmer Paper [133719] £4.50

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Affectionately Yours gift bag and card

I made this card/gift combo for one of my club ladies, Sharon. In my previous Virtual Hostess Clubs, I’ve sent a small gift to every member each month but this year I decided to shake things up a bit, ditch the monthly treats and give them a proper present in their birthday month. 

Last month it was the turn of Sharon and Kelly but I’ve had to wait until now to show you as both had their birthdays right at the end of the month.  I won’t tell you what’s in them, as I may end up repeating gifts later in the club year… and also, I confess I can’t remember what was in this one! I do remember it being cylindrical and having to turn it on its side to fit it in… ah yes, it’s come back to me now. Still not telling you though.

The box is made with the Gift Bag Punch Board and one of the speciality sheets of DSP from the Affectionately Yours pack. I continued the theme through to the card with this very simple design, prettied up with some tiny flowers from the Tree Builder Punch.

And yes, I finally invested in the Layering Circle Thinlits. These are great, so much more versatile than the old circle dies, as there are scalloped dies to match each circle… and they’re a much more suitable size for cardmaking, too. 

Affectionately Yours Specialty Designer Series Paper [141632] £11.75	Tin Of Tags Photopolymer Stamp Set [142180] £19.00	Stylized Birthday Wood-Mount Stamp Set [141828] £9.00	Tree Builder Punch [138295] £16.00	Layering Circle Framelits Dies [141705] £32.00
Night Of Navy A4 Card Stock [106577] £7.25	Mint Macaron A4 Cardstock [138344] £7.25	Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] £8.25	Daffodil Delight A4 Card Stock [121680] £7.25	Flirty Flamingo A4 Cardstock [141421] £7.25
Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [126970] £6.00	Flirty Flamingo 3/8" (1 Cm) Ruched Ribbon [141426] £7.25	Pearl Basic Jewels Embellishments [119247] £4.50	Gift Bag Punch Board [135862] £18.00

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Tutorial: Bendy card, watercolour salt background, box with Gift Bag Punch Board

No Mix It Up Monday this week I’m afraid – just not had time to create one, what with one thing and another. But it gives me a chance to treat you to a festive tutorial, featuring a very fun technique!

This project was the topic of a class I held at the beginning of the month and it’s based on one I did on a retreat with Yorkshire demonstrator Monica Gale. I CASEd the card completely, but created my own box to hold it. 

Here are the instructions I gave the ladies in the class. I have to confess that things didn’t run smoothly and I ended up standing over people in pairs while they created the box using the Gift Bag Punch Board and I shouted at them! To be fair, it was their first time using the board. But I still think this is my favourite punch board of the three currently available. 

Bendy card

(Tutorial by Monica Gale)

1. Ink the large acrylic block half with Island Indigo and half with Night of Navy ink. 
2. Spritz well with water then lay your watercolour paper on top. 
3. Sprinkle the wet paper with salt and set aside to dry. 

Create the bendy scene

(NB: It’s important to carry out these steps in order)

You will need three strips of white card measuring:

1. 14.5cm x 5.5cm
2. 13.5cm x 5.5cm 
3. 12.5cm x 5.5cm

1. Make score lines at 1cm from each end in on all three pieces.
2. Lay all three pieces on the Big Shot plate and cut the scenes out using the Sleigh Ride Framelits. 
3. Cut a layer of Whisper White card measuring 9.5cm x 14cm. 
4. When the watercolour paper is dry, gently brush away the salt to reveal your unique background.
5. Cut down to 8.5cm x 13cm and attach to the white piece. 
6. Splash some watered-down Tombow adhesive across the background and sprinkle with glitter.
7. Take your die-cut strips and “draw” a line of adhesive along the edges of each landscape, then sprinkle with glitter. 
8. Attach the strips - the narrowest one goes at the back, with the widest one at the front - adding glue on the small score lines you made and attach to the white and starry sky layer. 
9. Once you have added all three, attach to the card base, ensuring you have an even border all around.
10. Finish with Snowflake Elements, with a rhinestone on the top one, and some silver cording on the bottom one. 

Make the basic box

(Tutorial by Helen Read)

1. Choose between Island Indigo or Night of Navy for your box; you will need 1.5 sheets of your chosen colour. 
2. Cut the A5 piece down to 13.5cm x 18.5cm and set aside for now.
3. Cut the full sheet down to 23.2cm x 18.5cm. Take this larger piece and push the long edge up beyond the Horizontal Line of the board. 
4. Position the left edge at the Start Line and punch.
5. Without moving the cardstock, score along the Horizontal Line (you won’t be able to score far). Also score vertically at Side 2.
6. Move this Side 2 score line to the Start Line and punch. Score along the Horizontal Line, too. 
7. Position the right edge of the cardstock at S and punch. 
8. Without moving the cardstock, score along the Horizontal Line. Also score vertically at Side 2.
9. Move this Side 2 score line to the Start Line and punch. Score along the Horizontal Line, too. 
10. You have one remaining line to score - this will line up with the punch mark. Position this punch mar at Side 2 and score. 
11. Trim triangles from the narrowest “flap” edge.
12. Take the second, smaller, piece of cardstock and push the short edge up beyond the Horizontal Line of the board. 
13. Position the left edge at the Start Line and punch.
14. Without moving the cardstock, score along the Horizontal Line. Do not score anything else in this position. 
15. Position the right edge of the cardstock at L. Score along the Horizontal Line. 
16. Without moving the cardstock, score a vertical line at position S.
17. Move this S score line to the Start Line and punch. 
18. Trim triangles from the narrowest “flap” edge.
19. Do not assemble until you have cut the oval aperture in the smallest piece!

Make the lid

1. Take your remaining piece of Night of Navy/Island Indigo cardstock and cut down to 10.3cm x 16cm. 
2. Score at 2.4cm on all four sides and make your box lid. 

Decorate the box

NB: It’s important to do this in the order shown

1. Take the smaller box piece and, using the oval die with the red washi on it, cut an aperture in it. Position it towards the bottom (the end with the flaps) so that the lid won’t obscure it. 
2. Using the same oval die and the one slightly larger, cut a frame from Glimmer Paper. You can do this in one go.
3. Using the Softly Falling embossing folder, emboss the box front, leaving the bottom flap outside the embossing folder. 
4. Cut a piece of Window Sheet to fit behind the aperture and attach - it won’t be seen, so don’t worry too much about seeing the adhesive. 
5. Fix the Glimmer Paper frame on the front. 
6. Assemble the box and decorate.

Gift Bag Punch Board [135862] £18.00	Jingle All The Way Clear-Mount Bundle [140862] £26.25	To You & Yours Too Photopolymer Stamp Set [139819] £14.00	Softly Falling Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [139672] £7.75
Island Indigo A4 Card Stock [124390] £6.50	Night Of Navy A4 Card Stock [106577] £6.50	Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] £7.25	Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper [135315] £4.50
Watercolor Paper [122959] £4.50	Window Sheets Base Material [114323] £4.50	Snowflake Elements [139638] £5.50	Silver Cording Trim [139620] £4.50
Gold Cording Trim [139618] £4.50	Rhinestone Basic Jewels Embellishments [119246] £4.50	Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter [133751] £4.50	Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad [126986] £6.00
Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [126970] £6.00	Stampin' Spritzer [126185] £2.75	Clear Block F [118483] £15.50

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