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

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Sleigh Ride triangle box tutorial

Ever wanted to fool a friend into thinking you’ve bought them a mini Toblerone? No? But it’s still fun to create this triangle box… and it’s extremely simple if you use the Gift Bag Punch Board. 

To be fair, you could make this almost as easily with the Score Board or your paper trimmer, but the Gift Box Punch Board takes most of the measuring out of the equation. Here’s how…

1. Take an A5 piece of cardstock and cut down to 17cm long (US friends, this is half a sheet of your standard cardstock cut down to about 6.5in along the long edge)
2. Put the long edge up to the top of the Punch Board and line up the left edge with the Start Line. 
3. Punch and then score along the Horizontal Line and Side 2.
4. Move Side 2 to the Start Line, punch then score along the Horizontal Line and Side 2.
5. Flip over the cardstock then line up the left edge at the Start Line. Punch and score along the Horizontal Line. Repeat with every score line lined up at the Start Line. 
6. Cut the flap at an angle, then glue together along the long edge.
7. Stand it on its end and arrange the flaps so you can mark where you need to trim to fit the triangular shape. 
8. Seal one end only (so you can insert treats) and decorate as desired.

Pretty simple, eh? 

Gift Bag Punch Board [135862] £18.00	Jingle All The Way Clear-Mount Bundle [140862] £26.25	Confetti Stars Punch [135861] £20.00	Gold Glimmer Paper [133719] £4.50
Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper [135315] £4.50	Night Of Navy A4 Card Stock [106577] £6.50	Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] £7.25	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [126970] £6.00

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Gift bag tealight holder

The whole point of this project is that it contains a battery tealight, which illuminates the scene through the vellum. So why I failed to switch on the lights before taking the photo, I’ll never know. These were gifts for ladies in my yoga class and have now left the building, so you’ll just have to use your imagination, I’m afraid. 

They’re made using the Gift Bag Punch Board, which is actually almost as difficult to type as it is to say. Fortunately it’s easier to use and, to make this project you’ll need a sheet of A4 cardstock cut down to 11in x 6in, then you simply follow the instructions for making a MEDIUM bag.

Die-cut your window in one of the wider panels then create your scene using the Sleigh Ride Edgelits. The holes in the top were, in retrospect, a mistake, as it means you have to untie the bow every time you want to switch the light on or off, so you may want to skip that bit. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I make mistakes so you don’t have to!

Sleigh Ride Edgelits Dies [139670] £17.00	Gift Bag Punch Board [135862] £18.00	Circles Collection Framelits Die [130911] £24.00	Card Stock A4 Soft Sky [131292] £6.50
Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper [135315] £4.50	Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] £7.25	White Vellum A4 Card Stock [106584] £6.00

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Jingle all the Way night sky card

First of all a reminder that if you want to take advantage of the four-day stamp set sale, please either get your orders to me by Friday at 9am, or use the hostess code on the left. If you email me your order and can collect from me, please add £1 for shipping; if you order through my online store, it will cost £4.95 shipping and I’ll send you a small free gift as a thank you. 

I’m typing this on Tuesday evening and it’s soooooo windy. I really don’t like it - it does something to my brain and makes me unable to think, irritable, tired and anxious. My downlines are probably saying “so what else is new?” but my response to them would be: “Imagine me at my hungriest… then multiply by 10.”  So excuse me if I struggle to string a sentence together. 

Today’s project is a bit of blast from the past, from my Christmas workshop way back when, only the sample went astray before I could photograph it. Anyway, remember this project? If you remember, the piece of Whisper White cardstock from that card made another card, too - and this is it. More bang for your buck, as they say Stateside. 

The background is very easy to create, with a piece of watercolour paper and some Night of Navy ink mixed with water in a spritzer. For extra effect, I first stamped some snowflakes and a moon with Whisper White ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder (only because I couldn’t find my white embossing powder… which has now turned up). This then resists the Night of Navy ink solution; any which remains can be rubbed off with a paper towel when the rest of the paper is dry. 

It’s a simple card and one which you can churn out in bulk for your Christmas cards. And the good news is that any of my customers waiting for Sleigh Ride Edgelits won’t have much longer to wait as they’re on their way! 

Jingle All The Way Clear-Mount Bundle [140862] £26.25	Night Of Navy A4 Card Stock [106577] £6.50	Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] £7.25	Watercolor Paper [122959] £4.50	Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad [101731] £7.25
Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder [109130] £4.50	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [126970] £6.00	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [103033] £3.00	Stampin' Spritzer [126185] £2.75

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Quick, easy and economical Sleigh Ride card

If my customers are anything to go by - and I don’t see why they wouldn’t be, fine arbiters of taste that they are - the Sleigh Ride Edgelits are the BIG seller of this year’s Autumn/Winter catalogue. 

Yes, they are a bit fiddly, but so worth it, as you can make beautiful festive scenes, perfect for Christmas cards, gifts and home décor. 

One idea I picked up from the Autumn/Winter catalogue is to use the “negative”, too - ie the bit you leave behind when you die-cut your shapes. This gives you a pleasing “two for one” deal, maximising your use of cardstock and speeding up the Christmas card-making process. If you’re short of time, or frugal like me, you’ll love this tip!

Here’s one we made at my Christmas workshop a few weeks ago; if I ever find the card we made with the other piece of white cardstock, I’ll show you that, too! (MUST get my craft stuff organised!)

Jingle All The Way Clear-Mount Bundle [140862]

Cherry Cobbler A4 Card Stock [121681]

Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549]

Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad [101731]

Gold Cording Trim [139618]

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com