More pop-up Boxes

Following on from last week, I thought I’d catch up a it on all the pop-up box cards I’ve made over the last few months. These have become one of my most popular customised order items in the last couple of years.

I have a plastic template for making a box card which I draw around and cut out twice to make the boxes. I can usually get one box out of one piece of A4 cardstock. For these I have been using Hunkydory ink-me cardstock (white) and Kraft card (brown) as it doesn’t crack when scored for the edges. I have also used HD Adorable Scorable in the past. In order to make the cutting out less time-copnsuming and to reduce the amount of hi-tack tape I need, I am also now working on a personal template so it’s only one piece with one side tab to attach.

First up is the box I made for a Swiftie! A 13th birthday card to go with tickets for a concert. I managed to find an image of the set list and the gig poster for the venue to add to the box, as well as adding in some album covers. I used some craftwork cards papers and Hunkydory mirri card and gems to complete the look.

Last year I had lots of weddings to make these cards for and the same lady asked for this one. I try to customise for the recipients as much as I can and this wedding box includes images personal to the couple – wedding and engagement venues as well as hobbies, where they work and the colours of the wedding invitation. Here I used some hammered card for an expensive feel and the foiling is all in silver.

An 80th birthday card for someone that likes bowls, wine and lives by the sea! This was a fun one to make with lots of bright greens and sunshine. Again I looked for image in my boxes of cut-outs and also found some free images online. I particularly love the seagull on the front of this one – probably got his eye on the ice-cream cone!

I really enjoyed making this 50th birthday box as it was for my brother, so I was able to look around for all the things that remind me of him. He’s been a massive Bury FC fan since he was about 5 so I was thrilled to find tiny images of all the club shirts over the years. I basically themed everything around football and added in a few beer bottles, albums and film references. I think he liked it.

Another milestone birthday box, this time for a son’s 40th birthday. I was given lots of ideas to add to this one, mostly games, space and theme park related. The Hunkydory duo design paper pads are great for this type of background too.

I was given lots of photographs to add on to this birthday box along with the hobby of triathlon. Again I have found Hunkydory to be a great source of pop-up pieces and here I have used a running topper set, sporting delightful die-cut book, sporting die set, FTLS stamp set and just my type pad. I finished it off with some Papermania square gems and Hunkydory wheelie paper.

After posting details of the retirement box I made for a teacher, I was asked to make a set of five more. Four of them were very similar to my original, the only difference being the stamped images painted and the colours used. This final one was again along the same lines, but was to include table tennis . For this set I used an old OS map for the background and added in lots of images from the Hunkydory die-cut pads.

Finally, I have just completed a 30th birthday card where I was given so many suggestions and images it was hard to fit everything into the box.

It really has been a summer of pop-up boxes! I hope they were all enjoyed by the recipients.

Time to get on with the Christmas crafting now I think, but in the meantime, have a safe and happy Bonfire Night.

Happy crafting

K x

Summer’s Over, Box cards and painting

Well Summer is over, half term finished here and it’s Halloween this week! Where has the last three months gone? I hope everyone had a lovely time and is keeping well now the dark nights are back.

So what have I been up to I hear you ask? I know lots has gone on and I have certainly been crafting when I can. It’s been a particularly busy few months for pop-up box cards, so I thought I’d share a few with you.

I was asked to make a special one for a favourite teacher retiring at the end of the last school year, so I thought I’d have a go using some of the stamps I got in a craft haul from FB Marketplace. These are a set of Hunkydory For the Love of Stamps , part of their Nature Watch collection. The other stamp set has large binoculars on but there are to big for a box card.

I chose to do some watercolouring and using my Prism brushmarkers are perfect for this. I don’t have the full range of them yet, but I am slowly building up the collection.

I always get confused over which ink pads to stamp with when using different colouring mediums, so heaven only knows whether I used memento or Stayz-on for these! But the colours didn’t seem to run, so whichever it was, it seems to have worked. (NB: Use the opposite base for the ink to the colouring medium – water-based inkpad with alcohol markers and vice-versa)

I was quite pleased with the finished results here as I haven’t painted for a very long time. It was fun to do and the Premier Craft-Tools Messy Mat was perfect for using as a pallet and to stop me getting water all over the office desk!

Whilst the paintings were drying, I put together my box card. I used kraft card for the box base and a piece of vintage map card from a collection from Hunkydory. I always use red-liner tape for putting these together as they do get some use folding flat and popping up again and this tape holds the box together brilliantly.

Once everything was dry, I cut out the painted images using a circle nesting die and also added some die-cut leaves. Then it was time to put them all together, using some thin strips of acetate for some of the smaller images so they look like they are exploding out of the box. The recipient also has a penchant for pigs, so I found a little pig stamp and added them on to the side panels.

So there you have my retirement box card. It was one of many boxes I’ve made over the last few months.

I’ll be back with a couple of craft hauls in the next few days, so in the meantime,

Happy crafting

x

(I have been back at Parkrun and I have managed to equal my PB of 44:25 twice!)