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

Christmas Card Collection

This year I decided to work on a full collection of five or six card designs for Christmas.  I was asked recently to provide the cards for the lovely gift shop Hearts for Homes in Ramsbottom, so this idea of a collection has become more relevant and important.

I’ve had my Christmas craft materials out for a few weeks now and have rediscovered some beautiful papers and patterns.  I found a stack of twisted pyramage with some lovely winter images.  I particularly like robins at Christmas, so thought I’d revisit this style of papercraft.  I’ve really loved the embossed and aperture style cards I’ve been working on this year, so keeping with that I found a lovely couple of embossing folders to work as backgrounds.

The snowflake embossing folder is by Darice.  I think it’s so pretty.  The snowflakes are all different and very delicate.  I think it works well with the twisted pyramage robin.

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My next card style in the collection is the large poinsettia.  This is a Bigz die by Sizzix and it works so well on all types of card, paper and fabric.  Here I’ve used some Kanban papers and combined it with a circular die cut aperture and embossed snowflake background.

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The third design in my collection uses some gorgeous rich cardstock I bought at the creative craft show .  This green is so sumptuous it just cried out to be used with gold mirror card.  I added a snowflake cut using an X-Cut die.  I think the gold ribbon bow and gems set it off a treat.  Don’t you?

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I’ve had such fun routing through my crafting arsenal of dies and materials.  I bought this Spellbinders bow die a while back and haven’t really used it.  But it called to me to make Christmas paper bows and add to the front of some cards.  I was reminded of a series of cards I made several years ago with large organza ribbon bows on the front which were very popular with my work colleagues at the time.  I loved making these bows from all the different Christmas patterned papers.  They looked so lovely on square cards, I even made some look like parcels.  My Mum and Dad will be getting one of these and I hope they like it as much as I enjoyed making it.

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These cards take a little bit of time to make so I was in need of making something quick to put in packs and that wouldn’t cost as much to make or buy.  I’d been thinking about doing some cut outs with patterned papers behind for a while now, but never gotten around to it.  This was the ideal opportunity to do some with my snowflake die.  I love this silver holographic paper.  It it so sparkly behind the snowflake.  I think they will look great on my stall at the school fair too.

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As in the words of the great Monty Python, now for something completely different!  I bought this lovely papercraft kit from Create and Craft several years ago and not known what to do with it.  The papers are quite pastel in colour but very fun and wintry too, and the little elements are very cute.  I particularly like the children in their winter outfits.  I thought they were perfect to send to siblings and grown up children.

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For my final card design this year I went back to my love of DL cards.  There is somethigng so elegant about a tall slim card and I just couldn’t help myself in making at least one.  For these I again used a Kanban card kit with some lovely HunkyDory Mirri card.  Simple but elegant I hope you agree

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So that’s my collection for Christmas 2016.  There is a selection available in Hearts for Homes in Ramsbottom as well as in Holts Newsagents in Walmersley.  I will also be selling these directly at the Springside Primary School Christmas Fair and via facebook.

I hope you like them.

Happy Christmas Crafting
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Personalising Cards

Over the last few weeks I’ve been thinking more about personalising cards and what sort of cards to make in order to have some to show as examples. So, with a neighbour’s birthday party around the corner, I decided to sit down and work through the various ideas in my head.

As I’ve been obsessed recently with the ‘dangler’ cards I thought I’d set about making them into frames into which I could add a sentiment or number depending on the celebration or occasion. My first one was for my neighbour’s birthday. She didn’t want any presents, just donations to a charity that she is very close to, so I thought an individual handmade card would be a great gift for her. I decided to have a change from mostly white card and made this one with some Create and Craft topsy-turvy cardstock in shades of turquoise. I also had a real play with my small die collection. The frame was made using spellbinders scalloped circle nesting dies and the layered flower on the acetate dangler is from a sizzix die set.  I added some little punched flowers with clear gems for centres and a tied a piece of co-ordinating satin ribbon into a bow.  To finish off the front of the card I used a tonic number die set for the ’70’.

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The card was very much appreciated and several other people have since asked for a similar style of personalising. So I have set about making up a few cards in different colours ready to add numbers to. I have again used the topsy-turvy cardstock as the colours are lovely. I think the bright yellow paired with the softer pastel yellow make a great combination, so sunny.

Yellow Heart

Yellow Heart

Orange Frame Card

Orange Frame Card

I also made a white and turquoise combination card……

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This has now been personalised for a horse-loving 21 year old’s birthday. I hope she likes it!

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I was also recently asked for a 50th birthday card for a man. I always find men’s cards difficult, even when I know the man in question. But these age related quotes in the Hunkydory little books are proving popular. So I added some 50’s using my tonic dies and Hunkydory adorable scorable cardstock.

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I really love these styles of cards and they lend themselves to some personalising. So I think I will set about making up another batch in different colours to add to my stock at the local newsagents and to put into my box for the craft fair later in the year!

Happy crafting
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