Card in a Box! 12 Weeks of Christmas Card Tutorials: Week 9 with Chere!

Hello everyone,  Today Chere has this great tutorial for you....Here's Chere:

Christmas is right around the corner and many of us are still looking for Christmas card and project ideas.  Well at the Inspired Stamps blog you will find a new idea each week, this week it is my turn to share a project tutorial.  Today I created a "card in a box" using the Shepherd boy and the standing sheep stamp and laying sheep stamp.  I stamped the sheep several times on cardstock and watercolored the images using distress markers.  There are several different versions of this "card in a box" on the internet, but I like this one the best because you can get two out of one 8.5 X 11 inch piece of cardstock.  You cut the 11 inch side in half, to get two pieces of 8.5 X 5.5 inches.

 Place 8.5 inch side on top fence of scoring tool and score at 2, 4. 6 and 8 inches.  Turn 90 degrees and score at 2 3/8 inches.  Now you will need two tabs for inside of box and these can come from your scrap pile (we all have one of those don't we?)  These are 3 X 1/2 inches, score each end of the 3 inch length at 1/2.  (It is easier to score at .5 inches and then flip around strip and score again at .5 inches).  Then you will fold one part toward the back and one part toward the front.  This is a Z-fold.  Apply sticky strip (strong adhesive) to the outside edges of scored piece to attach inside box.

 The box panel is folded and burnished on three sides.  (You want to keep fourth side upright, this will be your back panel, this is also where the sides are attached with strong adhesive. Cut up three of the score lines to create flaps (this is the shorter of the panels).

 The Z-fold strips are placed on the inside of the box.  It is easiest to use a strip with fold facing back panel and line up with the back edge, adhere, then line up side and fold box on side and burnish.  Repeat with strip toward the front of the box.  These pieces are needed for the box to have stability and to allow you to attach your embellishments.  I added pieces of BoBunny paper from the Christmas Collage collection.  The pieces were cut to 2 X 2.25 inches, adhere to 3 side panels, the back panel was a bit longer.

 I cut 1/4 inch strips to attach to back of my Shepherd and sheep to better attach them to the inside strips.  I also added some grass to these strips, since sheep are grazers and it helped mask the white strips.  I added Luke 2:11 to front flap and stars to back panel.

 More BoBunny Christmas Collage paper was added to bottom panels.

 The back of the box is where you can stamp your sentiment and write your personal message.  My sentiment came from the Christmas verses set.

 Here is the box folded flat.  When you are adding your embellishements you want to make sure they will not stick out the sides when folded flat, so that the card will still fit in a standard A2 envelope.  The card mails flat, but what a wonderful surprise for your recipient when the open up and see your creation.  I just love how fun these cards are to make and how happy they make the recipient.  I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and I hope you will give this card a try.  If you have any questions, please let me know.  Thank you so much for stopping by today and please be sure to check in often at the Inspired Stamps blog for more inspiration.

12 Weeks of Christmas Tutorials with His Little Ones characters: Week 6 + DT Thursday with Chere and Deneen!!

Hello friends!   Today is normally a Design Team Thursday, but there is no way I could leave you with just a photo of what Chere and Deneen created for today, so I am including their posts as part of our 12 Weeks of Christmas Tutorials so you can find these easily by clicking on the link in the side bar!  If you are interested in learning more on how Deneen made her tea light lantern, leave us a comment below!  Be sure to take advantage of our sale to get all these great stamps:

 DENEEN'S TEA LIGHT LANTERN using many of our new release stamps!
Today I'm sharing a tea light lantern with you, I had a lot of fun designing it, okay, I had a few frustrating moments designing it, but, I had a lot of fun decorating it!  (I may do a tutorial on it at some point, just so that you don't make the mistakes I made along the way, lol!!)

Lantern Size:  4" x 6.75"

I used HLO:  Shepherd Boy, Sheep Standing, and HLO: Angel.  The verses are on vellum and I used Luke 2:11, and Luke 2:13-14. 

On the other 2 sides I used Laying Sheep, and Nativity Set, the verse  I used here is included with the Nativity Set! 

Copics Used:

Sheep - W0, W1, W3

Copics Used:

Skin - E000, E00, YR01

Hair - Y02, Y11, Y13, Y21

Robe/Wings - W0, W1, W3

Copics Used:

Skin - E000, E00, YR01

Hair - E13, E15, E17, E18

Headdress - E41, E42, E43

 Robe - G20, G21

Staff - E15, E18

Eyes - E17

The star is a bit of an oopsie, I didn't realize how much the Stickles would wrinkle the vellum, next time I'll either use something else or let it dry before putting it on.  First I traced a star shape with a black felt tip marker, and then I coloured the back of the vellum with Copic Y08.

 Copics Used:

Mary - Skin-E000, E00, YR01; Hair-E13, E15, E17, E18; Clothes-B91, B93, B95; Eyes-B91.

Joseph - Skin-E000, E00, YR01; Hair-E13, E15, E17, E18; Clothes-E41, E42, E43; Eyes-E17.

Manager - Wood-E13, E15, E17, E18; Straw-Y11, Y13, Y21; Swaddling-E41, E42, E43, Skin-E000, E00, YR01.

 

Enjoying the candle in the dark.

Recipe:  Inspired Stamps SS-HLO: Angel, HLO:  Shepherd Boy, Standing Sheep, Laying Sheep, Luke 2:11, Luke 2:13-14 & Nativity Set, CTMH PP-Mistletoe, CTMH White Daisy CS, Bazzill Prismatics brown CS, Bazzill Mono green CS, Spellbinders-Labels 4 & Labels 18, Cheery Lynn Designs-Victorian Romance Flourish, Black Fine Felt Tip Pen, Lemon I ce Stickles, Copic Markers.

 Blessings,
Deneen

CHERE'S GIFT CARD HOLDER TUTORIAL:

 'Tis the Season to be thinking about Christmas cards and gift card holders.  Gift cards are becoming quite popular due to the fact the recipient can pick out their own gift and you do not have the tremendous shipping costs.  I have to admit I like to receive gift cards but I still love receiving something someone has thought about me and picked out.
I found this particular matchbook gift card fold at songofmyheartstamps.typepad.com.  I liked it because you can make four gift card holders from one 12 X 12 piece of cardstock.
How to:
Cut a 3 X 12 inch strip of cardstock and score at 3.75, 8, 8.75 and 9.5 inches.  Punch a shape out of holder side (I used 1.25 inch circle punch).  This will allow you to easily grab the gift card out of holder.  Then add thin strip of sticky strip (it needs to be thin so you have room for your gift card in the "envelope".  Also add thin piece of sticky strip to bottom of the matchbook fold near the lower edge (needs to be at the lower edge so top flap can easily tuck in to close card).
Card is finished, very easy.  As I said you can get 4 of these from one 12 X 12 piece of cardstock.  I made a minor adjustment to some of the others I made. This version has a flat flap, but if you are adding anything with a bit of bulk (say you want to add the gift card to a tag with a ribbon pull) then I added another score line at 4 inches.  I used all the same score lines as above but added an additional score line at 4 inches and this gives the "traditional" matchbook look.  The flatter version would be much easier to mail, since it is flat.  The second version would be better for hand delivery.
I hope you have a blessed day
Chere

A big thank you to both Deneen and Chere for these amazing projects!  Leave them some love in the comment section below!! 
Blessings,
Antoinette