Easel box card tutorial

I'm on a tutorial roll this morning, I've been promising this for so long so and as I posted one of these easel box cards in my post yesterday decided it was time I got on with it, plus the tri fold card which you will find in the post below this one.

All measurements on this one are metric and you can blow each one up to get a closer look by right clicking over the picture.

You will need four sheets of A4 cardstock, or if you use A3 and juggle the pieces about a bit you should get away with one of those and one A4. Also, a scoreboard, ruler, glue....I uses Art Institute dries clear as it's an almost instant fix and as the name implies dries clear.....two 12x12 sheets of DP and a tassel or large brad for the draw handle. I like to use double sided or coordinating DP as this gives the best visual result. Plus your easel card to fit on top.

Cut out all pieces and score as per the pictures (see note below fig 4 before you cut).

fig 1

Join A & B on box parts one and two (fig 1&2) by folding over each other butting to the folds, so you have one long piece. Now fold the whole piece round to form a box shape and glue the longest flap over the shorter one - this should butt to the corner fold and give a perfect box shape.

fig 2

fig 3

Score all round the drawer piece as above, then cut a triangle section out from each corner piece. This then folds inside the next section to create your drawer. I use the same glue for this and find it helps to keep a good shape if you pop a paper clip on each corner until it's totally dry.

fig 4

You can add any shape easel card on top, but if you are going all square as the one below, you can cut this piece all in one : i.e 148 x 296 and score in the middle so that you have the top of your box and base of easel all in one. Then you just need an extra 148 square piece for the main focal element.

Cover all sections of your assembled box with DP's and that's it other that whatever design you add to the top. As always, please mail me with any questions.

Tri fold card tutorial

As promised here are the instructions to make a tri fold card like the one I posted the other day here and below. I know there are lots of different styles of this fold card and tutorials out there in blogland, but I wanted to come up with one that involved the minimum amount of cutting and faffing about and this one uses an A4 sheet of card as it comes without any trimming. All measurements for this one are in good old fashioned inches.

All you need to create the card is one whole A4 sheet of cardstock, a ruler and/or scoring board, pencil and craft knife.

I have tried to make the picture as clear as possible, but you can always click on the picture to get a closer look if any of the measurements are not clear enough. Hope you find this easy to follow, but any problems please do ask me (e.mail on my profile page).

Allosorts literally

Good Morning everyone, well the snow arrived here last night, how about you ?

Not a lot, but it looks really pretty. It was the puppies first encounter with the white stuff, neither Daisy or Lily were took keen and both wanted to get back to their respective baskets.

I thought I would share the easel box card I made last week for Azaria, it used the really cute slapstick from Penny Black 40-038 Kindness, which I stamped and embossed three times, coloured with Copics and decoupaged. The DP is My Minds Eye, the swirls a sizzix die and the border Martha Stewart trellis fence. The flower is made using Tim Holtz tattered floral die, soaked in water to shape then spritzed with Glimmer Mist pearl. This is for the following challenges:

Crafty Catz - Christmas

Something Completely Different - Let it Snow (it is with glitter)

Over at Allsorts we have a brand new challenge this morning were my teami Amanda would like to see Monochromatic projects.

For my DT work I have created a shaped card using Nesties.........it's not huge but I do love the shape of these new labels 17........ which I spritzed the card itself with Glimmer Mist gold. I used Stamps by Judith (Stamp Addicts) 0-90 which I stamped with versamark and embossed with detail clear, then distressed with Tim Holtz scattered straw and tea dye. I then overstamped Stampendous long agapanthus in versafine sepia. The bottom section was run thorough the Big Shot using Cuttlebug bark folder, some ribbon, Swarovski crystals and a small sentiment to finish. This card is also for the following challenges:

Our Creative Corner - Tag it

Alphabet Challenge- E is for embossing
Lots to Do - Embosing (used dry and heat)

Let it Snow

Mojo missing...............if found please return a.s.a.p.

Oh my goodness, it's hard going no inspiration and Mr Mojo nowhere to be found. Last night I must have spent an hour looking at a collection of lovely new stamps from Teresa at Crafts and Me and nothing gelled. As they were all fairies something is definitely not right.

But before I launch into my cards, I want to say a big thank you to Bee Crafty for selecting me as their winner last week, this is a fairly new challenge so do check it out, they have a super sketch this week and fab prizes. And also the girls at Creative Cottage who selected the card I made for my Grandson as one of their Top 3.

So here are my meagre offerings from a Mojoless craft room. The fairy on the card above is Sweet Pea Hiding, equally as lovely as all the others and I just feel I have not done her justice. She is coloured with Copics and her wings decoupaged and glittered. The DP is Magnolia, Martha Stewart punched snowflakes, ribbon and a flower. This is for the following challenges:

Crafts and Me - Dreaming of a White Christmas - snowflakes

Creative Cottage - Untraditional Christmas

Charisma Cardz - One for the girls

Ladybug - Sketch

My next card, also one of last evenings efforts, uses Hero Arts F5075 Sparkle Poinsettia, inked with Tim Holtz dusky concord and bundled sage and spritzed with water before stamping. The DP is My Minds Eye and the flower is mounted onto a 'doily' cut using the Magnolia die - this is a half circle and takes a bit of getting used to lining up, but once mastered worth the effort as it is so pretty. I tend to cut several at a time once I get the technique going. Some adorable lace which was part of a prize and a single flower and pearls to embellish. This is for the following challenges:

Delicious Doodles - Anything goes

Bee Crafty - Sketch

My final card is a Stampalot sample which I shall be delivering tomorrow.........I have prepared instruction sheets for making a tri fold card which will be available at their Third Ultimate Rubber Stamping Day on 4th December 10am through 4pm with free eats and drinks all day. I will also pop the instructions on my blog shortly.

I masked a piece of cardstock to create a moon by sponging distress inks, then stamped Art Impression U1562 Rooftops which I coloured with TH ink and added a liberal amount of glitter to the rooftops. Through the moon I stamped Magenta 02045-6 Santa......this is a silhouette wood mounted stamp and if you go looking for it you will see the actual image is straight, but I 're-assembled' it to curve the sleigh. The DP is October Afternoon and he snowflakes a Martha Stewart punch. This card is for the following challenges:

Scrapbook Sisters - Let it Snow

Simon Says - Let it Snow

ABC - I is for Ice and Snow

Moving Along with the Times - More than one fold

Stampalot goodies winner

Morning peeps.

Thank you to everyone who joined in my candy run for the £30 Sir Stampalot voucher and I am pleased to announce the winner selected by Random Org is:

Troy

Number 129

Well done Troy please mail me brenda@ibas.co.uk and I will explain what you need to do to claim your prize.

I will be back later with some cards and more candy in a day or so, so keep your eyes peeled.

A bit of blue

Hi peeps, what gloomy weather here in the Fens, not sure if its the same all over but I'm not much liking what the weather forecast promises for later this week. Time for my three months winter break in the Caribbean me thinks...........I wish...........I can but dream.

Getting decent photos has been pretty impossible today, I even took my cards into the office in the hope I could take a couple if we got a glimmer of sun, but no such luck. So apols in advance for the poor picture quality.

There seems to be a distinct blue feel to Christmas this year and although it's not a colour I use a great deal, I quite like what I came up with for a couple of challenge with the blue theme.

Both cards have been made in the same way using Penny Black 2800K Sound of Snow, but one is intended for a man whilst the other is a bit more feminine. Before stamping I created a background by simply dragging a distress inkpad across a piece of card, in this case Tim Holtz broken china, then the image stamped with versafine black and embossed with detail clear.

The box, not that you would really know from the picture !

The larger background piece has been stamped all over using Hero Arts CG229 Classic Holly with versamark, embossed with detail clear then distressed with TH broken china and stormy sky. I gave the edges a think paining of Windsor and Newton silver acrylic pain then heated to make it bubble. The same sentiment added to both, flowers (I coloured these with the same inks and silver) and punched holly on one and just the holly and a couple of bells on the other. I also made a box for one, but the picture is pretty appalling. These cards are for the following challenges:

Midnight Madness - Sketch (I went with the simple one and added a few bits so hope it's OK)

Pollycraft - Feeling Blue

Wild Orchid - Blue Christmas

Cards for Men - Christmas (the second blue card)

Incy Wincy - Blue and White

My second card is a really simple one using some DP from stash punched with Martha Stewart double loop round the page, some flowers, pearls, punched leaves and a sentiment tag using Penny Black 4075F For the Stars. This card is for the following challenges:

Paper Playtime - Thank You

Stamp Something - Thanks

My time to Craft - Tag Along

Grown Up Christmas Fairy

Hope everyone is having a good weekend, lots of crafting to stave off the miserable weather outside.

More fantasy indulgence with another of the new Sweet Pea stamps this one called Poinsettia fairy, isn't she devine ? Or "provocative" as my hubby always says about these images......dream on, the ones at the end of the garden are nothing like these ones.

She has been stamped and embossed twice, coloured with Copics and decoupaged. The DP is October Afternoon, a Martha Stewart punched border and holly, poinsettias made from punched vellum and basically lots of titivation. This card is for the following challenges:

Sweet Pea - Sketch

C.R.A.F.T. - Use some vellum

Glitterbabes - Easel card

Bee Crafty - All that glitters

Crafty Pad - Red and green

One Stitch at a Time - Season (Christmas)

A bit more indulgence in favourite things and this one what I really enjoy most of all...........getting inky fingers. This is a card I used for a couple of classes.........I'm so generous and like to make sure the girls get inky as well ! A background created with Tim Holtz broken china and olive, then stamped with a variety of Her stamps, then the edges have been well roughed up and inked with Adirondack gold dabber and heated.............if you have not tried this technique please do, it's such fun as the heating makes the ink bubble and gives a lovely finish. The piece has been simple matted and layered and a butterfly added. This card is for the following challenges:

Flutterby Wednesdays - wings (sorry, never quite got to the optional sketch
Lots to Do - Favourite technique (getting down and messy)

Molly Blooms again

Morning folks, it's Saturday which can mean only one thing, time for a new challenges at Allsorts where Kirsten has given us a recipe to work with "Lace, ribbon and a charm".

I usually struggle with recipes because I usually create my card only to discover when I've finished that I have missed something off, but I think I've got it all this time....fingers crossed.

I used a couple of new stamps here, the lovely scene is from Stampendous CRR123 Forest Cottage, which I stamped and very lightly coloured with Aquamarkers and added some JudiKins snow glitter. I created a frame using Nestie and My Minds Eye DP, then decoupaged this lovely little girl which is one of the new stamps designed by our Claire - Molly Blooms MB00341, again coloured with Aquamrakers and decoupaged. Martha Stewart doily lace punched, lace ribbon and a charm............yes it is there.......if you look closely you will see a little Christmas tree in the scene. This cards is also for the following challenges:

My Time to Craft - Window fun

Simon Says - Sparkle

Stamping for the Weekend - Winter

CES - Lovely lace

Our Creative Corner - Holiday 3D

Ladybug - Christmas sparkle

My second share is yet another Christmas creation back in the distressed floral comfort zone using Penny Black 3758K Christmas Montage which I inked with various Tim Holtz inks and spritzed with water before stamping, then added some glitter here and there. The DP is My Minds Eye, all edges distressed with the same inks, a border punched with Martha Stewart cornice edge, buttons and gold cord to embellish. This card is for the following challenges:

Midnight Madness - Sketch

A Spoonful of Sugar - Distressing

An Oldie but a Goodie - Glitter

Stampman - Anything 'Tim'

Creative Inspirations - Christmas/winter

Feels like snow

Hello everyone, how you doing ?

Is it cold or what, don't know about the rain they forecast, feels more like snow here so someone must have left the Fen gate open again....for those of you not familiar with the Fens, it's very flat and when the wind blows we know all about it. In the spring and summer we get the 'Fen Blows'.......the soil being so light here, it literally lifts off the ground in a good wind and blows like a dust storm and many a newly sown crop has been lost that way. When we get winter winds it's cold, it is verrrrrrrry cold. I could drivel on for England couldn't I ?

Dining room done, hall work in progress, slowly goes it but it's nice to have one room almost done and dusted. There were a few hairy moments on the ladder, but hubby stayed close and left me too it as he knew I was determined to do it. The body's not so sure of the wisdom today though and nothings working very well and I may just let someone else do the next room. But I think sometimes I have to do these things just to prove to myself I am not a total write off just yet. And I am really pleased with the room, I love the colours and now itching to get the new dining furniture in......I will share piccies when we get there.

My first card card is a but of indulgene again with Sweet Pea Fairy of the Night, stamped and masked to create a moon, then coloured with Copics. The glittered spotty DP is My Minds Eye and I embossed the bottom piece of bazzil with a new butterfly folder I bought at the NEC. I added crystal glityter the the fairies wings, some flowers and a pin which was silver so I coloured it with Copics to match. This card is for the following challenges:

Simon Says - Sparkle

In a Sweet Pea Dream - Flowers

My second cards one of my really quick and simple ones using a lovely Clarity Christmas stamp which I stamped with versafine black, embossed with detail clear onto a piece which I misted with Glimmer Mist timeless lilac then masked to I could ink the centre of the large letter using brilliance inks. Next I sprayed with Crafters Companion iridescent spray and sparkle and when dry stamped with one of the sections of Judikins Christmas cube. The DP is Cosmo Cricket. This card is for the following challenges:

Tuesday Taggers - Peace, love, joy

Fab 'n Funky - Forget me not (the cube stamp)

Anything Goes - Let it snow

Ladybug - Christmas sparkle

Stampendous P107 !!

Happy Monday peeps, hope you all had a good weekend.

Not a lot to report from this end and before anyone asks, no the decorating is not finished, still very much work in progress. I just don't know how these jobs can take so long, was the time when I'd have had the job whipped in a day. So a swift crafty share or two so I can get on top of my office work.........does help when the boss is hubby........and hopefully slope off early to have another stab at the decorating.

My first card is a little bit of indulgence with all time favourite stamp Stampanedous P107........I know all you ladies who come to my classes and demos will have a little grin here..............stamped with Big and Juicy spice and embossed with detail clear and Hero Arts S5316 silhouette grass stamped in the background. Distressed round the edges, a punched flower liberally spritzed with Glimmer Mist pearl and one of the new Kaiser DP's. The sentiment is Hero CG189. This card is for the following challenges:

Stamptacular Sunday - Sketch

Stamp with Fun - Square

Paper Playtime - PS I love you - Stampendous P107 of course

One Stitch at a Time - Favourite colours

My second share is yet another easel card.......at least the shape is different...... I started by spritzing the background with Glimmer Mist electric blue and honey dew mist then stamped Penny Black 3880K Fantasy with versafine black, embossed with detail clear and added sparkle with stickles. I am not certain, but I think the pretty glittery DP is K&Co and the sentiment is Penny Black 4116G.

Wild Orchid - Blue Christmas

Pollycraft - Glittery Christmas

Crafty Pad - Christmas Sparkle

Crafty Calendar - Winter with snowflake option (they are on the border)

Paper Sundaes - Topping bar ( punches, ribbon embossing and the colour blue - full house and a huge Sundae !)

Penguins galore

Challenge time at Allsorts again where the lovely Emma has given us a great sketch to work with which I used to go all Penguiny....absolutely sure that's not a word but sounds good.

But before I share my card for this week, a reminder that there is still time to join in our sister challenge at Penny Black at Allsorts where the the theme is "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas". Lots of prizes on offer so please do pop over and join in.

I have made a card and matching box for a special grandson who loves penguins. The main image is Hero Arts K5260 Three Penguins, stamped and embossed three times, coloured with Copics and decoupaged onto a circle but with Nesties. The DP is Three Bugs in a Rug, punched snowflakes and a computer generated personalised tag sentiment. This card is also for the following challenges:

A spoonful of Sugar - Snow/snowflakes

Creative Cottage - Someone special at Christmas

ABC Challenge - H for Holidays (Christmas)

Secret Crafter - Sparkle and shine

Sweet Stamping - All about snowflakes

My next share is using another of the new Molly Blooms Christmas stamps........and another of those easel cards.......I really love this one and I think she looks just as good in her summer clothes. I used the My Minds Eye DP to paper piece her dress and placed her in a circle window cut with Nesties. I stamped Stampendous CRR123 into the window and added some punched butterflies as well a a corner using the same Martha Stewart punch. The sentiment is Penny Black 4075F. This card is for the following challenges:

Stamping for the Weekend - Sketch plus butterfly/s

Something Completely Different - Wings

Flutterby Wednesdays - Window card with wings

Crafty Creations - Buttons

Remembrance

Hi folks, still pretty windy here and sounds the same right across the Country, so perfect crafting weather.

I should really be decorating, but my cold sort of slowed me down, but hopefully the weekend will prove more productive on that front. Certainly need to get the dining room sorted because M&S want to deliver the new furniture. I have already put them off twice but they are getting a bit agitated now, understandable I guess as most people what new things yesterday.

Have you entered this months Penny Black at Allsorts challenge yet ? Lots of stamps to win again and such a nice easy theme "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas".....how easy is that ?

A couple of shares today. The one above is a my take on the lovely card Shenna Douglas made with her new stamps which were some of those I succumbed to at the NEC. I adore poppies so this was a must have set and apart from adding some ribbon and probably slightly different colours, this is more or less a direct take on Sheena's fabulous inspiration. The stamps are in two different sets, the tree and landscape all one stamp, then the poppies another set which which have been overstamped. All are coloured with Aquamarkers and some Copics to add depth to the poppies. This card is for the following challenge:

Daring Cardmakers - A time to Remember

Crafty Catz - Paper tearing

My second card uses the same Hobby Art sentiment used on one of the cards in my last post, a frame cut with Nesties using Kaiser DP, a border punched with Fiskars threading water, some lace and a flower and leaves made using one of the Cuttlebug quilling sets. This card is for the following challenges:

CRAFT - Colour palette

Moving Along with the Times - Summer colours/lace/flowers

Me, like fairies ?

I woke up at 5am sneezing, by 8am it was a full blown cold and by lunchtime I look like Rudolph.

Must be something to do with the rumour of decorating, so I decided not to go into the office today and take it a bit easy with some craft. And has that been slow going, just one card completed, one finished from yesterday and a sample from stock, so here they are.

A couple of easel cards as I have a bit of a glut of them right now thanks to the one and only puppy from hell, Daisy. I had all my nice new cardstock from the NEC laid out on the sofa in my craft room.......200 cards and envelopes in total.........in comes Daisy fresh from the stables with hubby and literally launched herself onto the sofa, muddy pawmarks everywhere. Dog's don't do sofas in our house, lets fact it, if they did we would be the ones sitting on the floor.

So the only option I could see to salvage some of the ruined cards was cut off the muddy fronts and assemble some easel cards. In fairness to Daisy, the ruined ones were in the minority, but think she learn a hard lesson there. And for you peeps, a few more easels to come still......but I do love the shape so not too fussed if I am honest.

The top card is sheer indulgence with another of the new Sweet Pea Stamps from Crafts and Me (link on sidebar) called One and Only Heart. Isn't she the sweetest ? She is stamped with versafine and embossed with detail clear, then masked so I could add a sun.........I know I am a bore but all fairies need a moon or sun in my fantasy world. I decoupaged her glove, flower and heart, coloured with Copics and glittered her wings and the heart. The DP is a really old piece from my stash, the two white hearts are made with glittered card using an Martha Stewart punch, the border another MS punch and feathers and a based pin used to embellish along with some roses and beads. This card is for the following challenges:

Crafts and Me - Glitter

My Time to Craft - Rhapsody of Roses
Flourish Timeless Tuesday - Glitter

My second card, another of the reassembled easel cards stamped with Hero Arts CG179 aptly named Rose Background and coloured with Twinkling H20's. The sentiment is Hobby Art GR1353, such a lovely sentiment, stamped with versamark and embossed with detail clear. The bottom section is Magnolia DP, Tim Holtz Bigz swirl dies and two roses made from plain purple paper and dipped into hot UTEE to give a lovely glazed finish. This card is for the following challenges:

Tuesday Taggers - Gold, silver and purple

Anything Goes - Embossing

My final share today using this lovely little Sarah Kay girl, whose name I'm afraid I don't remember........my biggest problem with unmounted stamps as there is no wood block with the details to remind me. She is coloured with Copics and mounted onto a pretty embossed circle using the Magnolia die. The DP is My Minds Eye, a MS punched border and some punched flowers.This card is for the following challenges:

Fab 'n Funky - Going round in circles

ABC - Holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving etc)
For Fun - Dry embossing
Scrapbook Sisters - Christmas colours

Queen Hatshepsut

It Monday folks and it's raining and blowing a gale outside.

So how was your weekend ? Who watched the reality programmes.....I'm meaning Strictly and the X Factor of course. So what's it all about then, there was me thinking it was all about the dancing and singing abilities and here we have a 'blue' female who quite frankly is an embarrassment to watch and a so called Brazilian 'vocalist' whose singing abilities defy comment. My hubby reckons it's a mockery and we should all show our disdain by switch off our TV's..........so who does vote for them I wonder........or is it all fixed ?

OK moan over, onto some craft. Not a lot going on there though as things need doing around the house. We have just had new wood floors laid from the utility room, right through the hall and into the dining room, so of course now the decorations all look shabby and as the skirting's are all off, hubby wants to replace them, so some decorating is in order first. Had a quick visit to Laura Ashley yesterday......no surprise with my style of craft that I love their designs and have used them for years.

So advance notice, my blogging activity might be a bit slow this week.........I'm not actually sure if I can even wallpaper anymore with my rotten balance and fumbling fingers, but going to give it my best shot so it does not all fall on hubbys shoulders.

Just a few shares, mostly previously finished work. The card at the top of this post used yet another beautiful Egyptian Sweet Pea fairy from Crafts and Me who looks rather like Queen Hatshepsut on one of the papyrus's we brought back from Egypt on one of our trips there. The background paper is created using the JudiKins cube with hieroglyphics on it which I stamped with Tim Holtz broken china onto some blue DP. The image itself is stamped with versafine black and embossed with detail clear and coloured in with Twinkling H2o's using the traditional Egyptian colours that adorn the tombs. A border punched with Martha Stewart zig zag and some gold emblellies. This card is for the following challenges:

Sweet Pea - Dry or wet embossing (fairy heat embossed)

My second card is using the lovely Penny Black slapstick stamp, which is stamped and embossed with detail clear, the masked so I could stamp in the Magnolia fence and coloured all with Copics. I also stamped some grass with the tiny Art Impression stamp, some bees to complete the little scene and also decoupaged the little boy. The DP is Nitwits, a couple of Tim Hotz adage tickets and tied them with raffia. This card is for the following challenges:

Stamp With Fun - Sketch

Lets Ink it Up - Create a scene

Cards for Men - Animals (froggy and 'something' peeping out of other bucket !)

Alice in Wonderland - Tickets

For my third card I used Penny Black 3877K An Afternoon stamped with versafine onto a background distressed with Tim Holtz mustard seed. I stamped the image a second time into vellum, then tore it in half and laid over the main image and fixed with brads. The border strip across the middle is stamped randomly with the same stamp and again inked with the TH ink, then ribbon, a button and lace added.This card is for the following challenges:

Daring Cardmakers - Topaz

Cupcake - Sketch

Gingerloft - Button/s

My final card is a really quick and simple one using October Afternoon DP and one of the little houses from Hero Arts CL464 which is simply coloured with Copics and glittered to add snow to the roof. The mats were cut on Cricut Storybook. This card is for the following challenge:

Something Completely Different - Houses

Paper Sundaes - Let it Snow