Day 11 - 12 Gifts of Christmas

Well the gifts wouldn't be complete without a small box of

Thank You Cards

So I made 10 3 3/4" x 3 3/4" cards and using the stamp set Pocket Silhouettes I decorated them all differently. I didn't really have room for a sentiment on the outside, so put it on the inside... here are the cards along with the inside of them, plus the envelopes.



Next I needed a box to put them in, and this is how I made it...

I took a 12 x 12 piece of textured card and cut it down so it measured 10 x 10. I then scored it at 3" and 7" in both directions so that I ended up with a piece of card that looked like this...

I then cut along the crease at 3" and at 7" on one side and then the opposite side (not on all sides)... I also cut a slight slither out here and added double sided tape as shown...

Next taking each piece bit by bit I peeled the tape off one corner and bending up the side and tucking it in I securely stuck it to the inside of the longer piece. I did this with all 4 corners so it ended up like this...

And it looked very neat from the side...

The cards fit very nicely in this size box...

We next need to make the lid. For this I used a 12 x 12 piece of Holiday Treasures Patterned Paper (which was the PP I used on the cards, so that everything matches nicely...) and cut it to measure 10 1/4" x 10 1/4". I scored it at 1 1/2", 3", 7 1/4" and 8 3/4". Do this both ways so that it is scored all around.

I then had to cut the corners so the box would fold together properly, so cut along the white lines I have drawn on the next diagram...

Do this on all four corners. When it has been cut out it will look like this...

Put double sided tape along the outer edge on all four sides, if you look carefully at the photo above you will be able to see where I stuck it. You will also need to cut downwards to the next score line on opposite sides, from below where the tape is. You fold the corners in and tuck the outer sides over the corners (remember to remove the strip from the double sided tape before you do this. It should look like this...

Next I decorated the lid by putting a length of Regal Rose around the edge of the box and tying in a knot. The paper is nicely patterned so I didn't feel it needed too much decoration. I then made a little to and from label to go on the box and tied it through the knot of the ribbon with Stampin' Up! Gold Elastic.

A very thoughtful present for someone as they can then use them to send out their Thank You Notes after Christmas.

Will be back tomorrow with the last of the 12 Gifts of Christmas....

Have a good evening all xx

Day 8 - 12 Days of Christmas

Today can be a gift or I am going to make a few to decorate my table on Christmas Day, what are we talking about... a

Christmas Cracker

Its very easy to make, I started off with a 12 x 12 piece of patterned paper from the Holiday Treasures set (yep no I Wish today) and cut it down to 5 3/4" x 12".

Score the long side at 5 5/16". Then you will need to score the both short sides at 2" 2 3/4" and 3 1/2".

Fold both ends into the centre along the 2 3/4" lines.

Next you will need this template, make sure you cut it at 100% and it should be the right size. Cut it out and place it so that the spikes are level with one folded edge and paperclip in place.

And cut out the bits between the spikes.... do the same the other end making sure you line the edge up with the same side as you did before... at the end cut across the rest of the paper at a 45 degree angle.

Open out and put double sided tape all the way along the small fold which is along the long edge of the cracker like this...

I then decorated the middle before I stuck it together, I took a strip of Very Vanilla and stamped it with the snowflake stamp from the Season of Joy stamp set and then mounted it onto some Real Red Cardstock...

Stick it firmly in place along the centre of the cracker using double sided tape..

Next you need to roll the cracker, it is easier to stick the middle section first, but it is a bit stiff because of the extra card you have added, I did this by just peeling the middle section of double sided tape first and sticking the middle into a round, you then need to get your fingers up inside to push the tape together so it seals really well. Next do the same with one end and then the other....

Pinch one end closed and tie with a piece of red ribbon, then add whatever you want to the inside of the cracker and then tie the other end with a piece of matching ribbon.

You can make these to match the colour of your table decorations and can put a personal gift in each and maybe hang a tag off with the persons name on it.... although it has lots of stages, this was very quick to make...

Will be back tomorrow with Day 9 of the 12 Gifts of Christmas...

Have a good evening all, take care xx

Another Card With The Same Stamp Set....

Yep, it is official, I love this Stamp Set, A Rose is A Rose, it is sooooo versatile... this time I used Sahara Sand, Real Red and Old Olive Cardstock (can you see where I used the Old Olive?) and Patterned Paper from Holiday Treasures, a bit of Kraft Taffeta Ribbon and Old Olive Brads, the Sentiment is from Best Yet which is a Level 1 Hostess Stamp Set (place an order for £150 with me and get this stamp set for free, plus you can also have £15 of free goodies from the catalogue and I will post it all to you for nothing).... and the scallops were cut using the Scallop Edge Punch, except for the nestabilities Scallop Oval... I used Real Red and Ruby Red Ink, with Old Olive for the petals. The silver sentiment frame is from the Hodgepodge Hardware...

Well we have had thunder, lightening, snow, hail and rain here since it got dark this evening, the roads are now a mess so hoping it doesn't all freeze tonight, will be a nightmare during rush hour tomorrow if it does... think I may just have a lie in tomorrow...

DH is fixing my tumble dryer, the parts turned up today, so hope that the original problem is the only problem, as there are 9 of us here, we do generate quite a bit of washing, and it is very hard to keep up with it all without a tumble dryer, and I end up with double the ironing which cuts into valuable crafting time.

Off to crack the whip.... have a good evening x