Building Block Card

 WOW... it has been a long time since I posted anything to my blog.  And it is not because I haven't been creating things.  I've been working on cards mostly and sometimes I just think they may not be worth the time to take a picture and post to the blog.  I think I'm wrong about that and should be posting more of my everyday  stuff... so here we go.
This is a building block card.  No, I didn't come up with this unique card fold ... I found it in on Split Coast Stampers website.
First, let me tell you that the heart shape filled with smaller hearts is a die cut.  My friend Mary was over last weekend and brought her new dies for us to see and had die cut several of them using white cardstock for us to have.  Mary also provided the multi-colored scrapbook paper that I used behind the heart die.
On the front of the blue card I placed strips of purple and orchid scraps that I had available, and before attaching them I ran them through the cuttlebug using 3 different cuttlebug embossing border folders.

 Inside the card you can now see the 4 'blocks' that give the card its name.  Using my scor-pal first to score the lines that will create the blocks, I then used a craft knife and a steel edge ruler to cut them.  I did cut orchid pieces of card stock to cover each side of the 4 blocks before attaching the letters I die cut using a cuttlebug alphabet set.  I stamped a couple of hearts, an arrow, and the word love that are from a Stampin Up stamp set I've had forever.

 Here's another look at the card opened up from a different angle.
Here is a link to the Split Coast Stampers website so you can read their tutorial on this card if you wish..
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/buildingblockcard/
It wasn't difficult to do... try it!
Before I attempted the card, I used a piece of plain white card stock to ensure I would understand the instructions for creating this card.   I'll save that white card as a template to help me if/when I make another of these cards

And here is another picture of just the inside of the card.  This style card would be great for a 'get well' card also since the number of letters fit well with the number of blocks on the inside of the card.

Gift Card Holders

Take a look at this cute Christmas themed gift card holder. I made this at our recent monthly 'shoebox' meeting... thanks Maggi for sharing.
The base is kraft paper that measures 4 1/4 x 10" and is then scored at 3", 4", 5", and 8". The decorative paper is cut to fit each flap, inside and out. You'll need the following:
Inside pieces: 2 each of 4 x 2 3/4"
2 each of 4 x 3/4"
1 each of 4 x 1 3/4"
Outside pieces: 2 each of 4 x 2 3/4"
1 each of 4 x 1 3/4"
Belly Band: You can use card stock or ribbon cut to about 12" (mine were card stock cut to about 10 or 11". And then you choose or create an embellishment to attach to the belly band.
Here is a look at the inside of the gift card holder and the 'belly band' over on the left side. The inside is decorated with the same paper used on the outside. I did that for all of the gift cards holders shown in this posting.
If you look at the short flap protruding toward the bottom of the inside... that is where the gift card is placed.
These are so easy and fun to make!
Thanks so much Maggi for bringing this project to our 'shoebox' meeting.

Wouldn't this gift card holder be great to give someone a gas gift card??? I used a card stock that has a map printed on it to decorate the kraft base. I used a corner rounder on the front flap for this holder and the rest shown below. The 'belly band' of kraft paper was run through the 'clockworks' cuttlebug embossing folder. Even though 'clockworks' is clock related, I think that it also looks like a bunch of gears.. and who can tell if they are from a clock or a car engine?? The car stamp is from Tim Holtz. I stamped it and cut it out to mount it onto the 'belly band'.

This gift card holder was created using kraft for the base and then pieces of basic grey card stock. I used a crimper to create the pleating on the 'belly band' and then used 3 different spellbinders dies and 3 different types of paper to create the medallion attached to the band. It needed just a little more so I added the faux gem.
This gift card holder will be usable for any occasion.

This Christmas themed gift card holder should spread some joy!! I still have some decorative Christmas card stock and I'm trying to use it before buying any new stuff. I used a boysenberry colored card stock for the base of this card.
For the 'belly band' I used a cuttlebug embossing border of snowflakes on a dark green strip of card. I mounted that onto a slightly wider piece of boysenberry card stock. The cute little bear is taken from a Christmas card a friend of mine created years ago. It isn't a stamp; it is a piece of fabric glued to card stock.

This Christmas themed card holder uses the same decorative card stock as the previous one, but I used a dark green card stock for the base. A few years ago I had ordered some Christmas embellishments from Oriental Trading Company and still have some left... like this metal Christmas tree. It looks perfect attached to the 'belly band' on this card holder.
Christmas is just around the corner you know!!! I really need to work on my Christmas cards!!


Here is another Christmas themed gift card holder. I used the paper that was left over from the large sheet Maggi gave to each of us at our monthly 'shoebox' night. Instead of using kraft paper as the base I had a green card stock that matched the stripes perfectly. I also had some felt mittens I had purchased several years ago, so I attached one of them to the 'belly band' on this card holder.
I had used a clear stardust gel pen to add sparkle to the snowflakes across the 'belly band', but it is not showing up in this picture.
I think I may be making more of these soon!

Mini Pizza boxes.. with chocolates

Back in Sept, a friend of mine (Bonnie) showed me and a few others how to make a mini pizza box. You can see that box on her blog, along with a video from Split Coast Stampers where Bonnie first saw this project.
http://craftiblog.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/2011-09-17-mini-pizza-nugget-box/
Bonnie altered the original size of the box so that it would accommodate the candies we were using to fill the box. So the size of paper used to create the box is 5 1/2 x 8".
I love this paper! I can't remember where I purchased it, but I did buy about 4 - 12x12" sheets of it. It is so bright and cheery.
For the 'belly band' on the left I used a strip of the same paper used for the box and attached that to a wider strip of red paper. I stamped a flower stamp (a $1 stamp) onto pink and red paper twice then cut them out. The image was such that I could cut out an inner flower and outer flower, so I did one of each and then mounted them so I had both pink and red on each flower.
On the right 'belly band' I attached a quilled flower. No, I didn't make it. A friend of mine had bought a bunch of them and gave me some to use.



I found this cute multi-colored polka dot paper at my LSS (Polka Dots). The brown background reminded me of chocolate which was going to be the prize inside these candy boxes... so, perfect! The 'belly bands' for each is slightly different; one used the same paper as used for the box while on the other I used a blue that matched the dotted paper.




I used a small pinking circle spellbinders die and a slightly larger inverted scallop circle spellbinders die to stamp the sentiments on.
I had these sentiment stamps as part of a set that I had purchased from Stampin Up a long time ago. I sort of forgot I had them, but glad I remembered as they came in handy for these candy boxes.




The paper for both these boxes was from a 12x12" specialty pack made by Cloud 9 Design. For the 'belly bands' I cut a narrow strip of the same paper used for making the box and then glued that to a slightly larger strip of coordinating solid paper. I used a couple of spellbinders label dies to mount the sentiment on.







I love my new little bird stamp. I picked it up at Hobby Lobby... on sale, of course. I didn't have a whimsical type bird. I stamped the birds on blue paper, cut them out, and then stamped just the wing on patterned paper, cut it out and glued it to the bird.





It was fun and a challenge to find stamps and embellishments that I already had on hand to adorn these candy boxes.
My spellbinders dies were a big help.
I had seen a stamp with the sentiment 'sweet tweets' at the LSS, but I didn't want to pay $7 for it so I tried my own hand at writing it on some of the labels. I did okay, not great.
The paper for both of these boxes was from a 12x12" specialty pack made by Cloud 9 Design.
On the left I created the 'belly belt' with a piece of white card stock that was embossed with a cuttlebug folder called 'musical flourish'.

Oh yum!!! I'd better start giving these boxes away or I may find myself raiding them for the chocolate in a weak moment!
These small hershey treasures are the perfect fit for the boxes. That is what my friend Bonnie had in mind when she reconfigured the size of the box and changed it from its original size.





On the left I used paper from a K&Co designer paper pack called 'Sea Glass'. I think my dollar stamp sentiment says it all.... 'simply enjoy it all'! On the right I used paper from my Basic Grey paper pack. It is time I start using up paper instead of hoarding it.
For both boxes I used a spellbinders fancy tag when mounting the sentiment on the box.
I'm now in search of stamps and sentiments that will be perfect adornments on these candy boxes.



Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate!!! You could fill these boxes with other things, but who doesn't like a little chocolate? Well, I do have one friend who is allergic so I guess I won't be giving one of these to him.
I'm guessing I'll be making more of these little boxes as time goes on.