Technique Tuesday #1: Shaker Shadow Box Card Tutorial

Hello!  Welcome to the inaugural edition of Technique Tuesday!  Every few weeks, on a Tuesday, I intend to share with you a new technique.  (DISCLAIMER: the technique is new to me and this blog, it may have actually been invented by someone else, and in all cases, I will attempt to give credit where it is due, if possible).  So check back once in awhile to see new technique I'm playing with.

This week, I started with the Shadow Box Tutorial I found on SplitCoastStampers.com and then modified it a bit to add the shaker feature.  Scroll down past the next picture to get my step-by-step tutorial.

(1) Pick a theme. I chose birthday, which drove my color and decoration decisions.

(2) Gather supplies:
a. Cardstock (I used Melon Mambo, Dapper Denim, Emerald Envy, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, and Whisper White)

b. window sheets

c. strong strips of adhesive (I used now-retired sticky strip, but any strong strip adhesive will work)

d. filler (i.e. sequins, beads, confetti, punched pieces - I used stars punched from cardstock using a Stampin' Up!'s Confetti Stars punch)

e. a scoring tool/system (I used a score board and bone folder)

f. a paper trimmer

g. nesting* dies and die cutting machine (nesting only necessary if you wish to have a border around your opening) - you could also use punches.  The shape doesn't have to be oval, either - it could be a heart or star, or something else that fits your theme.  I used some retired SU! Oval Framelits.

h. stamps (I used Balloon Celebration, which is available bundled with the balloon punch I used)

i. ink (I used Basic Black, Dapper Denim, Melon Mambo, Emerald Envy, Daffodil Delight and Pumpkin Pie).

j. embellishments (I used stamped and punched balloons from the Balloon Celebration bundle)

(3) To make a card similar to mine:
a. cut 2 pieces of cardstock, each 4.25”x5.5”. These will be the back and front. On my example, these are the Melon Mambo pieces. Score them at ½” and 1” on both ends. The scores should run parallel to the shorter dimension. Choose one of these to be the front, and use your die to make a hole centered in the middle section of it. If you want to stamp on front or back pieces, I would recommend doing it while it is still flat. Once you are happy, you can fold the front. Starting on one end, fold at the first score mark in one direction and at the other score mark in the opposite direction. Then do the other end so that it is symmetrical. Repeat on the back piece. Set them aside.

b. cut one piece of cardstock to 3.5”x4.25” and use a die to cut a hole centered in it. This die should be smaller than the one use on the front so that you can see it through the hole on the front piece. Do your beost to center it, but if it’s slightly off, you can trim a small amount from each edge to align it better. This will create a layer similar to the orange rim on my example. Set this aside.

c. Next, cut two pieces of window sheets to measure 3.5”x4.25”. Line the entire perimeter of one window sheet with adhesive. Sprinkle your filling on. Then, carefully aligning it, place the second window sheet on top so that the edges line up perfectly with the first window sheet. Press edges tightly to secure adhesive, sealing in the filling.

d. Now we will assemble the front panel of the card. Adhere the window sheet/filler packet to the back of the front panel (the melon mambo piece in my example). Next adhere the window rim (the orange piece in my example) to behind the window sheet packet, making sure that the border it forms through the window is even. If you need to trim a bit off the edges of the orange piece in order to get it to be centered with in the Mambo window, you may. Just leave yourself enough room for adhesive. Set this assembly aside.

e. Cut 1 piece of cardstock to be 3.5” x 4.25”. This will be the inside part that you can see through the window. On my example, it’s the white panel with the banners on it. Go ahead and decorate this. It is helpful if you hold the front window over it to see where you need to decorate. Adhere it the middle panel of the back.

f. Adhere the front and back by running strips of adhesive down the outermost flap of each end of the front and back. Carefully and an put them together.

g. Decorate the front with die cuts, punched shapes, embellishments, stickers, ribbon, etc.

h. if you want a place to sign it, you can sign the back as is, or you can decorate the back and then sign on the decoration. You could also put a little pocket back there to hold a folded check, money or gift card.

If you try this, give me a shout out in the comments - I'd love to see what you did and hear your feedback!  Happy Stampin'!!!

Petite Purse Die Box Tutorial

Good morning!  I have today off from my full-time job so I have spent the morning in my pajamas with coffee and stamps.  LOVE IT!  I had a lot of interest in my last post, so I decided to create my first ever tutorial so you can create your box.  You will find it below.  The tutorial might seem long, but I wanted to capture all the steps to make it easy.  Once I had a rhythm down, I was able to crank these out quickly...I'm making them for my department at work.  If you do multiples in an assembly line you may be able to get your children, spouse or a friend to help you with some of the steps.  The finished box holds roughly 20 Hershey's Kisses, to give you an idea of the size.  OK, let's get started!

Petite Purse Box

For this project, you will need the following Stampin’ Up! supplies:

1 sheet of 12”x12” Designer Series Paper or 2 sheets of 8.5” x 11” cardstock.  We will actually only use a small portion of the second sheet of cardstock, so if you don’t have two full sheets, that is okay.

Sticky Strip (#104294), Paper Snips (#103579), Bone Folder (#102300), Stampin’ Trimmer (#126889), Petite Purse Bigz L Die (#125606), Big Shot with the included Standard Cutting Pads (#113439).

Optional supplies: stamps, ink, ribbon or other embellishments to decorate the box with.

Now that you’ve gathered your supplies, let’s get started!

Step 1: Using your trimmer, cut four pieces of paper into 4.25” x 5.5” rectangles (if you are using an 8.5”x11” sheet of paper, that is cutting it in half once lengthwise and then cutting those two pieces in half widthwise, essentially quartering the paper).  Also cut two squares of paper measuring 2.75”x2.75” each.  Set the squares aside and gather all four rectangles.

Step 2: Using your Big Shot, the Standard Cutting Pads, and the Petite Purse Die, cut 4 purse shapes out.  (TIP: cut one layer at a time.  If you cut more than one, there is a good chance the lines that are intended to be scored will actually be cut.) You will notice that we have trimmed the paper small enough that it doesn’t fit over the whole die.  That is okay.  We are only going to use portions of the purse shape, so align it so that it cuts out the parts we need according to the photo below. The image below shows you what the purse die looks like when you cut it from a bigger sheet of paper, so that I could show you the parts we will cut off.

Step 3: Once you cut the die, it will look roughly like the photo below.  Using your paper snips, trim off the nub at the top, the small side flap on the right and the remainder of the large flap at the bottom. Do this on all four purse pieces.

 

TIP: When trimming rounded shapes, like the nub at the top, hold your scissors in place and rotate the shape as you slowly close the scissors.  You’ll get a much smoother edge this way.

NOTE: I drew the black lines on here to give you a reference point – you do not need to do this step yourself. 

Step 4: You will now be left the shape below.  Because this purse is intended to be trapezoidal, when we try to create a box with it, parts of the flaps are going to be too long, and will stick out if we don’t trim them.  In the photo below, you will see that I have drawn some black lines at angles.  We are going to trim the flaps along these black lines.  This is not an exact science, so don’t sweat it, just eyeball it.  You don’t have to draw the lines, unless that makes you feel more comfortable.  Do this on all four pieces.

 

Once you’ve trimmed them, each piece should look like the image below.

Step 5:  Now is your chance to decorate the paper if you are going to.  The sky is the limit, so have fun with this step!  Some ideas include dry embossing with our Textured Impressions Embossing Folders, heat embossing with any color of embossing powder (or for a fun seasonal treat, check out our holiday-scented embossing powder), regular ink and stamps, etc. If you want the inside to be as pretty as the outside, decorate both sides or use our Designer Series Paper which is two-sided.  Now is also the time to decorate the bottom piece, if you wish.  Grab one of the squares we cut in Step 1 and decorate one side of it.  This will be the outside of your bottom.  If you want the inside bottom decorated, then stamp one side of each square.

TIP: If you only want the outside decorated, make sure you decorate the same side of each piece.  To do this, lay out all of four pieces so that they are oriented the same way (i.e. all side flaps on left, or all side flaps on right), and then decorate the same side, or run it through the embossing machine the same way).  Keep in mind the bottom flap and the side flap will not be visible when we are done, so they don’t have to be fully decorated.  In my case, I chose snowflakes and I wanted the snowflakes to go off the edges, so I ended up stamping on those flaps anyway, but it’s not necessary.

 

Step 6: Using your bone folder, fold each flap on the score lines (see black lines in photo above in Step 4 for reference).  You will want to make sure you have the side you intend to be the inside of the box facing towards you and then fold the flaps towards you. 

 

Step 7: Now the fun of assembling begins!  Get out the Sticky Strip and your Paper Snips.  Put the Sticky Strip on all pieces as shown below.  Don’t peel off the backing just yet.  TIP: The top of your box is going to be the end the rounded flap is on.  So if your Sticky Strip doesn’t run the full height of the flaps, at least make sure it runs right up to the top.  Be generous with your Sticky Strip as it makes for a sturdier box.

 

Step 8: Grab one of your square bottoms.  This one will be seen from the inside, so if you want the inside decorated, make sure you have the pretty side up.  You are going to adhere the bottom flap of each of the four purses to each of the four sides of the square.  Start with one piece of the purse and peel all the backing off the sticky strip on the bottom flap (leave backing on the side flap for now).  Line up the edge of the square with the crease between the bottom flap and what will be the side of the box.  Adhere it with the flap ending up on the outside (bottom) and square ending up on the top (what will be inside of box).  I like to use my bone folder to rub it over the layers and secure the adhesive.  Repeat on all four sides.  If you want the outside bottom decorated, add your second square to the outside with the pretty side facing down. 

 

Step 9: Now we are going to work on the sides.  Flip your project over so that the inside of your box is facing up.  Now peel the backing off the Sticky Strip on one flap (only do one flap at a time to avoid sticking things together unintentionally).  Adhere the flap to the inside of the side next to it.  Line it up so that the edges are even.  Repeat on all four sides.  You may find your bone folder will help you get into the tight spaces to rub down the adhesive.  Here’s what it will look like after the first two sides are stuck together:

  

Step 10: You have now created your box.  You can play with different ways to close it, and different ways to decorate the top.  For this tutorial, I simply laid down the four sides and tied it shut with ribbon.  In another example (click here), I laid down two of the flaps opposite each other and then pulled the other two flaps together to create a tent.  Again, this is an opportunity for creativity so have fun with this!  If you would like this tutorial in a word document or need help ordering these supplies, or have questions, please feel free to contact me.