Purple Onion Designs Critters (on a Cuttlebug Challenge gift box)

One month until Christmas! A potential box idea for those of you who enjoy the creative freedom that a layout of a 5-6 inch card gives you...This is a 6 inch wide box with a large card layout on the back.

Handy for gift giving this year cookies or other things, perhaps?

Here's a close-up of the sweet little animals that are on it:

(These Critters are teeny Purple Onion Design stamps.)

Their wee size makes the perfect for inchies, tags, or 3x3 note cards.

1... stamps from Purple Onion Designs
2...Cuttlebug Challenge Blog--Be Inspired Wednesday #59 Glitter!
3...making the P.O.D. critters image
4....cheap tricks: the background papers & custom ribbon
5...making an embossed gift box (6" wide 2.5" deep with a card back)
6...making a string of double-sided mini Christmas lights

-1-

...from Purple Onion Designs

I really love the mix of elegant design/element stamps & cute/cartoon stamps that Purple Onion Designs has, so I wanted to do a project that incorporates both styles. These are the stamps used on this card-backed box (just click to go look at them at P.O.D.):

4 Seasons Definition set
(for the acrylic textured paper)


Merriness
(the tree & the light)


Critters Stirring

Paisley (design element) stamps
(for the heat-embossed background & custom ribbon)

-2-

Cuttlebug Challenge Blog #59

the challenge for the next 2 weeks is to
add glitter to your projects!

Hope You can join the challenge!

for the image:

• White acrylic paint (with POD definition stamp pressed in it)
• Cardstock (Neenah white)
• Paper piercer, thread, & seed beads
• Tree from Merriness & BasicGrey paper scraps
• Brown Stazon, dark brown CTMH marker, & waterbrush
• Tissue paper (to stuff), Tombow monomulti
• Sakura quickie glue pen & Martha Stewart White Gold glitter

for the background (dark brown) & ribbon:

• Paisley stamps from Purple Onion Designs
  
• BasicGrey paper 6x6 paper pack
• Pink & Brown markers
• Pink Organza ribbon & Brown Stazon
  

for the white embossed box:

• white cardstock (2 sheets of standard cardstock
• Provocraft large snowflake folder
• Cuttlebug Machine

for the wee Christmas lights:

• Black pigment ink
• clear embossing powder
• Copics--or other markers
• Sakura Stardust glitter pen
• lacquer glue
• Tombow
• Silver thread/string/wire...

-3-

...make the P.O.D. image

Step 1) The image for this is on acrylic texturized paper. I used a scrap of cardstock to drag acrylic paint onto a full sheet of cardstock.

More details on how to make this paper can be found in this older post. & here's a version with collage under it.



Step 2) This paper was impressed with a definition stamp from the Purple Onion Designs 4 Seasons Definition set into the wet acrylic paint. I sanded it a little to give it more "tooth" to stamp on.

Please note: using acrylic paint on stamps means you really must clean them right away. A soft toothbrush works wonders.



Step 3) Stitch beads around the shape & add marker if you like (Copics stay nicely on the acrylic paint.)



Step 4) Stamp tree (in waterproof ink--this is brown Stazon) No need to get a perfect image since it's just a guide for where to stitch & add paper pieces next...



Step 5) Make holes along the trunk (with a paper piercer) for stitching.



Step 6) Stitch the trunk (these are super easy straight stitches)



Step 7) Add a wash of water-based ink to distress the words on the acrylic paper. (Too much water may warp the paper, though, so a damp brush is good.)



Step 8) Stamp the tree on patterned paper scraps to paper piece it.



Step 9) To make sparkly snow dots & star: add dots of Sakura quickie glue pen & glitter (this is Martha Stewart White Gold glitter.)



Step 10) Stamp & emboss Purple Onion Designs critters & emboss them.



Step 11) Colour & cut out the Purple Onion Designs critters & stick them on.

-5-

the background bits:
(stuffing, paper tricks & custom ribbon)

You'll never guess the mess that's behind the critters:

A trick I learned from a Jennifer McGuire Thinking Inking video. Stuff the back of an image to make it puffy. She's too clever for words!

to get a straight torn edge: use a ruler & a drag a paper piercer along it (on top of something soft like layers of fun foam)



Ink the torn edge... with light bright colours (or a dark one for a faux burnt edge)

Heat-Emboss element stamps... with a mix of pigment inks (black and brown) & clear embossing powder & add glitter for homemade bling paper on the cheap. (These are Paisley stamps from Purple Onion Designs.



Shade the bottom of DIY patterned paper
with a darker marker to get a second colour.



To get easy custom ribbon in minutes
(that's also super cheap! hehehe) just:

A) anchor ribbon (with tape or pins in a fun foam pad.)
B) Stamp with Stazon or other fast drying solvent ink.
(this is stamped with all of those Purple Onion Designs Paisleys)
C) All done! Now you have new fancy schmancy custom ribbon.

-5-

make an embossed card-backed gift box
(6" wide 2.5" deep with a card back)



This is a speedy way to turn a larger card into an embossed gift box
(ideally--to fit this box--any card that's between 5.5 and 6 inches)

This makes a box that measures:

6 inches wide
2.5 inches high (in the front)
2.5 inches deep (from front to back)

It's and 3 1/2 inches high at the back
(which will support a large card nicely) :o)

Step 1) Start with a standard size piece of cardstock (8.5 x 11 inches)

Step 2) With the cardstock on the horizontal (so it looks short) score at the 2.5" and 8.5" mark

Step 3) Turn the cardstock on the vertical (so it looks tall) and score at 2.5" and 5.5" and 7.5"

Step 4) Cut 4 slits for the tabs & cut away the two areas at the back of the box (indicated in red on the photo)

Step 5) Make embossed (torn) pieces for the side of the box.

A) Cut 2 short & 2 tall piece 6 inches wide (to emboss both sides of the front & back.)
B) Line up on the box to measure roughly & tear the edge, where you like.
C) Repeat to make 4 small side pieces (Cut 4 pieces 2.5 inches wide, line up, & tear tops)
D) Dry emboss the snowflakes on each piece (this is a new LARGE Provocraft Cuttlebug Snowflakes folder.)
E) Glue all the embossed pieces to the box.
F) Adhere your card image to the back of the box.

-6-

make a string of mini Christmas lights:
(double-sided)

(by the by, sorry that these photos are so icky. Winter has its loveliness,
but my photos really miss the sun!)

Step 1) Make the wee lights:

A) Stamp POD light in black pigment ink (or waterproof ink
B) Emboss in clear embossing powder
C) Colour with Copics--or other markers
D) Add Sakura Stardust glitter pen
E) Cover with lacquer glue

Step 2) Cut the lights out: (I made a pair of each colour)



Step 3) Line lights up in pairs and apply Tombow (or your favourite adhesive) to the back of one of each pair of lights



Step 4) Glue the lights to silver thread (sandwiching a matching light on the back of each one.)

Step 5) Drape the lights on the box front (and secure at the back of the box.)

and that's it:

Hope you're happy as a
cute lil' critter today! ;o)

Hero Arts luminary snowman gift box (a pictorial)

You Gals n Guys may have seen this luminary gift box before (in the Caardvarks' Hero Arts challenge gallery a while back) and I've been meaning to finish up this pictorial for it....but then ol' life got in the way....You know how it goes...the best laid plans Of Mice & Mel. ynuk ynuk

Wish you could see the snowy sky in person. It's fun with the different textures and pearls & gems & beads & pierced holes... It's so sparkly with the light of a sunny window behind it!

1...Stamps--from Hero Arts--used here
2...all the how-to for the bits that make this luminary box
3...the label box template

-1-

(From Hero Arts) used on this:

1) Create Your Own Snowman

2) Antique Brocade
3) Holiday Sayings

(click the pics if you'd like to go look at these)

• Hero Arts stamps (above)
• Hero Arts pearls
• Pearly seed beads
• Swarovski crystals
• Paper piercer, needle & thread
• CTMH Turquoise & Navy markers
• White pigment ink & whit embossing powder
• 7 gypsies text paper, with Gesso & New Leaf Copic marker
• Apple green embroidery thread
• Double-sided tape & Tombow monomulti
• Stickles & fun flock
• Circle cutter (or something round & a pencil to trace)

-2-

...make all the bits on this:

the background:

The turquoise emboss-resist background paper was made by:

A) Heat-embossing white watercolour paper--with the Hero Arts Antique Brocade cling stamp (in clear embossing powder.)

B) Inking the stamped paper up--with different markers for gradient monochromatic colour (water-based/CTMH markers to get the deeper background tones & alcohol/Copic markers to tint the embossed pattern.)

C) Cutting it into squares & stitching it on a turquoise piece of cardstock--using a Paper piercer, and a needle with turquoise thread.

To get a mix of snowy looking texture bits:

1) Pierce, in a random pattern, with a paper piercer
2) Highlight some pierced holes with a Sakura stardust glitter pen
3) Apply Hero Arts pearls
4) Stitched on pearly seed beads
5) Glued on Swarovski crystals

the card mat:

to make a distressed card mat :

(that matches your Copics/markers)

1) Cut a piece of patterned paper to size
2) Paint around the edges with gesso or a wash of white paint
3) Colour it with Copic or other markers (this is New Leaf)

LIL' TIP: Using gesso or paint allows you to blend the marker with your finger (right after it's applied & still wet--after each stroke or two. You could also use a colourless blender (the gesso lets Copics blend wonderfully.) If you're worried about contaminating your markers, a great solution is to just paint Copic refill on with a brush.

the clouds:



To create clouds with some funky texture:

1) Emboss Hero Arts Antique Brocade (onto white watercolour paper with white pigment ink & white embossing powder.)
2) Sprinkle on extra embossing powder--just loose on there--and heat from the back (Fun cause it looks like snow!)
3) Draw cloud shapes on the back & cut them out.
4) Pierce around the edges & stitch with white thread.



LIL' TIP: Pliers make a handy way to hold the clouds while heating the embossing powder

the snowman:

The fun part about this Create Your Own Snowman is that you can put his pieces together however you like. Here are the bits I used:

To make the snowman pieces:

A) Stamp the snow man body, head & face in black ink & emboss it (or use permanent ink.) I stamped him on more watercolour paper.
B) Stamp the Arts tapestry cling stamp over the outline of the snowman--using Versamark ink for a resist pattern--Heat-emboss with clear embossing powder.
C) Add a very light turquoise ink wash with Broken China distress ink.

the scarf:



to make the snowman's scarf:

1) Stamp it in black pigment ink (on patterned paper painted with gesso)
2) While the ink is wet emboss it with clear embossing powder.
3) Colour with Copic markers
4) Adhere it to thick cardstock (I used more watercolour paper)
5) Cut it out & add fringe to the ends (just cutting bits & sticking on really sticky tape)



LIL' TIP: Add another layer of cardstock on the back of the scarf to make it sturdy & hold the embroidery thread fringe really well. It makes a neat custom chipboard shape.

the stick arms:



A) Stamp the stick arms on brown cardstock.
B) Emboss them with brown pigment ink & clear embossing powder.
C) Cut them out & adhere them out to the back of the snowman.

LIL' TIP: to add a sturdy (and affordable) dimension to pieces, just cut fun foam to size & adhere it to the back of each piece.

the embossed hill:

Step 1) Make a hill:

A) Trace curvy template at bottom
B) Trace something round above the curve for the hill. (This is a making memories cutter but you could use a plate or anything.)
C) Cut it out



Step 2) Stamp the hero arts sentiments onto the hill & emboss in white.

No worries about extra white embossing powder bits here or there, 'cause they look like snow:



To stamp the sentiments as a full background, I just left them on their packaging (adhering them to an acrylic block with double-sided tape and stamped...)



Step 3) To highlight a particular sentiment (in green here) Colour an area with marker. The embossing will resist it. (I used two pieces of masking tape to mask out a stripe & coloured with a green water-based marker)



Step 4) Bead & stitch around the sentiment & Pierce & stitch around the hill with white thread--if you like.

the sleigh:

A) Stamp the sleigh on brown cardstock (this is Bronze metallic cardstock from Paper Temptress. It has a bit of built in bling.)
B) Emboss the wet ink with brown pigment ink & clear embossing powder.
C) Colour the sleigh with a brown marker (the marker will stay wet on this particular metallic cardstock, allowing you to heat-emboss it with clear embossing powder.

D) Cut the sleigh out & add a ribbon:



E) Add the ribbon...

1) Pierce a hole
2) Thread ribbon through a hole in the sled front & knot it.
3) Thread the end through a bead & knot it too

LIL' TIP: I used Tombow monomulti to glue the sled on & hold the ribbon in place, so it had a little twist to it.

Finishing touches (snow snow snow)



A) Add glue & fun flock for snow



B) Add Stickles to the snow for some bling

Add mats to the image--I added the green distressed mat (detailed above) & another of watercolour paper for sturdiness.)

Once all the mats are placed you can re-pierce the holes so light will shine through from the back of it:



LIL' TIP: you can hold the image up to the light & it'll shine through so you can see if you like the placement of the holes...and pierce more if you want.

the box:



Step 1) Print & cut box template



Step 2) Trace the template onto Watercolour paper--or whatever cardstock you like.



Step 3) Score & fold the box

Step 4) Finally, assemble it all--by adhering the image to the front of the box.

-3-


JPG downloads on SCS here.

PDFs (in 2 sizes):

Large Box:
measures 4 1/2" wide at the bottom

PDF Large Label Box (no score lines-just guide marks)
PDF Large Label Box (score guide)

Medium Box:
measures 4 2/8" wide at the bottom

PDF Medium Label Box (no score lines-just guide marks)
PDF Medium Label Box (score guide)

There are a couple of examples of this label box here too:

(please click the photos, if you'd like to go to the particular posts)

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Hope your day is a creatively blissful one!


P.S. Just a quick note to let you know I'm going to skip a day and post again on Wednesday...

P.P.S. some other projects with these same stamps:
(please click the pics, if you'd like to check them out)