Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Armoire-shaped Box tutorial--Caardvarks Challenge



This started out as a shaped card for the latest Caardvarks challenge, but I guess the carpenter in me wanted to express herself, so it turned into a piece of furniture. It's a fairly large gift box now, measuring...
  • 8 1/2 inches tall
  • 5 and 1/2 inches wide
  • 2 and 1/2 inches deep
There's a long tutorial down there on how it was made (in case you get the urge to build your own paper furniture!):O) Given the size, it might make a neat gift box for barbie or other dolls (with doll clothes hung on the front, heehee.) If you were feeling really ambitious, you could make it functional so the drawer opened. ;o)



1-Caardvark's challenge
2-create the armoire front & back pieces (shape & embellishment)
3-construct the box portion

-1-

Caardvarks' Shaped cards!

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Create a ***NEW*** shaped card! Anything but squares and rectangles goes! The winning card creator will receive a 3 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review!



-2-

...create the armoire front & back pieces
(shape & embellishment)


  • A lot of cardstock--(uses 2 full standard sheets-8.5" x 11" each--Sahara Sand SU)
  • Thick acetate (the stuff here was cut from packaging)
  • Ruler (I love Tim Holtz Design ruler)
  • Hobby blade/exacto blade
  • Sanding block
Adhesives:
  • Decorative brads and hinges (these were from the dollar store)
  • Wire hangers (ebay purchase ages ago)
  • Buttons (large one with black brad in center)


Step 1) Shape 2 armoire 'cards'

A) score & fold standard cardstock in half
B) score top & 2 sides at 2-8s inch in
C) trace & cut shape from bottom curve legs & top




Step 2) Set one of the armoire shaped 'cards' aside for the back.

Create the armoire for the front:

A) mark center line
B) cut out 2 doors.
C) Trim doors to leave about 1/4 of an inch (see scallop edge in step 8--I trimmed mine after the photo, sorry) ;O)



Step 3) Adhere thin frame to back of 'card' (leaving the doors free to open)



Step 4) Cut 4 panel frames (to make 2 doors)

These measure 2 inches wide by 7 and 3/8 inches high (but yours might vary depending on your scoring & cutting of the main armoire shape)



Step 5)
Cut windows (acetate panels) & sand to distress them, if you like.

Cutting: my windows were just under 2 inches wide by 7 and 3/8 inches high
Sanding: I like to sand acetate since i know it's bound to get scratched up with handling, so this makes the windows look like the wear & tear belongs. (That's the theory, anywho.) ;o)

(free acetate) This is the packaging of grundgeboard cut up.



Step 6) Mark on fine wood grain lines (scrape the paper with an exacto knife, paper piercer or needle.)

Click the photo if you'd like to see the wood grain up close:



You could also cuttlebug emboss it, of course.

To assemble the doors...



Step 7) Adhere the back panel to the acetate (really good double-sided tape does the trick)




Step 8) Adhere the panel acetate side up (to the back or inside of the flap on the armoire shape)



Step 9) Add handle-put brad in the front panel



The brad ends will be hidden. :O)



Step 10) Adhere front panels (I got buckling where the big decorative brads were so I added a bit of Crystal Lacquer in with a pin & held it until it dried nice & flat.)



Step 11) Add hinges
(these are dollar store hinges that attach with brads --i got them at the DollarRama store in Ontario)



Step 12) Adhere decorative panel inside



Step 13)
Add Drawer:


A) Cut drawer (this one measures 1 inch high by 4 and 3/4 inches wide)
B) Score to make wood grain
C) Add handle (decorative brad)
D) Adhere drawer with foam tape

-3-

...construct the armoire box



  • 2 full standard sheets-8.5" x 11" (in addition to the 2 used to make the front & back)
  • The solid armoire card (set aside in the tutorial up there)
  • Oh so sticky tape
  • Scor-Pal
  • Scissors
This box has two identical pieces to form the front & back of the box (which might sound complicated but is actually really easy peasy.) :O)



Step 1) Scoring with the paper on the horizontal (short): Score standard size cardstock at 2.5, 7.5 & 10 inches.



Step 2) Scoring with the paper on the vertical (tall): Turn on the vertical & score at 2.5 inches.

Repeat Steps 1 & 2 to score a second sheet the exact same way
(for the back piece)



Step 3) Cutting of both sheets: Make 2 slit cuts at bottom & cut skinny piece off the side



Step 4) Assemble one half of the box



Step 5) Adhere the other half over top of the first



Step 6) Stick the uncut armoire card together (to make the back piece)



Step 7) Enforce all of the legs with scraps of cardstock cut to fit & doubled over




Step 8) Adhere completed box to the backs of the armoire 'cards'

and that's it...


Gotta love those Anyas ...


Info on how the image was coloured
(Copics on Gesso) is here:



Hope there was somethin' fun here for ya!
:O)



30 comments:

Creations by Patti said...

Mel- YOU HAVE got to be kidding....this is way far out! Too cute. I may need to case this in a smaller size.....hmmm.....maybe a matchbox? Love this......so cute! Thank you for always being such an incpiration! (and for your comment on my blog, too) hugs, Patti

itsazoo said...

Absolutely "STUNNING"
You are amazing.....
Dianne

Nadia said...

Amazing!!

Marilyn said...

Mel,
This is amazing! Beautiful work.
You are such a wonderfully talented and creative individual. WOWZA... nothing else to add... Marilyn

Deepa Gopal said...

Incredible Work Mel! It was Magic!
I loved it:)
You are so Inspiring.

Have a crafty day!

Anonymous said...

Incredibly awesome work as always Mel. I wish my "little girl" wasn't so close to 21 so I could make a doll clothes armoire! Just have to think of another use...
You are so INSPIRATIONAL!!! This weekend I want to give a whirl at the car\road card idea you did awhile back for my Dad's Father's Day card.

Beth Greco

Dawn said...

OMWord woman...have you thought about getting help for your problem?

GET OUT OF TOWN!! this is amazing!!awesome...just awesome!

Lynn Mercurio said...

THUD! Brilliant girl!

Julie Campbell said...

Oh my gosh! You just won the prize for this one! WOW WOW WOW! I love this SO much! You ROCK!

lisa808 said...

I'm speechless! This is amazing! Thanks so much for the tutorial and templates. One of these days I will have to give this a try.

chiara_francy said...

O____O
geniale!

Cathrine said...

Amazing Mel! How cute is this?!

Love it!

Barb said...

Absolutely amazingly adorable! Genius, me thinks :)

Chrissy's Creations said...

Wowzers!!!! Holy moly girlie, you rock!!!

~Lori Roop said...

Mel, this is great!! Cool idea!!
Fabulous tut!!

Rose S said...

This is freaking amazing!!! I love it.

Vina said...

Unbelievable imagination & work!! I can't wait to make one too! Thank you for sharing your creations & tutorials!!

Anonymous said...

Mel, this is so flippin awesome!! absolutely fabulous! And your tutorials always blow me away!

Nathalia Castellon said...

You just stirred up my armoir loving obsessed self with this magnificent creation! I will so be making one of these! I think an open topped box constructed from chipboard to hold some of my beauty necessities and have it on top of my dresser. Who says you have to be a little girl to have one of these?! LOL

Kim Etherington said...

OMG! This is all just paper? Unreal! Incredible. Amazing! Fabulous! Grande! I just love it. It is so blinkin cute and ultra cool!

Beth Norman said...

You get more and more amazing every day. I'm jeleous of your talent--LOL. Seriously, I just love all your stuff!

Maria said...

Oh my gosh Mel! Are you sure you weren't a carpenter in your previous life! LOL! Wow, what an awesome box!! I've never seen anything like it. . .only you can come up with something so creative!

Sorry I haven't been around. . .gosh, I'm so behind on all my commenting! Arggh! Commenting is a job in itself! LOL!! It's a good thing I can type fast!! CAn you imagine if I couldn't!!!

Hope all is well!!

Maria

Anonymous said...

Jolene, told me I must drop by and see your card! I am SO glad I did.
Amazing! Just like Jolene said, I wish I was small enough to take it home and use it! LOL
Really inspirational!
TFS
Shell from Oz

SmilynStef said...

How perfect would this be to hold a set of paper dolls and dress-up clothes ... I just love it.

Crafty-liz said...

WOW, Amazing, stunning, cute and everything else that describes something as nice as this.......
Thanks for sharing

Elena said...

Wow! That is incredible! Very cute box! Lots and lots of delicate work here! You are amazing!!!
Thank you for sharing templates and tutorial!!!

Kathlene said...

Mere words do not suffice! I love Caardvarks so when you joined their DT and I checked out your blog I was totally blown away. I've become a bit jaded with a lot of the same ole, same ole stuff on blogs but you are an Original with a capital "O"...LOVE your stuff and have been inspired to stretch my usual stamping/inking/embossing/prismacolor/cuttlebugging basics. Thanks for sharing so generously of your mega-talent!

PaperTree Designs said...

I am in total awe of your papercrafting! You are amazing. LOve, love, love this. Thank you for sharing. I just ordered Anya, off to get some Gesso and tiny hinges and going to give this a go. Thanks so much!
Hugs
Deb
xx

wenchie said...

What a fantastic project!!! It's simply adorable!

Anonymous said...

Your work is AMAZING. Love this idea.
So fun to browse your page.
Thx for sharing.