Pop Up Posies Box

Wasn't the Stampin' Addicts Spring Catalog Blog Hop Fabulous?  If you missed it, all the blogs should be deep-linked together so you can still see all the great projects.  You can start on my post.

First, it definitely does NOT feel like spring in my neck of the woods.  We have about a foot of snow on the ground and it is right around 20°F outside even as I type this.  So it did feel a little strange to be sharing Spring projects right now.  But that is OK.  Spring will get here eventually, right?  (One can certainly hope anyway.)

The project that brought the most comments and the most pins from the Blog Hop was the box.  So today, I am sharing the details of that with you.  On Wednesday, I will share the details on the candy wrappers and on Friday, the card.  Deal?  

Colors: Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla.  Stamps: Pop Up Posies Designer Series Kit and Flowering Flourishes.  Big Shot: Apothecary Accents Framelits.  Punches: Large Oval, 1-3/8" circle.  Accessories: Pop Up Posies Designer Series Kit (Flowers, Tag for the box top, Brad, Twine).

To start off, I made the top first so that I would know how big to make the box.  I placed one of the tags from the Pop Up Posies Kit on the Simply Scored board and scored from each of the notched edges to the one opposite.  So it looked like this:

You can tell from the picture, that I cut a slit in each corner so that it would fold in to make a box top.  I used Glue Dots to secure the corners because they are the perfect size for those little corners.  This makes a lid that is approximately 1-3/8" x 2-1/2" so I determined my box should be 1-1/4" x 2-3/8".  I arbitrarily chose to make it 4" tall.  You could adjust the height of the box to make it taller or shorter, but 4" seems like a good size to put a treat or gift in.

For the base, I started with a piece of card stock 5-1/4" x 7-3/4". If you want to stamp images on it to give it a background, do that now.  Then, placing the card stock the long way in my Simply Scored Tool, score it at 1-1/4", 3-5/8", 4-7/8" and 7-1/2".  Then flip it the other way and scored at 1-1/4" to make the bottom.  You can see what it looks like from the diagram below:

To assemble the box, you cut away the smallest tab from the bottom and then snip along the other score lines at the bottom until it meets the other score line (clear as mud right?  just do it like you would any other box like this.)

To decorate the top, I followed the instructions that came with the kit to make the flower and adhered it to the box top.  Then stamped, punched and tied the tag around the flower.  And voila!  You have a quick and easy box perfect for spring, when it finally gets here in three or four months. :)

Don't forget that the start of the Spring Catalog on January 3 also means the end of the Holiday Catalog.  So if you haven't purchased everything off your wish list from that catalog, be sure to let me know ASAP.  And since today is New Years Eve, I hope you all have a safe and fun time with whatever you have planned to celebrate the old and ring in the new.  I also wish you and yours a prosperous and blessed 2013!  Happy New Year!

Stampin' Addict Spring Catalog Blog Hop

I'm back from my December hiatus just in time for the Stampin' Addict's Spring Catalog Blog Hop! (I didn't really plan to take such a long break from blogging, it just sort of happened.)  This is stop #6 on the hop.  If you're hopping in order, than you've arrived here from Rhonda's Stampin' Bunny Blog and her fabulous projects with the Secret Garden Bundle.  (She just might convince me I need that bundle too.)  If this is your first stop, no worries; all the blogs are linked together in a loop so you won't miss a thing.  (And if you happen to be looking at this post after December 30, all the posts should be deep linked so you can still follow them.)  If you do get lost or want to chat about the hop, visit Stampin' Addicts!

The Spring Catalog is full of so many fun products, it was hard to choose just one to share for the hop.  But I settled on a great little kit called the Pop Up Posies Designer Kit.  This kit comes with a nine pre-cut and embossed tags, enough precut flowers and brads to embellish them, and  a wood-mounted "Just for You" stamp, all for $12.95 US! 

This kit can be used to make quick and easy tags, cards or toppers for bags.  But I wanted to dress the kit up a bit and do some different things with it. I will be sharing more details about each of these projects on my blog next week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  So you will want to come back and see how each was made. First a card:

This card features the flowers and the tag from the kit, along with a few other fun new things in the Spring Catalog: Paper Doilies and Delicate Details Lace Tape.  The doily really adds to the texture of the card and sets the flower off nicely.  And the tape is a fabulous way to quickly and easily add some lace to a card.

For my next two projects, I wanted to think "out of the box." When I looked at those cute tags, I could see candy wrappers.  So that is exactly what I did with them:

For my last project, I was actually thinking "box".  It is something that I envisioned a few weeks before I actually had time to sit down and make it. And for once something I envisioned in my head actually worked:

Aren't those flowers so fun and fabulous?  I hope you have enjoyed these projects and will come back and find out how to make them this next week.  Now you should be off to Heidi's RunningwithScissors Blog for her take on the new stamp set By the Tide.  Happy hopping!

Happy December!

Can't believe it is December already.  This year has just flown right on by!  I hope that your tree is up, your shopping is done and your cards are in the mail.  What?  They aren't?  Mine either.  We just got back from a 10 day vacation so I guarantee you are farther along than I am. :)

Just in case you are still making cards (and if you aren't, I am jealous!), here is another one to inspire you today:

Colors: Whisper White, Lucky Limeade, and Cherry Cobbler.  Stamps: Ornament Keepsakes and Mixed Medley.  Big Shot: Holiday Frame Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, and Holiday Ornament Framelit Collection. Punches: 3/4" Circle and Scallop Trim Border Punch.  Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Scalloped Tulle Ribbon, Pearl Jewels, linen thread.

This card was inspired by my friend JanTink.  If you are ever in the mood to be completely inspired and overwhelmed at the same time, check out her creations at Stamps, Paper, Scissors.  They are always over the top and always amazing.  I changed the colors up on it and added my own bow to the top of the ornament.  That piece of tulle is actually stitched on to the card using linen thread to make it gather in the middle.  You can achieve the same look with a brad as well though.  It just needs to be a big brad, like our fancy glitter ones.

Stampin' Up! has been inundating us with news lately.  And there is even more to share today:

-Stampin' Up! has launched a new customer site that is social-media friendly and full of inspiration.  Check it out at stampinup.com

-Right now there is a Mega Massive Giveaway on the My Digital Studio Facebook Page.  You could win a free copy of MDS2+ and/or every new download in 2013.  You can enter every day so don't miss out on this chance to win!

-I had the chance to preorder from the new 2013 Spring Catalog this weekend.  Watch for some sneak peeks coming hopefully next week.  (I do have to get ready for Christmas this week, you know.)

- Stampin' Up! has added some kits to their online stores that are perfect of packaging up cute neighbor or coworker gifts.  Check out this video and then shop now to get some!