My Big Announcement

After much encouragement and support from dear friends and family I am about to embark on a new venture - my very own digital stamp store!  Needless to say, I'm very excited, but also a little nervous.  There's still lots to be done and even more for me to learn but I think I'm up for the challenge!

I'd like to take the opportunity now to thank you all for your  support, your comments and compliments over the last couple of years, you've really given me the motivation to continue.  In all the time that I've been running this blog I've never had a single negative comment, message or email and I think that just goes to show what a wonderful world we crafters share!

I'll be taking a bit of respite over the Christmas and New Year period to catch up with my family, eat, celebrate, eat, do some shopping, some more eating, a little bit of cooking followed by more eating - I'm sure you can all relate!  Somewhere in there we're planning a road trip down to Melbourne with the kids and Jeff's mum (who is coming all the way from Oregon in the U.S.).

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,
The warmth of Christmas grant you love.
~ unknown

Cheers,

Beccy Muir

Tutorial - Box Cards

Today's project is perfect for this time of the year when you are giving little gifts to friends and colleagues.  Box cards contain not only your holiday greetings but also have room for a little treat... I've seen them filled with candy canes, chocolates or little handmade gift tags.

1.  Start with a piece of cardstock measuring 8" x 12".  Place it horizontally (landscape orientation) on your scoreboard with the wrongside facing up.  Score at 3.5", 4", 7.5", 8" and 11.5".

2.  Turn the cardstock 90 degrees so it is vertical (landscape orientation) on your scoreboard.  Score at 0.5", 1", 7" and 7.5".

3.  This part is a little bit tricky, so make sure you understand what you are cutting before you start.  You want to end up with a piece of cardstock that looks like the one below.  I used a craft knife and metal ruler to cut away the excess cardstock, but scissors would also work well.

 

4.  I found the box folded better if I cut off a very narrow piece of cardstock from the far right side.  You can see in the photo below just how narrow the piece is.  You don't have to be too precise since this edge will be folded inside the card.

5.  Fold and crease all the score lines.

6.  I used a little corner cutter to round off the edges of the top and bottom flaps making it easier to open the box and giving and neater appearance.

7.  Use your favourite tool to cut an opening in the cardstock.  It can be any shape you wish but make sure you stay within the fold lines.

8.  Cut a piece of clear plastic or acetate to fit over the aperture you cut in the cardstock.  For a great effect, run the piece of plastic through your favourite embossing machine.

9.  Use some double-sided tape to secure the piece of plastic to the cardstock, completely covering the aperture.

10.  Add some more double-sided tape to the underside of the far right flap.

11.  Remove the backing paper from the double-sided tape, then fold the box along the score lines.  Secure it to the first narrow area of cardstock on the left side.  This will give you the basic box shape.

12.  Trim about 0.25" from the little taglets at either end of the box.  This will make it easier to close the box.

13.  Close the ends, add some embellishments and you're done!

Let it Snow!

This is an anything but a card project I made a few months ago for a challenge at Card Camp. I made it by cutting eight large snowflakes from the Snowflake Pendant dies by Spellbinders, then threaded some beads through the centre and added a piece of string at the top for hanging. Believe it or not, it now takes pride of place in my 8 year old son's bedroom, hanging from his light fitting!