Tie it All Up in a Package Like the Greatest Showman!

I have a class coming up in a couple of days. It's a Tea & 3D type class and the theme for this one is teaching you how to create the perfect sized decorative box for a small gift and then how to add decorations to it.

There will be three types of boxes shown. The first will be a regular rectangular or square box with a matching lift off lid:

• This one uses Calypso Coral cardstock for the base of the box and the Painted with Love Specialty Designer Series Paper to make the lid, which has hidden flaps due to a double fold on all four sides. This Specialty DSP is perfect for this job because it is extra heavy so hard to tear when folding and scoring.
• This method can be used to create a box for any sized gift, but is limited by the size of the cardstock. This one was for an approximately 4" square jewelry box. 
• I will also show you how to make this beautiful double bow for the top and the little tag, which is a framelit from the Sweet Cake Framelits. The ribbon is the Peekaboo Peach crinkled ribbon.

Another type of box we'll make is a Matchbox type gift holder with a box base as above, but with a sliding sleeve-like top, just like a match box has.

• This one is created from DSP from the True Gentleman Designer Series Paper. It is not quite as stiff and heavy as the DSP above so more care has to be taken scoring it. But it creates a handsome box for a small manly gift!
• It is decorated with some Tranquil Tide Finely Woven Ribbon and a tag stamped with an image from the Truly Tailored stamp set in Tranquil Tide, and punched with the Tailored Tag Punch.

The last box is a self-closing sample that you've seen on this blog before. It is such a clever invention that I wonder who was the super creative person who came up with the idea:

Here is where you can register for this class!

I just want to put in a plug for a great movie I finally got to see this week! It was my birthday a week ago and my wish for celebrating was to go and see "The Greatest Showman", a musical starring Hugh Jackman! Everytime we made plans to go, though, it was either gone from the theatre or sold out! We finally got to see it on Monday and I'm so glad I kept on trying.

If you know my love for the theatre, you'll understand why I liked it so much. The team who came up with the songs for the musical were the same team who did the musical, LaLa Land, so it was bound to be good and I have to tell you, I'm still going around the house singing the songs. Even though the circus has some controversy to it, the view of it from this movie's point of view is that it is a salute to humanity in all its diversity, and the anthem "I Am Me" is a great one for this time in history.

And if you enjoy love stories and love songs, you will have to see Zac Efron and Zendaya performing "Rewrite the Stars" while doing an aerial trapeze dance of sorts! Spectacular!

And nothing is more moving than my favourite song, "From Now On" as P. T. Barnum realizes his errors as he hits rock bottom and makes a decision to change his ways, no longer to seek validation from the rich and powerful.

Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today.

Product List

Cake Soirée Wood-Mount Stamp Set [145521] $62.00	Cake Soirée Clear-Mount Stamp Set [145745] $46.00	Cake Soirée Wood-Mount Bundle [145816] $95.25	Cake Soiree Clear-Mount Bundle [147627] $81.00	Truly Tailored Wood-Mount Stamp Set [145732] $37.00
Truly Tailored Clear-Mount Stamp Set [145735] $26.00	Truly Tailored Wood-Mount Bundle [146089] $54.25	Truly Tailored Clear-Mount Bundle [147752] $44.50	Painted With Love Specialty Designer Series Paper [145580] $17.00	True Gentleman Designer Series Paper [145593] $14.50
Calypso Coral 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [122925] $10.00	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730] $11.25	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [101650] $11.25	Tranquil Tide Classic Stampin' Pad [144085] $8.50	Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad [126983] $8.50
Peekaboo Peach Classic Stampin' Pad [141398] $8.50	Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad [131172] $8.50	Peekaboo Peach 5/8" Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon [144192] $10.75	Tranquil Tide 1/2" Finely Woven Ribbon [144136] $9.25	Gold Cording Trim [139618] $6.25
Sweet Cake Framelits Dies [145617] $44.00	Tailored Tag Punch [145667] $23.50	Big Shot [143263] $136.00	Tear & Tape Adhesive [138995] $9.00	Fast Fuse Adhesive [129026] $13.50
Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $5.25

Coming Soon: The Gift Box Punch Board

There is a lot to be excited about this week, not the least of which is the start of ordering from the new 2014 Holiday Catalogue on Thursday, August 28th.  And one of the most exciting products from that new catalogue is the Gift Box Punch Board, coming soon to a craft room near you - hopefully, yours.  The timing couldn't be better.  One of the more frustrating aspects of gift-wrapping is finding a suitable box for many little items.  Stampin' Up! has come up with the perfect answer.  While company policy prohibits me from showing you the actual product before the catalogue goes live, I can show you projects made with the new products and that's what I've done today.

I wanted to show you the versatility of this product, by making boxes large and small and different shaped. The base of all of them is square, but you can make cubes, shallow boxes or tall boxes.  The Gift Box Punch Board works on a similar principle to the popular Envelope Punch Board and is very easy to use and just as affordable.  Here is what one of the boxes looks like before adhering it together:

The paper these are made from is Under the Tree Specialty Designer Series Paper, which has extra weight and thickness perfect for making gift boxes.  It has a coloured design on one side and a white and kraft design on the other which make it versatile for many occasions.  If you have already received your 2014 Holiday Catalogue from me in the mail, you'll find both products on page 5.  If you haven't yet received one, give me an email or phone call and I will see that you receive one ASAP! (To be on my catalogue mailing list you must be an active customer in the two months preceding the catalogue mail out.)

These are the individual boxes now.

This is the extra-large cube box, 4 x 4 x 4 inches, which uses a full sheet of 12" x 12" paper. It is decorated with some other new products including the Cherry Cobbler 1" Sheer Linen Ribbon, and the tag is made using the Merry Everything stamp set and the Note Tag Punch which can be bundled so you can save 15%.  The floral decoration was made using the Flower Frenzy Bigz L Die from the Annual Catalogue.

This shallow box, 3.25 x 3.25 x 1.75 inches, was made using 8" x 8" paper, which is from the Under the Tree Specialty DSP.  I made the box using the Cherry Cobbler 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain ribbon from the Annual Catalogue.  The tag was also made with the Merry Everything Stamp Set and the Note Tag Punch.

I used the kraft and white side of a 7" x 7" piece of the Under The Tree Specialty DSP to make this tall box, 1.75 x 1.75 x 2.5 inches. The new Natural and Old Olive Two-Toned Trim is like an extra-thick Baker's Twine and the flower is made using the Flower Frenzy Bigz L die.

This is the tiniest box that can be made, 1.75 x 1.75 x 1.75 inches.  You need to start with a 6" x 6" piece of paper and follow the directions on the Gift Box Punch Board.  I found the directions very clear, but once the catalogue goes live, I will made a video to show you exactly how to use it.   Just think of all the perfect boxes you will be able to make this year! The trim on this box is the Gold Satin Ribbon and the tag is made with the new Project Life Holiday Cheer Stamp Set and the Petite Curly Label Punch.

And it's Tuesday.  Here are this week's weekly deals:

Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today!

Product List

Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [119685]	Old Olive 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [100702]	Basic Black 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [121045]	Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad [126966]	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [126953]
Petite Curly Label Punch [129405]	Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine [123125]	Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [100730]	Cherry Cobbler 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon [134554]	Gold 5/8" Satin Ribbon [134547]
Linen Thread [104199]

*Gift Box Punch Board

*Under the Tree Specialty DSP

*1" Cherry Cobbler Sheer Linen Ribbon

*Merry Everything Stamp Set

*Note Tag Punch

*Natural and Old Olive Two-Toned Trim

*Products from the 2014 Holiday Catalogue, available for order August 28, 2014