My Trio of Halloween Treat Boxes

As seen in the Oct/Nov 2008 issue of Paper Trends magazine!

Here they are! These are the Halloween Treat Boxes that I created for Paper Crafts magazine message board's daily challenge. I had lots of fun creating these cute, little boxes using various digital kits and the Chinese Takeout box template from PackageTech.com.

I created this box using the October Orange Kit from Two Peas in a Bucket. I finished it off with a length of black velvet ribbon from Michaels Stores.







This one uses the Treats from the Streets digital kit from ScrapStreet.com. I added some yellow ribbon from SEI's Kaboom collection and attached it with black brads from Making Memories.

I designed this last box using the Harvest Spice kit from ShabbyPrincess.com. I decided not to add a handle on this one.



Finished Size Approx. 2.5" x 2.25" x 2.5", exclusive of ribbon. More pics in my online portfolio

Trick or Treat!

Created using Adobe Photoshop and elements from the
Shabby Fall and Harvest Spice digital kits from shabbyprincess.com.

Happy Halloween everyone! Today I'm hosting the daily challenge over on the Paper Crafts magazine message board. Would you like to join us? Here's the info...

I hope you're not all Halloween'd out, because today's challenge, should you choose to accept it, is both a TREAT and a TRICK.

Here's the Treat:
Create a Halloween Treat Box out of a Chinese Take Out Box.
You could do it by decorating one that you already have (I know the craft stores around me sell them) or you could take one apart to use as a template. Or you can use this template that I found online by PackageTech.com:
www.packagetech.com/chinese-takeout-boxes.html
(Scroll to the bottom to find the blank templates and instructions.)

Now here's the Trick:
Use at least TWO digital elements, when decorating your Treat Box.
You can use ones that you already have, or choose from these Free Digital Kits that I found online:

From Two Peas in a Bucket*:
The October Orange Kit (about halfway down the page).

From ScrapStreet.com*:
Treats from the Streets or
Falling into Fun.

From shabbyprincess.com:
Shabby Fall or
Harvest Spice.

* Note that Two Peas and ScrapStreet both require that you sign in or create a free account to download their kits.

If you don't have a working printer, you can just do the Treat part of this challenge. But I'm trying to encourage everyone to try something new, like using digital elements, in their paper crafting.

Please join me in doing this challenge! No prizes or awards, just trying to get our creative juices flowing and thinking outside of the box. (Or thinking about and making a box, in this case...) I will post my own creation(s) later today. If you would like to see your Treat Box on my blog, feel free to email me a photo. I would love to see what you all do!

Happy Halloween!
Angela

Christmas Clippies!

Ok, I know I'm pushing the season a little... But I just wanted to share these with you. I created these today for a daily challenge on Paper Craft magazine's message board.

These are called clippies in the paper crafting/scrapbooking world. Clippies are bookmarks made by altering jumbo paper clips. I got my paper clips from WalMart, but they are available in most office supply stores. Splitcoaststampers.com has a great, easy-to-follow tutorial on making clippies here.

My Christmas Clippies were very quick and easy to create. First I ran my patterned cardstock through my Xyron sticker maker to apply adhesive to the back. Then I adhered the paper to my cardboard. Next I punched out the patterned circles with my 1" circle punch. (See tip below.) I used a similar technique with my solid cardstock and my 1.25" punch to create two larger circles per bookmark. I adhered the smaller, patterned circle to the front of one of the larger circles, and a piece of folded ribbon to the back of the other solid circle. Finally, I attached both circles to my jumbo paper clip with a pop-up Glue Dot. I would have used a stronger liquid adhesive (like Liquid Nails or E6000), however someone neglected to completely close the cap on her glue, and now someone has a brick of glue stuck in a tube... Oh well...

Bonus Tip! To perfectly center my punch around my patterned circles, I use my punches upside down for more precise placement.

Supplies:

• Patterned Cardstock: Letters to Santa from Candy Cane Lane collection
  by Imaginisce
• Cardstock: Textured Adhesive Matstack by DCWV
• Fibers: red & cream grosgrain ribbon from Target Stores
• Adhesive: Craft & Pop-Up adhesive dots by Glue Dots
• Tools: sticker maker by Xyron; 1" & 1-1/4" circle punches by EK Success
• Other: 3.5" Paper Clips from Walmart; chipboard (aka used cereal box!)
  courtesy of Kellogg's

Finished Size Approx. 1.25" x 3", exclusive of ribbon

Anniversary "Love" Card

One of my newest creations, again using a sheet of transparency film as my card base. This was a (very) belated anniversary card for my brother-in-law and his wife. And now that I have finally given it to them, I can share it with you!

Similar in design to my "Wishing You Flowers" card, I again decided that I wanted to use the patterned cardstock as a backdrop for the cover design. But I also wanted a space for an interior sentiment and signatures. My solution was to fold my cardstock in half and then adhere it to the back cover of the inside of the card. For this card, I chose to spell out the exterior sentiment using patterned chipboard letters. The entire card is adorned with a length of green grosgrain ribbon tied in a knot along the top.

Bonus Tip! When working with transparencies, I like to place a gridded cutting mat under the clear sheets. I use the grid to align my paper and accents when adhering them to the transparency film.

Supplies:

• Patterned Cardstock: Classic K McKenna Mat Pad by K&Company
• Transparency Sheet: for inkjet printers by 3M
• Accents: K-OLOGY Hannah Chipboard Alphabet by K&Company,
  jumbo blossoms and pebble brad by Making Memories
  
• Silk Leaves: Michaels Stores
• Fibers: Vintage Hip Paisley green grosgrain ribbon from Making Memories

Finished Size 8.5" x 3.75". Sized to fit in a standard #10 envelope.
Want to see more of this card? Check it out in my online portfolio!

Wishing You Flowers

This card was one of my first attempts at using transparency film (aka acetate sheets) in my card design. I really enjoy working with this material -- it challenges me to think differently and is still somewhat unexpected. The only real downside is that you have to be very careful with your adhesives, as they cause smudges that are very difficult to remove from the transparency.

(If anyone has any tips they would like to share on how to remove unwanted adhesive and smudges from transparency film, please leave me a comment on this post!)

This actually was a very simple card to create. First I printed my sentiment on a piece of transparency film. (See bonus tip below.) I trimmed the sheet to 5" x 10" and then folded it in half to create my card base. I then glued a silk leaf to a square of double-sided patterned cardstock. I attached the cardstock to the back of my card with eyelets, with the leaf facing the back. I attached a flower and another silk leaf to the front of the card with a giant pebble brad. Finally I adhered a bracket on either side of the flower.

Bonus Tip! When printing on transparencies, I flip my text/image to print backwards on the rough side of the film, and then flip the printed transparency so that I am using the smooth side for my card.

Supplies:

• Patterned Paper: Classic K McKenna Mat Pad
  by K&Company
• Transparency Sheet: for inkjet printers by 3M
• Accents: Funky Vintage clear brackets,
  paper daisies, pebble brad, and eyelets
  by Making Memories,
• Silk Leaves: Michaels Stores

Finished Size 5" x 5". Want to see more of this card? Check it out in my online portfolio!

Winners of my Vacation Blog Candy Contest!

We have our winners! Congratulations to Denise and Tejal! They were the first to identify the landmarks in my two photographs.

Tejal was the first to correctly name picture #1 as the Golden Jubilee Bridge in London, England. This pedestrian bridge connects the north and south banks of the Thames River. It also offers a great view of the London Eye, one of the largest observation wheels in the world.

Denise was the first to identify picture #2 as the famous Eiffel Tower, overlooking the River Seine in Paris, France. This iconic landmark was built for the 1889 Paris Worlds Fair.

(BTW, that object in the center of the Eiffel Tower in my photo is a giant, inflated rugby ball, as we were in France during the World Cup.)

Congrats to both of you ladies! Denise and Tejal, please email me your addresses and I will send you your copy of the October 2007 issue of Paper Crafts magazine. And thanks to everyone else for participating in my little contest. Some of you were sooo close, but I had to wait until I got the correct names of the landmarks before I declared my winners.

Hope you had fun! (And now you see why I had such a wonderful vacation!)

Vacation Blog Candy!

Hello Dear Readers!

I apologize for not posting for a while, but I've been away -- on vacation! My husband and I went away for 10 wonderful days. Our first real vacation in years. Where you ask? Well, I'm not going to tell you! At least not yet...

To make up for the fact that I have been so silent these past two weeks, I am going to turn my vacation destination(s) into a contest. Here are two pictures that I took on my trip. The goal is to be the first person to leave a comment on this post correctly identifying one of these landmarks. I will give away a prize for each photo for a total of two prizes.

My prizes are copies of the October issue of Paper Crafts Magazine. Because of a subscription mix-up, I ended up with three copies of the October issue, so I thought I would give away two of them to you.

Here's the fine print:
As the prize for identifying each photo is the same, I am going to award the magazines to two different people. (Trying to spread the wealth!) So even if you are the first person to correctly identify both photos, you will only get one prize. The second prize will go to the next person to correctly identify the other photo. And close friends and relatives who already know my vacation destination(s) are not eligible to win. Sorry!

Please be sure to sign in or leave your name with your comment so that I can identify you if you win. And keep checking back to see if you've won, or for additional hints if necessary. Remember you can click on the photos to see larger images. Have fun guessing!

UPDATE: It seems that the first photo is far more challenging than the second. Those of you who guessed that the first photo is of a bridge are correct. However, I do need the name of the bridge to declare a winner. So here are some additional hints to help you along...

Hint #1: Residents around the landmark pictured in Photo #1 would say that my husband and I were on holiday, not on vacation.

Hint #2: You can get an EYE-ful of a view while standing on the landmark in Photo #1.

File Folder Accordion Albums

These are two projects that I created for my very first swap! (For those of you who do not know, a swap is a popular way to trade supplies and creativity with other crafters.) This particular swap was hosted by a Paper Crafts Magazine Message Board member, and required each participant to create two albums based on Kristina Werner's tutorial. Kristina designed her patterns using half of a manila file folder. I chose to use double-sided card stock instead and secured it with a coordinating ribbon bow. The book opens to reveal four sentiment tags tucked inside individually decorated pockets.

I designed the first one, which I titled "Enjoy," using a olive and orange color scheme with pops of deep red. I decided to go with a floral theme, and added different paper flowers on the cover and each pocket. I accented the small flowers with dimensional fabric paint and the larger cover flowers with brads. As a final touch, I drew dotted swirls with a white gel pen and tied it all together with a bright cheery orange and yellow ribbon.

For the sentiments, I decided to go with a whole relaxation and pampering theme. I chose words like "enjoy," "have fun," "celebrate," and "smile" for the tags.

Supplies:

• Card stock: Mustard/Green Stripe from the Wild Asparagus collection by My Mind's Eye
• Patterned Paper: Tangerine Beach Blossoms from the Scrapbook Walls collection by Chatter Box
• Paper Flowers: All About Me from the Sweet N Sassy Floral Embellishments line and Press N Petals, both by Prima
• Brads: Making Memories
• Rub-Ons: Making Memories and American Crafts
• Ribbon: Michaels Stores

: : :

I decided to go with a more masculine tone and more subdued colors for my second album, which I titled "Inspiration."

I chose a polka-dotted card stock in soft greens and browns. I picked natural embellishments, like the silk leaf and the paper flowers. To add to the masculine effect, I attached metal accents on the pockets and covers. I included some faux stitching on one of the pockets.

Finally I secured the entire album with a dark/light chocolate brown ribbon.



For the sentiments, I chose all inspirational words and included a quote by Henry David Thoreau. The tags say "create," "imagine," "dream," and "inspire."

Humorous side note... When I showed my husband this card and told him it was my "masculine" version, he pointed out that "it still has flowers." It was his suggestion that maybe the flowers would be more acceptable if I made it look like a scientific illustration. Hence the little tag with the Latin name "bellis perennis." And guess what! I like that added touch! Thanks, hubby! (BTW, bellis perennis is a daisy.)

Supplies:

• Card stock: "Cherish" Dots/Brown paper from the Wild Asparagus collection by My Mind's Eye
• Patterned Paper: Fence Stripe from the Scrapbook Walls collection by Chatter Box
• Paper Flowers: Press N Petals by Prima
• Silk Leaf: Michaels Stores
• Brads, Eyelets & Snaps: Making Memories
• Ribbon: Michaels Stores

Finished Size approx. 3" x 5 5/8" closed and 11.5" x 5 5/8" open.
Want to see more of these albums? Check them out in my online portfolio!

World Card Making Day

For those of you who do not know it yet, today (Saturday, October 6th) is World Card Making Day! This is a holiday created to celebrate the creativity of handmade cards and the personal connection that they create between friends and family. There are lots of festivities to celebrate this event. One of my favorite craft websites, PaperCrafts Magazine, is hosting various swaps and offering free downloads, contests, and sweepstakes. (Check out their link here.) Many local scrapbooking stores have special events today. For more details, plus tons of free card projects, check out the official website at www.worldcardmakingday.com. There is also a gallery where you can post your own creations!

Enjoy!