Exploding Box & Cards

Most people love to get handmade cards and gifts. I think it is especially nice for Valentine's Day.  On Saturday, February 9th Scrapbooks-Plus will offer a class in which you'll make four Valentine-themed items using a scoring board and BoBunny’s Love Letters line. 

You’ll make an exploding box that would be a great Valentines gift for one of your loves – grandmother, mother, daugter, husband.  It looks like a box but when you open it up out pops all kinds of spaces that are decorated.  You can add messages and pictures specific to the receipient. You could even include a gift card in one of the pockets.  If you have a child away at school one of these with gift cards would be most welcome. 

In addition, we’ll make a newly popular “matchbook,” which can serve the same purpose as a card, but is oh so cute. 

 A card and matching envelope will complete our projects. 

Although these projects are great and reason enough to take a class, but the real purpose of making these is to learn about a scoring board.  After making these item, you can decide whether this is a tool you need in your papercrafting tool box.  Whatever you decide, you’ll have completed some projects, learned how to make some new items and had a fun afternoon. 

This class is part of a series I'm teaching to share new tools and techniques so that we are continuing to expand our papercrafting skills.  I always feel that I make better decisions when I get to use somehting before I buy it and you'll definately gain that experience with this class.  And you'll have a lot of fun!

The class is on February 9, 2013  from 10:30am – 2:30pm with a cost of $45.   The items are on display at the store if you'd like to look at them up close.   To sign up stop by or call Scrapbooks Plus at

703-263-9503.   Space is limited.

Tiny Card Set

I love making practical gifts with paper.  I made this cute little basket from my left over paper from MME's Follow Your Heart paper line.  The paper with the hexagonal designs are a must have with this collection.  There is so much you can do with them... they just screamed at me to be cut out and used!

I never seem to have gift cards around when I have a small gift I want to give with a small note.  I thought this was fun paper to make cute little cards that would match most wrapping paper and gift situations without being birthday specific.  Here are the cards below.  Enjoy!

Make it Extraordinary!

Have you ever looked at ordinary things and thought how boring- I can fix that!?  Of course you can!  Here's how I mad a simple spiral notebook a lot more exciting...

Grab a binder clip and clip all your pages together to make life easier later, leaving your back and front covers out of the binder clip.  Take pliers and unbend one end of the metal spiral so you can easily spool it out of the holes.  Set it aside.  Then measure your covers (I covered the back too but you wouldn't have to), cut and adhere your paper and decorate the front.  I chose to add some vintage lace and the paper border that coordinates and is available with this month's LYB papers as well as a few coordinating premade embellishments.  I used my Crop-a-dile to punch the holes at the top so my spiral could go back through.  I also added a closure for the bottom of my notebook using a small circle of chipboard (about 1/2 the size of my embellishment that you see (also from the matching LYB premade embellishments).  I punched through the center of both and added a brad.  I attached twine to the back cover and just wound it around my circle closure.  I reassembled my notebook by spooling my spiral back through the top and re-bending the end to secure it.  I tied pieces of my vintage lace and a coordinating color ribbon to the spiral.  I also made a matching RSVP pen.  This is really easy because the top screws off and the matching paper is inserted by rolling it and inserting in the space around the ink.  Of course I finished the pen with matching ribbon and vintage lace! 

 

Now my notepad and pen are nothing ordinary-- they are extraordinary!

Winter Survival Kit

I had fun making this cute little project with our DT kit this month.  It is a "Winter Survival Kit".  Now that the temperatures are starting to drop, it seems timely!  It was really quite simple to put together.  I used my Cricut to cut a 'fry box'.

Here's a close up of the front with the layered medallion with vintage book print and a large snowflake (punched with a Martha Stewart punch) and topped off with a button, then accented with burgundy crinkle ribbon.  I also used a Martha border punch to create a snowflake border around the box (under the medallion and layered with more crinkle ribbon.

The contents were also decorated with the same punches, vintage book print and ribbon.  I measured a small tissue pack and created a box with a flap to cover it.  Also included a chap stick lip balm and gourmet hot cocoa mix.  This would also be a fun little 'pick me up gift' for a good friend with a cold- it is that time of year!  I also plan to use this same method for party favors this year for my kids' birthday parties-- create a few themed goodies (not tissues and lip balm!) and put them in a fry box.  Super cute, quick and easy!!  I hope this inspires you to create a fun project with your scrapbook supplies!