Super Simple Candle Upcycle

I had tried to make a snow globe for my sister for Christmas but it was HORRIBLE and ended up in the trash.  Normally I wouldn't have worried, but I had bought my brother a little something and I didn't want to hurt my sister's feelings.  I was stumped and then I remembered a customer telling me about a You Tube video she saw using these flameless candles sold at the Dollar Tree.  I actually had purchased one already and I thought this was the perfect time to try this out.

All you need is the candle, tissue paper, and a heat gun.  The candle and tissue paper were bought at the Dollar Tree and I already had the heat gun.  

This is the actual type of candle I used; they come in cream or white, & I used a white one.  The candles have a wax coating on them, which, when you melt it, the tissue paper "melts" into the wax.  Another technique similar to this is stamping on white tissue paper, coloring it with pencils, and then melting that into the wax.  I will be trying other techniques since these candles are easy to get and inexpensive. 




Here is a picture of the candle I made, unlit: 

The tissue paper I used was out for the holiday season {I LOVE blue and white,

add some snowflakes and I am SO good!} but there are always pretty patterns and options all year round.  In fact, I bet you have some seasonal tissue paper stashed away right now. 

And here is the candle in action.  The light isn't yellow at all, but my camera

refuses to take pictures of light without making it yellow.  The candle battery will last about 120 hours and you can buy replacement batteries.

I hope you enjoyed my simple candle upcycle.  I love to browse at the Dollar Tree; and it is so much easier now that I'm working there.  I would love to hear about some of your Dollar Tree crafts so please feel free to detail them in the comments. Thank you so much. ~ Christi

PS: My sister loves this SO much she wants me to make her more of them!

I am entering my Candle in the following challenges:
a2z Scrapbooking -M, Jan, New To Me
Altered Eclectics - M, (runs until Feb)
Country View Crafts - M, Jan, Anything Goes
Let's Create Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
Not Just Cards - Anything Goes
Rhedds Creative Spirit - running 'til end of Feb
Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes
The Crafty Addicts - #44, Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Something New
Emerald Creek Dare - M, Jan, Anything Goes

Mom's Tree

Some of you may know my mom is completely blind in her left eye and has very limited sight in her right eye.  Since she no longer decorates for the holidays, I decided to make her a tree she could essentially keep up all year long.  And, since this tree is embossed, she can literally run her fingers over it.

What I Used Making my Project:
8" x 8" Panel
Watercolor Paper
Oxide Inks in Salty Ocean, Seedless Preserves, Peacock Feathers, Wilted Violet and Cracked Pistachio
Embossing Ink
Simon Says Stamp White Detail Embossing Powder
Indigo Blu Baroque Christmas Tree Stamp

Clear Embossing Powder

White Embossing Powder

I used an entire sheet of watercolor paper to make this.  The first step is to emboss your focal point using white embossing powder.  I did a test; I did one design in clear powder and one using white powder.  These pictures don't do it justice, but the white powder was bright and clear while the clear powder just sort of faded into the background.  The tree on the right was embossed with clear powder and the tree on the left with white embossing powder.  Now they do look sort of similar but, once the inks dry, that white powder POPS as you can see by the tree I made.  Of course, in the spirit of full disclosure I used a lot more of the Oxide inks on the "white" tree since I knew that one was going to be the one I was going to give Mom.  I guess the bottom line is use whichever you prefer to get the look you are trying to achieve.  

I inked and spritzed the tree a lot.  I wanted it to be vibrant enough so my Mom could see the colors if nothing else.  I was positive the ink would stain the embossing powder but it didn't.   Once I was pleased with the colors, I trimmed the piece of watercolor paper down and mounted it onto the panel.  I tried to frame it but the bulk of the panel made that difficult, so I just gave her the panel.  And she loved it, of course, but she's a bit biased. That's it! The project took me about 3 days, but I am sure it would have gone much faster if I hadn't fiddled around with the Oxide Inks so much. I really do love the white popping out of the colors. I only have a few more holiday posts that I want to get published; so I hope you haven't lost your holiday spirit! Thanks, Christi

I am entering my Mom's Tree in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Inkspirational Challenge - Just Stamping
Stamping Sensations - Winter Trees & Flowers 
Rhedd's Creative Spirit  (running til 1/31/18) Altered Art/Etc
The Rubber Buggy - #8, Christmas/Winter
Altered Eclectics - (running til 1/31/18) Altered Art/Etc
Eclectic Ellapu - (running til 1/31/18) Anything Goes Altered Art
Inspiration Destination - #140 (running til 1/2/18) Anything Goes
Sweet Stampin' - Anything NEW {first time I have used this stamp}

Introducing Mr, Mummy, Skelly's Best Bud

Looking for the Cat Lover's Post should be here!

I made this little guy about the same time I made Mr. Skelly {AKA Coffin King}.  His name is Mr. Marvelous Mummy, but he goes by Mr. Mummy.  He was MUCH easier to make than the Coffin King, but I think he looks just as creepy, maybe even more so since he has those scary {or is it scared?} googly eyes.  Now, this is fairly picture heavy since I struggled with how to put into words exactly what and how I was making him.  I also have to say, I recycled that elastic, rubbery, textured self adhering bandage they put on your arm when you give blood or when they are wrapping up an injury.  In fact, unwrapping my arm from a blood test was what inspired me to make this guy! I guess you truly never know. . .

What I Used to Make Mr. Mummy:
Skeleton - Dollar Tree
Spider Webbing - Dollar Tree
Base - Dollar Tree
Elastic Bandage
Dryer Sheets {about 6} - Dollar Tree
Googly Eyes
Adhesive {I used glue dots and standard glue}
Various Inks and Markers 

The hardest part making this mummy is waiting overnight for the fabric sheets to do their thing.  Soaking them makes the fabric softener disintegrate and the sheets are much softer and easy to use. You can notice the difference when you take the sheet out of the dryer, it offers the same effect, except soaking the sheets seems to get more of the softener out of the sheet.  Here is a picture of a used {soaked} sheet vs. a new sheet.

Once the sheets are soaked and dry, cut them up into strips.  I used different widths of strips, mostly because I can't cut straight at all, but, it turned out to be handy.  This picture shows a mound of three sheets, all cut up and ready to go!

While you had been waiting for those sheets to be ready, you should of been wrapping that elastic bandage on your Dollar Tree skeleton {granted, you don't actually need the bandage, so if you don't have any, it's ok.  I used it to give the dryer sheets a good base and so I wouldn't have to wrap the skeleton a thousand times to get some bulk on him.  And, I had it real handy}.  He looks like this when he is all ready for the sheets.  In this picture you can see how I used the bandage and he is next to what the skeletons look like before anything is done to them.

Finally it's time to use the dryer sheets.  I used about six of them, and honestly, I could of used a bunch more.  I really wanted him to be bulkier, but, I grew tired of wrapping him {grin}.  That's all you do with those strips of dryer sheets, wrap, secure, wrap, secure and wrap again.  I used the glue dots in the beginning so I wouldn't have to wait for glue to dry and I found they worked perfectly, making it easier to adhere the strips in different places.  In the picture on the left he is almost finished.  He is all wrapped up and ready to go!  

To color him I used all kinds of black and brown ink and a water brush - the picture shows the Kuretake Clean Color marker in Mid Gray, but I used ALL different colors from the markers, Distress Markers and even Hero Arts ink.  I just kept coloring him until I felt he looked grungy enough to have been hanging out for thousands of years.




I added the googly eyes and then searched for something to make him stand up.  I had bought these little plastic dishes from the Dollar Tree with NOTHING in mind for them, but they turned out to be the perfect thing to attach Mr. Mummy to. Score another find for the Dollar Tree!

 Once he was securely on his base, I added some of this spider webbing, also found at the the Dollar Tree.  In his case I think it looks like fog! That's it! Now Mr. Skelly has a friend to hang out with! Have a very, very safe and Happy Halloween! 

Here is another peek at him.  I love how easy it was to make him - I am thinking of making a whole army of mummies for next year! Maybe even dressing them up, a wedding couple perhaps?
Before I get to my challenges, I'd like to invite you ALL to my little Halloween giveaway: 

Art~Without~Anxiety

presents

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I’m having a small drawing on my blog.  All you need to do is click onto this post, chose the costume you like best & when I get 75 costume comments, I’ll draw a random winner.  Open Internationally! Please feel free to share!

EXPIRES Nov, 1. 2017

I am entering Mr. Mummy in the following challenges:
Altered Eclectics - October Challenge 
Eclectic Ellapu - Dark, Dramatic, Scary
Frilly n Funky - Trick or Treat
Rhedds Creative Spirit - October Challenge, #2 
Cards and More - #196, Halloween
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Monochrome (hope his coloring works!)
Emerald Creek - Freaky Fun
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Coffin King ~ Mr. Skelly

I get tons of inspiration from wandering around my local Dollar Tree, especially during this time of year.  I have been buying up the skeleton garland that they sell.  It's made up of four skeletons, 6 inches tall, attached to each other with burlap twine.  This year I also found some coffin shaped boxes and they had them in two sizes! I bought up a bunch of them since you never know if the store will get more stock, or ever carry them again.  Now, this is a fairly long post, so settle in!

What I Used to Make my Coffin King:
Coffin Box - Dollar Tree
Skeleton - Dollar Tree
Spanish Moss - Dollar Tree
Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Simple Sayings, #CMS155
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Distress Ink in Tones of Brown
White Card  for Banner
Banner Cut from Silhouette Cameo
Tim Holtz/Ideology Skulls
Tim Holtz/Ideology Boneyard Bones
Tim Holtz/Ideology Wishbones
Tim Holtz/Ideology Pumpkin Pieces
Tim Holtz/Ideology Brooms
Tim Holtz/Ideology Spider Charm
Krylon Leafing Pen in Silver
Gesso

Everything else is from my stash:
Dresden, Jewelry Dangle, Gems, Masking Tape, Brads, Plastic Cats, Iridescent Black Enamel Dots, Wooden Letters, White Silk Fabric Scrap and the Checkered Black & Orange Ribbon.

Color the Tape

Before I get into the making of the actual design, I wanted to share how I made the hinges.  They aren't a huge part of this piece, but I think something like this can come in handy when looking for an unusual little something for your project or card.

How I Made the Hinges: I initially wanted to be able to open and close the coffin, but, after designing the piece, it became obvious that keeping the coffin open all the time was a better way to go.  I am proud of the hinges, so I decided to do a tutorial on how I made them.  First step is putting a strip of masking tape onto some cardstock and coloring it.  I used all kinds of brown inks to color this tape and I didn't write down exactly which ones I used (sorry!) but I did use Distress Inks in tones of brown.  As soon as the ink is dry on the tape, scrunch it up to give it the cracks like you'd find on real leather that's rather old.

I then cut the tape into strips.  The tape may naturally start to separate from the cardstock, which is perfect, since you want to have the tape be pliable.  If you have to, just grab a corner of the cardstock and pull it.  This will leave a nice backing on the tape.  Then take a nice dark brown ink and edge the strips.  This will remove any of the stark white that is left from the cardstock.  You can refer to the picture above where I laid out the basic steps.  You can also make this leather-look for a fabulous background - just don't cut the tape into strips!  Another technique is covering a piece of cardstock with ripped pieces of masking tape, then coloring it with inks to make it look like leather.  The last thing I did with the hinges was glue on some small black brads and then attached them to the painted coffin.

How I Made the Coffin King:

First, I roughly sanded the coffin since it had that shiny coating on it. After coating the coffin with gesso and having the coffin dry, I  painted it with black acrylic paint, dry brushing some brown around the outside to make it look like wood. I repeated the steps with the inside of the coffin but just used the black paint.  While the coffin was drying, I worked on the skeleton.  I glued some black gems into his eye sockets, sized his crown out of Dresden, and went into my stash for his cape.  I had gotten some fabric books from a furniture store (and some great wall paper books) filled with fabrics and patterns they no longer offered and that's where I

found his cape.  It was already cut with pinking shears  on one side, so that was perfect for the part of his cape that wrapped around his neck.  All I did was use a rubber band to keep the cape's shape and placement while the glue was drying.  I literally wrapped it around his neck but no worries since he'd already seen better days!  I colored the Dresden with a silver leafing pen (it was originally gold colored) and glued that onto his head.  Lastly, I made his staff (scepter?) out of an old jewelry 
dangle I had lying about; I colored it silver with the leafing pen and glued a clear gemstone to the top.  I adhered that to his left hand.  Every king needs a

staff; preferably both kinds {wink.}

Setting the skeleton aside, the coffin was dry so I filled the bottom with some Spanish moss.  That was one of the messiest parts, having never dealt with moss before I had NO idea that it would get everywhere.  It did.  And my four fabulous felines would have loved to help me clean it up, but I did it myself knowing they'd also be throwing it up for days!  Once the moss was dry, I set Mr. Skelly onto the moss and let him settle in.

Meanwhile, I decided what I was going to use to decorate the 

inside of the coffin lid.  I used a bunch of Tim Holtz' new and old Idea-ology products, as well as a bunch from my stash.  Here are some close ups of the coffin lid {remember if you want to see these pictures bigger, just right click on them with your mouse}.

I had both the small Scrabble-like tiles and the grey kitten in my stash.  You can also see one of the iridescent black dots.






This cute little black kitty was also a stash item.  She resides at the top of the coffin, atop the banner that reads Happy Halloween.

In this picture of the bottom of the coffin you can see Mr. Skelly standing on one of Tim's pumpkins, and along side him is an Idea-ology skull, spider and broom.  This is also a good picture of the hinges.  Above and next to the broom is where the wishbone and boneyard bone are intertwined.


Here is another look at the finished product.  I always make at least one 3D Halloween project.  This year has been a bit busier than usual for me but, who knows? Halloween isn't here yet!

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial.  Have you made anything 3D for Halloween or the upcoming holiday?  I have SO many ideas for ornaments I have to start writing them down; I can't sleep through all the noise my brain makes putting them together in my head!

I also wanted to mention a small giveaway I am having on my blog:

Art~Without~Anxiety

presents

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I’m having a small drawing on my blog.  All you need to do is click onto this post, chose the costume you like best & when I get 75 costume comments, I’ll draw a random winner.  Open Internationally! Please feel free to share!

EXPIRES Nov, 1. 2017

Thanks for reading this far down; I know it was a long post! Hope to see you at my giveaway! Happy Halloween! Christi

I am thrilled to add Coffin King to the following challenges:
Altered Eclectics - Oct. Challenge, Anything Goes
Frilly & Funkie - 'Tis Near Halloween (#2)
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Oct. Challenge
Craft-DeeBowz - Anything Goes w/ Handmade Bow
Eclectic Ellapu - Oct. Challenge, Dark/Scary 
Naughty or Nice - #44, Something Spooky
An Inky Mess - #14, Just For Fun

I Made a Photo Light Box ~ Cheap! (or so I thought)

Hello all! I don't know about you but I have long envied those bloggers whose pictures are always perfect - the styling, the lighting, everything! So, turning to trusty Pinterest, I looked up DIY Photo Light Box (truthfully, I didn't even know what they were called).  As you can imagine, there are tons of tutorials! I had originally wanted something fold-able, mostly because I didn't want the cats to think it was something for them to sleep in (if you have cats then you know everything is something to lie down on, or in, or to eat, destroy, play in and eventually shred to bits) but also I didn't want to have to keep it "open" or "up" all the time.  The tutorial which I read and gave me my ideas is from Pretty Handy Girl and a multitude of others.  I never make something off of Pinterest without reading about it from at least a few different posts.  So, off to the Dollar Tree I went.

Ignore my Snowflake card on the floor 😁

What I Used to Make my Photo Light Box:
These Items Came from the Dollar Tree:
1 Trifold Project Board (mine is made from corrugated cardboard, 27 1/2" x 39 1/2")
1 Piece of Poster Board  (I bought 2, 22" x 28")
White Tissue Paper
1 Plastic Table Cloth (54" x 108")

Walmart
2 Metal Gooseneck Clip Lamps

Stash Items:
Craft Knife (make sure it is SHARP!)
Scissors
Ruler
Glue
Scotch Tape
Pencil

My Dollar Tree only had one piece of the white foamcore board (which I bought,

The Trifold Board

along with 2 pieces of black foamcore cause you never know when you might need it) so I picked up a trifold project board since I couldn't get the foam board - I had no idea if I could even make anything out of the items I bought, but I knew they wouldn't go to waste and I'd use them eventually.  I couldn't find the type of clip-on lights I needed so I went to Walmart and bought 2 cheap ($8 each - the most I spent on any part of the light box.)  When I got home and spread out my goodies, I decided to use the trifold project board to begin my box.  I first cut the board up the folds on the side, about halfway up the board. I folded the cut portion under to make a floor.

Board and windows cut.  The ragged cut
on the right side is the part that got folded
under so you can't see them at all.

 I just used a small metal binder clip to hold that together for the time being.  On the part that was standing up I measured (that within itself is spectacular - I stink at math and numbers are not my favorite, but I persevered because I wasn't going to spend any more money on this!) 2 inches from each side to mark where I was going to cut to make my windows.  

After I cut the windows and I figured that this was actually going to work. I glued the bottom flaps (the ones that were being held with the metal binder clip) and left it overnight to really dry.  I actually put my Big Shot die cutter on the area for weight to ensure it would dry and be a strong bond.  The next step was putting the tissue paper

onto the windows.  I just used one of the cardboard cut outs and placed that on the 2 ply tissue and cut out the 2 pieces.  I taped them (on the outside) and my windows were done. So at this point I had the box with the 2 windows in it.  I thought I might have to paint the box because everything I read on Pinterest stressed how important it was to keep the box as clean and white as possible, but, remembering I had the table cloth ended the need to paint.  I literally cut the table cloth in half and just draped it over the inside, making sure I didn't obscure the windows. Ta da! I used one of the poster papers I had bought and just laid it over the box to cover it,  figuring that way I could take it off if I wanted.  I also liked how I could use different papers as a backdrop if I wanted (in the first picture you can see the light blue paper I used as a background for the white snowflake card) and add props.  

The lights I bought

My photo box doesn't collapse, so it has a spot in the other room for when I need to take photos; since it is SO light I can move it if needed.  One thing that I never thought of was outlets for the lamps.  Luckily, where I have my box there are 2 outlets right there. I clipped one light on each side, flicked the switch and I am set to take the best photographs of my life. Thank you for reading this tutorial and I hope this inspires you to tackle something you think you can't make

Disclaimer - after I made this I found a small nylon (under 12") photo light cube at Walmart for $19.  So for about $3 more I could have bought that one BUT mine is bigger and I made it, so there! If you already have lights which don't need to clip on, you can make one for about $3.  Which ever way you decide to go, I can feel good that I at least gave you some cheap options. Besides, I have a healthy sense of accomplishment now and that alone makes it all worthwhile. Thanks so much! Christi

Glitter "Putz" House

I grew up with these cute little sparkly houses that would get set up on top of the television at Christmas time with bulbs in the back of them to light them up and that angel hair stuff as snow.  I loved these houses and I loved to play with them.  I don’t know where they disappeared to (probably hanging out with the elves somewhere) but I don’t have any of them.  So I was so happy to discover many patterns for little houses available in the Silhouette store; one of them caught my eye as it really looked like the little glitter houses from my childhood.  It was called a “Putz” house – I had no idea there was a name for these houses let alone collectors and websites that helped you restore them.   After more research and many patterns I decided that I would try to make one of these houses for my Mom for Christmas, hoping it brings back good memories for her as they do me.  So I made the Putz house, which is designed by  Samantha Walker.  There are even instructions on her site, which I didn’t find until I was almost done (of course), but they are very good directions and every easy to follow.  So please join me on this journey to create a glittery Putz house ~

Ta da! I had originally neglected to put the vellum in the windows - but it makes a HUGE difference!

What I Used to Make my House:

Silhouette CAMEO Machine
Glitter Putz House cut file by Samantha Walker (Silhouette Store)
12 x 12 piece of medium weight chipboard
Loose glitter in Hot Kiss by The Art Institute
Loose glitter in Dazzling Diamonds by Stampin’ Up!
Glitter Glue (the bottle is blank so I have no idea who made it)
The Crafters Pick “The Ultimate” glue
Spray Adhesive by 3M
Glitter Paper by Core’dinations “Glitter Silk”
Ranger Wendy Vecchi Ink in Potting Soil and Red Geranium
 

Gessoing the chipboard

OK, I never even thought about using glitter paper until I couldn’t get an even coat of glitter on the house.  I cut all of the pieces using one piece of chipboard and put everything to the side except for the main house.  I spread the glue all over it and dumped the glitter all around the glue and it never dawned on me that I would have an issue with the glitter.  Well, I did.  Not only did I get glitter in places that should NEVER be glittered, the color of the glitter was uneven.

Uneven glitter :(

  There were parts of the house that were darker than others because of the unevenness of the glue.  Finally I thought if maybe I used spray adhesive I could get the glitter to be nice and cover evenly.  Luckily, that worked well enough for me, because if it didn’t this post would never have been written.  I used the Hot Kiss glitter for the body of the house and when it came time to glitter all the little windows and the door I realized how much easier the process would have been had I used glitter paper instead of loose glitter. So I used a different color of the glitter paper, I guess you’d call it a pink, for the

The construction

windows and the door and cut out the hanging snow in I guess what you’d call white.  I set them aside to tackle the roof and the chimney.

The roof was inked up using Wendy Vecchi’s Potting Soil.  I just wiped the ink pad all around the roof and then tried to do the same with the chimney using Red Geranium.  It worked wonderfully on the roof, but miserably with the chimney – I think because there were so many bends on the chimney I couldn’t get the ink pad close enough to the chipboard.  So I just put a few drops in a tiny cup and used a paint brush to finish the chimney off.  By now I had found the directions since I had no idea how to attach the chimney to the roof.

Once everything was dry, I adhered the windows and the door to the main

My snow & chimney drying

house and glittered the roof with the Dazzling Diamonds (before attaching it) – the glitter was supposed to look like snow, but too much of the brown showed through to get the look I wanted.  So I had to move on to the chimney since it was my plan to use the no name glitter glue on the roof to make it look more like icy snow but I needed to attach the chimney first.  Another hiccup – I could not get the little tabs on the chimney to attach to the roof the way it said to in the directions.  I ended up using masking tape and more glue (on the inside, where the chimney attached to the roof) than I should have, but it is attached now.  I put the hanging snow around the chimney and used a rubber band to keep it all inline (a loose rubber band – too tight and the chimney would be crushed and so would the house).  I let the house sit overnight.  I think we both needed a break.

Roof & chimney close up

Finally, the last step was to attach the hanging snow (I am not sure if it supposed to be icicles or snow; snow is easier to spell) onto the roof and the roof to the house.  At this point the roof still had the initial glitter “that should look like snow” on it and it was amazing how much glitter came off and once again ended up in the oddest places.  But I persisted.  I had to put the roof under a large book overnight because it warped so much, but it worked fairly well – there is one part that no matter what I did I could not get the hanging snow to completely adhere to the roof, but at this point I am just trying to get the house done so I can finally clean up all the glitter.  But I tried everything to get the dumb thing to stick – nope.  It’s ok; I know when I am beaten.  And the roof won

Roof "scallops"

that round. The last step was to make that icy snow on the roof – the rest of the house was all put together and holding its own, so I get the no name glitter glue and test it out.  Clogged.  I clear the nozzle.  Clogged. I cut the tip down a bit and begin to put the glitter glue in scallops all over the roof.  Didn’t matter that the glitter glue was coming out a tad fast, as the drips that occurred actually look better to me than the nice & neat scallops I tried to doodle with the glitter glue.  In retrospect I think if I had used my brain and the glittered cardstock, things would have gone much smoother.  But, Mom is going to love it and she won’t even notice all the glitter that ends up on her floor (hehe).  I hope to make one of these a year (at least) and eventually have a village for my Mom to enjoy!  Thanks for stopping by & I hope your holiday plans are going smoothly ~ Christi

Another view of the finished house

Difficult to get a good picture of it lit

I tried everything to get these pictures to stay even - they look fine in my view, but they get wonky in the "real" view - Sorry! 

I would like to enter my glitter "Putz" house in the following challenges:
Use Your Stuff Challenge Blog (2w) - #166, Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge (1w) - Anything Goes 
*That's Crafty Challenge Blog (1/2/15) - Anything Goes
Stuck on Us Sketches (2w) - Anything Christmas Die Cut Challenge
Crafts 4 Eternity - #206, Anything Goes Christmas
Decorate to Celebrate - #90, Anything Goes
*That Craft Place - Anything Goes, Christmas
Eclectic Ellapu (m)- purple team, Anything Christmas (not a card)(runs til 2/1/15)
*Silhouette Challenges (m) - #20, Anything Goes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Where did I find these awesome challenges!?!? At Challenges for Days!! An easy to read, easy to understand list of challenges that is posted every day ~ check it out!!

3D Challenge at Craft-Room Challenges

Wow how time flies!  Seems like just yesterday I hosted my very first challenge at Craft-Room Challenges and it’s already my turn again!  The theme I chose for challenge #89 is 3D.  My cousin flew out here to visit with my mom, my brother & me, and it just so happens that she was here for her birthday so I chose to make a Pop Up Box Card.  I try to only make cards that can actually be mailed and when this card is folded up it fits in an A2 envelope – I think that is so cool!! By the time you read this she will already be home & I have given her the card.  My cousin loved the card and we had so much fun talking about our crazy family!

Before we get started I want to clarify the challenge.  Your card, project, whatever MUST be 3D – pop dotting a flower on the front of your card does not make it 3D.  Please respect the challenge and make your creation easily identifiable as three dimensional.  Also, we are having quite a few entrants disregarding our challenge limit.  You are only allowed to enter 5 other challenges besides the Craft-Room Challenge, this is one of our new rules.   If we did not comment on your project that is because you have been disqualified.

This was the first time I attempted to make one of these cards and it was so much fun I know I will be using them more often!  The cut file I used was purchased at the Silhouette store and it was designed by Lori Whitlock; however, I do know most of the stores that sell cutfiles have the same type of card.  

The picture makes the card look lopsided (it's not) - I can't take another because the card is now in Florida.

What I Used to Make this Card:

Silhouette Cut File (the name of the file I used is "A2 Box Card: Birthday", designed by Lori Whitlock)
Silhouette Cameo
White Cardstock for Base (should be on the heavier side)
KaiserCraft Paper in Violet Crush
Plain Cardstock pieces that match the Violet Crush paper
Pop Dot (I used one that is about ¼” high)
Stampin’ Up! Simple Salutations stamp set

Since I can't explain how to make the card any better than the designer, here is a link to the tutorial that Lori Whitlock made, How to Assemble a Box Card (clicking on this link will take you to YouTube)

First I cut the base out of white cardstock and then cut out the decorative

All the peices of the card

panels.  I had to cut the base and panels twice because I glued the panels that were supposed to go on the outside to the inside (honestly, if everything I did went according to my plan, without a single mess up,  I’d be SO shocked) so you may want to mark the panels. 

Then I worked on the divider tab pieces. I assembled them prior to

View from the top

inserting them into the card.  I built my birthday cake and gift on right onto the divider tab itself.  I wanted to add a bit more oomph so I added another star to the star embellishment and pop dotted that to the backside of the first divider.

Lastly, I personalized the card by cutting another panel, stamping “happy birthday” on it, along with a little note and attached that to the front panel of the card.  You can see
that in the last picture of the card.  I really had fun and now that I know they aren't difficult to make my brain is swirling with fun ideas and ways to use this card.

And the final card with the Happy Birthday panel

I hope you enjoyed my mini-tutorial!  Please get creative and join us at Craft-Room Challenges, there are 2 whole weeks for you to enter and we'd love to see your 3D creations - Fondly, Christi


I am entering my 3D Birthday Card in the following challenges:
Craft Your Passion - #239, Starts with a "B" - my Birthday  
That Craft Place Challenge - Anything Goes
Sister Act - #82, Anything Goes