New MFT Set & Templates--- Sheltering Tree 4.5" box

Spring is in the air, hey? :o)



I had a blast making this box with that new Sheltering Tree MFT stamp set .
(You might end up seeing too much of it around here.; I have a real thing for trees.) ;-D

The box is a new template set (available at MFT here) that
I made to hold 4-1/4 inch square cards with room for the envelopes...
(4-1/4" seems to be another one of those really economical sizes of cards to give
as gifts) ... but you can also use it to hold a gift or treats, of course. :o)



...a little info about the template set...

It comes with these templates:

• A bottom that measures 4.5 inches square
  
• A lid that fits snugly on top (but with room to line it)
• Liners & panel templates to decorate the box bottom & lid
• An envelope template (made to fit 4 1/4" cards)
  
• Liners for the envelopes (to decorate with patterned, digi, or stamping)
• Shaped card templates for owl or acorn shaped cards
  

There are 2 styles of box & envelope templates:

The 1st is the basic template style (with dotted score lines) but the 2nd is my fave since it has no score lines, just tick marks to show exactly where to score. It's intended for clean printing (with no dotted lines showing) in case you don't want to make liners for the box. :o)

The lid is 1 inch deep
& the bottom is 1 3/8" deep:

(So the lid is easy to lift off)

The lid can also go on the back of the box, for display:

...or for use as a child's wee play-set:

...make a Sheltering Tree
4.5 inch square box:

All the templates used to make this 4.5 inch square box, are from the MFT Sheltering Tree 4.5 inch box set.

This tutorial uses the templates with the Score Guide, since the box bottom & top are both lined. A PDF on how to make it comes with the template.

• MFT clear stamp set Sheltering Tree
  
• MFT Sheltering Tree Digital Paper Collection
  
• Computer & Printer
• Heavy weight 100lb white Sweet tooth cardstock (to print the boxes)
• Text paper (to print digital papers)
  
• Black Archival Brilliance ink, clear embossing powder, heat gun
• Copic Markers (or what have you)
• Paper cutter and-or Scissors, Scoring tools, Paper piercer, exacto knife
  
• Glue Glider Pro Perma Tac, Beacon's 3-in-1
• Distress ink (Brushed Corduroy & Peeled Paint); green pigment ink.
• Waterbrush, Sanding block, Scallop edge border punch
• Paper piercer, needle and blue & green embroidery thread
• Flowered paper is BasicGrey Origins 6x6 paper

Make the box bottom:



Step 1) Print the MFT 4.5 inch Sheltering Tree Box template onto 100lb white cardstock. Print the wood paper (from the Sheltering Tree Digital Paper Collection) on the other side to get the wooden look.

[This pattern is so stunning--Looks like real wood, but with a really clean modern feel to it!]



Step 2) Score on the dotted lines; cut on the solid lines (including cutting the 4 lines that make the tabs) and crease the folds.



Step 3) Assemble the box (Adhering the 4 small tabs on the inside, with the corners flush.)

Make the box lid:



Step 1) Print the template for the lid and follow the same steps as above to score, cut, & crease it.



Step 2) Create cloud panels to decorate the lid:

• Print the template for the panels on one side of cardstock
• Print the MFT cloud pattern on the other side (also from the Sheltering Tree Digital Paper Collection.)
  
• Cut along the solid lines to make 5 panels.
  

Step 3) Sand the pieces to distress. (That's one of the neat things about digi paper: it has a white core so it distresses wonderfully.) And pierce holes around the panels, if you'd like to add sewing (or faux stitches with a pen...)



Step 4) Sew the panels (Cheap Trick: Nice big random stitches save time!)



Step 5) Adhere the panels to the side of the box lid.

Line the lid:



Step 6) Make a liner for the lid:
6A) Print the template for the lid liner on one side of a piece of paper. (This one is printed on text weight/copy paper.) Print more cloud paper on the other side.
6B) Score it on the dotted line & cut it out along the solid line

6C) Decorate it: scallop the edge or add other shaped border edging, if you like (and trim the tabs with scissors so they hide behind your scallops or other edging.)


Step 7) Sand the liner to distress it.


Step 8) Glue the liner into the box lid.



Step 9) Make some clouds: Glue some scraps of the cloud paper onto cardstock & cut out the clouds (no need to stay on the line exactly.) ;o)


Step 10) Adhere the clouds inside the lid (on foam tape for dimension.)

Decorate the top of the lid:

This tree is from the new MFT set Sheltering Tree

Step 1) Stamp the tree trunk & cut it out. (This is stamped in Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink, on the MFT wood paper & embossed with clear embossing powder and heat set)



Step 2) Paint on a little ink to colour shade the tree trunk. (This is Brushed Corduroy Distress ink on a waterbrush.)



Step 3) Stamp & distress the tree top:

• Stamp the tree top in light green pigment ink.
• Emboss the wet pigment ink with clear embossing powder.
• Heat set with a heat gun to melt the powder.
• Cut it out with a circle cutter (or scissors)
• Rub with a darker dye-based ink around the outside of the tree top. (This has Distress Ink--Peeled Paint rubbed all around it.)
  

Step 4) Stamp the leaves & cut them out. These are stamped with a combination of the light green pigment ink & the Peeled Paint Distress Ink & embossed in clear before cutting.



Step 5) Adhere the tree trunk to the tree top.



Step 6) Glue the leaves onto the tree (the leaves that are part of the tree top stamp make the perfect shadows.) :-)



Step 7) Pierce around the outside of the tree--in a circle.



Step 8) Add stitches in green embroidery thread.



Step 9) Highlight around the stitches using a Copic marker. (This is YG23 New Leaf.)



Step 10) Make a hill:

• Cut a piece of patterned paper to measure about 4 inches by 2 inches.
• Lay the tree over it temporarily & draw a curve with a pencil.
  
• Cut it out.
  

Step 11) Add a bit of white paint to it to make the paper more subtle.



Step 12) Pierce around the outside of the hill & stitch it in more green embroidery thread.



Step 13) Adhere the hill to the top sky panel & stick it on the top of the box lid.



Step 14) Adhere the tree to the box using foam tape for dimension (the thickness of this tree trunk hides the foam tape so nicely!)

Line & decorate the bottom of the box:



Step 1) Make a liner for the bottom of the box: Print the template for the bottom liner and follow the same steps as above to score, cut, & crease the folds on it.



Step 2) Insert it into the box bottom & adhere it.


Make the Grass & Sky:



Step 1) Use the scraps from the liner to make grass strips. These 8 pieces (2 for each side) measure 2 2/8 inch wide by 1 inch high.



Step 2) Adhere the grass strips onto cardstock pieces (for stability). These green cardstock strips are about 3/8 of an inch high & 4/5 inches wide.



Step 3) Pierce holes along the bottom of the grass strips, in a zigzag pattern, using a paper piercing tool.



Step 4) Add shading to the grass by painting on watered down ink. (This is Peeled Paint Distress Ink painted on with a waterbrush.) The water also curls the grass for you & reacts in an interesting way with the ink from your inkjet printer: looks like watercolour.



Step 5) Stitch green embroidery thread in the zigzag holes (a simple backstitch pattern.)

Little Tip: You might want to check the grass strips to make sure they fit perfectly before stitching. Depending on your cuts or scoring they might need a wee trim. (Hmmm, cutting the grass--no weed-whacker required!) ;o)



Step 6) Cut 4 pieces of the cloud paper to measure 2 2/8 inch wide by 1 inch high.



Step 7) Adhere the cloud pieces around the inside sides of the box bottom.



Step 8) Adhere the grass strips in the bottom of the box as well (over the cloud pieces.)

Make some animals on a log:



Step 1) Stamp a second tree trunk. (Again, it's stamped in Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink, on the MFT wood paper & embossed with clear embossing powder and heat set.)



Step 2) Shade the tree: Mix a little ink with water & paint the tree (or colour however you prefer.)



Step 3) Cut part of the tree off too make a log...



Step 4) Adhere the log so that it's lying on its side inside the box bottom.



Step 5) Stamp the animals & cut them out. I debated, and ended up using the owl sweeties, but you could use both critters, of course.



Step 6) Colour the animals. (The owls are coloured with Copic markers: Cool shadow BG10; Frost Blue B00; Putty YG91; and a colourless blender.) The squirrel is stamped on a scrap of the MFT wood digi paper & painted with more Distress Ink, like the tree trunk. His body is popped up on layers of scrap paper for dimension.



Step 7) Adhere the animals so that they're sitting on top of the log inside the box bottom.

[Wait a minute! This is starting to sound like that log song: There are owls on the log, on the grass, on the sky, in the bottom of the box...! heehee]

...and that's it!

Of course you could use the Squirrel in the tree instead...

...and the owl buddies are sized just right to fit in the tree as well:

The envelope:

To make the matching envelope:

• Print the envelope template on copy paper
• Print the wood MFT paper on the other side
• Cut along the solid lines & score on the dotted lines
• Crease the folds & add adhesive to the two side flaps

To add the envelope liner:

• Print the liner template on copy paper
• Print the cloud paper on the other side
• Cut along the solid outline& score along the dotted line

To make the envelope closure:

• Stick a strip of double sided tape along the top of the envelope flap
• Leave the backing paper on the tape, if you are using the envelope as a gift
• (or you could use envelope glue, instead of tape.)

Thank You for stopping in;
hope your day is scrumptious!


P.S. Sorry for the weird posting time. Would you believe it if I told you I took a break from blogging to try & unpack some more? (We moved a month and a half ago, LOL.) Oh, and I planted a whack of lovely herbs & flowers. Don't you just adore spring?