A Sneek Technique...Beaded Score Pal grid & a Sneak Peek

A sneak peek of a project made with this delight of a stamp set from Paper Garden Projects: Miss Anya by Greeting farm (and my new Cricut Expression (!!!!! YA!!!!!)... which I have had no time to play with, 'cause I'm still ill, but how lucky am I? Too lucky.

If you're waiting for an email, please don't loathe me. ;O) I'm so behind from being sick. They call me "broken record Mel." Thank you all for your constant support & sweet messages, BUT no one is allowed to worry, pretty pretty please. I think it'll just take some more time to get back to 100%

Beaded Scor-Pal Grid:

The little black dots up there on the green paper are beads sewn on. It might seem tedious, but I find it fun & different.

Speedy Version: If you want to try this out, but don't have a lot of time, then smaller areas like a strip for faux ribbon could add a nice touch... (maybe?) :O)

Step 1) Start with a piece of patterned paper that suits the grid or dotted design the beads will make (or make your own grid with a Scor-Pal.) Cut however you like...as a square or rectangular mat or round or whatevah...



Step 2) Line up lines in pattern paper along the grid lines of Scor-Pal (or make grid on plain/stamped paper.)



Step 3) Score along the grid lines of paper (sometimes it requires moving your paper between scoring each line, if you want it "just so")



Step 4) Pierce holes where the lines intersect (points of diamonds)



Step 5) Thread a fairly fine needle that will fit in your beads (I find bead sizes vary even within the same package, so test a couple maybe?)



Step 6) Put needle through to the front adhering it to the back (Here that's the white with flowers; it's retired SU Christmas paper, but works all year, no?)



Step 7) Place a bead on your needle tip & thread through hole on front (no need to move the bead down the thread at all. Just sew as you normally would)



Step 8) Stitch across the back, to come up another hole.



Step 9) Repeat to bead the whole thing-a-ling-ding.

Here's what it looks like from the back:

(oh so schloppy, but nifty where it counts) :O)



Step 10) As I stitch, I like testing how taut the stitches are (ever few stitches.) To tighten them use a needle or a paper piercer. It ensures that there's no loopy threads or loose beads (but you can always come back & fix any later too, if you forget like me.)

Limited Supplies Version: If you don't have a Scor-Pal, but you wanna try this, you can omit the grid. Just pick a patterned paper that already has dots on it, or a grid (or stamp a pattern) and then pierce in places where you want to add the beads. :O)

A No Sew beaded Scor-Pal grid

on a jacket style envelope
(Crystal Lacquer to glue beads on)

Maria (who wows me with her Gorgeous creations) made an incredible no-sew microbeaded Scor-Pal grid here.

Hope you are having a delightful Easter weekend
full of love & blessings,



P.S. You would not believe the amazing things Cathy has on her blog. Her colouring is sublime! And the store is loaded up with CUTEness, if you are feeling the need for a lil' treat.

P.P.S. The photo collage (with the 4 pics at the very top up there) was made in seconds with Pic Nik. Pic Nik is the speediest & most user friendly photo editing I've used (& it's free) I found it thanks to the mega talented Julie who pointed the way to this Sis TV video.

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Wee Snow Hill Gift Box (2 and 5/8" square box)

I love the Sarah Pulls Nicky and Otto stamp all in one piece, but it's such a flexible image because you can get what feels like a completely different image if you mask it or use markers to omit parts. (Makes for a bunch of stamps for the price of one; my fave!) :O)

Even easier than masking or markering (at least for me) is to just cut out parts like this tobogganer. Another way this stamp can easily be altered is by adding hair with one little line of pen...That's how Nicky is suddenly a girl on here; he's in drag ;O) hehehe. The finished box measures 2 and 5/8" square & the hills wrap all around it.

Template PDFs:

1) 2 and 5/8" square Box bottom, Score-guide for bottom & Lid template
2) Score-guide for Lid, Snowy hills template & instructions

or JPG versions (click on photos and save as)

Supplies:

These all come in the Paper Garden Projects Winter Wonderland Kit:

Stamps:
Sarah Pulls Nicky and Otto

Paper:
One 8.5”x11” sheet of Wedding White Cardstock
Two 8.5”x11” sheets of Bazzill Icy Blue Cardstock

Embellishments:
May Arts White Swiss Dot Ribbon
White Puffy Velvet pen

From your stash or Paper Garden Projects:
Tombow Monomulti Adhesive
Oh so Sticky tape
Black Versafine or other waterproof ink
Copic markers or other colouring medium

Tools:
Scor-Pal
Snow Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder

How-to make the Box:

Step 1) Print template for box & lid on 2 pieces of Bazzill Icy Blue Cardstock (or create templates & trace them to save cardstock)

Step 2) Cut & score the box. (Score on dotted lines, where indicated on the score guide.)

Step 3) If you're using a Scor-Pal, score by lining up the points (A&B) with the groove of the Scor-Pal (C dotted line)



Step 4) Assemble box by adding adhesive to the 4 skinny flaps.

To make the lid
scalloped & embossed:

1. Print or trace the template for the lid onto the Icy Blue Cardstock.
2. Cut & score in the same manner as the bottom of the box.
   
3. Fold the score lines to make them easier to find later
   
4. Scallop using your favourite method. (Mark the depth of the scallops if you like, for consistent measurements)
5. Run the lid through a cuttlebug or other embossing folder (I've used Snow Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder)
6. Assemble the lid by adding Oh so Sticky tape to the four tabs

To make the Hills:

Step 1) Print the snowy hills template onto white cardstock

Step 2) Cut along the dotted line (no need to make a straight cut here)

Step 3) To score with a Scor-Pal:

• Place the template so that the hills look like a horizon (the letters should be right side up)
• Line up arrows with the groove lines in the Scor-Pal and score (from A to B)
• Shift in order to line up the next set of arrows & repeat for scoring all 4 lines

(of course you can use another way to score the 4 lines)

Step 4) Cut along the bottom flat line of the hills (so that the black template line and the B arrows are cut off)

Step 5) Cut or tear along the curvy hills (again removing the black template line & arrows)

Step 6) Embellish the snow with the white puffy pen & heat it to puff.

Step 7) Dry fit the hills onto the box & trim so that the hills meet up, if necessary.

Step 8) Adhere the hills to the box. When adhering the smallest flap fits under the last section of hill.

Please note: if you use this snowy hills template, you'll find that the score lines will need to be adjusted to suit how you've put the box together since the measurements will never be consistent. You can try the template on different sides of the box and/or score again on either side of your original score lines & shape how you need it. You may also want to cut the bottom straight line shorter depending on how high you want the hills.

Stamp the images:

Step 1) Stamp Sarah Pulls Nicky and Otto (with Versafine) on a scrap of Wedding White Cardstock. Emboss if desired.

Step 2) Colour & cut out just the sled.

Step 3) To turn Nicky into a girl just add hair by drawing it in:



Permanent marker is a good idea (I cheated and just used a ball point pen since I knew her hair would be dark in Copic marker.)



You can colour any hair colour or style you like. :O)



Step 5) To finely cut the area inside the sled, you can just cut between her mitten & the sled and then trim around. When you stick it down you won't see the cut at all. (Or you can use a craft knife.) Cut Otto the puppy off of the sled (and stick him on the box at the bottom of the hill):



Step 6) Stick the images to the snow hills on the box; (Tombow Monomulti Adhesive is a handy adhesive that I love.)

Step 7) Make a bow with the May Arts Swiss Dot ribbon & wrap it around the box & th-th-that's all folks!


Happy Winter Craftin'! :O)

P.S. Quick Links here:

• More cute Paper Garden Projects Stamp Kits
  
• Cathy's Blog
  
• Tracy's Blog

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Photo snowmen treat boxes :O)

This is a suped up version of the snowman treat boxes from a while back. My best friend Kim is the world's greatest Mom (besides my Mom) ;O) to two twin girls (whom I adore madly) so when she okayed blogging this project I was super excited.

I can't wait to see the girl's faces when they see that they've been turned into snowmen! (They are such angels who really appreciate handmade things and have from a young age. Well, you can tell they're wonderful: just look at those sweet lil' faces!)

The stamp used to make was extra fun since the characters on it can look like twins. It's available in a mini Winter Wonderland kit that you can find here.

Supplies:

These all came in the Paper Garden Projects Winter Wonderland Kit:

Stamps:
Snowballs stocked and Ready

Paper:
For the Box: One 8.5”x11” sheet of Wedding White Cardstock
For the images: (remaining pieces of white cardstock from making the box)
For the arms: scrap pieces of Bazzill Bling Sugar Daddy
For the hats & scarves: Bo Bunny Jack Frost Glitz stripe & dot paper

Embellishments: Holographic glitter

From your supplies or from Paper Garden Projects:

Tombow Monomulti Adhesive
Oh so Sticky tape
Black Versafine or other waterproof ink
Copic markers or other colouring medium
Brown embroidery thread for the arms (& paper piercer & needle)

Tools:
Scor-Pal
Snow Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder
Hole punches (1 inch, 1 1/4 inch, & 1 3/8 inch)

Some photographs

You can download the
Template for Snowman Box here.

Or click this pic & save as to get the JPG:

or here:

Snowman-shaped Box PDF
Snowman-shaped Box JPG
Hat & Scarf doodle JPG

You can enlarge (or reduce) the shape by manipulating the template with your printer settings or photocopying it.

Colouring the Images:

I love that the stamp Snowballs Stocked and Ready can be boys or girls depending how you colour it...

Step 1) Stamp the image in Black Versafine (or other waterproof ink)

Step 2) Colour the images: I've used a combination of watercolour pencil crayons with Copic markers to deepen the colours in the shadows.

Step 3) Colour the snow & glitter it: Shade the snow with two copic colours:

Step 4) Cut them out: No need to cut too closely since the white edges will be against the white of the snowman box. The snowman template fits all three images in the Winter Wonderland Kit, so you can just use your favourite image or you can mix & match.

Build the Snowman Box: (for a more complete tutorial on making this box, please see this post)

Step 1) Print the template onto Wedding White cardstock
Step 2) Cut out around the outline.
Step 3) Score the fold lines where the dotted-lines of the template indicate



Step 4) Fold the box & then cuttlebug it to emboss it (if desired):

A) Place one side of the snowman box in the cuttlebug folder so that the flaps of the box are outsid of the folder & folded in on top of the outside of the folder

B) Run the folder through your Cuttlebug machine so that the longest part of the folder is horizontal (no gaps on either side.) This gives the most embossing coverage

C) Repeat for the snowman shape on the other side

Step 5) Don't ahdere the box just yet :O)


To Add the photos:



Step 1) Punch a 1 inch circle out of the sticky part of sticky notes



Step 2) Place the sticky circle on the snowman head as a guide to punch the hole




Step 3) Punch a 1 inch hole




Step 4) Use the remainder of the sticky notes as a guide to punch the photo



Step 5) Use a 1 1/4 inch circle punch to punch the photo



Step 6) Frame the circular face behind the hole, adhering it.



Step 7) Cuttlebug emboss the scraps of White cardstock from building the box & punch them with a 1 3/8 inch circle punch to adhere behind the photo.

Embellish the snowman face:

Step 1) Print the template for the hat & scarf on the Bo Bunny paper & emboss (the ink will take clear embossing powder when it's straight out of the printer.)



Step 2) Cut the hat & scarf out



Step 3) Shade the hat & scarf with Copics, if you like.



Step 4) Embellish the trim on the hat with the puffy pen



Step 5) Add glitter to the trim on the hat, with Tombow monomulti or other adhesive

Assemble the box & Adhere the Image:

1. Tear a strip of Wedding white cardstock in the shape of a hill
   
2. Glitter the torn strip with the holograhic glitter that comes in the kit (I like Tombow Monomulti Adhesive for glittering)
   
3. Adhere the image onto the hill with Oh so Sticky tape
4. Stick the image & hill onto the snowman box
5. Trim any excess of white cardstock off
6. Assemble the box
   

And then you have two cute-faced snowman treat boxes. :O)

Clickable Blogger photos:

Thanks for checkin' this out!

P.S. Quick Links here:

• More cute Paper Garden Projects Stamp Kits
  
• Cathy's Blog
  
• Tracy's Blog

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