giftcard holder and teabag box, with video

Today I'm showing you how to make a teabag and giftcard holder/box.
I made it with the Martha Stewart Scoringboard and a mock up giftcard. It's actually a membership card to a shop that no longer lives in my town and you need to be a company which I'm not anymore either, so I use it for scoring projects when I need a shim ;-)

For the box you need a piece of card that is: 5"1/4 x 6"3/8.

Score on the short side (51/4) at: 3/8 and 4"7/8/
Score on the long side at"3/8, 3", 3"3/8 and 6"

Burnish all the score lines, it's harder with tough/thick card and small  tabs, bit more fiddly but still OK.
Cut and notch all the little squares on each side then put glue on one and start building

up the bottom.

Before wrapping the lid around the bottom and a thumb notch if desired.
the wrap the lid around the bottom and glue the tabs as well. this way if will fit.

I stuck my "giftcard"down with washi tape, but a gluedot or taperunner will do as well.

I measure my Pickwick and built the box around them, My Lipton bags p.e. were a bit taller, but you can fold them over or stick them the other way. I appreciate there's many  more brands, but these are the ones I use. Single wrapped cookie will probably also fit

The finished box is 4.5 inches long, .3/8"tall

and 2"5/8 wide in case you'd like to put something else in, like confetti instead of tea, a cookie.

Here comes Santa Paws, with video

I squeezed this one in, I had to bump another one up to January 9th, so that one might say "see you after Christmas" but just ignore that bit lol.

I ordered this set from Art Impressions in October and it only came in a few days ago. I needed to color it immediately, of course and I sued my Spectrum Noir Aquablend pencils.
I stamped the images onto Schut hot pressed and smooth watercolor paper with Simon Says Stamp intense black ink. I had to stamp the mage a few times as the inkpad is empty.

I hope you enjoy the coloring and I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas.

Less is More sketch

This week's challenge is a sketch at Less is More.

For my card I used the Simon Says Stamp Happy birthday circle die and the It's your birthday stampset.

Wow opaque bright white embossing powder.
At first I added some color with enamel dots, but then realized the sketch had a sentiment banner...I thought the circles said it all ;-) so I added the banner and felt it was now quite full, so peeled them off again, left the black heart and moved the yellow dot to the heart, just for a pop of color.


I'm also entering it into the Simon Says Stamp Monday and Wednesday Challenges: party. Merry Christmas everyone, I'm off to work, so wish me luck ;-)

Updates January 12th:

Happy Birthday dragon

The Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is: party.
the Wednesday Challenge is Party time, showcasing Simon Says Stamp exclusives.

Personally I just had my birthday and I don't do big parties anymore, I went for a high tea with a good friend and shopped at garden centre, you know quality time...But a birthday should be a party! especially for kids.

For my card I used the Simon Says Stamp birthday circle thinlit and I cut it from slate or dark grey glitter card. attached it to the cardbase with liquid glue.

The dragon is from My Favorite Things (magical dragons) and I stamped him with

Simon Says Stamp intense black ink and colored him with Spectrum Illustrator and Noir markers. I also used liquid glue and then a bit of foam tape to pop up his head outside the wreath.
Added the star shapes are from Create a smile and a few glittery enamel dots to finish the card.


For more information on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, see this.
For more information on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, see this.

C.C. designs reindeer game digi with Sta aquarelle markers, with video

All the other 3 videos I did on Crafter's Companion Neenah paper, but these are waterbased and after testing them a little I found they peeled the paper really quickly. If you do one pass it's fine, but that wouldn't allow any shading.
So I tried them on Bristol Smooth paper and that worked better. The markers work best on hot pressed watercolor paper, but I'm not sure my 140lbs/300grams paper will go through my printer...bit scared of that ;-).
I had also never printed on Bristol paper and wasn't sure how it would come out as the paper is coated, will it take my printer's ink? It did, so phew and that paper is 100lbs/180grams I think.

I got the 24 set of Sta markers from Ali Express, they're also available  on Amazon. but more expensive and no free delivery. It thought the 12 set was a bit small but the 80 set was too much to test them. I rather like them so I might go back to get the 80 set :-D.

Please consider that the links were active on the time of writing this blog, if they no longer work, it's because of the turn around speed on both websites, just do a search for Sta markers and they will pop up again.

There's a bullet nib and a brush  nib on, no color  names and no indication of which nib is where, but I don't mind for that price. Also the brush nibs are felt rather that actual brushes like the other markers I've tested, and they're quite hard on first use, but they soon soften p and the nib gets a little less precise. Much like the Spectrum Aqua  markers.

But I like them, they do have a bit of a learning curve and I think a bigger set would have given me more blending choices, but I  made it work ;-) BUT I would def suggest watercolor paper and not to use water or the Dove blender pen, although they work to wash ot the color you will always see where you've put down the ink originally, so use marker to marker is my best tip for today ..

C.C. Designs digi Reindeer games and Decotime markers, with video

Today I'm still colloring C.C Designs digis, this time Reindeer games with Decotime Markers. I believe all the digis are also available as (rubber) stamps.
Digis are a bit easier if you live outside the USA, no shipping and no waiting time or customs.:-D

The Decotime markers average at about 35cents per marker and I got them at Action. No refills, but I wouldn;t expect it for that price. Lovely range, not many brown or skin colors though. Lots of greens and blues.
So I chose my digi strategically ;-) No boys and or girls in this one ...

I also show you how I swatched the  markers. the 24 boxes sais new colors, but the coding/name/numbers were the same, but the colors in the markers were a little different,  not for all of them though. Some are really close to each other, so gives you more shading options, which is good. I marked the new markes ( I think the new ones) with Washi tape and colored those on the left side, so I can identify them.
I like their bullit nibs, they're very hard and tend to streak, so you have to go over the whole bit again, but even it out not just where you're shading, but you soon learn.

C.C. design digi Reindeer Lucy with Spectrum Noir markers, with video

For today's card I chose touse the PSectrum Noir markers and the C.C. Design digi stamp called Reindeer Lucy.

I had to refil the hair portion as I noticed my camera had shut down, it was quite hot from filming and well it froze and I thought I had lost all the coloring, but phew only the last bit. So I'm sorry I have reprinted the image and reshot the hair.
I used a white uniball Signo gel pen for the shimmer on the nose and lights and also some Nuvo shimmer pen.

Also I'm not sure I can film the thursday portion ahead of time, tomorrow is my birthday and although I do not really celebrate, I'll be busy eating cake! :-D