Tags in a Box

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog.  

I would especially like to welcome my new followers.  Thank you ladies.  Totally stoked to have you join me.

I would like to share a little tutorial with you.  Actually it won't be all that little, there are a lot of photos.  LOL

A little while ago I posted about a box I had made to hold a mini album and smash book on our New Zealand Cruise and I said I would show you how it was put together.  I needed another box to hold the tags I have been making and I took photos along the way so I could show the process.   You're probably thinking  'Well, that's  bit silly, we all know how to make a box".   I just hope I'm not wasting your time, but I was amazed at how simple it was to put together and you can use this process to make any  size and type of box you need.  So I hope you will stick with me to see the finished product at the end. 

To make this box I used 2ml paperboard which I purchased from my Newsagent.  You can get a huge sheet of it for only a couple of dollars.  Then you need to decide on the measurements.  My box had to be 3.5"  x  4.5" on the base so that my tags would fit inside and I decided to make it 4" deep with a 6" back.  

 Here are the pieces already cut out and showing the measurements. 

The base and the front ...

 ... the two sides ...

... and the back.

Next come the joiners.  I need to tell you that these are not my own idea.  I actually saw this on The Gentleman Crafter and they are brilliant and so easy to make.  HERE is a link to Jim's blog.

You can use any cardstock you want.  Colour doesn't matter because they get covered with paper.  You simply cut as many 1" strips as you want ...

 ... score them down the middle ...

 ... and attach double sided tape on both sides of the score line.

Cut them to length and attach to all four sides of your base piece.

 Then attach the front, sides and back leaving a small gap so that there is room to fold each piece up.

 You then need to  attach a joiner to one side of each piece as shown ...

 ... adhere the sides together ...

... and then the back.

There you have it.  Now all you need to do is cover with paper and decorate any way you like.  If you want a box with a lid you just need to make all sides the same height and then make a lid exactly the same way but make the base or top piece just a bit bigger so it will fit over your box.

How easy is that?  I actually found this a lot of fun and have thought of a lot of different boxes I wish to make.  I've also made heaps of the joiners so I've got some handy whenever I need them.

Here is the finished product.

I rounded the corners on the back and covered the box with Prima's Nature Garden papers.  I've inked all the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

 Used one of the Nature Garden Tags on the front along with a Prima flower.   The title was cut using my Silhouette Portrait.

 I decorated the back with a chipboard button on which was mounted a metal butterfly.

 The box with the tags inside ...

... and with a tag pinned to the front.   I can easily attach whichever tag I'm in the mood for.

I hope you've enjoyed this post and I haven't confused anyone too much.  If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Thank you so much for visiting and I hope you take the time to leave a comment.  I'd love to know what you think.
Take care and God Bless.
oxox Marg

Tag No. 6

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog.

Well, I know I had some cards to make but I enjoyed these tags so much I just couldn't leave them alone so here is No. 6 and probably the last one for now.

I went very green for this one but I do think this is my favourite.

Cut the tag shape from white cardstock and coloured it with Shabby Shutters, Mustard Seed and Faded Jeans Distress Ink.  Cut the doily with my Silhouette Portrait, trimmed off a piece and coloured it the same as the tag and then glued it to the back.  I then stamped the piece with some different Kaisercraft background stamps using Memento Tuxedo Black.  

The lovely quote is from the net but I don't know who actually said it.  I printed it onto some cream cardstock and cut the shape using Couture Creations Nesting Ovals.

Here is a close-up of the flower cluster.  The large green one is a Kaisercraft which I recoloured with some watercolour paint and then edged with gold Versa Color.   The other flowers I've had in my stash for ages and have no idea where I got them from.  The metal butterfly and leaves I found at Spotlight in their craft section.  Most of the elements were glued down with Helmar 450 and, after sticking the butterflies down I placed a small drop of glue in the centre and then dropped in the beads.  I like how that looks but perhaps I should have made some antennas for them too.  Have to remember that for next time.

The little twiggy pieces on the side are actually from my garden.  I was trimming some dead bits off one of my plants and decided to keep them and use them in my clusters.  Luckily they are totally dried out so there shouldn't be any problems with it.  (I hope)

  The chipboard button is from my stash and was actually a last minute addition.  The top of the tag seemed a bit bare so I added the button to fill the space. 

So, now I have finished my tags.  I was going to make a cover and turn them into a small album but I've decided to put them in a box instead.  I will keep the box on a shelf in my craft space and then pin whichever tag I'm in the mood for to the front of it.  I've actually made the box but I haven't decorated it yet.  I may do a little tutorial on how I put it together.  See how I go.

 Thank you so much for stopping by and do enjoy the rest of your day.

Take care and God Bless.

oxox Marg

A Bit of Grunge .... and a Tag Revisited

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog.

First up I've got a card to show you.
The inspiration for this card came from a layout by Heather Jacob.  HERE is the link to her blog.  You'll have to go back as far as March to find the actual layout.   I loved the colors and the arrangement  of the elements on this page and felt it would be very adaptable for a male card.

I'm pretty sure that the papers are all from Kaisercraft but I can't remember which collection.

 I creased the papers up a bit  and lightly painted with gesso for extra interest, then cut a Prima Nature Garden tag in half and placed a piece underneath each side so that just the edges are showing.  The clock below was a print out from my computer.

This clock was cut with my Silhouette Portrait.  I did some doodling and lots of distressing.

The small brad is from Kaisercraft.

 The chipboard penny farthing is from Scrapmatts.  I coloured it with black chalk ink and then brushed over it with silver Versa Color.  The tag underneath the bike was traced from a G45 Curiosity shoppe tag.  Using kraft card, I drew around the edges and then it was simply fussy cut and edged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and covered with a piece of designer paper.

 Made a little tag for the greeting which is tucked underneath.

Voila!!

I enjoyed making this card, and I really appreciate the inspiration and the ideas that I get from visiting other people's blogs.  Not just from Heather but from everyone out there.  Love it!!!

Now for my second item.
If you've been here before you'll know that I've been making some tags for a journal I'm putting together.  This idea came from AstridMaclean.  HERE is the link to her blog, you'll find lots of wonderful inspiration there as well.
I've made four tags so far but changed my mind size wise after making the first one so decided to re-do that one to match it with the others.
Here is the original tag ...

... and here is the new.

 As you can see, they are basically the same with just a few small changes.  I am supposed to be taking a break from making these tags because I have lots of cards I need to make but, I enjoy it so much that I'm still sneaking in a bit of time on them now and then.  (I have the tag making bug)  LOL

Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care and God Bless.
oxox Marg