magic boxes

Magic Box - Mica Butterflies

2010-11-12T18:19:00.007Z

CLICK ON IMAGES FOR A CLOSER VIEW

I'd been playing with mica and thought how well it would suit butterfly wings.

These are painted with mica pigment 'Festive Brights'.

The butterfly stamp is by Personal Impressions

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to have a name, just a code: P547 E.

The rounded shape reminded me of the butterflies depicted in traditional Japanese art..

Using mustard coloured card as the base seemed to enhance the colours of the mica pigment..

I wanted to carry the 'shimmer' effect throughout the box

but decided not to use mica pigment on the panels

it would have overpowered the butterflies.

Using ivory pearlescent card as the base I inked with

the green and blue from Rangers Big & Juicy 'Mountain Meadow'.

To add a final touch of luxury I stamped Hero Arts 'Leaf Flourish'

in VersaMark and embossed with gold.
Mounting the panels onto gold mirror board framed them nicely
and added weight to the sides which always helps with 'the drop'.

I must say, I thought glitter was difficult to capture in a photograph

but mica is a nightmare!

Thankyou for visiting.

90th Birthday! - magic box

2010-10-07T20:24:00.000+01:00

My friend Kathy asked me to make a box for her Mum's 90th Birthday!

The Brief:

1) The explosion - pink striped roses, these were the flowers Kathy's Mum grew in her garden.

2) NO BUGS, (I wanted the occasional butterfly or bee), Kathy assured me that they would be swatted!!!!

I'm sorry it's been a long while since my last post - this year has been a little bit manic.

BLOG CANDY WINNER

2010-02-27T02:09:00.000Z

and the winner is...

Congratulations Elaine A!

The goodies will be winging their way over to you as soon as you let me know your postal details.

Just click on 'About me' then hit the email link in 'contact' (forgive me if you already know where to go)!!!

Thanks to everyone for taking part.

I wish you all could have won but I'll make another 'box candy' soon!

Butterfly Tutorial - Magic Boxes

2010-02-01T22:32:00.021Z

Thank you all for your heart warming comments.

I'm completely overwhelmed by your response to my blog candy. I'm now thinking that perhaps I should have only run it for a couple of weeks!

Quite a few have asked for a butterfly tutorial and as it links nicely to the blog candy - here goes......

I used a butterfly stamp I designed myself and stamped onto lightweight card using VersaFine Onyx Black then embossed with clear embossing powder.

Here's a list of what I used to colour them:

A) Sakura Black Gel Pen

B) Black marker Pen - I used Marvy Le Plume but any will do

C) Purple marker pen (any)

D) Blender Pen

E) Twinkling H2Os - Sky Blue

F) Watercolour brush

And here's what to do:

1) Stamp the butterfly using Versafine and emboss with clear embossing powder - nine times.

It's a good thing to brush the card with an anti-static bag beforehand - this ensures the powder only sticks to your image.

2) Cut the butterflies out. If you're not happy cutting round the antennae a fine slither of black card folded in half and glued to the back of the body works just as well.

To stamp the reverse:

3) Ink the stamp again and carefully position the blank side of the butterfly onto the stamp

4) Firm it down using a second acrylic block or something smooth and flat like a glass coaster. Don't worry too much about achieving a perfectly aligned image, just do the best you can and I'll show you later how to 'cheat' it good.

On the embossed (top) side:

5) Run the purple marker pen round the outer edge of the butterfly's wings

6) Blend using the blender pen

7) Dot purple round the outer edge again

8) Use the blender pen to soften the edges of your dots. These butterflies look more three dimensional if you don't colour in one solid colour. Make your first colour fade towards the body.

9) Colour the next section of the wings using Twinkling H2Os (Sky Blue) - applying it with a brush and not completely filling the areas to the edge.

10) Blend out using the blender pen.

Turn the butterfly over to the reverse side (not embossed)

11) Here's your chance to correct any wobbly stamping (on the reverse) - in stages 1 & 2.

12) Run the black marker pen round the edges of the butterfly - to cover any blank or missed areas

13) Tint colour across the surface, similar to the colours used on the front. This doesn't need to be perfect - it's only a hint so the underside isn't glaringly bare!

Turn the butterfly over again (embossed side up) to finish the top detailing

14) Now using the Sakura black gel pen draw round the top edges of the butterfly wings, the antennae and the body markings

15) To finish colouring - run the black marker pen round the very outer edges of the butterfly - otherwise these are white and very visible in the explosion.

Dare I say it? GLITTER

Even if you're not a glitter person glitter makes the explosion more dramatic - it catches and plays with the light as the butterflies dance, highlighting and drawing attention to their every flutter.

Glitter colours used on this box are:

A) Crystal (in the blog candy)

B) Black holographic (in the blog candy)

If you have no other colours these will cover every need - Crystal allows any underlying colour to shine through and black holographic is dark and rich, it makes a bold statement 'fizzing and sparkling' like fireworks in a midnight sky.

C) Is a colour I mixed myself. I had blue (which was not very exciting) and mixed crystal into it. Crystal glitter made it more sparkly and a little bit translucent so the underlying colour still hints through.

16) Apply fine lines of 'dries clear' glue on some, but not all, of the purple wing areas and sprinkle with crystal glitter.

17) Allow to dry then brush off any surplus glitter (be tough with the brushing). Always start with your lightest glitter and work to your darkest being last.

18) Apply fine lines of glue to the blue areas (not all) and the body (dots only) and sprinkle with the blue glitter mix, or crystal again.

19) Allow to dry and brush off the loose glitter.

20) Apply fine lines of glue to the body and curves of glue to the wing edges.

21) Sprinkle with black holographic. Allow to dry then brush loose glitter off.
note: I dotted glitter on the wing edges of the blog candy butterflies. Curves are much better so I'll be putting that right! When glittering always try to compliment the lines of the image.

Shaping the butterflies:

Gently curve the wings by placing your thumb on top and index finger underneath, one wing at a time. Pinch and move your finger to the wing edges several times. This warms the card and 'bows' the wings. Take your time and don't force it, rushing this stage causes creases to form.

Place your thumbnail along either edge of the body and fold the wings upwards.

Attaching to the acetate:

I attach them to the acetate using 'What Glue' by Jomil. It's a 'dries clear' all purpose glue. Apply to both surfaces and just before it dries fully clear press both surfaces together - it grabs like a magnet. This glue dries flexible so it has a much stronger bond when the butterflies are exploding from the box.

That's it.

Hope it all makes sense!

Blog Candy - Magic Box

2010-01-26T18:21:00.009Z

CANDY NOW CLOSED

CLOSES FRIDAY 26th FEBRUARY 2010

At last I'm back!
Between the terrible weather and family seasonal illnesses I feel like I've been out of action forever!!!
As a late Blogoversry celebration I've made this box for someone to win. There's also a small bundle to go with it - Butterfly stamps, a pack of acetate sheets, black holographic & crystal ultrafine glitter, a pack of small gemstones and a black Sakura Glaze pen.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and I will draw the winner on Friday 26th February.

I am happy to post Internationally.

CLICK ON IMAGES FOR A CLOSER VIEW

I always edge the butterflies using a black Sakura gel pen - it punches the black forward after colouring.

Black holographic glitter is perfect for defining the body markings and wing tips.

Crystal glitter can be used on it's own - it allows the underlying colour to shine through.

I often mix it with coloured glitter to give more sparkle and it acts a little bit like adding water to watercolour paint - making the coloured glitter translucent.

I wrap a small amount of Blu-Tack round the end of a fine embossing tool to pick up the small gemstones when I'm gluing them to the panels, it's much easier than using tweezers.

I would like to say a BIG HUGE THANKS for your patience, support and encouragement over the past year it has meant so much to me.

Good Luck!

THIS CANDY IS NOW CLOSED

The winner's name will be posted shortly!

Hexagonal Gift Box - Jewelled Blooms

2009-11-21T12:19:00.048Z

I've recently been playing with gift boxes and flowers.

I'm sorry but the colour of this box is very 'punchy' so you may need your sunglasses.

I think I'm missing summer already, I really do hate these dark, wintry days!

CLICK ON IMAGES FOR A CLOSER VIEW

(Put sunglasses on first)

The box measures 45mm high x 85mm wide.

(1 3/4" high x 3 3/8" wide).

I inked the edges of the box and lid with VersaColor 'Burgundy' ink.

The flower centres are made using the Woodware punch 'Splat' - I love that name, sounds like it's straight out of a comic book!

A snowflake punch would work too but it wouldn't sound half so good.

I've included a printable template for the flowers at the end of this post.

Here's how I made them:

I printed the template onto 'Stampin-Up' orange card and cut out two large (layered them together for extra dimension), one medium and one small flower

1) Using the rounded end of a Sakura gel pen I curled the petals by running the pen from centre to tip of each petal a few times. I used my Wizard embossing mat for support.

2) Using a small embossing tool I scored three lines on each petal.

3) I inked the petals lightly, using a piece of sponge and VersaColor Burgundy ink then dabbed the ink pad directly onto the petal tips (to give more depth of colour) and blended using the sponge.

4 & 5) I curled the petals even more by holding each petal between my thumb and a pricking tool handle and rolling up.

6) Using the Woodware 'splat' (did I tell you I love that name) punch, I punched from copper mirror board then applied gemstones.

7) Finally I attached this to the flower centre - simply glued it.

The Leaves:

Three layers of fantasy film with some fantasy fibre sandwiched between and ironed to fuse.

The leaves were punched using the Woodware grass punch.

I dimensioned by running my thumbnail down the centre of each leaf and nipping the tips.

Flower - A4 Sheet Download

Click on the image to bring it to full size then save.

There's a downloadable template for this box on 'crafticious'.

Thank you for visiting.
BIG WARM HUGS TO ALL OF YOU!

Exploding Box - Oriental

2009-10-29T14:11:00.004Z

I made this box purely for pleasure. I was itching to use some new autumnal card stock Mum had brought me on one of her visits to London.

I'm really proud of myself because I didn't use any glitter at all - Boy was that tough!

CLICK ON IMAGES FOR A CLOSER VIEW

The panels are inked with VersaColor - 'Burgundy' then edged with Encore - 'Ultimate Metallic Gold' and embossed with clear embossing powder to give an aged feel.

The stamps I used were Habico Clear 'Chinese Symbols' and EJ 'Butterflies and words'

From the Habico set I stamped the Wisteria in Encore - gold, embossed with 'Mirror Gold' and the chrysanthemums in burgundy then clear embossed.

The flowers are two large daisy punch-outs and the centres are made the same way as in my 'Young Love' flower tutorial.

I highlighted the panel corners, flower centres and the butterflies with liquid pearls 'Golden Gold'. LOVE that stuff but the fine nozzle does tend to block very quickly!

I haven't been making many boxes recently because Mum and I have been busy planning a blog for general paper crafts and cards ranging from basics to advanced things such as three dimensional pop-ups. We'll be posting tutorials, ideas and free downloads/templates. It covers all the other things I'm passionate about as well as boxes.

We've only just added our first post but have lots more to come so hope you have the time to give it a visit. Here's the link: crafticious.

Thank you for taking the time to visit and for being so patient with me - I'll be back soon!

Exploding Box - Tropical

2009-09-30T08:31:00.020+01:00

For Chris who shares my love of tropical gardens - Happy Birthday!

CLICK ON IMAGES FOR A MORE DETAILED VIEW

I used some new Woodware punches I'd bought recently. The tropical leaves are 2" and 1". When I saw them it was love at first sight!

The Lillies are made using a large five petal flower punch, made in the same way as the flowers in the 'Fairies' box.

Couldn't resist adding a few small wooden ladybird embellishments. I applied 'Glossy Acccents' to give them a high shine, I think it makes them more realistic.

The small flowers are made using a small five petal punch and I cut 'Vs' from the petal tips. After cutting to the centre, between two petals, I rolled and glued them. They're made from yellow card, chalked with orange highlights.

I wanted a stamped, leafy background so made a stamp from craft foam:

Take what's left from the punch out of the 1" tropical leaf.
Using a pen, trace the shape onto a piece of thin craft foam.
Cut the leaf out.
Attach to an acrylic block using a glue stick.
Ink up and stamp (I used VersaColor Fresh Green).

I mostly used punches on this box - here's a list of the ones I used:

1.25" five petal flower punch
5/8" five petal flower punch
Woodware 'grass one' 1.5" punch
Woodware (tropical leaf) 'Monstera' 1" punch (used to make the stamp)
Woodware (tropical leaf) 'Monstera' 2" punch

Thank you for visiting!

Exploding Box - Scottish Butterflies

2009-06-20T13:28:00.023+01:00

Sorry - where did this last month go!!***? I seem to have been very busy but not a lot to show for it.

Anyways - here's my latest box:

I was asked to make a magic box - butterflies with a Scottish 'twist'.

CLICK ON IMAGES FOR A CLOSER VIEW

I decided to incorporate the Scottish national flower - thistle.

Outside panels.Closer detail of the butterflies and thistle panels.

Will be adding more details shortly.....

Thanks for popping by and for all your lovely comments - they mean a lot!

Exploding Box - Butterflies & Ferns

2009-05-13T14:25:00.003+01:00

Here's the box I made for Phyllis.
It's similar to my earlier box (in March) but the background is stamped with ferns.
The stamped panels are mounted onto pearlescent green card.
The third and final mount is black card edged with black, holographic, ultra-fine glitter.

I added small, green acrylic gems to the bodies of the butterflies, three per butterfly.

The butterflies were stamped using VersaFine Onyx Black, embossed in clear embossing powder and coloured with Marvey Le Plume pens.

I stamped and coloured both sides of the butterflies, but only embossed the top surface.

They're highlighted with crystal glitter which gives more impact when the box has just dropped open and the butterflies are 'dancing'.

Thanks for popping by

Origami Box shown on Create and Craft TV

2009-05-09T12:00:00.015+01:00

Here's the origami box I made for Phyllis for her Create & Craft TV Show.
It's being shown again on Wednesday May 13th at 1.00pm UK time 'EAZI Crafting with Phyllis'.
I also made a butterfly magic box and will be posting pics soon.

I weighted the lid with black glass beads from an old, broken necklace I had. One instance where never throwing anything away paid off!

I stamped in VersaFine Onyx Black and embossed with clear embossing powder.
The edges were tinted using the same VersaFine ink and Tim Holtz's (my Hero) blending tool & felt pads. Phyllis demonstrates this technique brilliantly on her show.
I finished off by running a chunky, permanent black marker round the edge.
I wanted a rich, Gothic feel to this box.

I added panels inside, black card stamped in VersMark Clear ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.

Couldn't resist adding red acrylic gems as a final touch!

Thanks for visiting.

Origami Box with Wrap Lid - Tutorial

2009-05-07T15:37:00.026+01:00

This is a tutorial for UK A4 squared but I have tried to explain the principle so it can be applied to any size.
I am aware that Mothers Day is happening in the US, Canada, Australia and many countries this weekend, so am posting this now. I hope the instructions are not too gobble-di-gook!
Despite the long tutorial this box is actually very quick to make, (once you've grasped the principle) so please do have a go.

CLICK ON IMAGES TO SEE FULL SIZE

Open the two pages above, by clicking on them, then 'image save'.

Instructions in Brief
Make the box first - from a square of good quality paper.
Make the wrap from good quality, heavy weight card.
Wrap length: is the same measurement as the paper used to make the box.
Wrap width: is 20mm (7/8") wider than the finished box width.
Score lines on wrap:
1) Mark the centre of the wrap (lengthwise).
2) Measure the height of the finished box.
3) Mark the box height measurement - half either side of the centre point.
If you want to colour tint, stamp or round corners of the wrap - do this before attaching to the box.
Add panels or 3D embellishments after attaching to the box.

This was a 'New Technique Challenge' on Splitcoaststampers.
Here's the link: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=410418

For more examples of origami boxes check out my January postings and Splitcoaststampers Gallery - (there are some fabulous boxes here!)

Thank you for visiting

Exploding Box - Fairies

2009-04-24T19:19:00.046+01:00

My News:
Create & Craft TV Thursday 30th April at 5pm UK time.
One of my boxes will be shown - it's a chance to see them 'in action'.

Here's the link to the programme info: CreateandCraft TVThe reason I haven't been blogging as much as I would have liked - the wonderful Phyllis from Diamond Card Craft asked if I could design a set of stamps to work with her EAZI SCORE Board. I'm a BIG fan of her boards and was very honoured to be asked. These have now been produced and will be featured on the show.

Am I sounding calm and composed about it all? Because I'm not - I'm so excited I could burst!!! I realy hope you can tune in - the show also goes out live on the net.

Fairies and dragonflies - I've been wanting to make this box for some time now.

CLICK ON IMAGES FOR A CLOSER LOOK

The outside panels each carry a message. You can see the details in the image below.

Here's a closer detail of one of the fairies on the inside panels.

I made the flowers in the same way as I did in the flower tutorial 'Young Love' but I cut a small 'V' in the tip of each petal. The flower centre is made from a piece of acetate cut in the shape of Neptune's fork then glittered.

FLowers:The petals were tinted with Brilliance Pearlescent Lavender and edged with VersaColor Imperial Blue (more purple than blue).
The stamen were made by cutting a small piece of acetate into the shape of Neptune's fork.
I applied a mix of yellow & crystal glitter to the 'fork' then tipped the ends with turquoise glitter.
The flowers were assembled as in the 'Young Love' flower tutorial.
Fairy Panels:I stamped the fairies & ivy, onto cream card, using VersaColor Smoke Blue.
I then ran the ink pad round the edges and chalked with turquoise and lilac.
The ivy veins were highlighted with crystal glitter and I finished by dotting turquoise glitter to give the impression of berries.
I designed the fairy stamps myself .

Thank you for taking the time to visit.

Mother's Day - Origami Box and Card

2009-03-27T22:48:00.071Z

Thank you all so much for visiting and leaving such lovely comments, I'm really looking forward to visiting all of your blogs.

I'm sorry it's been a while since I posted but the last couple of weeks have been very busy. I have some news to share with you very soon.

Here's what I did for Mother's Day. The photographs are a little 'rainy day' but the colours are so bright that it's maybe a good thing! Mum loves bright colours and one of her favourite flowers is the Gerbera Daisy. I decided to make those two things the theme.

This card is large:- 28cm (about 11 inches) x 13.5cm (about 5.5 inches).

CLICK ON IMAGES TO GET A CLOSER VIEW

For the background I chalked the sky, and the grass area is green lightweight card embossed on the Eazi Score Board. The outside mount is silver holographic mirror board.

I used Word-Art (on my computer) to make the letters and printed them out - mirrored. I then cut and glued them onto heavy weight card, cut out, tinted with pigment inks, then embossed with holographic embossing powder. They're attached to the card using 3mm 3D foam pads.

The origami box is made from an A4 sheet of paper (squared) and a strip of card, for the wrap around, again inked and embossed with holographic embossing powder.

The message inside the box is an Elusive Images stamp - 'Words of Inspiration' - "Imagine the possibilities". Stamped using VersaFine - Onyx Black.

I made an insert by printing a message from my computer, "Happy Mother's Day" and finished by attaching a small bee, made by stamping the EJ Honey Bee onto acetate and card - as in the Buttercups and Daisies exploding box.

The Gerbera were made using a large and a small daisy punch. Three punch-outs of each size, layered together. I dry embossed a line along the centre of the petals before assembling the flowers. The centres were finished off with a small amount of black holographic glitter.

I'm drawing up a tutorial for the origami box using UK A4 squared and will post it very soon.

Click here -Tutorial now posted

Thank you for popping by.

Exploding Box - Young Love & Flower Tutorial

2009-03-10T18:34:00.091Z

This box demonstrates the three dimensional flowers in my tutorial below.

CLICK ON IMAGES TO GET A CLOSER VIEW

It was commissioned by Kieron who, because it was for his Valentine, played a very active role in the design and making of it.
'K' was 11 years old and over a period of weeks he would arrive at my house, after football, covered in mud.
He patiently learnt how to make 3D flowers, tint and glitter them, how to construct a box and how to stamp and emboss. He never tired or complained.
It was finally finished, just in time, on February 13th 2008 and 'K' carried it home in his 'Kit Bag'.
His Mum tells me that there were nervous mutterings as to how it would be presented the following day (without losing his 'Street Cred').

As requested, there was a hidden tag - with a secret message.
I don't know what that message was and I think there are only two people in the world who do.
Long Live Romance!

The tag was hidden in the box lid. Pull the correct ribbon and the tag pops out!

Here's how we made the flowers:

The colours are different but the construction is the same

Exploding Box - India

2009-02-20T21:23:00.030Z

This box was commissioned by Mark, for his wife Kate. He was quite clear that her passion was travel and especially India.

CLICK ON IMAGES TO SEE MORE DETAIL

The arched 'doorways' were cut using the Sizzix small tag die.

The background stamps I made myself. They were based on ceremonial henna (mehndi) hand paintings

more very soon...

Thanks for stopping by.

Exploding Box - Firefly

2009-02-14T16:23:00.050Z

I know they're dragonflies but I wanted the impression of fireflies in a ferny woodland.

CLICK ON IMAGES TO SEE MORE DETAIL

This is a very small box. The closed measurements are: 1.75" square by just under 3" tall.

I actually managed to resist using glitter (it was very hard for me). I used amber gemstone accents and gold holographic mounts to give the 'fiery' illusion.

The stamping technique is one of my favourites:

I started with a light green background and stamped my first fern using VersaMark clear ink then embossed with clear powder.

I then inked over the whole thing with VersaColor Fresh Green and gently cleaned the ink off the clear embossing.

I stamped the fern again in VersaColor Green Tea (no embossing this time).

After the ink had dried I stamped the fern one more time, using VersaColor Evergreen (again no embossing).

When dry I finished by inking over the whole thing with VersaColor Bamboo and a small amount of Evergreen.

It's my favourite technique because the result is very three dimensional.

The stamps I used:

Stampabilities - Dragonfly & Stampendous - Summer Leaves (Fern).

I have a tutorial for this size box on my Gallery site. Here's the link: http://www.magic-boxes.com/smallbutterflybox.htm

The tutorial is in metric but for those of you who work in feet and inches there is a link, to a printable ruler with both centimetres and inches, at the top of the tutorial page.

Thank you for visiting.

Exploding Box - Butterflies

2009-02-13T23:31:00.014Z

Here I've tried to show the process of the exploding box opening.

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO GET A CLOSER VIEW

This next series of photographs show the box from closed to open.

I'll be back with more soon!

Australian Bushfires

2009-02-09T12:31:00.003Z

Can I just say that, on behalf of myself and my family, our thoughts and love are with you all.

Exploding Box - Buttercups & Daisies

2009-02-07T18:07:00.068Z

This box was a little bit of playtime for me. It's the only one that I managed to take photographs of during the 'design/making process' - I'll be doing more of this in future.

CLICK ON IMAGES TO SEE THEM IN MORE DETAIL

Box Design and construction details

Panels
Sky - pale blue card chalked with blue.
Grass - lime green card, chalked, torn and cut.

Bee Hive - stamped using a stamp I designed.
I stamped the single image three times.
Roughly pencilled in where I wanted the tags.
Cut out.
Glued the tags together to dimension the hive.
BeesFrom the same stamp set I stamped the bees onto acetate using Stazon Black ink.
Crystal glittered the wings.
Cut each bee out.
I stamped again onto lightweight card.
Using markers I then coloured the bodies.
Glittered the black with black holographic glitter.
Cut out the bodies.
Glued the bodies to the acetate bees.

FlowersMade using a small daisy punch and a five petal flower punch.
The daisy is constructed from two punch-outs, layered together.
The small flower is dimensioned using the same technique as my earlier box 'Violets'

I never glue anything down until I've played with the positioning of all the elements I'm going to use. Once I'm happy it's glue time!

Thanks for visiting -

Exploding Box - Poppy Cottage

2009-02-04T22:47:00.017Z

This box was another commission. A friend asked me to make it for her friend Tina's big 'O' birthday. Tina and her partner Dave have the most beautiful garden, in Truro, Cornwall, UK, which they open to the public each year. It's called 'Poppy Cottage Garden' so it was clear what the theme should be.
Here's the link to their garden website - it's well worth a look: http://www.poppycottagegarden.co.uk/

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO SEE THEM CLOSE UP.

Unfortunately for Tina, my friend Teresa didn't warn her that it was an exploding box and Teresa told me "poor Tina almost fainted when she lifted the lid off her box".

This image gives you some idea of the height of the explosion.

I like to keep the outside simple so that the inside is a surprise. Maybe not quite as much as it was for Tina though!

Box Details:

Panels
Lime green card again. Tinted with VersaColor Lagoon Blue & Marigold.
Stamped using Perfectly Clear 'Leafy Silhouettes' in VersaColor Evergreen.
Spot glittered with ultra-fine green glitter.

Poppies
I made a template for these poppies and cut them out from heavy weight red paper.
Each poppy is made from two layers which I scored and creased before gluing together.
I finished by dotting black ultra-fine glitter in the centres.

Leaves
These are made using a small daisy leaf die and tinted with VersaColor Evergreen ink
Bees
These were made using 'EJ Honey Bee' stamp set (one I designed myself).
I stamped onto acetate using black Stazon, cut each bee out and crystal glittered the wings.
I then stamped onto lightweight card, coloured the bodies using marker pens, cut the bodies out and glued them onto the acetate bees.
I highlighted the black with ultra-fine, black holographic glitter.

Ladybirds
Small wooden Ladybird embellishments painted with 'Glossy Accents' to give that classic Ladybird glisten.

Thanks for looking.

From Russia With Love

2009-02-02T10:40:00.007Z

We have snow in London! No buses running at all. My son's school is closed. We've ground to a halt!!! They say the weather is coming from Russia.

This is one of my two 'Babies'. He doesn't understand what's happened but he doesn't like it, whatever it is.

Exploding Box - Violets (In Memory of)

2009-02-01T14:57:00.019Z

Diana commissioned this box for her daughter. The theme was violets because they were "Gran's favourite flowers".
I love commissions because I learn something about that person and their family or friend. If I'm asked to make a box it is always for someone special and usually for a special reason. I feel privileged when they share a part of their family history with me and it's heartwarming to know how close some family relationships are.

Materials and Techniques:

Image Panels:

As with the origami box below, the panels are lime green card, tinted with VersaColor Evergreen and Marigold. The fern stamp is Stampendous 'Summer Leaves' stamped in Evergreen and then dotted with green ultra-fine glitter.
These panels were mounted onto heavy weight black card - (cut 5mm larger and edged with holographic black glitter).

3D Leaves:

See-Dees self cling stamp 'Leaves #50052' stamped in VersaColor Evergreen, onto mid green lightweight card. I ran over the image lightly with VersaColor Evergreen and cut each leaf out when the ink was dry.
The leaves were mounted onto fine strips of acetate and fixed to the box (side and centre panels).

Violets:

Eight flowers were punched out, from lilac lightweight card, using a large five petal flower punch and painted with Twinkling H2Os Purple.
To dimension the flower - I embossed a line down the centre of each petal then cut between two petals (to the centre of the flower) and glued these petals together.
I finished with a small, square, amber gemstone in the centre of each flower.
The violets were attached to thin strips of acetate.
Four (of the eight) were fixed to the four box side panels (before gluing the panels to the box).
Four were attached to the box centre panel. This is demonstrated in my tutorial 'Small Butterfly Box' on my gallery site.

Flower Buds (paper beads):

Were made from long, triangular pieces of lilac lightweight card. Painted with Twinkling H2Os Purple.
When the paint was dry the card strips were rolled tightly round a cocktail stick and glued.
A thin strip of acetate was fed through each bud and glued in position.
Finally, they were attached to the four side panels as described above.

Thanks for visiting.

I have more boxes on my gallery site:
http://www.magic-boxes.com/

I will be adding more to my blog over the next few days. Hope you can bear with me.

Dragonfly Joy - Origami Box

2009-01-29T21:54:00.019Z

This origami box folding is taking me over I think!

Using UK A4 squared makes a perfect gift box size (37cm or 3.5" approx).

I really wanted to incorporate some of the elements of my exploding boxes with this one, it's for a friend.

Inner Lid:
I wanted a nice message inside the lid and found Hero Arts 'Happiness Messages' fitted the bill! I stamped in VersMark clear embossing ink and embossed with gold.

'Black on Black embossing':
Here I used Perfectly Clear 'Leafy Silhouettes' stamped with a VersMark clear ink pad and embossed with clear embossing powder.

Decorative Panels & Box Lining:
I used a base of lime green card and tinted it with VersaColor Evergreen and Lagoon Blue inks. I then stamped Stampendous 'Summer Leaves' (the fern) using VersaColor Evergreen.
I finished with green ultra-fine glitter highlights.

Dragonfly:
The dragonfly is punched - Paper Shapers Whale of a Punch 'Dragonfly' then highlighted with ultra-fine glitter.

Click here -Tutorial now posted

Thanks for stopping by

Origami Box

2009-01-26T15:29:00.008Z

This was a 'New Technique Challenge' on Splitcoast stampers. The box is constructed using an origami fold - no glue - so clever!!!

The wrap round lid is glued.

Here's the link: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=410418

I followed Lynn's instructions and it was surprisingly straight forward.

I had just received some 12 x 12 papers - Papermania 'Scrumptious' and had to have a go.

The flower in the centre is made from three die cuts - Sizzix 'Flower #1' die. I tinted the petals with VersaColor inks, Petal Pink and Opera Pink then rolled the cut-outs together gluing as I went along.

Click here -Tutorial now posted

Wedding Day

2009-01-05T12:50:00.017Z

This exploding box was commissioned by Lindsay, for her daughter's wedding. Joanna and David were married on 4th July 2008.

This box was a tricky one. The explosion needed to be a representation of the wedding bouquet which was made from two-tone Vandella roses (ivory and peach). I made these paper roses using a five petal flower punch using two ivory and one peach punch out for each rose. I layered them by wrapping the punch-outs tightly round a cocktail stick, gluing as I went along.

Vandella rose detail and exploding Box lid

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T16:49:00.004Z

It's January 2009 - I can't believe how fast time flies. I made my mind up that I would have a go at a Blog in the new year and so here I am. I think it's going to take me a while to fully understand what I'm doing but I'll (hopefully) get the hang of it fairly soon!

Butterflies for Svitlana

2009-01-03T15:24:00.007Z

I have a tutorial, on my gallery site, for this size box: http://www.magic-boxes.com/smallbutterflybox.htm

I made this exploding box for a friend's birthday. It's quite small - fits easily into the palm of your hand.