Wine Bottle Gift Box Construction Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how I constructed the wine bottle gift box. This tutorial will cover how to make the chipboard box, but not how to decorate it. (To learn how I decorated it in Artisan paper, come join me at Custom Impressions. More info here.)

You will need:
2 - 12x12 pieces of medium weight chipboard. (I used black)
1 - 12x12 good quality cardstock to match your chipboard
Double sided tape (like scor or redline tape)
A ruler
A trimmer that will cut chip board
A bone folder or other scoring tool
Scissors that will cut chipboard
a pen or pencil

 

Cut your chipboard  into:

1 - 4" x 4" square

4 - 4" x 8" pieces

4 - 4" x 6" pieces

and 4 - 3 7/8" x 3" pieces.

Cut your card stock to:

4 - 1 1/2" x 8" pieces

4 - 1 1/2" x 4" pieces 

and 8 - 1 1/2" x 3" pieces.

Score all your strips in half (3/4")

And add double sided tape to both sides. (I used 1/2")

One tip I learned from Kathy Orta is to mitre the ends of your strips.

 Measure off an inch on the 3" side of the 3 7/8" x 3" piece. Adee tape to the 1" portion.

Connect the 3 7/8"" x 3" pieces to the 4" x  9" pieces. centering it so there is small over hang (1/16") on either side. Do this for all four and set aside. (These are the sides of the box.)

ON the 4" x 4" square place one of the 1 1/2" x 4" strips on each edge .

 

Add the extended 4" x 8" pieces to the 4" x 4". Attach on the 4" side with the 3 7/8" x 3" piece that was attached on the top "inside." Leave a small gap between the two pieces to allow the 4" x  8" piece to be held at a right angle.

When all four sides are attached it should look like above

Attach two of the 1 1/2" x 8" strips to one of the box sides.

(DO NOTnot place strip over the 3 7/8" x 3" attached piece.)

  

Attach the sides of the boxes to each other at right angles using the strips. When you are done you will have the base of the box with a lip at the top. I left the small pieces unattached so they can more easily fit inside the lid portion.

 

For the lid we need to cut a triangle at the top of the 4" x 6" pieces. Start by making a line at the halfway point (3") of the 6" side. Use your ruler and score tool to score into the chipboard here. it will hopefully make an nice indentation.  Also mark the middle (2") of one end of the 4" side. (I used white pen so you can clearly see the marks. You should probably use pencil so marks can be erased or are less noticeable.) I also drew a line from the middle (2") of the piece to the 3" midway line to form the triangle

 

Using my heavy duty scissors I cut along the line to make a triangle at the top of the 4" x 6" piece.  Using the edge of a table or other straight surface, gently fold the top of the triangle along the score line. It should fold approximately 45 degrees.

I then attached four of the 1  1/2" x 3" strips to the straight sides of the 4" x 6" pieces.

Attach the four lid pieces together side by side. Again, leave a small space so they can be held at right angles to each other.

When you attach the fourth strip it should connect the first and last lid pieces to make a "box" with all the triangles on the top folding towards each other.

With the remaining 1 1/2" x 3" pieces, Attach the triangles at to to form the pyramid at top. I found the best way was to attach two opposite sides then to attach the middle ones.

When all four triangles are attached your lid should look like this.

Now you can put your lid on. You may have to turn it to find best angle for a good fit. 

Below are some pictures of a couple different ways I have decorated the box. One is with Graphic 45 Le Cirque and the other is Graphic 45 Artisan Style.

 

 

The Paper Phenomenon Files (Part 2) OR: Taking the Next Step

As I wrote in an earlier post, I had ordered a few Kathy Orta tutorials from paperphenomenon.com . And since then, I ordered a few more. So when the enrollment for her Everyday Kit Club (EKC) #12 opened up, I was pretty intrigued. 

Each Kit Club (EKC) has three main projects and three bonus projects plus a bonus tool. The three main projects are breifly described before purchase and come with all thecl supplies. And I mean ALL, chipboard, pattern paper, embellishments- the works.  The three bonus projects are a surprise. Generally they will either enhance the main project or enchance each other. And the bonus tool is kind of like a gift with purchase.

Now when I first looked at it I thought it looked cool and fun, but I wondred if it was worth the price. I don't fo kits often. In fact I have a tendency to disect kits for the paper. BUT, Kathy had one more special feature for EKC #12. She included a teaching and selling licence with this specific kit.  Yeah, I was in.

I will be participating in the July, August & September projects, which are as follows: My Design Mini (MDM), Life is an Open Book & Cascade Parade. I will also be getting the directions for the three bonus projects and a nifty teflon Trib bone folder.

I plan to post more about each project as I make it. This should be a fun adventure!

To order the digital version of EKC #12 click here. To order a future EKC please check paperphenomenon.com for open enrollment period.

The Paper Phenomenon Files (Part 1) OR How I Learned to Embrace My Inner PITA and Became a Kathy Orta Fan.

A bunch of my friends were doing it but I wasn't sure it was for me. But the projects I saw were really cool and I I liked them . So eventually I decided I would try it too. And now I just can't stop. What am I talking about I'm talking about doing the Kathy Orta tutorials from paperphenomenon.com.

It started innocently enough. I decided to buy three tutorials on her website. The three I chose were the file m for memories, the vintage camera and the vintage typewriter. Now clearly I didn't choose the easy tutorials. I chose projects that were things that I wouldn't normally make. I wanted these to be projects where I learned something new. So I chose projects that were heavy on the construction which I hadn't done often.

 

First up with a vintage typewriter. The first step was to make sure I had all the materials and supplies I needed. After that I cut down all my chip board according to the instructions in Kathy's tutorial. And although there are a few moments where I struggled in the construction it wasn't very hard to follow the directions and put the typewriter together.

  

I did do one thing differently from the tutorial and added a small mini album to the inside of the typewriter instead of the calendar cards that were in the original tutorial. I used the Prima / Marion Smith Romance Novel paper for the mini album. It was based on a mini album in Kathy's Interactive Mini-Albums book. (I bought a digital copy from annies.com. It is aldo available signed on paperphenomenon.com)

 

I was really pretty thrilled with the end result. And was proud to give the typewriter and album to a friend of mine (who is a romance/ya writer) as a birthday gift. I also made another Vintage Typewriter for a friend as a graduation gift. (I used Graphic 45's  Bohemian Bazaar for the mini album.) I also put black painted grunge board over the "roller" of the typewriter on the second version, this gave it a very realistic look.

 

To make your own Vintage Typerwriter, you can buy the tutorial here at Kathy Orta's blog, paperphenomenon.com. And some of the hardware can also be purchased here at the blog shop. Many of the items are Tim Holtz items and can be purchased at craft stores. But getting them from Kathy can save time and having to buy extras. For the typewriter's keys, I bought laser cuts from PorkchopShow's Etsy store. (The black ones seem to fit better than the silver.)

The second project I chose to make was the File M for Memories album. One of the reasons I really like this album is that it is full of pockets.  I think that this makes the File M album a great gift for my non scrapbooking friends because they can use ot like a journal or diary. Notes, poems, drawings or just about anything can be tucked into the pockets with out having to add glues.

This level of complexity to the pages did make it a bit harder at first. In fact, I found this album harder to make than the typewriter. The trick for me was that I needed to see a page completed and understand how it worked. However, once I understood how the flaps and the pockets come together it was much easier to visualize and itn"clicked" for me. And then the process of construction for the rest of tne album went pretty fast. I was very lucky and met one of the women I crop with had made the album before and help me put together my first page.

 

I matted the album mainly with Kaisercraft's Telegraph Road but I also used some of their other lines like Kaleidoscope, BeYOUtiful and Storyteller because this album is pretty large and takes a lot of paper to decorate. I also used some of the Kaisercraft Captured Moments cards. (These are like Project Life or journaling cards.)  I think all the papers matched very nicely. I think sometimes when you use a group of papers all from the same company the colors and the themes can work well together. This project was also I gift, this time for a friend of mine who recently moved to China.

  

Some tips for making the album: Choose a file folder that has a nice large tab on it. I think this is a nice look for the album. (I decided not to use the printable templates in the tutorial.) Definitely make a template for matting the tabs (it should be slightly, 1/8 inch, smaller than the tab base.) That way it will look consistent, I did not do this and regretted it.

 

Another tip I learned that really helped was that adding a. thin layer of glue stick over the scor tape (or other double sided adhesive), gives an extra few seconds where you can move the item before it's fixed permanently.  This helped me a lot. I sometimes need a second chance, so this avoided alot of boo boos. In the tutorial Kathy used  Scotch wet glue to attach the pattern paper(snd it looked fab). I tried, but it didn't work as well for me(maybe I used too much adhesive). I then tried using a glue pen (Martha Stewart), but it seemed to stay a little too tacky even after it dried. I now use Scor Tape with the glue stick trick and it has been pretty successful.

 

To get the tutorial for the File M album at paperphenomenon.com go here. The main supplies you will need a chipboard cardstock and pattern paper. And since this is a nice big album you can use that whole line of pattern paper you have tucked away for just the right project.

The final project in my triptych of Kathy Orta projects is the Vintage Camera. This is the tutorial I was most intimidated by. Both because of the difficulty and the fact it was going to be a gift for my Dad and Stepmom. But this also made it the tutorial I looked forward to the most. And in the end had the biggest "pay off" for me.

I have to admit I did stray from the tutorial. The biggest change was using Kraft Tex instead of regular cardstock for the bellows.  For those of you who haven't used it, Kraft Tex is a paper/fabric hybrid. It is made from paper fiber, but has the strength, texture and durability of fabric. Heck you can even throw this stuff in your washer! So basically i followed the cutting, scoring and folding directions the same as Kathy gave for paper. The difference was that I had to score a little harder and use a strong wet adhesive. I used the brown Kraft Tex and painted it black with Tim Holtz' Distress Paint. I then distressed, sanded, repainted and distressed again until it had an antiqued leather look. It was a bit of work to get it just right, but it was SO worth it.

 

The second place I was forced to make changes was in the hardware. While most of the hardware is pretty easy to find, the Graphic 45 Staples Metal Tags are not. I was lucky and had a pack with all but one of the six tags. So i only had to replace one. (The "P" medallion at the front of camera base, under lens.) The metal piece that curves around the lens is sldo different. Instead of the clip for binding documents (which I could only find in a box of 100), I used a Tim Holtz metal word band and curved it gently with pliers.

 

I highly recommend that you have a really good trimmer that cuts medium to heavy weight chipboard before tackling this project. Some of the pieces are cut quite small and can be difficult without one.

Inside the camera is a really cute album. Since this was an anniversary gift, I used Teresa Collins' Save the Date (with a little You Are My Happy and Something Wonderful.) The angled pocket construction of the album is very striking and would look good as a stand alone piece.

 

I think the camera ended up being my favorite piece. I plan to make a couple more, including one for myself. The tutorial can be found here. It includes video for the bellows portion, so be prepared to play you tube on this one.

I hope you enjoyed this first foray into the Paper Phenomemon files of Kathy Orta. I really enjoy making these tutorials and plan on trying more. Let me know what you think. Have you done any of Kathy's projects? What are your favorites? Or is there a different paper craft
er's tutorials that you love?

My Methods for Copic Skin & Hair Part 2: Darker & Curlier

This is part two of my Copic technique.  Again I can;t say if I am doing this the proper way.  I am not Copic certified or anything but self trained.  I learned most of what I know about drawing and shading from years of practice and learning how to look at objects in real life.  To be honest I think that is where you can understand shading the best, by looking at a photo and seeing where the lights and darks fall.  In theis post I am going to go over a darker skin tone, black hair with Cool grey and how I color curly hair,  I am using another digi stamp image by La-La Land crafts.  It is called "Coloring Marci." (Again, please respect the artists and designers of these wonderful stamps.)

These are the colors that I have choosen for my skintone. E11, E13, E15 & E18.  I begin by laying down E11 (the lightest color) over the whole face.  It is ok if it is a bit streaky because there will be additional layers of color to cover it and even it out,

I added a shadow in E13 around the edge of the face and below the hairline to start giving depth.

 

I then blended the shadow using E11

   

 I then added more depth by making a darker shadow line in E15.

  

 And blended it with the E13 and E11.

 (For a medium skin tone you could stop here and make sure everything is well blended.) I added a final layer of shadow with the E18.

And i blended it with the E15-E11 pens.

For blush and lip color I used the E04.

 Now I am ready to color the hair.  I am starting with the area above the headband.

And for the black hair I am using: C9, C7, C5, C3 and C1

I started with the C7 along the top for head and behind top of headband. (This part will be similar to the straight hair we did in part 1.)

 I followed that with a layer of the C5.

 Then I blended in the C3.

 And lastly the C1 was blended in.

 I then added a scond layer of color over the first.  I started with the C9. to make the hair even darker.

 

 I then blended in the C7....

 C5, C3....

 

 and C1. And that finished the top part of the hair.

Now using the same set of colors I am starting on the curls at the bottom.

Using the C9 I start by deciding where the darkest parts of the hair would be.  I choose to make shadows below the headband, at the back of hair (by neck and behind shoulders), beneath the ears, the tips of the curls and anywhere the hair goes behind other hair. 

 I then blended that out in the direction of the curls with the C7.

 And the same with the C5.

 And then blend in the C3.

 And finally the C1. 

 And here is finished coloring of the darker skin and curly hair on the La La Land Craft's "Coloring Marci" stamp.

Thank you with sticking with me through two long tutorial posts.  I hope they help explain my thought process when coloring hair and skin with Copic markers.  I am going to add some other projects where I have used these techniques at the bottom of the post.  And I would love to see how you color hair and skin.  Have fun crasfting and coloring and I will see you again soon!

Another LaLa Land Crafts stap "Winter Marci" I colored her lips a deeper red here.

Here is one of the Gorjuss girl stamps with the darker hair and a much looser curl.