1

Another addition to our sales line-up for tonight’s release is WHITE CARDSTOCK!!!  I am so excited about this!  We searched far and wide for THE best white cardstock and finally found a perfect match!  It is super smooth, accepts ink beautifully (the color remains SO vivid!) and is luxuriously thick (110lb vs. Stampin’ Up!’s 80lb.!!!).  It makes sturdy card bases.  Because of it’s thickness, you also have a little less bleed through occurring when you use markers or heavier inks. I love this stuff and am SO hooked!  And I know you will be too once you try it!  The price is right, 40 (8 1/2 x 11) sheets for $6 (that works out to be 15-cents a sheet!).  So for today’s project I wanted to allow our NEW white cardstock to take center stage and create some beautiful patterned paper!

This vibrant pattern is made of ladybugs and flowers from the new Papertrey set being released tonight (midnight EST).  The variegated color on the wings was created by utilizing the rock n’ roll technique with more mustard & pumpkin pie classic inks from SU!.  The dotted stamp was done in burnt umber.

I ended up adding a little detail that I LOVED and will be sure to do again!  I stamped the flowers from the new release in mustard and then stamped the sunburst image (from Butterfly Kisses) with pumpkin ink.  As a final touch, the dot from the new release set was added to the center using burnt umber.  Think of all the colors you could do this in!

1. Now that I had my paper made, I decided to create a little box that I learned the steps for when I was a child.  I used to make them out of pages ripped from magazines or wrapping paper.  Now I have a little more sophistication in the choice of my materials, but the pattern is still the same!  For this particular size box, start with  your cardstock cut to 8 1/2" square.   Draw a line with a ruler in pencil from corner to corner, forming an "X".

2. Using a bone folder, fold one corner to the center point of the "X".

3. Fold the edge of your previous fold so it meets the center pencil line.

4. Unfold your previous folds.  You are left with a set of horizontal creases.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 for the remaining three corners.  When completed you will have a series of creases that form a grid.

6. You will make four cuts with scissors.  Pick two opposing corners.  Create a tab that is 2 blocks wide and two blocks high (not including the "point") by make one snip on either side of your determined crease grid.  Repeat the same snips on the opposing corner.

7. Fold the opposing corners that have not been altered to the center point of your "X".

8. Fold them in half again, creating the first two "sides" of your box.

9. Fold the ends of the sides inward, forming the base of the remaining two sides.

10. Fold the tabs created in step 6 over the side bases created in step 9.  The point of the step 6 tabs will meat at the center of the "X"

11. Now you have completed your box lid!  Lined and everything, without any extra effort!!!

12.  For the bottom, just repeat all of the above steps, except your beginning cardstock should measure 8-3/8" square.

The fun thing about these boxes is that you can make them any size, it just depends on the beginning measurements of your cardstock square.  (Always make your box bottom cardstock square about 1/8" smaller than the one used in creating your lid, depending on the thickness of the cardstock.) For the itty bitty one shown here, I started out with a 3-3/4" square for the lid and 3-5/8" square for the bottom.  There are lots of things you can DO with the boxes as well.  You could make a set of nesting boxes.  You can tie them with ribbon or add tags.  You could make box bands, like the one I showed yesterday on the card box.  The possibilities are only limited by your imagination!