It's for the Birds!!

Well, I have been travelling around southern Australia for the past two weeks - driven over 2000 kls. We headed to the north of our state (Tasmania) and then caught the car ferry across the dreaded Bass Strait - home of many shipwrecks! We went onto the boat at 5.00 pm approx on a Sunday night, and drove off the boat in Melbourne at about 6.30 the next morning.

We headed to Geelong (Victoria) and then across the south-western part of Victoria to Portland. We were visiting a good friend there. My Husband and he go back over 60 years of friendship. 

This is what greeted us!

Funny man!

After visiting with him for several days we headed north-east, through Bendigo and Wadonga (stayed a night in each) and then to Canberra, the Capital city of Australia! It also happens to be where our son and his family live. We spent 6 night there, celebrating the 9th birthday of our Grandson while we were there. We had a lovely visit - great company, food and interesting things to do!

An exhibition at the National Art Gallery was one. 

From Canberra with a stop over at Wangaratta for a night, we arrived back in Melbourne for a few days with Hubby's family - we stayed with his sister, and after visiting other family and friends, and getting in some shopping we came home via the same ferry!

I did get in a class while I was in South Blackburn - at the Bellbird Paper Arts shop!

I made these: it was a Distressed Christmas class

The purpose of this post was to show you how I made the bird box for the Unstampabelles final week. 

I firstly drew up the pyramid box bsed on a 3 x 3 cm square base

I allowed some extra for the side seams

I scored the bits to be folded, and then cut it all out

Each side had a triangle with a flap and I added red tape

I stuffed it with Mentos!

I free-hand drew some wings and a tail, and some legs and added them

Hello birdy! Eyes and beak ( a bit too big I think)

Now I am thinking I can make it a Christmas bird, or an elf! 

So a box can be any shape really!

Why not go to Unstampabelles and enter - there is still time - it closes on Friday at Midnight!

Midway for Challenge #41 - Box it Up!

#41 - Box it Up!

Wow, have you seen what the DT are producing!

You can either construct something from scratch or repurpose/change something into a receptacle to hold something useful or pretty or both but there are so many tutorials and ideas out there I am sure you will be able to create many more wonderful things!

The TWIST is.......

.....show us how the box was made!  

Show progress photos and add tips - make a photo journal of it!

Our Sponsor for this challenge is:

an Australian on-line store who are offering a $15 Gift Voucher on the on-line store!

The Stamp Spot

Here is my photo journal for a gift box containing four tea lights. (This is being scheduled, so I hope it goes live at the right time!)

This box comes from Patricia Belsey who put the instructions for making this up on a  Facebook group I belong to - her instructions were a bit hard to follow but she took a photo of the card marked up prior to construction and cutting and added that and I used that as the main instruction. 

This is her completed box

Her dimensions are:

6 1/8" x 9 3/4"

Score on long side at 1/2", 3 5/8", 5 1/8", 8 1/4"

short side at 1 1/2" and 4 5/8"

Die cut on score lines 8 1/4 and 6 1/8

this is her measurement sheet

Die is from SU Chalk Talk - smallest framelit

Fold up score lines and turn in tabs to add the red tape/glue

If adding cellophane/ascetate windows - this is the time to do it,not retrospectively, as I did it!

Start from first window end, and make a box by folding in the tabs

Middle window is a fold line/crease line/hinge line for the box top

You can see I got the tape in the wrong place! My prototype is made using SU DP which is OK but a stronger card would make a stronger box. Double sided card works well.

This size takes 8 tea lights. I just used four.  I added washi tape around them to match the DP.

Decorate as you wish - I did stick down the flappy bits a bit more later as well!

It was at this point that I decided that I needed acetate windows retro-fitted and I added a button too. You could wrap a ribbon, or make a belly band.

Ta da!

You could put food in this or sweeties!

So, a box! Lets see what is happening over 

Unstampabelles!

Last Post for Crafting with Dragonflies

Our leader Hilde has had an interesting ride over the last few months, and she has managed to stay on board, but now her health is compromised and so she had decided to pull the proverbial plug on Crafting with Dragonflies!

# 39 : Anything goes - with option of Goodbye/Farewell

Our final Sponsor is: Pickled Potpourri Designs

My card uses on of their images coloured with Copics. My sentiment and inside sentiment comes from MFT - Enjoy the Ride. 

I used Stickles on the sea to give it a summer sparkle. 

I added a charm, and layered it all onto SU card.

This card could be for anyone really - retirement, holiday break, new career, new journey......

Inside it says - "Don't look back, you have already been there"

I want to thank Hilde for all her support and kindness over the past twelve months, and to wish her all the best in her journey. I will miss the challenges and the fun. Who knows, we may be back!

Why not go over to the challenge blog and see what the rest of the team has come up with.

Well worth the visit, I assure you.

Crafting with Dragonflies

Unstampabelles Challenge#41: all boxed up!

The new November Challenge at Unstampabelles is called "All Boxed Up" - and yes, you need to either make a box from scratch or repurpose a box or container of some type.

I had purchased this magazine - yes, they had a very nice freebie! Pretty papers and 2 sheets of die cuts also in the same style.

I managed to make 7 Christmas cards with the freebie (and they had some good tips for other card making techniques too in the rest of the mag, a good read over a cuppa)! However, several of the toppers are to use as a gift tag or on a gift tag, and that gave me an idea to create a box for my seven cards and envelopes, and use one of the gift toppers on top of the box - turns the whole thing into a pressie!

I sketched out the box shape based on dimensions of the cards I had made (14 x 14 cm), and allowed a 4 cm deep side. Using a 12 x 12 sheet of card, I carefully cut out and scored the base.

By cutting up the sides on opposite sides, to the internal score line, I allowed a flap to be created on each corner. 

After adding double sided tape to each flap, I folded them in and secured the sides.

A box!

Yes, cards and envelopes do fit

Repeat process but make the top slightly bigger! I, for some reason, then swapped over from cm to inches to do this! Yes, I know, weird! I used the score board.

I then decorated the sides with a strip of DP and created a card topper for the top!

Viola!

If you are wondering why there are so many photographs - the TWIST for this challenge is to describe the process through photographs!

Oh yes, the cards - all 7 and not a stamp in sight! Sigh.......

So, why not go over to Unstampabelles, and see what the rest of the DT has come up with and then go visit them on their blogs and leave some love........

Then get cracking make/creating a box project!!!!

I will enter this in the following challenge:

Avenue 613: anything goes - hostess gift!

Crafty Calendar: all about Christmas