Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Catherine Carroll

Slim Matchbox Swap

A couple of weeks ago, we had an amazing team weekend in Birmingham. As ever, swaps were a big part of meeting all the new people! I wanted to do something a bit more than a card, and as it was close to Easter a chocolate-containing gift seemed appropriate. Who am I kidding? Chocolate is always appropriate!

Here's what I came up with:

It was really easy to make a slim matchbox tray using the envelope punch board. The sleeve took a couple of attempts to get it right, mainly as I misjudged the thinkness of the naturals ivory cardstock I decided to use.

I kept the decoration quite simple, and the Crumb Cake and Coastal Cabana colour scheme is straight from my favourite Fresh Prints DSP stack. It was just as well I didn't go too over-the-top as I did have to make 22 of them. When will I learn that a card swap is fine?

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Box Swaps

I didn't just take general swaps. I was too slow to get in to an organised swap, but there was a meet-up with some of the top American demos arranged for the international demonstrators attending. I have to say a big thank you to Becky Roberts for all the organising. I wanted to take something special for some of the demos that would be there, as they have given me so much inspiration over the last few years (and have been amazingly generous in blogging and sharing it all!). This is what I came up with:

It's very simple, and perhaps too simple for such inspiring demonstrators! There are a couple of mini bars of Green and Blacks inside - I wanted to share some of my favourite chocolate with them. This is the first time I have used the Naturals Ivory cardstock, and I can't believe I have overlooked it so far. The box flap was cut using the Deco Lables framelits, and the ribbon and butterfly keep the box loosely closed. I didn't want this to end up like my never-opened swaps, so made the closure really simple.

I hope they liked it, but more importantly I hope they enjoyed the chocolate!

Stamp Sets:	Papillon Potpourri
Cardstock:	Basic Gray, Naturals Ivory
Ink:	Whisper White Craft Ink
Tools:	Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Deco Labels Framelits Elegant Butterfly Punch
Finishing Touch:	Basic Gray ¼" Stitched Grosgrain, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

 

 

 

Origami Box Tutorial

Here is the template for the box I shared for the Blog Hop - I was hoping to post a video, but technical challenges have got the better of me. Watch this space as I do hope to add one soon. I've called it an origami box, mainly as it always takes me a couple of tries to close it properly!

Download the template for the origami box here

Start with an A4 piece of cardstock, and cut at 7¼" along the short edge (so you keep the whole length of the A4 piece). Score as shown in the template. Once you've done the horizontal score lines, you'll have a tiny piece to trim off one of the flaps to make sure that they are the same size. It's easier to trim it off once you've scored rather than trim the A4 at the start.

To decorate the box, cut a base piece of cardstock 3" square, and layer and decorate as you wish. Then once you've got the box closed, attach this to the outside of the box. Only put adhesive on the outer-most layer of the closed box otherwise you'll stop it opening. Repeat this with a panel for the other outer side of the box. 

Cut holes in the top of the flaps to thread ribbon through. I try to cut through both of the flaps at the same time with the box closed so that they match up perfectly.

I hope that is easy enough to understand for now! 

 

 

 

 

Annual Catalogue Pinkies Blog Hop

We're so glad you could join us on our Blog Hop. We'll be showcasing lots of gorgeous projects using products from the new Stampin' Up!® Annual Catalogue. Simply use the buttons at the end of each post to keep hopping. We love comments, so please do tell us what you think!

I hope you've seen Suzette's project on your way to me. It's so nice to be able to 'step up' everyday objects with beautiful stamps. 

I was completely overwhelmed the first time I flicked through our lovely new Annual Catalogue - I could not work out what to order first! As soon as I thought I had it sorted, I saw yet another project on another demonstrator's blog and... well, let's just say that I'm very pleased that I get 20% discount.

I was so glad to see that Stampin' Up! were right on trend with the hexagons, so the Six-Sided Sampler bundle quickly made it's way to the top of my (very long) wish list. Bundles are a really good way to save a little bit of extra money - 15% to be precise. Being able to get coordinating products with an extra discount is always a treat. I decided to make a crafty bundle of my own:

 

 

My colour scheme is Smoky Slate and Soft Sky, which are two gorgeous new colours in our main colour families. I think I have found a new favourite combination! I am also really pleased that they have refreshed the patterns in the Designer Series Paper stacks. I love the chevrons, but am glad there is still a polka dot option as well. 

I used the hexagon punch to create the flagged ends of the DSP strips AND the chevrons on the card - not my idea sadly, and I can't seem to find the right blog again to give credit to the clever person who came up with this. It really does show you that one punch can be very versatile indeed.

 

 

The gift box is one my lovely upline, Michelle Last, did as a make and take at a team training ages and ages ago. I'd forgotten it, but luckily I never seem to be able to throw anything away (crafters' curse perhaps?) and I found a crumpled template that I was able to salvage. It's just the right size for 4 of the little 3"x3" gift cards (which fit the white square envelopes in the catalogue). Check back tomorrow and I'll have a tutorial for you!

Stamp Sets:	Six-Sided Sampler
Cardstock:	Smoky Slate, Soft Sky, Whisper White
Ink:	Smoky Slate, Soft Sky
Tools:	Hexagon Punch
Finishing Touch:	Whisper White 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Do keep on hopping - next stop is Nicky!