I was recently asked to make a western themed one year old birthday card for a very special little guy. I thought I'd share it with you today, and show you what I came up with. This was quite a fun card to make and once all the elements were added, I was quite pleased with how it turned out.
Instructions:
Box cards can be made in varying sizes. I prefer starting with a 12 x 12 sheet of cardstock instead of a 8 1/2" x 11 piece. I find that the 12" x 12" box is just a tad bigger making it easier to add images and display. I use large square envelopes I have on hand or custom make the envelope to fit the occasion so it's almost like a present when it's done.
Here's my basic recipe for cutting the base for this card, although you can find many templates that work just as well on Pinterest and other crafting sites.
Each side of this card is adorned. Even the reverse side of the images are covered with matching cardstock, giving it a polished appearance. Let's start with the back of the card. I always ensure there is ample space for the sender to include their personal message.
All the panels on the top and bottom, both on the outer and inner sides of the base card, are decorated. Each block or panel is made up of the card base, a matching coloured block, and a decorated designer paper block.
The next image shows the front view of the card when flattened to fit inside an envelope. The images are kept simple, and I only use dimensionals when necessary. I prefer layering with cardstock; for instance, the "ONE" lettering consists of three layers of the cut image. For the skull, I cut two layers and glued them together.
If the edges of the image show a lot of white from fussy cutting, I use a coloured blend or marker around the edge. For example, I used a black marker on the cactus and skull to add more definition. I don’t alter the edges of coloured cardstock, such as the pool party balloons.
The following image displays the back and sides of the card when it is unfolded to fit inside an envelope. There is a slight overhang on the Happy Birthday message, which could have been prevented if I hadn’t used shadow layering on the birthday die cut. However, I liked the two tone look of the sentiment and the text was positioned well enough that whether the card was open or closed, the wording did not interfere with any other embellishments or fold lines.
I have stamped numerous images and sentiments from a mix of both new and retired stamp sets. Some, like the adorable little cowboy boots and the barrel, I coloured and used multiple times on the card. Nearly all the images were fussy cut since there were no dies available.
After choosing the card base and matching matte layer colours, I aimed to maintain consistency by incorporating those colours somewhere on the card, whether through colouring or accessories such as sequins. I coloured the images using a blend of ink, watercolour pencils, and blends. To add some sparkle, I included sequins and copper stickles.
My base card was Pool Party, layered with retired Chocolate Chip card stock. The double-sided designer paper came from an old Stampin' Up! paper pack featuring a mix of chocolate chip, rust, and cream shades. Even though the paper wasn’t specifically western-themed, it complemented the design well. I added tiny splatters of chocolate chip, pool party, and pecan pie ink to the designer paper to create a more weathered, rustic effect.
Although in the previous pictures it looks like everything is very tight in the center of the card, however this side view shows the separation between the bars and the backdrop.
That concludes my "how I made it" for this special box card, and I hope you enjoyed touring the card and my insights on how I put it together. Milestone cards like these are often saved for years after the event and included in memory boxes and albums, so I really take my time and make sure I've done a clean and neat job of including all the special touches to ensure they last.
Here's my basic recipe for cutting the base for this card, although you can find many templates that work just as well on Pinterest and other crafting sites.
Supplies:
Card Base: Begin with a 12" x 12" piece of cardstock and cut to 61/2" x 12"- Score on long side at 2 3/4", 5 1/2", 81/4" and 11 1/4" leaving a 1/2" margin at the end of the cardstock.
- Turn the cardstock to the short side and score at 3" across the first two panels. Do not score the third panel which is the back of your card. But, score the 1/2" remaining panel at 3".
- Cut top Panels: On the long side using a paper trimmer, cut along the score lines at the 2 7/8", 5 5/8", 81/2" and 11 1/2" marks from the top to the center 3" score line. These are your top panels.
- Glue Panel: The 1/2" panel at the end of the columns is the glue or joining panel. Where the cut line ends at the 3" score line, cut on an angle to the edge of the cardstock. This makes it easier to join the panels together when you're ready to form the box.
- Cut two Cross Bars from remaining cardstock cut a 2" x 12" strip of cardstock. Cut the strip in half to make two strips. Cut the length of the strip to 4 3/4" and then cut at short end at 1".
- Mattes: Use a coordinating colour of Cardstock and Designer Series Paper for the mattes. Cut three mattes from cardstock for bottom outside and 3 for top panels. The measurement I generally use is 2 1/2" by 2 7/8", however I generally do a quick measurement before cutting to make sure that the cut leaves me with a small margin between base and matte evenly all around the matter.
- For the back and inside panel cut two mattes to 21/2 x 5 7/8". Again measure before cutting to make certain it will fit with surrounding margin to card base. Cut two neutral pieces either to match card base or a white panel for outside and coloured panel for inside to fit.
- Cut Designer paper for all mattes at 2 1/2" x 2 5/8" for all panels
- Finishing: I like to work flat on my card before I glue the edges together or add the cross bars. I start with the mattes and then add any embellishments at this stage. Same with the cross bars, I usually like to assemble the card candy then adhere it to the bars before adhering them to the inside of the box.
- Tip: Don't rely on my measurements ......check your own measurements before cutting and adhering pieces.
How It folds:
The card folds flat by sliding the panels to the sides. When flattened, it appears like this and fits into the custom envelope.All the panels on the top and bottom, both on the outer and inner sides of the base card, are decorated. Each block or panel is made up of the card base, a matching coloured block, and a decorated designer paper block.
The next image shows the front view of the card when flattened to fit inside an envelope. The images are kept simple, and I only use dimensionals when necessary. I prefer layering with cardstock; for instance, the "ONE" lettering consists of three layers of the cut image. For the skull, I cut two layers and glued them together.
If the edges of the image show a lot of white from fussy cutting, I use a coloured blend or marker around the edge. For example, I used a black marker on the cactus and skull to add more definition. I don’t alter the edges of coloured cardstock, such as the pool party balloons.
The following image displays the back and sides of the card when it is unfolded to fit inside an envelope. There is a slight overhang on the Happy Birthday message, which could have been prevented if I hadn’t used shadow layering on the birthday die cut. However, I liked the two tone look of the sentiment and the text was positioned well enough that whether the card was open or closed, the wording did not interfere with any other embellishments or fold lines.
Once again this is a picture of the front of the card when it is flattened, however, I've folded over the upper flaps to show how all the images on the cross bars fit flat without overlapping.
I have stamped numerous images and sentiments from a mix of both new and retired stamp sets. Some, like the adorable little cowboy boots and the barrel, I coloured and used multiple times on the card. Nearly all the images were fussy cut since there were no dies available.
After choosing the card base and matching matte layer colours, I aimed to maintain consistency by incorporating those colours somewhere on the card, whether through colouring or accessories such as sequins. I coloured the images using a blend of ink, watercolour pencils, and blends. To add some sparkle, I included sequins and copper stickles.
My base card was Pool Party, layered with retired Chocolate Chip card stock. The double-sided designer paper came from an old Stampin' Up! paper pack featuring a mix of chocolate chip, rust, and cream shades. Even though the paper wasn’t specifically western-themed, it complemented the design well. I added tiny splatters of chocolate chip, pool party, and pecan pie ink to the designer paper to create a more weathered, rustic effect.
When I'm assembling the clusters of images, I like to create card candy by putting together clusters of coloured images before adding them to the center part of the card. For example with the Celebrate a Sweet Birthday tag I stamped the tag in Pool Party ink and then adhered some tiny ice cream cones, a sucker, a cowboy boot and the number "1".
I made the number 1 sturdier by die cutting it four times and gluing the layers together. The second row of images has a grouping of birthday presents, cactus, cupcake and barrel. I followed the same for both rows of images and the backdrop of the card. It's all trial and error until it feels right. It's the same with figure out what I put on each of the side panels but I always stick within the theme - birthday, one year old, first rodeo.
That concludes my "how I made it" for this special box card, and I hope you enjoyed touring the card and my insights on how I put it together. Milestone cards like these are often saved for years after the event and included in memory boxes and albums, so I really take my time and make sure I've done a clean and neat job of including all the special touches to ensure they last.
My final tip if you're making a box card for someone's special occasion is to give yourself plenty of time. These types of cards generally take me a few days beginning with organizing, stamping and colouring my images, prior to assembling.
HAPPY STAMPING!
PENNY TOKENS STAMPIN' SPOT
Penny Hanuszak, CDN Stampin' Up! Demo since 2006
