Easy Peasy Covered Chipboard

Check out the frame on this card.  It's covered chipboard.   Yup, that stuff that usually takes way too much time to trim, file, distress, trim some more and and and... Oh what a headache and often not worth it.   How would you like to create a covered chipboard shape like this in mere minutes.   Well, here's how.

Card: "You're the Fairest of Them All"

Start with a steel rule die with the shape you'd like to cut.  I'm using these two dies from Tim Hotz.  Yes, it's two dies.   The large frame has an opening with a metal base.  The inset piece has magnets on the back that hold it nice and snug.   

Back to the tutorial

Simply measure how large of a piece of chipboard you'll need to cut.   Here I'm looking at 4 1/2 inches wide. 

I picked my cardstock....which can take hours and hours.   Gyah!  What happened to those early days when I didn't have that big of a selection to chose from.   Eh... wouldn't trade em for the set up I have now.  :-)

Note I also cut a piece of chipboard 4 1/2 inches wide.  I used a nice and sturdy piece that came from some package of paper.   I just save those for work surfaces and for, well, THIS.

Here's the trick.  Run your paper through your Xyron.  It gives you a nice uniform coverage and is fast.  No drying time.  If you don't have a Xyron, use a quick drying wet adhesive for good coverage and to keep your paper from warping. 

Out of the Xyron

Adhering it to the chipboard.

Nicely adhered.

Run it through your die cutting machine.   A Sizzix or Cuttlebug work great. 

Separate out the die

And you have a piece that you could use as is, but I want to do away with those brown chipboard edges. 

I use a marker, in this case a Tim Holtz Disress marker to color the edges.   Great color match to the paper.   

I also use a sponge and some Distress ink to add a bit of ink to the edges of the paper on the chipboard.  That way if there's a slight color difference from the paper to the marker I'm using, it blends it all in. 

And your frame is done.  

And here it is used on a card with mirror paper that I get in the craft department in large sheets and cut down.  As I was putting this together, I did note to myself that this frame is a bit large for this card and could use a larger canvas.  I may move it sometime in the future.  

Oh and note to self.  Don't take a picture straight on when using this incredibly reflective mirror board.  My hands are right under this devil's head.  It almost looks like a selfie. Oops. 

Papers by Little Yellow Bicycle and Authentique  Cardstock by Stampin' Up.

Stamp is from Bombshell Stamp's Cherry Bomb set. 

Custom Pizza (Treat) Box

With Halloween around the corner, it's the perfect time for treats.   So how about a pretty little box for some special treats.    Take a look at this one adorned with this gorgeous Frankenstein Bride from Bombshell Stamp's Halloween Costume digital dress up set.

And check out the treats inside.   Yum!  The box is custom sized for these little truffles. 

Here's how I made it.....

First of all, take some measurements.  I laid the candies on my cutting mat grid.   I need a box that's 2.5 x 3.5 inches.   But how tall? 

One inch tall ought to do the trick. 

Take those measurements and translate them to this basic pattern.   The orange lines indicate where the cut lines will be. The overall design is a pizza box design with the hinged flip up lid. 

After adding the various segments together for length and width, I cut my cardstock that size - 5 1/2" x 8"

The sketch above also gives me the score lines I'll need.   

Score all of the lines.

Crease all of the score lines with your bone folder. 

Make the cuts along the orange highlighted cut lines.  

Apply adhesive to the flaps to where the flaps will be on the inside of the box.   I used Score tape.

Adhere the base off the box first.  

Then finish up with the lid.

You should have a box with a snug fit.  

I like to take a piece of packaging chipboard and line the base.   My box base is 3.5 x 2.5 inches. 

Dry fit.  Trim any adjustments.  And then adhere the chipbard to the base of the box.   

Had to make sure the little candies fit just right.    :-)

Time to decorate.   Add a base layer of cardstock.   You can use part of the above sketch 

After adding the base decorative layer, I used a hole punch to notch out the lid for a finger hold.  This makes it a lot easier to open the box and get to the treats. 

See the notch?

 Finish decorating the box.   The Frankenstein Bride image from Bombshell Stamp's Halloween Costume digital dress up set is a complete digital image with the Bombshell Angel's face and is perfect to downsize.  I reduced her size to fit on my little box, printed her out, colored, and trimmed.   

Supplies: 

Stamps: Bombshell Stamp's Halloween Costume digital dress up set

Coloring: markers (Copic)

Ink: dye ink (Stampin' Up - used for shading)

Printed Paper: Authentique

Cardstock: Stampin' Up

Tools: label shape and circle punch (EKSuccess)

Tinted Metal Rivets

When the digital Rosie the Riveter image was released by Bombshell Stamps, this great embossing folder of Riveted Metal by Tim Holtz came to mind.  It goes perfectly with Rosie.   And what better material to emboss using that folder than metal.   Of course I had to distress it some with alcohol inks.  Here's how I did it.

Here's a picture of the supplies.  for the metal distressing.

I picked a sheet of purple metal to emboss.

I cut it to size and then ran the folder with the metal through my Sizzix.

Here's a shot of the embossed metal.

 To tint it, I used some Tim Hotz/Ranger alcohol inks.   I added a few drops of two different colors of alcohol inks onto my pad and applicator.

Then added some blending solution before applying the ink to the metal.

The blending solution took some of the purple tint off of this metal, but I was good with that.  It gave me the effect I was looking for.

You can clean up your teflon work mat with a bit of blending solution and a tissue.   I just squirt a bit of the blending solution on my mat and then wipe up. 

Oh and for grins, here's my storage container.  I made a couple of boxes and dividers out of packaging chipboard.  Works perfectly.

And the outside of the box.  Of course it has to have an alcohol ink finish to it if the box is going to hold alcohol inks.  Right?

I applied adhesive to it with my ATG gun and then applied the metal to a cardstock layer.  This gives the thin metal sheet more stability as I distress with a sanding block. 

Rubbing off the top layer of ink from the metal using a sanding block. 

Here's the finished and sanded metal.  Love the texture and depth.

I added Rosie to the metal and voila.  

Rosie's colored with my Copics.