Milk Carton Tutorial ...

This month our DT Pam made some very cute milk cartons and here we have a little treat for you, a tutorial from Pam to make your own!

Over to you Pam...

Milk Carton Tutorial

'To make my milk carton box I used the template from “The Cutting Café” by Regina Easter. You can buy the template HERE.  I used card stock which was about 160/180gsm.  This gives the box some substance but it is not too thick that you can't fold it easily.

You can print the template directly onto your patterned paper but this means you have the lines on the inside of the box. I wanted my box to be “clean” so I printed the template and made notes of the measurements and folds and created my box this way.

the template - get yours at the cutting cafe

First of all I cut my paper to size - 25.5cm x 19.6cm and then scored along all the dotted lines using my score board and cut along the black lines to create the base.  (Please do buy the template from Regina, it only cost 99 cents which is just pennies.  This is just to show you how I marked the template up.)

scoring lines

shows the paper design side

Once you have creased all your folds the box pretty much forms itself. I stuck the box together with some very strong tape.  This is the fiddly bit but just take your time.

fold your box

The triangle bits on the template need to be folded the opposite way which gives the "pouring spout".  You can then add a flap over the top of the box and add a ribbon to keep this closed.  All I did to do this was to punch two small holes on the lip and threaded the ribbon through.  This holds all of the top together. You can then decorate as you wish.  

This is my finished box

They really are fun to make and so useful for little treats. 

If you pop along to the Cupcake Craftroom challenge post for this month you will see that I also created a Christmas box as well'. 

 Enjoy!

A Tutorial - 'Making Spiral Flowers'

Hi Folks

Well today we have something fabulous to share with you.

Our lovely designer, Theresa has done a little tutorial about making spiral flowers which I am sure you will agree, she does SO WELL!  I know I have such a hard time making these, I can't seem to get them quite right so any help is great!

make beautiful flowers like these

Thank you so much Theresa for your hard work.

Enjoy!   And do let us know how you get on!
& don't forget to share any creations you make if you follow the tutorial :)

So onto the tutorial:

Making Spiral Flowers

The Flowers

I begin with cutting the flowers from my new 'Art Philosophy' Cricut Cartridge (exclusive to 'Close To My Heart'). However if you do not have a Cricut the flower on the top row on the left can be cut with a plain pair of scissors. (To do this all you need is to cut the paper in a spiral manner).  Or using 'Marianne Creatables' flower dies.

The photo on the left are the cuts I made and the photo on the right are the flowers that I created. I used the beautiful 'Charlotte' paper pack.

Flowers 1 Collage (see pictures boxes below)

Step 1: I daubed the edge of the flower with vineyard berry to give the flower a more vintage look.
Step 2: I bent back the edges of the paper so that it will flare out. The larger the cut, the bigger the flare.
Step 3: I used a pair of tweezers to begin rolling the flower. When you roll you’ll roll so the pattern of the paper is the inside of the flower.
Step 4: Use your favorite glue to adhere it to the base of the flower. Hold down and allow the flower uncoil. I use my judgment on the coil based on how tight or loose I want the flower to look.

flowers 1 collage

Flowers 2 Collage (see pictures boxes below)

Step 1: For this flower I used the end of small paint brush to bend back each petal. There are two options with this particular flower. You can bend back each petal or when you’re done rolling the flower it can be smashed down to a beautiful flat flower vs. a larger 3D flower.
Step 2: I used the end of the paint brush to begin rolling - the smaller the tip the smaller the flower.
Step 3: You can also select to just hand roll the flower, it works just as well. The tightness or looseness of the flower depends on you.
Step 4: Again, use your favorite glue to adhere it to the base of the flower.

flowers 2 collage

Placing Flowers on a Card

Sorry for no photos here…when I place the flower on the card I think about wanting it straight up or at some kind of diagonal. 

I generally use Glue Dots to adhere them down. Depending on the angle of the flower this is where I place the adhesive and I tuck it in and hold it down. There is also another product I used called Liquid Glass and I can put a big dollop on the card and place all the flowers together and it adheres quickly.

Making flowers are simple. When I made my first set of flowers I hated them!! Then I practiced and tried different ways of rolling, cutting, and gluing. Then this month Art Philosophy came out and now I have 6 more flowers to play with.
I hope you’ll give making flowers a try.


Theresa

& Theresa's card using the flowers:

Ohhhhhhhh Just Bloomin' Gorgeous!