Succulent Gift Box

The cactii/succulent crafty trend is impossible to ignore - and I am very happy to jump on the bandwagon. (As a child, I had  "pet" jade plant - shame about the mealy bugs.) Back to business - this project is surprisingly easy to make, and fun besides. The box has a recessed lid to create the plant pot effect. Notice the mock sandpainting effect. Very retro!

Here are your free designs - hand-cut (.pdf) or digi-cut (Silhouette):
SucculentGiftBox.pdf
SucculentGiftBox.studio3

Succulent Gift Box

1 Print the design, cut out the pieces, crease the folds. All of the leaves on the leaf swirls must be folded at the base. Fold each leaf in half, tip to base.

2 Assemble the box. Join the adjacent sides before you fold in the recessed top. You can use either tacky PVA glue or d/s tape.

3 To fold each leaf swirl, fold the leaves down consecutively, tucked under as required. Stack and glue the leaf swirls, points of each swirl placed in between those of the previous layer. Use snippets of corrugated card as spacers, glued between the layers - this gives the plant a bit of height.  (If you can find green corrugated, that's great.)
Glue the stacked leaves onto the box lid, also using a spacer. All done!

This cute dinky box makes a fun party favour. The box opening is concealed, but it opens easily - just hunt for the correct side of the lid.

Bandana Gift Box

More coordinated bandana gift packaging (check out the ice cream cup). Today's project is a pretty gift container - another of my hybrids. It is a combination of a tied-corner tray and a pizza box. It ramps the scarf-print effect up one level and makes for distinctive re-usable gift packaging.

Here's your freebie design (hand-cut or Silhouette digi-cut):
BandanaGiftBox.pdf

BandanaGiftBox.studio3 

Making the the gift box is pretty easy, so I'll just talk you through a few pointers. As you can see, it prints up on a single sheet of A4 photocopier card (160gsm). If cutting by hand, you will have to punch the holes with a 1/8in circle handpunch and the lid slits with a craft knife. Glue the corner reinforcements onto the wrong side of the box.
Score the folds - on the base: the base square and diagaonals to each corner. Score the fold lines for the lid. Crease the folds. Bow-tie the box corners - 25cm (10in) of narrow ribbon for each. To make the lid, slide the tabs into the slots.

When the box is finished, plump up the corners for a more scarf-like appearance.

This box would make ideal packaging for a bandana-print scarf! :)

100 Simple Paper Flowers, by Kelsey Elam. Review.

100 Simple Paper Flowers

By Kelsey Elam

Ivy Press 2016

Paperback £ 14.99

ISBN 978-1-78240-308-1

Star rating: *****

Have you been watching the magnificent floral designs at the Chelsea Flower Show? Kelsey Elam’s fab new book is a papery celebration of all things floral – ideal for those of us who have crafty hands rather than green fingers (a green thumb)! There are plenty of paper flower titles out there – but this new one is distinctive for its designs and for the content and planning of the book. First off is Kelsey’s delightful style. Her flowers are realistic --- but recognizably papery. They are not fake anything – they are beautifully designed, well-thought-out creations, most of which are made of tissue paper with textured paper leaves Especially stunning are the hand-dyed blooms.

The author, Kelsey Elam, is a paper artist whose company, Moonflora, sells paper flowers. The designs in her book showcase her expertise and share her floral construction secrets. The flowers, marvels of paper engineering with carefully observed components, are showcased in a gallery section.  These are paper flowers for grown-ups – Kelsey has designed the subtle details, so you don’t have to. The flowers are simple to construct, as promised in the title. 

The book is divided into three sections, Gallery, Techniques, and Templates. In the Gallery section, the flowers are simply photographed, propped in a non-fussy but thoughtful way (appropriate no-frills container on a plain background). The Techniques section is a goldmine of flowercraft info – illustrated step-by-steps on hand.Topics include Paper Dyeing and Painting, Petal Styling, and the lowdown on Plant Structures.The aim is to impart an understanding of how are flower are put together, so you can go it alone with confidence.The author shares an abundance of tips. 

All the designs are superb, but some of my personal faves include the Philodendron (love those waxy, textured, well-cut leaves), the Jasmine (elegant lines with bursts of hot pink), and the Mallow (beautiful brushwork petals plus clever-fold leaves).

The four projects are all basic things that you would actually use your paper flower-making skills for – a bouquet; corsage boutoniere & hairpin; a flower chain, and a floral crown.  All suitable for occasions , special or small.

Full-size templates are in the back.  Another plus - the book has a quality stitched binding – so it will stand up to repeated use.

Note:  I was given a review copy of this title.