Boxed Birthday Card

Hello!  This is Nadia from the my blog, With Glittering Eyes.  Today, I have a boxed birthday card to share!

Sometimes the card we make is the gift we give.  To make it more gift-like, I have been thinking about creating boxes for cards that are part of the design, where the card peeks through a window.  With this idea in mind, I decided to make a boxed birthday card for my message board friend, Sherry (Octoberbeauty), who is having a milestone birthday this year (yesterday actually).  We share a day as designers on this blog!  

First, I created a box using Cricut Wild Card (page 80), cut at 7".  I used a print and positioned the paper on my mat for cutting with the Expression by placing the top of the print on the right of the mat. I later cut a piece of recycled clamshell for a window at 4-7/16" square.  (Packaging from Cuttlebug folders works great for this!)

Next, I cut a card to insert by cutting an 8-7/8" x 4-7/16" rectangle on the paper trimmer.  I scored at the middle with an Xacto knife to have a card that finishes at 4-7/16" square.  I cut a decorative paper at 4-7/16" and applied to the top.  

I used a brown ink pad and rubbed it over the edges of the box and card to give it a little character... you know, the way aging gives character.  (Get used to the aging jabs, you whippersnapper, you!  Just another service I provide as a person who is older than you, Sherry.)

I created hinges-- more character-- by cutting them from Fabulous Finds (page 118) at 3/4".  I sanded the metallic paper to scuff it up and make it more authentic-looking. I scored the centers with a bone folder to help them bend smoothly.  I attached the hinges to the fold of the card and the top of the box at the opening with Scotch Quick Dry Glue and used a burnishing tool to indent them where screws would be inserted on a real hinge.

For the card insert, I added artwork from the Imagine Yummy cartridge, cutting extra layers to pop up for dimension.  I kept it simple because the box design elements had to work with it. I added a tiny hand-colored butterfly.  These elements were popped up 1/8" to 3/8".

For the front of the box, I printed and cut a 6" figure from the Yummy cartridge twice.  I cropped off her legs, hand-cut off one arm from the second figure and popped it up and inked it for dimension.  I added an extra popped up bow and flower on her hat.  I added a pompom for her party hat and Glossy Accents to her lips.

I applied her to the box with 1/8" pop dots on her upper body and box, but adhered her flush at the bottom.

I hand-cut butterflies from a glittery printed paper for the box front embellishments.

I cut a banner from Artiste (page 58) at 1" in the same plaid used on the card insert and stamped it with the coordinating CTMH stamp.

I adhered the banner after bowing it out.  The butterflies were adhered with pop dots and Scotch Quick Dry Glue.  I added extra packages, popping up one.

When the card is inserted...

It becomes a fun, boxed gift card!

To Sherry:  I hope you had a Happy Birthday yesterday!  (And I hope my card got to you before you saw this post... if not, well, surprises are over-rated anyway and hard on the aged... hahaha)  And I am looking forward to your project later today on this blog!

For everyone else, thank you for checking out my project today!  You can see many of my previous projects by visiting My Project Gallery on my blog.....And be sure you visit my blog November 10 when I will be part of the Holly Jolly Blog Hop!

Cricut Info & Supplies Used:

Designed By: Nadia Herbst-McConnell

Cricut Machines Used: Expression and Imagine

Project Type: card

Project Theme: Birthday

Cricut Cartridges Used: Wild Card, Fabulous Finds, Yummy, Artiste

Suppies Used: Card stock and metallic paper from my scrap bin, ATG tape, Scotch Scrapbookers glue, 1/8" foam squares (pop dots), white and black gel pens, brown and black ink pads, recycled clamshell plastic, Terrifically Tacky Tape, sanding block, Artiste Stamp from CTMH