Dancing Elf Box

 Happy Thursday AI Friends!

Today I have a fun gift bag for you featuring the new #6119 - Elf Puppet set.  These puppet sets are so fun to make and so dang adorable!  I did my usual and stretched his legs to make him dance.

I made one of these boxes last year decorated with a gnome.  You can find the dimensions and instructions on how to make the box here.  

To stretch the Elf legs:  partial cut the bottom of the legs with the die and then hand cut an additional 1/2" or so for the top of the legs.  Punch a hole towards the top for a foam dot to fit.  Place the foam dot on the back of the shirt and slip the legs over the foam dot.  Die cut an extra shirt out of cardstock and adhere that to the other sticky side of the foam dot (the legs should be in between the shirts).  The legs will swing back and forth.

I die cut all of the other pattern pieces out of #5853 - Christmas Magic PP.  For the face of the Elf, I die cut it from a copic friendly paper and colored it with copic markers listed below.  I stamped the eyes from a set in my stash and I drew the nose and mouth.  

I finished decorating the box with bells and baker's twine and closed it with a red clothes pin.

That's it for me today.  Hope you find yourself creating some of these boxes and filling with little treats for Christmas.

Have a wonderful day and keep creating!

Copics used:  R20, E11, E01, E000

Black Zig pen for drawing face features.

Reindeer Box

 Happy Thursday AI Friends!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving week celebrated with friends and family!  

December is here and that means holiday creating!  Clearly, I'm one of those that doesn't get started until now.  Yikes!  Guess I love the pressure of the holiday season.  😏 

I've got a fun project for you today and you'll find yourself wanting to make lots of these.  I used the new #6104 Christmas Keepsake set for this cute little box.  I found a quick video on Pinterest by SammyDemmy displaying this box, but it is in a foreign language.  I was able to improvise and create a version for you with English instructions.  I want to give credit to Sharon for helping me perfect the nose mechanism.  Thanks, bestie!

Cutest little box EVER!  

To open the box, you pull the reindeer's nose.

The finished box size is 3 1/2" tall x 2 3/4" wide x 1/2" deep.  This will fit a gift card nicely or you can place money or a small gift inside.

To make the box:  Cut a piece of 100 lb cardstock at 5 1/2" x 4 3/4".  Score along the 5 1/2" side at 

1/2", 1", 3 1/4" and 4 1/4".  Turn and score at 1/2", 1", 3 3/4" and 4 1/4".  On each of the corners, cut off the 3 small outer squares and snip up to the fold on the remaining small square (see below).

Fold and burnish all score lines remaining.  Tuck in each of the small tab squares and glue to the inside lower fold creating the box shape.  Before glueing the top 1/2" flap, check to see if you need to snip off a little so that it fits just to the bottom of the box when tucked inside.  Place glue on the top 1/2" flap and fold into the box to give the box stability (see below).  Do this for all four sides.  Your inside box is ready.

For the box cover:  Cut a piece of pattern paper at 7 1/4" x 3 5/8".  

Score along longest side at 1/2", 1 1/8", 3 7/8" and 4 1/2".  Fold and burnish.

To create the nose pull:  Color your reindeer and adhere it on a red circle base.  Punch a 1/8" circle into his nose.  Place the reindeer over your pattern paper box cover and mark where you want the nose.  Note:  I found that the lower you place the reindeer on the box, the farther the box will open.  

Punch a hole into the pattern paper for the nose.  If you have a crop a dile that will reach, you can adhere the reindeer onto the pattern paper and then punch the hole through all three layers at one time vs. marking it.  

Once the hole is punched onto the pattern paper, line up the hole with the reindeer and adhere the circle in place.  Thread the ribbon or embroidery thread through the bell.  Tie the thread so bell stays in place.  Place the two ends of the thread through the hole to the inside.  Hold the inside box into place and bring the thread up the front of the box and over the top.  Glue the thread on the top and again on the back of the box (towards the top).  After the glue has dried completely, snip off the loose thread from the back and glue the box cover together.  Make sure the cover does not adhere to the box.  

If you want the box to hang from the tree or a gift, place a tag topper to the back side of the box cover.  Tie some ribbon or string and a To/From tag to the topper and it's ready for your gift or tree.

Once you make one of these, you will find yourself making so many more!  Have fun pulling his nose!

Thanks for joining me today!  Keep creating!

Copics used:  E50, E51, E53, E55, E57, E59

R20, R22, R24, R27

Y28, Y32, Y35