Stampin’ Up! Rectangle Card in a Box for the Fun Fold Blog Hop

Welcome to the Fun Folds Blog Hop with Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators!!

Hi, Stampers! Fun folds make every handmade card extra special, and today’s blog hop is FULL of great ideas! Whether you’re looking for a unique way to surprise someone or just want to try something new, you’re in for a treat. I’ve teamed up with very creative SU demonstrators to bring you a lineup of creative, must-try designs.

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

Today is my “baby’s” birthday! She turned 29 (or will at 1:04 PM EDT), and I knew I wanted to make a fun card for her. I don’t see myself making her cards like this once she’s in her 30s, so this was my last chance! The rectangle card in a box I made was inspired by Marina, who participated in the March Creative Creases challenge. This is a perfect example of how you all inspire crafters when you play along!

Sarah is wrapping up her second year of a three-year dermatology residency, and her only roommate is Duke, her 7-year-old kitty. He’s probably the most laid-back cat I’ve ever met. Aside from Sarah, his social circle consists almost entirely of the birds that visit the suet feeder on her balcony.

The two have quite the arrangement. Sarah keeps Duke well-fed and meticulously brushed, tending to his long black fur, while he graciously tolerates being the star of her daily photo sessions. It seems like a fair trade to me!

Now, back to my fun fold card! This project is a true mix of stash treasures—some current, but mostly retired. I love finding new ways to combine old favorites with fresh products. While I’m happy with how the card turned out, it definitely pushed me outside my creative comfort zone. It’s not my usual style, but stretching your creativity in new directions is never time wasted.

Sarah will receive her card tonight when we take her out for her birthday dinner, and I’m hoping she loves it as much as I enjoyed creating it for her.

My Secrets!

Let’s start with the card base…

• Firstly, this card has A2 dimensions when folded flat. It is a little bulky from layers, so it probably would require extra postage when mailing. That never bothers me though, because the creative process should never be hampered by a little extra cost for mailing.
• Card base: 11 x 4-1/4 and scored at 1/2, 1-5/8, 5-3/4, and 6-7/8 on the long side. Then, I scored it at 2-3/4 on the short side. Once that part was done, I cut from the top to the horizontal score line at each of the other score lines to make the box shape.
• Panels:
  • Front Bottom Panel: Cardstock: 4 x 2-5/8 and DSP: 3-7/8 x 2-1/2
  • Front Top Panel: Cardstock: 4 x 1-3/8 and DSP: 3-7/8 x 1-1/4
  • Side Top Panel (2): Cardstock: 1-3/8 x 1 and DSP: 1-1/4 x 7/8
  • Side Bottom Panel (2): Cardstock: 2-5/8 x 1 and DSP:: 2-1/2 x 7/8
  • Back Panel for Personal Message: Cardstock: 4-1/8 x 4 and white cardstock: 4 x 3-7/8
  • Middle Cardstock Strip: 5-1/4 x 1-1/2 and scored at 1/2 on each end. (SECRET: Don’t wait to attach it once the box is put together! Also, attach the second side and close the card flat to make sure it will be flat.)

Now, the FUN Part!

• Once I made the box, I went through my paper stash and found the adorable Playful Pets DSP, saved for quite a while and perfect for this card.
• After the card and panels were all made and glued in place, I had to decide what to use. I started by using the “Happy Birthday” sentiment from Scalloped Blooms and cut it out with one of the coordinating dies. I used the die again to cut out the Real Red layer behind it and added a strip of black for a little extra detail.
• The Playful Pets designer paper has some adorable images of cats (and dots), so I cropped one out with the oval Stitched Shapes die. I found an oval in Real Red in my cardstock stash, so I used it. I also cut a cute yarn ball die (non-SU die) with Real Red cardstock and made a Real Red bow to gussy it up a little.
• The balloons from the retired Balloon Bouquet punch were originally cut out with Real Red cardstock, but then I remembered having a piece of Real Red foil paper and used that instead. I cut out two small and one large balloon. Once that was done, I decided to cut out more so that they looked the same when looking at the back of the card. So, I cut out three more and glued them together, then gave them a slight curve with my bone folder. It’s subtle but effective! I added white baker’s twine and tied one end together. Then, the other end was carefully placed inside of the balloons. (SECRET: This step would be best done before the front and back were adhered together!)
• I rummaged through my birthday dies and found the retired Doily Wishes candles, so I cut out two of those in the same red foil paper. These two candles were adhered to a small piece of window sheet that was 3 x 1 and adhered to the middle cardstock strip from the back side.
• I had some cute little kitties in my die stash, so I cut them out with black cardstock. Then, I stamped and cropped out the little birds from the retired Thoughtful Branches stamp set. (Duke’s friends had to be represented, too!)
• So, my favorite detail was picking out a cute photo of Duke. Once I chose the best one, I uploaded it to Word and sized it to about 2.” I printed it out and fussy cut the image. Then, I adhered it to a small strip of black cardstock and adhered it to the middle strip of the card.
• Once I had the front done, I thought it needed an embellishment on the sentiment, so I added three Neutral Matte Dots.

Then, on the back…

• Before gluing the panel in place, I stamped the sentiment from Paradise Garden and cropped it out with Forever Florals die and popped it up with dimensionals onto the panel.
• I had a black bird (first attempt at adding the birds) and another black cat left, so I added them for a cute touch.

Now it’s time to keep the inspiration going—your next stop on the hop is Karen Finkle, and you are going to love what she created. Go take a look!

Lineup

1. Su Mohr
2. Debbie Mageed <<== You’re HERE!
3. Karen Finkle
4. Mary Deatherage
5. Beth McCullough
6. Rae Burnet
7. Lisa Ann Bernard

I hope to share my card with these challenges:

1. 613 Avenue Create
2. A Cut Above
3. A Place To Start
4. Allsorts
5. Classic Design
6. Crafty Calendar 
7. Crafty Catz
8. Critter Crazy
9. Die Cut Divas
10. Ellibelle’s Corner
11. Pammie’s Inky Pinkies Challenges
12. The Paper Funday

So, what do you think of my card today? I love hearing from you!

Please leave a comment if you have any questions or comments about my project today.

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If you enjoyed my project today, please be sure to…

• Firstly, visit my Gallery and Fun Fold Gallery for lots of ideas, and…
• Enter the Creative Creases Challenge HERE with any fun fold card!
• Also, follow me on Pinterest and Instagram
• You can see My Secret Sale HERE

Today’s project supply list

Scalloped Blooms Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [167639] $20.00	Scalloped Blooms Bundle (English) [167647] $53.00	Paradise Garden Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [167114] $24.00	Playful Pets Designer Series Paper [152489] $11.50	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121045] $14.00	Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [102482] $14.00
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [147084] $11.00	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $8.00	Scalloped Blooms Dies [167646] $39.00	Forever Florals Dies [167443] $36.00	Balloon Bouquet Punch [140609] $18.00	Neutral Matte Dots [165561] $8.00

Thanks for scrolling to the end!

This proud grandmother couldn’t decide which photo to share from our trip to the mall last weekend, so you get a two-for-one today!

We had a wonderful morning together that ended with a delicious lunch. Musa has recently decided that walking on his own is the fastest way to get where he wants to go, which means the rest of us are constantly trying to keep up with him!

And don’t you just love that stage? Their little feet seem to know exactly where they’re going, while the rest of their body is still trying to figure out where those feet are taking them!