Stay tuned tonight night for our first big party challenge and prize announcement.  I think you’ll really like this goodie bag.  (If you want a sneak peak of the prize – you might be able to find one over at the Paper Garden Projects Group at Paper Craft Planet).

Meanwhile, I thought I’d share a Birthday card I made with the Farmyard Friends Stamp kit. 

All of the supplies (including the Pink Cat Studio stamps!) came from the kit.  That animal stack just cracks me up. 

I decided to make them a little more lively by doing the “out of the box” technique.  That’s a fancy name for when part of your image hangs outside your Matte.

The images are colored with my Copics (love those things!)

Auugghh… not more sheep puns!

Maybe I can make up for it with a template and tutorial? 

This is a project tutorial for a self-locking treat box.   The top flap has a notch that fits into a slit and holds the box closed. 

 This project was made using the new Farmyard Friends stamp kit. 

The supplies I used:

Supplies from Kit:

• Sheep w/ flower stamp, Thank ewe stamp
• 1 small piece of Wedding White Cardstock
• 1 sheet raven cardstock
• Kachina (teal) cardstock)
• Petticoat and Weathervane patterned papers
• Black brads
• Box template

Other Materials:

• Black ink
• Copic Markers (or other coloring medium)
• ScorPal
• adhesive, foam tape
• Scalloped and straight Nestibilities square dies, Spellbinder tag dies (optional)
• Spica glitter pen
• Turquoise Gem Versamagic ink

 Instructions:

You can download a printable PDF for the box by clicking  HERE.  Just print the template on the back side of your cardstock.  Don’t worry about the score lines – they will be hidden inside the box.

 Transfer the treat box template to the back side of Raven cardstock. Cut the solid lines and score the dotted lines. No need to cut the half circle yet.

Prepare your papers:

For the back cut Kachina 2 ¾” by 3 ¾”. Cut Petticoat paper 2 ½” by 3 ½” – layer them together. For the front flap, cut Petticoat paper 1 ¼” by 3″. Layer a 3/8″ strip of Weather-vane paper on the bottom (long) edge.

 Using Nestibility dies (or a paper cutter if you do not have dies), Cut and emboss a 2 ½” square of Kachina, a 2½” scalloped square of Petticoat and a 1 ¾” square of wedding white.

Leave the wedding white paper in the die.

Place the die on a surface with some give (fun foam works great – or a stack of paper). Ink the sheep stamp and stamp so the sheep is partially in the square – you need to press firmly. Then remove the die and clean the ink off of it.

Color your image – including the background up to the embossed edge.   I used Copic Markers  W-0 for the sheep wool and blended to white using the colorless blender.  I used W-1 and W-3 for the face, ears and legs – W-5 for hooves.  The flower is colored with RV-23 and RV-34 with BG-15 for the center.  The background is B000.

Add some sparkle to the flower with the glitter pen. Layer the Kachina square and the Petticoat scalloped square. Add your image with foam tape.

 Create the sentiment for the back.

Ink the back side of the tag cutting die with your Versamagic ink pad by pressing the ink pad on to the die (with scrap paper underneath). Make sure the die is inked all the way around.

Place the die on the white paper and cut and emboss as usual.  This will make an inked rim in the embossed area. Clean your die. Stamp the sentiment in the tag center.  Attach the tag to the back panel from step 2.   Add brads to the tag.

 Assemble the box and adhere the side seam. You can also adhere the bottom flaps for more strength.

Adhere the front flap piece created in step 2 to the front box flap.

Cut the half circle through all the layers. The half circle slips into the box slit to hold the box closed.

Adhere your front and back panels to the box – and you are done.  (except to find some treats to go inside!)