April 15, 2010

Trudge through the deserts

to see one of the seven wonders - "The great Pyramids" or if you have kids like me you might have to save it for a later date and just make do with a gift box like this



This is a fun box to make and so versatile. I chose to make mine as a gift box for "the people from mars" - oops !  for Men. Well... if you believe that Men are from mars then.... :)..
This one holds a perfume inside for my special martian.
This box is from Tags, bags, Boxes and more Page 125 and button 44 on your keypad layout numbering starting from 1 proceeding left to right



Here are a couple more views







The box opens by lifting at the top



I have added support so that the perfume bottle does not fall or rattle inside.



So close it up and tie a pretty ribbon - maybe more of that  gold one and the box is ready to give to that special guy in your life. Yep hubby gets this for our wedding anniversary which is this month.
I have used a 12 x 24 mat and a poster board for cutting the base. Metallic shimmer from DCWV is the one used for gold. And the other paper - for the top half... Hold on ... Sandpaper. Oh yes!!!.
I of course did not want to put the sandpaper in my cricut for cutting so I just figured the basic triangle in the Gypsy file, cut the template using cricut and then used that template to figure out how big I wanted the Gold and the sandpaper - made sure they will overlap some and cut 3 sets pieces (each) for the 3 sides. For the 4th side at the bottom I have used the same brown cardstock as I have used for the decoration (which are images from Destination and My  World). And then glittered an stickled away.
So off to the gypsy to see how to figure out the triangle and also to take a brief look at some aspects. No file sharing this time as it is pretty basic and easy to do



Just add any triangle from any cartridge like George or Plantin or GW. Unlink the golden chain ie the aspect chain as we have to manipulate the width separate from the height. and try to match up the scores as in this image



After this increase the size, as you do not want the triangles to fall short. You can always trim the excess away. Cut and check and fine tune the size. When we use the round  pink circles to increase (or decrease)  note that even with the link off it will increase proportionately . So you can leave the link on or off while doing this -  it does not matter . After you do this you can copy/paste the triangle to a new page and delete it from this spot.

Note - This is just to show you how to do it and the actual dimension in my box varies as I used a 12 x 12 for this example and my box was cut on 12 x 24 after making sure the height of the triangle will accommodate a perfume box with room to spare.



This is a peek into the file. I added images after searching through the cartridges for Egypt. The height is based on the width f the golden paper ie the lower part of the triangle. I tried not to split the triangle into exact halves for aesthetic reasons but also had to have it at a certain height for the images to cut without tearing



For the perfume holder I just traced the perfume bottle's base onto a paper to figure out the dimensions. Mine was oval in shape and I measured out with a ruler and then added an oval shape onto the Gypsy - mat adjusting the height and width accordingly. Well that was the starting point . To figure out the rest I  took it to the drawing board and  This is what I came up with . The inside oval (which the perfume bottle fits snugly into) is surrounded by a octogon shape so that scoring the sides is easy (on score pal etc) and it can be  folded down. If you choose a circle then you have to hunt for a plate or a cup or a compass or divider to score the circle. Nooo. So I chose an octagon. You can also choose a hexagon - any shape which is similar to a circle which just has sides - ha ha
Then I welded squares to the sides to form the sides . I also added tabs & welded to squares so that it can be attached to the inside base of the triangle when glue is applied. I did not add score marks as  the scoring area is quite easy to figure out. Score marks are a pain and I try to do without whenever I can get away with it.



Now as for the assembly of the box itself,  here are some pictures. Note I chose to have the box open at the bottom so I assigned the bottom as the side which has 2 tabs and I did not glue it..  Also after scoring the glue needs to be applied on the outer side. You can glue the bottom side after assembling but I am not gluing it on and instead will use  the golden ribbon  to tie a bow after firmly attaching it to the base. You can figure out different methods for closure - maybe brads and elastic cord around..

 







So after doing this and cutting out triangle templates - I made 1 template.   I cut the images with brown cardstock first so that I can make sure f the height for the golden paper and then cut one triangle template splitting it. Using this I cut 3 pieces of sandpaper slightly with more height so that they can overlap and then 3 of the golden pieces also a tad taller.  I cut one full triangle with cricut for the base using brown cardstock. So that the seams are not unsightly I glued a golden colored ribbon using fabric glue. then scored the perfume holder and stuck it inside the bottom after opening I stickled the images and  glued it on after it dried.
But this box is so versatile that it can be used for almost any season
Once you get the base triangle just assemble the box and then add fun things to the triangle. I have just used some scalloped circles and plain circles and some petal like shapes played with it used markers etc and made 3 version of the box. I just made 3 triangles to show you what you can do and added the triangles to one of the sides of the box. This was done very quickly to give you a rough sketch but you can of course spend more time on it and work on it more . One thing I found out is if you take a beige colored paper and then use wet markers like sharpie, copic or momento ink the wetness in the marker will distress the paper and some paper bits peels off giving the paper a very nice flocked texture.!!! The red Santa triangle looks so much like flock up close without having me go to the trouble of flocking it.
Here is the bunny box and yes it is stuck to the triangle ( ;) I placed repositionable adhesive - zig two way to temporarily place it on the triangle box so that I can switch mine for the photo)



Santa



and lastly the Witch. You can also make the triangle into just a hat without the witch's face or maybe add a broom etc



Hope you enjoyed this project. I so enjoy reading what you all think of it and treasure each and every one of your comments.  Thanks for reading this post. Do please drop in to my blog The Bug Bytes to see more projects and Gypsy tips
Hugs
Pam aka thebugbytes

21 comments:

  1. What a fun and versatile box! I love the sandpaper ~ very masculine!! It is nice to see that you don't like making scoremarks either. It is also nice to see inside your thought process when planning the extra pieces! Great project Pam!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pam, You are a master of the gypsy.. even to the pyramid .. :) You take the intimidation factor out of a project. Well done my friend!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a great project Pam. I didn't know when I got my Cricut and Gypsy that I would have to be a math genius. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  4. OH! The possibilities!
    I have this cartrige but I've only used
    it a few times. I need to "break it out" .

    ;) TR

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a great idea. I have TBBM and I very rarely use it except for tags and the crayon box.

    I love how you showed how versatile the boxes are. Not only are you talented but you are very creative.

    Thanks for sharing.

    sherrihe180

    ReplyDelete
  6. what a great project for an engineer, LMBO...you know I love you and this is so clever and then sand paper, cool.

    i really love it if one day i have time i will try and then used the rougher sandpaper, the one that makes you bleed....lol. just kidding.
    love you pam.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love this pyramid. My DD loves all things Egyptian -- I'm going to have to give this one a try for sure! Thanks so much for all your hard work!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a great Idea!!!!!!! I love all the variations!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love what you did with this project, reminds me of my trip to Egypt last November.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Pam, I love how you teach the method, not just a project

    ReplyDelete
  11. Pam... as always your instructions are impeccable! This could only be better if it was filled with chocolate... hahahahaha! Just kidding! This perfection couldn't get any better! LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Pam, love your pyramid box. Great detailed instructions too!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sheila aka SassyLadyApr 15, 2010, 8:06:00 PM

    I LOVE THE PYRAMID BOX, give hubby something else and I'll take this! IT IS AMAZING!!!!! Love - Love Love this box... I just can't believe you used sandpaper for this WOW!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Awesome project!! Love the tutorial! Thanks so much for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Love the pyramid! I am amazed at the ideas you come up with. I would have never thought to use that box in that manner! Great instructions!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh I just love how you think!!!

    Totally unique and very beautiful! Sandpaper!! what a terrific idea lOL!!!!

    That's a tough box to do something with and you did a FANTASTIC JOB!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. these are so stinkin' cute! well done!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. OMG I love it!!! I am a huge fan of anything egyptian so of course this caught my eye right away!!! You rock!

    ReplyDelete
  19. WOW! This is a great project Pam! I have TBBM and haven't even used this cut yet. Can't wait to try it!

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate your comments so much. They are treasured and such an inspiration. Thanks for leaving them.