Hi! SaraL here with a super-simple hybrid how-to to share with you today here on Heather’s pretty gorgeous-looking new site!
There are lots of you out there who I know like the idea of trying a hybrid project, but are just a little nervous of jumping in & going for it! So this is why I’ve written this article – to walk you through one of my projects using lots of photos so you can see exactly what I’m writing about! Its designed to compliment Heather’s excellent instructions, which are included with each and every template product.
Heather has an a-maz-ing range of layered hybrid project templates in her store! …and its the layered part that is so important, and is precisely why I love using her templates so much: it means that every section of the template is customisable to your own design; you have the choice to clip a different digi-paper to each and every side of the template, if you choose. Total flexibility.
This is the first product I’m using in the mini-tutorial today:
I like popcorn boxes – not only are they great for popcorn on a family movie night enabling everyone to have their own named box (great for avoiding arguments!), but they are a lovely large container for all sorts of goodies, limited only by your imagination or budget! My example today is for a sleepover party goodie box, filled with sweet smelling bath products, lip glosses & just a few sweeties:
So lets begin the how-to!
Step 1: Open the .psd file of your chosen box design in Photoshop. Start to add & clip your choice of papers & elements from your digital scrap booking stash, just as you would with a layout template. I used Heather’s Basket of Blessings kit to ‘decorate’ my template.
Step 2: When you are happy with your design, print two copies of it out onto card or heavy photo paper. I like to pop my printouts back through the printer to print a colourful paper on the reverse side, so that when the box is assembled it has a pretty inside too!
Step 3: Cut everything out.
Step 4: Score & crease (fold) where indicated on Heathers template. I now use a ‘scoring board’ and bone folder (which is that curvy white tool in the photos), but I have very successfully used a bone folder (inexpensive & readily available from craft stores) & a ruler, and I do know people who use a simple butter knife & ruler to crease the card into shape too! …just remember not to press too hard and to protect your work surface if you choose to use a knife. Take a look at the following photos to see what I did:
Step 5: Apply your adhesive. I like to use double-sided craft tape for this – its not too expensive, widely available and comes in a variety of widths and stickiness!
Step 6: Stick the two parts of your box together, and finally the fold over & stick the base flaps to finish the popcorn box.
Step 7: The popcorn box is finished! You can leave it as it is, or you can have some fun adding ‘real’ embellishments like ribbon, tags, buttons – you name it!
I wanted to keep my boxes quite simple, as I will be making multiple copies as gifts for the party - so I added a felt flower & a name tag to each box secured in place with a pink mini peg! Adding a nametag means that you could tailor a box’s content to each recipient, which is perfect if allergies are involved!
Finally, I thought it would be fun to quickly show you that Heather really does have everything you need to make your own party go smoothly! So, how about making your own matching invites – and the same technique will work for thank you’s too!
For this I used the card templates included in this DIY cute purse set from Heather:
As before, I clipped papers & embellishments to the template in Photoshop to match my popcorn boxes, and then printed & cut the cards out – complete with matching ‘seals’.
The next step is to score & crease where indicated on the template…
…and then instead of handwriting the all party details onto multiple cards, I chose to prepare them in Photoshop, printed & cut them out & finally adhered them to the inside of my invites:
Here you can see a ‘sealed’ invite, and one almost ready to go:
And there you are! A cute alternate idea for a party gift box using Heather’s templates:
I promise, this is such a straightforward project, and will take you a lot less time than maybe this how-to seems to imply – so why not have a go?!
Quick recap of products used:
DIY Printable Templates: Popcorn Boxes
DIY Printable Templates: Purse
Font is Pea Hannah Vanilla from KevinandAmanda.com
Hybrid supplies:
Card, double sided craft tape, scissors and/or craft blade with ruler,
score board & bone folder (or similar), pretty things to decorate & to fill the finished box.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this first hybrid tutorial on Heather’s new-look site! …and if you have a request for a future how-to that we culd put together for you here, please just ask!
SaraL
