Mini milk cartons with crate tutorial

I have had  many requests for this Cricut .cut file. I have really been enjoying all the comments and the traffic on my blog. Yahoo!

I have created my own .cut file, made a few changes that make it work better for me....plus this way it is my own work and I can feel free to share it, free-ly. ;)

So, enjoy the tutorial and feel free to leave me a comment requesting the .cut file. I will send out my version of the cartons with the crate now.

I am loving having these adorable bats on my desk to decorate all my Halloween projects. Aren't they the cutest? I cut these cartons in white just to test the .cut file, but when they came out perfectly I couldn't throw them away. So I inked the edges and added the rectangles of decorative papers to try to make them a tad more spooky.

This is the back side. Again using the brads to close the milk carton tops. The bats wings on the front cover the brad prongs, but still leave them easily open-able and reusable.

Now, on with the tutorial....which is picture heavy. Sorry.

Here we are scoring at .5, 1.5 and 3.5 inches.




Flip the .cut and score at 1.5, 3, 4.5 and 6 inches.




In this photo, I know its hard to see but I am trying to show the beginnings of the gable end of the milk carton. So I moved the .cut over to the .25 inch line on the scor-pal and then score just the top .5 inch section at the 2.5 and 5.5 inch lines.



Here the .5 inch marks are clearer. Now we rotate the .cut and starting at the bottom of the .5 inch score I feel around with my finger nail and attempt to get the angled line out to the corner (as seen above).



Rotate and repeat for the other angled score line. This is the most difficult part, trust me. From here it's all gravy baby.

Now we just fold all the scores, making crisp lines.

Use your favorite strong tape on the .5 inch tab along the side and tape the 3 sides of the bottom tab closest to the side tab.

I think the easiest way to line up the side is to fold the taped edge over to the center, then lay the opposite side over on top of the tape. Seems to work out nicely for me. Now fold in the two shorter tabs on the bottom, then fold in the taped tab and finally press the final tab down onto the tape. I use the handle end of my small Fiskars scissors to reach down inside the mini milk carton and press the bottom to ensure the tape is well adhered.
Now we start on the crate. Its quick and simple.

Score at 1 and 2.5 inches.

Flip and score at 1 and 4 inches. (Sorry, I have no idea why this photo won't load rotated to the correct orientation....its me, not you. But its late and I'm too tired to fuss with it. Please forgive me.)

I only add tape to the outer edges of the tabs. This lil crate really doesn't need any more tape then that.

This is the long .cut that makes the handle for the crate. I attempt to center the ovals and then score evenly between them. Then I add tape, 1 stripe above the oval and 1 stripe below the oval.

Then fold the handle .cut in half, sealing the tape together. Score at 4.5 inches. Pressing a bit harder so that you crease through both layers.

I fold both tabs back to make a nice crease again. Then laying 1 tab back against the handle, see above. I run tape along both outer edges of the bottom tabs. Oy, as I read back through these they sounds so confusing.....I really do hope the pictures help.

To get the handle lined up properly I place a mini milk carton against the handle, folding the bottom flat underneath the carton and set it down in the base, with the carton snug up against the side. Then I test it by adding in the other carton, just to make sure they both fit. Its a tight squeeze. I have found that on the base as I am scoring and then creasing the scores if I score a little wide rather then exactly on the line, its a little more roomy with the cartons and the layers of decorative papers and all.
Wow, sorry for the long post. I hope this helps. I hope you enjoy playing around with them as much as I have. So many holidays, so easy to decorate these to fit all of them!
Find inspiration everywhere! Go... Create something fun & fabulous. Enjoy!

Whopper carton tutorial

Wow, what a wonderful response I have had to my Whopper carton Cricut .cut file. Thanks everyone who left comments here and on the Cricut message boards. I have enjoyed reading every one and can't wait to see some creations with my .cut file.
I include this first photo just to show that this will fit on an 8.5 x 11 piece of card stock. I lay it on the mat about .25 inch in from the lead corner.

This is the first set of score lines. I use my scor-pal and move the paper around to line up the cuts along a score lines. What my written instructions lack, I hope my photos make up for.

Flip the paper a quarter turn and score as seen below.

The two triangle folds are probably the hardest for me to explain. I find the center of that section, then I score from the center point out to the corners. Then I fold and press all my score lines for crisp folds all around.

Flip the paper over, and adhere your decorative paper now. I found out the hard way, it is much easier to adhere it now rather then after the box is all assembled. Also notice I have run tape along the two half inch tabs all the way to the left in the photo and the two shortest tabs across the bottom.

Then gently flip it over again and put tape on the three sides of the bottom tab on the far right.

To line up the sides I fold the whole thing in half and while being mindful of the tabs that still have tape, making sure to not stick them to each other, I press the sides together to make the body of the carton.

Fold the two short tabs in and press down the far left tab, so that it looks like below. Then press down the last taped tab and that gives a nice seal to the bottom. This is especially important when you stuff it full of candy, you don't want a blow out.

This is how the bottom of the carton looks when you are all done.

This is the top with the triangle folds aimed inward. I used my Crop-a-dile to punch two holes in the two top tabs. Line them up and hold them closed and punch through the two layers at one time. I ran some ribbon through the holes as the closure. This way the recipient can open it, empty it of the sweet treats and hopefully keep it and enjoy its decorative cuteness long after the candy is gone.

Find inspiration everywhere! Go... Create something fun & fabulous. Enjoy!

Halloween whopper carton gift boxes

This is a whopper of a carton. hee hee....I literally took apart a whopper candy carton and designed a Cricut .cut file from its measurements. This baby will hold some candy!

This is one front side and one backside. Again I used some of the page full of bats that I had cut out a week or so ago, using Cricut and Paper doll dress up cartridge. They are cut at 2 inches and have been soooo fun to throw on all of my Halloween projects. These guys got some red stickle fangs added for spooky-ness.

This is just to show the size comparison to the mini milk carton. I told you they where whoppers.

Find inspiration everywhere! Go... Create something fun & fabulous. Enjoy!

More Halloween cards from scraps

I guess the first step to getting better is to admit you have a problem. I have a problem throwing away perfectly useful scraps of pretty paper. But then again lets think this through, is it really so wrong if I use them? And make nice gifts with them? I know, I know, I'm justifying. But really check out my cards. Aren't they cute?

This is made from 1 inch squares of scraps. The card stock I ran through the Cuttlebug in the swiss dots embossing folder. I used a scrap of paper, ran 3 stripes of tape across the paper and then layed down my squares. I thought about using my Xyron but 12 squares would take over 12 inches of xyron tape and I didn't think it needed to be 100% coverage so I went the cheaper route. I layered it on to the black paper with the Martha Stewart drippy goo border punch. Love that punch. A little ribbon...a left over bat...even a left over sentiment, that I layered onto a punched circle and a punched scallop circle. They are pop dotted up off the card for a little oomph.

This one was woven strips of different widths. I got the inspiration from capadiadesigns.blogspot.com. I need a little more practice at this technique, but I think its still a keeper.

This is a view of the inside. More scraps.
So tell me true is it an addiction or do I need an intervention?
Find inspiration everywhere! Go... Create something fun & fabulous. Enjoy!

Halloween cards from scraps

I saw this great card on aaronsbooth32.blogspot.com her 8-27-10 post. I just happened to have scraps of paper from my last projects sitting on my desk still. They worked out perfect for this card.

I had saved large rectangular pieces from my mini milk carton Cricut cuts, so I used those for the background layers of the cards.

The 1 1/16th inch decorative paper strips are from the decorations on the mini milk cartons and the crates. I ran the plain cardstock strips through my cuttlebug using the swiss dot embossing folder.

The bats were left from a full page of Paper doll dress up Cricut cartridge bats I had cut out for the mini milk cartons.

Voila! Cleared up a bunch of scraps and created cards to go with the treat holders. My favorite kind of crafting.

Find inspiration everywhere! Go... Create something fun & fabulous. Enjoy!

Halloween milk cartons and crate

I am making some adorable mini milk cartons for Halloween gifts. I originally found this great idea on the cricut message boards. My first set came straight from the inspiration provided by createalittle.blogspot.com her 07-06-10 post. Go here to see my imitations. For my halloween boxes I am copying the design elements from the carton I created at a SU! event a few weeks ago. Go here to refresh your memory.   

Here are a few close up shots. I cut the bats from Paper doll dress up Cricut cartridge at 2 inches. There are two different bats on that one cartridge. Who knew? I really have to pay closer attention.

Here is one carton out of the crate.

Here is the cartons back side. This is how I chose to close the cartons so that the recipient can open, empty and then reclose them if they choose too keep and display them.....Oh, I hope they choose to keep and display them.

The crate is my own Cricut design. I will be happy to share that with anyone who posts thier request in the comments of this post.

I used the 2009 DCWV fall stack and Imagine that textured card stock to make these mini milk cartons and crates. I hope you enjoy seeing them.
Find inspiration everywhere! Go... Create something fun & fabulous. Enjoy!

Halloween 3 x 3 scrap cards

I had scraps sitting on my desk from the Halloween treat bags I made. They were teasing me....Use me...You know you cant throw me away... :)
So I made these lil 3x3 cards.

They coordinate with the gift bags. That's because they are made from the circles from the punched out handles. I kept them gender neutral, which is always hard for me. I like ribbon and stickles, but I hear the guys don't so much. So just a little piercing around the curved corners and a little cuttlebug embossing on the black circles.

Easy peasy, kinda cheesy.
Enjoy!