Hello there,
Today's post is all about how to get the most from your Many Merry Stars kit, tomorrow I'll share with you some of the stars I've created but there would be soooooo many pictures and lots of writing too so I decided to split the post over two days to stop you from getting blog hoppers finger!! Ha ha!!
Also, just to say I'm sure you've probably heard some of these tips already, some of this info was shared with us at convention but the rest are the things I found helped me most when I assembled my boxes and I hope will ensure they stay together and look lovely for many years to come.
Hopefully it will be a help to someone else too?
So, to start with today my first Top Tip is for the largest star in the kit (which is well over 30cm high). I decided that although the card for these stars is really thick I (obviously) wanted my star to be able to stand the test of time and so I decided to use the off cuts from around my die cut star and on the inside (plain side) I added a whole extra layer of card to the star. It doesn't have to be neat as it will be hidden when the star is assembled. Honestly, I don't know if it will make any difference as I only have one kit so I don't have a single layer star to compare it with but I what I can tell you that is is r-e-a-l-l-y sturdy now and I only used "waste" card so it was essentially a free upgrade!!
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Top Tip 2:
Is to neaten all the edges of my stars with a pair of snips where the die cut star comes away from the base card, it just gives a nice tidy finish to your boxes :-)
**click on any picture to make it larger**
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Top Tip 3:
On your side strips: Fold all the side flaps in well and then fold your side strip in a concertina style before you start to glue the strips to your stars, this makes it a whole lot easier to assemble your stars!
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Top Tip 4:
*These steps should keep your boxes firmly adhered*
1) Adhere the flaps one at at time
2) I removed one adhesive backing strip, stuck it down, then moved onto the next piece
3) See where the scissors are? This is on the inside
4) Remove this adhesive backing and press the section that is above down firmly
5) As you get towards the end I used fine tweezers to remove the backing. You could use a pokey tool or scissors also.
6) See once all your sections are glued? There will be a small piece when you squeeze the box gently that has tape on the top, this is what I called the overlap piece.
7) Remove this again using tweezers (or pokey tool etc.) to utilise the extra bit of adhesive
(you can remove this backing piece from the box or simply push it inwards so it stays in the box, whichever is easier for you)
8) and 9) The corners are all glued together on as many sections as possible, I think it makes a big difference to the overall appearance of your boxes and makes it feel securely glued together.
Top Tip 5:
To make opening boxes I simply cut the side strip in half. Well actually, slightly to one side of the centre is better. Use the thinner piece for the top section and the larger for the bottom so the lid is easily removable
Top Tip 6:
I used my star framelits and Under the Tree Speciality DSP to line inside the opening stars rather than use the precut ones in the kit.You may need to trim a sliver from two or three (or more) of the points to make it fit inside. I recommend you trim a section then test, then trim another section if needed.
Top Tip 7:
When making the really tiny boxes please follow Tip #4. In addition you may have to add a dab of tombow to adhere securely in places as the tabs are quite small. I used some Bakers Twine and wrapped it around the stars to hold them securely while the glue dried.
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OK. I hope this has helped if you have a Many Merry Stars Kit. If you are still waiting to get yours I can highly recommend it!! These boxes are so much fun to make and really simple. I had a blast making them and as everything you need is already there it takes away any pressure of designing!
If you are interested in purchasing any of the products please do follow the links at the end of this post.
I will be back tomorrow with my makes from the kit so I hope you'll join me again then.
Stampin' Hugs,
Products Used to create this project:
Great tip to use the scraps to stiffen up the large star Sarah Jane. Wish I had seen this tip before I assembled mine... I guess your wills last more years than mine! Inspired tip....
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