Faux Box Frame Card by Natalie

Faux Box Frames: How to add depth without adding to your postage cost? By adding a little animation - the key here is hinges. Use a scoreboard for this one as accurate folding is key to a successful project.

You will need:

• A4 Kraft card
• Shimmer card
• Coloured card in two shades
• Black hybrid ink pad
• Distress Ink 
• Masking film or paper
• Mistletoe Script Stamp Set
• Make your Mark Stamp Set

The Stamping

You need 5 basic stamp types for this layout: a circle stamp, a background stamp, a verse stamp, a worker stamp that matches your chosen background and a sentiment. This design is perfect for special cards so why not try florals, steampunk or a nature theme.

Working onto the shimmer card, stamp your largest circle from Make Your Mark. Also stamp this image onto your masking paper/film, cutting slightly inside the outline of the stamp. Place the mask onto your stamped image. Then, stamp over the top of the masked circle with the background stamp making sure the circle is aligned to the centre of your background.

Allow the ink time to set so you don't smudge the ink when blending. Using a blending brush and Distress Ink, blend outwards from the masked area to add a shaded border. If your stamping was slightly off, you can use this blending to track the eye. You should also add any colouring to your background elements at this point. Remove the masking paper/film and place this onto waxed paper or its backing sheet. Carefully, stamp your verse into the revealed circle panel.

Also stamp your 3 remaining designs using the hybrid ink. Use the same Distress Ink blending technique onto the worker stamp, this will tie the images together.

Set the sheet aside to totally dry while you focus on the card base.

Building the card base

Trim the Kraft card to your chosen size; I used A4 but that might be a little large for your needs. Score the card at 1" and 2" from each end; in smaller sizes make your first score at 0.25~0.5" and the second at 1.25"~1.5". The first scoreline is a mountain fold, while the second one is a valley fold; repeat this at the other end working from the outside in. Fold and burnish with a bone folder to make your folds crisp; burnish in places that won't be seen in the finished card. Work the folds well so they move easily.

Cut a frame from one of your coloured card sheets; this should measure the height of your Kraft card base and the width of your Kraft card when one side is folded and the other is open. The inside aperture should be the width between the first scoreline when the Kraft piece is in the same half folded position. Cut another frame that layers slightly inside the first; this is both decorative as well as reinforcing the front panel. If this frame still feels flimsy, then do reinforce the back of the frame with another piece of craft card.

Adhere the frame to the first and last panels of the Kraft piece using strong adhesive. Allow to set while trimming the stamped images.

Cutting up your stamping

Trim the background so it fits just inside the back panel of your card. If your background doesn't quite reach the edge of your panel, you can always add more ink blending to disguise the edges if you wish.

Fussy cut the worker image and trim the sentiment strip. Mount the sentiment strip onto a spare piece of the coloured card.

Assemble and adhere the pieces into your dried card blank.

While the project example shows Christmas, you can adapt this to so many of the fabulous Chocolate Baroque stamp sets.