Beer Crate Big Rig Box Card re-using Packaging

Hiya! Inspiration can come from some weird and wonderful places, and this week's card inspiration was no exception.  I had a card to make for a beer-loving friend, and wondered how I could incorporate the gorgeous impressionistic landscape design from the packaging of one of our favourite beers. A quick browse around the Simply Crafty SVG shop, and I found the perfect SVG cutting file - the Big Rig Box Card.

I made up the card with a few little changes, and I've detailed these below in case you'd like to make one too. The instructions here refer to the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition software, but could easily be adapted for other die cutting software and machines such as the Cricut.

Materials Used:
Cardboard Packaging
Black, Grey, Yellow, Brown & Light Green Medium weight Textured Cardstock
Yellow Pearl Cardstock
Red Paper Scrap
Double-sided Decorative Card/Paper (for the envelope)
Beacon 3-in-1 Craft Adhesive
Tonic Nuvo Crystal Drops in English Mustard
Plaid Embossing Folder & Embossing Machine (Cuttlebug)
Bronze Metallic Sketch Pen (Silhouette)
Bronze Metallic Marker Pen (Sharpie)
Silhouette Cameo or other Digital DieCutting Machine

Files Used:
Simply Crafty SVGs Big Rig Box Card
Simply Crafty SVGs Beer Bottle Card

Other Font Files: 
Ariel Bold font (pre-installed)
Lettering Delights Simple Italic sketch font

Colors
I picked out some matching colours of cardstock from my stash. Most of these are American Crafts medium-weight textured cardstock. I also added some pale yellow pearl card stock (not pictured).

Assembly
I cut the pieces from the various cardstocks, using the yellow pearl in place of the metallic cardstock recommended by the designer. The designer has provided a YouTube video with instructions, and I followed these changing out the decorative panels. The pieces fit together perfectly, so it was a fun and easy assembly process.

Decorative Panels
One long and one short panel were cut from a trimmed piece of the packaging, which I secured to the cutting mat with additional washi tape, as it was somewhat thicker than regular cardstock. I placed it upside down because I wanted to cut a piece from the lower part of the picture, and it was easier to align that way.

Additional Decorations
I cut out the word 'beer' in Ariel font from the front fender/bumper then backed it with a second one in a contrasting colour. I cut the brewery's emblem out of the packaging too. I didn't have the embossing folder suggested in the assembly video, but made do by using the striped parts of a plaid embossing folder.

Bottles
I used a bottle and the simple cap piece from the Beer Bottle Card. I copied them into the rig file, then reduced it in size, replicated it several times, then overlapped them slightly. Then I welded them together and cut two identical strips of bottles.

The bottle tops were drawn on with a bronze metallic marker pen, and then the bottle strips were adhered to the insides of the rig.

Sentiment
The final decorative panel was cut from the smooth side of a piece of textured cardstock and I used a Silhouette sketch pen to write a sentiment on it. The headlights were made more dimensional with the addition of some yellow crystal drops and allowed to dry completely (overnight). As an afterthought I added plain black circles of cardstock on the reverse of the wheels.

Envelope
The more eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed my big faux-pas. I first cut the envelope at the original size, and once the bottles were added to the rig it was too small to fit the card in. I simply cut another one (the polka-dotted one), but stretched it length-wise prior to cutting to be tall enough hold the rig and its load!

Here is the finished card with an uncut box. I think the recipient will like this one and I hope you do too!

These are the files I used. Just click on the photo to visit the page in Simply Crafty SVGs online store.


Blog: Crafting Quine 
Instagram: @CraftingQuine

Simply Crafty SVG Files:
Big Rig Box Card
Beer Bottle Card

Combining Files to make a Fun Drinks Wagon

Hiya.  Today I have a hybrid project using some great files from Simply Crafty SVGs to make a playful 3D project. The weather here in Scotland is breaking records for high temperatures and rain-free days! At times like these, BBQs are dusted off and outdoor parties are the order of the day. This project would make a fun table centre for such occasions.



Little Waggon

I cut and assembled the Little Wagon SVG file with minimal alteration, just increasing the size a little and adding some custom lettering.

As I would be adding extra weight to the finished wagon, I added some extra bracing pieces behind the wheels. This was achieved by simply folding a strip of cardstock into a rectangle, and adhering it between each set of wheels. The braces are barely visible when the wagon is upright.

I also decided to secure the pull handle in position by adding a little piece of folded card, stuck to both the handle and the waggon front.

Wooden Chest

The wooden chest is adapted from the cooler from the Tent Camping Box file. I initially made it in blue so it looked like my large plastic cooler, but I decided that a more vintage look was required, so endeavoured to make it look like a rustic chest.

It was the perfect opportunity to try out my new embossing folder (a 3D Texture Fades Embossing Folder by Tim Holtz called Lumber). The texture was enhanced by applying Walnut Stain Distress Ink to the edges and the top surface of the panels I made (details to follow).

The chest was scaled up in size to suit the wagon. I cut the chest from kraft cardstock, and then cut a duplicate to cut up for panels (just using scissors). By cutting off the chest sides I was able to fit the pieces through my embossing machine.

I then cut the individual panels apart, trimming them to be slightly smaller. I also cut an additional strip to make a lip around the chest lid, and also made the long strips longer still, so that they would wrap around three sides of the chest. The panels were then adhered to the base piece and the flaps trimmed as shown below.

I relocated the piece which sould have been on the bottom of the chest, and stuck it to the inside of the lid instead as it would show more there.

It was then simply a matter of assembling the chest and attaching the lip with some spare tabs of card (visible in the pic of the complete chest, above). The chest was finished by applying the decorative strips (not necessarily where they were intended to be), and adding handles cut from silver metallic card.



Beer Bottles

I minimised the inner beer bottle shape from the Beer Bottle Card SVG file together with the cap, the neck label, and two of the front label pieces (there are loads to choose from).  I made a 12" x12" Print & Cut on cream cardstock for the pale parts of the label, adding the phrase "Cheers m' beers" in a font which I then curved to match the shape of the label. Read more about how to do a 12" x 12" Print & Cut here.

Prior to applying the labels, the bottles (a double thickness), were coated with Nuvo Crystal Glaze on the non-textured side, and left to harden overnight. The effect is very glass-like in real life, but doesn't show well in the photos.

The labels and caps were then adhered, and the bottles were arranged in the chest. I LOVE the bottle cap design that comes with the file - it's a great little detail and looks so realistic cut from metallic card. I added some plastic ice cubes to keep the bottles upright (available from florist suppliers). The chest was then loaded onto the little wagon.

All three files are available from the Simply Crafty SVGs website and heaps of ideas for using the files on the Simply Crafty SVGs blog.