Thursday, December 18, 2008

Last Minute Gift & Tutorial (attempted)




Today Splitcoast Challenge for "Ways to Use It" was to come up with a last minute gift that would be quick and easy to get done, little coloring and other fal-da-ral and foo-foo. I skimmed through my mind all the ideas I have meant to try to get done, and as I poured myself another cup of coffee, my eyes stopped on a magnetic phone number thingie on my fridge...you know the kind of thing that school kids bring around on flyers to raise money for camp or new playground stuff? Anyway, when I got this thing, I really liked the idea of it because it kept my phone numbers hidden, some of which are unlisted numbers and was very easy to flip it open, like a child's 'little golden book.' I had planned to try do one "someday" which might turn out to be today. I looked at it again and wondered how quickly I could figure out how to cut and score the cardboard and get the covering designer paper to adhere without flubbing up at the corners and folds...quick? Not quick enough for me...so I ditched the idea and came back into my stamp room and saw a CD case...AHA! Now I could carry on with the idea of making a phone # case but use a different avenue to get there.

Here's how I did it!
Materials you need:
1 fat CD case (not the skinny ones)
5"x 6" Pattern Paper (or whatever you have planned
Image/Sentiment to fit on PP
I used UHU Twist and Stick glue - needs to be clear
A business card sized magnet

First of all, my CD case measured 5-7/16" x 4-5/8" for the FRONT/LIST TOP and 4-13/16" x 4-3/4" for the BACK/LIST BOTTOM.
Please, measure yours and see if they are the same!

You will have to carefully remove the disc holder portion so you have a plastic box.
Now, let's get started!

1- Measure carefully the Larger side of your CD case and trim to fit as perfectly as you can. Add your Image/Sentiment to the front and set aside. (Keep the theme good for all year).

2- Next, create your Name/Phone List. I did this by setting up a paper (I used generic white cardstock) to print in an area 4-5/8" wide, then change all the margins and headers to "zero". Start the line in Bold and Underlined "Name & Phone" in the type you choose (I used Harrington 24). after the first line I just help down the underscore key and ran it down to the bottom of the page. Print it out.

3-Trim the sides of the down to the larger width of your CD case (my larger width was 4-3/4"). Then trim on the top of the list to where you want the Name-Phone list to start. Measure top to bottom and cut the list to make a perfect fit (or use your Image/Sentiment front to size). At this point, you can adhere the Image/Sentimet and the list top together but please MAKE SURE the Name/Phone list bottom is attached to the top of the Image/Sentiment, or it will be wrong when it is opened. Now, the bottom should fit as it is the wider piece.

4-Adhere the pieces to the case. I used UHU Twist and Glue and it worked great! The adhesive dries clear and it is almost invisable. If you have something else that works, use that.

5- I glued a business magnet to the back, and it was actually the thinnest one I could find, just to see how well it would hold, and it did. There really won't be any added weight to this, unless you count ink!

This would be a great gift for anyone with a refrigerator or metal file cabinets!

Please, if you make one, please send me a link to see yours!
Thank You ! Happy Stamping!
Cheryl

8 comments:

Jaspere said...

Thanks for showing us how you made it. I am definitely one of those people that need last minute type things. Yep, still haven't made my Christmas cards.

*Sally* said...

This is wonderful, I think I can make this with my kids too, I am always looking for things they can join in with too, thanks!

Jacqueline said...

this is great! Thanks for the tutorial!

Joanne Travis said...

What a great project!! Thanks for providing such excellent directions.

Michelle said...

Now that's a cool idea! I'll have to hunt down some of those CD cases! TFS:)!

Jacquel said...

Cute gift! thanks for the instructions too!!

Anonymous said...

What a clever idea! I can't wait to try this out when I have more time. Thanks for sharing!

Tina said...

That is a fantastic idea! Thanks for sharing! yours is adorable!