Chimney Secret Box Tutorial

With the secret bottom box open:
Hi friends,
Today I have the Chimney Secret Box tutorial to share with ya! First of all, I want to thank you so much for your incredible comments on my project. Seriously, I'm so tickled you liked it enough to want to make one yourself! Tickled, I tell ya! It really is easy to make, what takes time are the embellishments. If you KISS, you can whip 'em out in no time. No, I don't mean slobbering your cardstock- I mean Keep It Simple Sweetie. So grab some tea, coffee, or other spirits of choice (I won't tell ;) and join me in my craft lab. Let's get on with the deets...

Here's what you'll need:
*2 sheets 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock---> 1 for the chimney & 1 for the secret box (OR you can use a 12 x 12 sheet of CS cut in half & make two boxes)
*Trimmer with score blade or bone folder
*Scor-Pal recommended, but not necessary (it will make this go quickly)
*Strong adhesive of choice i.e. Scor-tape, Sticky Strip, wet glue will also work

Now that you've got your tools, let's get to work!

Directions for those who hate to measure: AKA, the Karli Miranda school of lazy :) (Type A's, I'll be with you in a minute)

Take 1 sheet of cardstock & score at 1/4" or 3/8" (whatever you choose)
Now fold in half (hamburger fold) up to the score line. (Yes, it's all about food in my class :)
Now, hamburger fold again to the score line.
Open it up, & you have your 4 panels (& your little tab).
Type A's, here are your measurements:
On the 11" side, score at 3/8", 3", 5 5/8", and 8 3/8"
Now everyone:
On the 8 1/2" side, score at 2 1/2"
Next, cut along the score lines up to the 2 1/2" score line. Cut off the little tab.

Now, we create the look of bricks on the chimney.
On the 8 1/2" side, score at every half-inch (1/2") until you get to the 2 1/2" score line. Also, stop scoring at the tab line.
See in the picture? You don't want to cross the line like I did for the first one. Stop at the score line like I did on the rest of them. Ummm, mistake? Nooooo, that wasn't a mistake. I meant to do that so you would know what not to do. See? :{ Let's move on.

Now, place the 11" side at the top & score every inch (1") all the way across the row. You'll need to fold the side tab & put it right up to the edge. (see pic)

On the next row, start at the 1/2" mark & continue scoring every 1 inch (1") mark all the way across. So you'll be scoring 1/2", 1 1/2", 2 1/2", 3 1/2" and so on. (see pic)

Repeat the process until it's complete. It will look like this when completed: (click on the pic for a closer peek). I actually have a brick stamp (which would be faster), but I love the dimension and texture this process gives it. As you can see, the Scor-Pal makes it so super easy & fast to do and the best part is you don't need to move your paper! Luv!!!

Fold all the score lines, add adhesive to the bottom & side tabs and adhere.
Your chimney is complete. Now for the base box.

I used Jen Del Muro's Mini-Pizza Box for that. You know how much I luv, luv, luv it because it is a piece of cake to put together. I think I can crank those out in my sleep! If you're not familiar with the Mini-Pizza box, you can find the directions here. Get your box made & meet me back here.

Hey there! So glad you made it back. Ok, now just add adhesive to the chimney bottom & adhere it to the center of your pizza box. Voilá! It's ready to be embellished.

These chimneys

were created with these embellies
The "Happy Holidays" sign is just a sticker. I used the slot punch to add little tabs to glue onto the mantel. I free hand cut the stockings (like you couldn't tell :) & added the slot punch in white for the trim. The star banner was made by punching out 3 stars, writing the letters to spell "Joy" & adhering them with gold beads in between each star.

Here's how I created the fire place:
I cut strips of close to cocoa for the mantel & the logs. (about 1/4" thick). I randomly placed them on the scor-pal & just scored away. This created that wood look & feel. ( or beef jerky :) Darn, I'm hungry again!)

I trimmed them down to create the mantel & logs. Then I inked them up for added detail. I like! I like! Add foam tape to the back of the mantel piece before adhering to the chimney.

Now for the fire...
I took a yellow flower & added 2 mini-glue dots to it like this:
BTW, these flowers come in a little bucket in the wedding section of Mike's. There's like a bazillion of these flowers in the bucket & they carry different colors. They're embossed & have a little shimmer to them. Use a coupon & they'll be uber cheap :)

All you do next is simply fold it closed, ink the edges with orange & that's it! Cute & easy peasy!
Now just add your logs to it & adhere it all to the large tag punched in black & you have created fire- just like the caveman, but better!
The wreath is even easier. Just punch a few little evergreen sprigs (Martha Stewart). I make a circle of glue & just drop them into place. Add a bow with a mini-glue dot on the back, sprinkle it with red rhinestones for berries & that's all folks!
To complete, you can ink the edges of the chimney box for shading & add highlights with a white gel pen along the bricks.

You know what comes next... say it with me... you know you want to... Stick a fork in it! It's DONE! Woo! It may seem like a lot of work, but the chimney & secret box is not. It's easy. The embellishing is what takes more time. If any of these steps are clear as mud, let me know & I'll try to clear it up.

Can I tell you a secret??? Ok, I actually came up with another version of this Chimney Secret Box I'm soooo smitten with :) I can't wait to share it with you! But it won't be for a while. I've got a lot on my plate right now (and unfortunately, it isn't even food) so it'll have to wait :( sorry.

I hope you give it a try & you tell me what you think! If you make one, I hope you'll send me a link :) I would love to see what you creative people do!

Thanks so much for peeking at my tutorial. I appreciate all the comments & requests for them. I enjoy sharing my crazy ideas with you :) This has taken me all day to complete & seeing that beef jerky mantle made me hungry! I'm off to get something to munch on before I start din din---Gotta Go!

The 411
Paper: Pure Poppy, Ripe Avocado, True Black, White, Lemon Tart, Rustic Snowflakes PP -PTI
Ink: Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise -PTI, Close to Cocoa, Pumpkin Pie -SU!
Tools: Scor-Pal, punches-Martha Stewart, Tag , Slot Punch -SU!, flower, gold beads, rhinestones, ribbon -Michaels