Tag Archives: Christmas Nostalgia

Graphic 45 Deck the Halls Christmas Explosion Box Tutorial

Graphic 45-Deck the Halls-Maja Design-Christmas Nostalgia-Christmas Explosion Box-Tutorial-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design

Graphic 45 Deck the Halls Christmas Explosion Box Tutorial for Wonderful Wednesday

Hello, Friends!  We’re going to have so much fun today as I share this Graphic 45 Deck the Halls Christmas Explosion Box Tutorial with you!  We’ve invited Maja Design Christmas Nostalgia to this paper party as well, along with lots of pretty snowflakes and cheery snowmen.

This summer, I designed a large (5 1/2″ square) steampunk explosion box for our son’s birthday.  It looked so good and functioned so well as a home decor item, that I decided to share the tutorial with you this Christmas.

My process for making these boxes is probably a little different from what you’ve made in the past.  So if you’re ready to get started on this crafty adventure with me, let’s go!

Blue and Silver Christmas

Begin the adventure by pulling all the “blue” papers from your G45 Deck the Halls and Maja Design Christmas Nostalgia collections.  My thought was to create a blue Christmas project that could flow right into winter.

TIP:  Dig into your stash of handmade flowers and use them to embellish the cover of your box.  Be sure to die cut plenty of foliage so that your arrangement is nice and full.

Inside the Box

When you remove the lid from the box, the sides magically fall down to reveal an innovative folio inside.  We have waterfall elements, pull out pages, pull down pages and pop ups tucked inside. This gives you plenty of room to add photos to your box.

I found a darling Melissa Frances cloche stashed away in the closet and used it to create the woodland scene.

And pop up pages are always a favorite element.

Graphic 45 Deck the Halls Christmas Explosion Box Tutorial on YouTube

Would you like to see more of this box and learn how to build your own?  Then please grab a cuppa and a snack and join me on my YouTube channel for the full tutorial.

You can find a linked supply list below this post.

I hope today’s tutorial has you inspired to play with pretty Christmas papers!  I’ll be back soon with another Ghost of Christmas Past project share and mini tutorial.

Thanks so much for stopping by, friends!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Graphic 45 Deck the Halls Tunnel Card Tutorial

Graphic 45-Deck the Halls-Maja Design-Christmas Nostalgia-Tunnel Card Tutorial-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design

Graphic 45 Deck the Halls Tunnel Card Tutorial with Maja Design Christmas Nostalgia

Hello, Friends!  Our first Wonderful Wednesday project for November 2025 is a Graphic 45 Deck the Halls Tunnel Card Tutorial.  Do you like fun fold cards?  Cards with dimension?  How about cards that double as home decor?  Today’s Tutorial has you covered.

I also invited Maja Design Christmas Nostalgia to the paper party.  Sometimes it’s fun to mix and match papers from two different collections.  Here’s what I look for when I’m cross-pollenating paper collections:

  • First, of course, is look for a similar theme.  Both these Christmas collections feature nutcrackers, so that made it super easy to combine them.
  • Next, consider style.  It doesn’t always work to try to mix a vintage style paper with a retro style paper.  But both of these collections had a nice, vintage vibe.
  • Third, look at the color palette.  You want to mix papers with compatible colors, of course.  But the hue also matters.  Deck the Halls and Christmas Nostalgia were a perfect match on that count.
Wreathed in Joy

This photo shows the fun shadowbox effect you get with this card style.  It looks complicated, but I promise you, it’s much easier to do than you think!

Since this card isn’t built on a typical card base, I added my pocket on the back.  Look how beautifully the Maja Design vine motif blends with the blues in Deck the Halls.  So cool!

Believe Tunnel Card

For this card, I combined Maja Design patterned papers with G45 ephemera.  The star banner and Nutcracker chipboard lend a really festive feel to the card design.

The pocket on the back is a quick and easy make.  I’ll show you how in the video tutorial below.

Graphic 45 Tunnel Card Tutorial on YouTube

Have you made a tunnel card before?  Would you like to learn how?  Then please enjoy this video tutorial on my YouTube channel.

I can’t wait to make more of these using different shaped dies for the tunnel opening.  They are so much fun to create!

Christmas News

Since I have about a 25 year supply of papers from Christmas Past, I’m going to try to post more than my usual once a week project using some of those dear, older papers.  I’ll just do project shares for most of them with lots of tips to help you make your own version.  So look for me in your inbox and on my YouTube channel.  I’m in the Christmas spirit, and want to cut, score and glue to my heart’s content!

You can find a linked supply list below this post.  I also provide affiliate links within the video.  Simply click on the boxes and you’ll be taken to an online store.

Thanks so much for stopping by, friends!

Cheerio,

kathy

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