Valentine Keepsake Box

If you are like me you have a stash of alterable items in tub just waiting to be decorated.  I love unfinished wood items, frames, paper mache items, etc that I pick up at craft stores.  I also find unique one of a kind pieces at garage or estate sales.  This last summer I found this heart shaped wood box at a garage sale.  It's been sitting there just waiting to be decorated. 

 

First I removed the hinges to I could cover the top without any extra trimming.  Once removed I used a Tim Holtz, distress stain in aged mahogany to cover the sides and the edges.  I love the distress stain to use on wood in place of paint.  It's quick and easy, though it can be a little messy.  I then covered the top with patterened paper from Bo Bunny's, Love Letter's line.  Attach the paper using Beacon's 3 in 1 adhesive.  Trim any excess paper and then cover the paper edges with a bit of the distress stain or matching ink.  Replace the hinges and you have a cute box.

 

Here's a look at the inside of the box.  See how nice the distress stain is on the wood.

 

 

 I added a few embellishments to the top by cutting out a banner piece from the patterned paper and mounting it on a custom cut piece to mat it to stand out more against the background.  It is attached with pop up adhesive. 

I created the flowers using several coordinating papers that I ran through my big shot using the Tim Holtz tattered flower garland die, I layered several flowers together and secured them together with a glittery brad from We R Memory Keepers.  Attach using Beacon's 3 in 1.  I also attached a small handle at the tip of the heart to make it easy to open.  Just use a bit of Beacon's to attach.

Thanks for looking ~ Michelle

Love Letter Box

I recently came across a fun new line of paper by Bo Bunny called Love Letters.  Bo Bunny is one of my favorite paper manufacture's so I wasn't surpised, though I dont' really buy "Valentine" like papers, I just had to buy this collection.  I've started working on a few projects using this paper and I wanted to share the first one I completed.  I picked up this little unfinished box at Craft Warehouse a while back and I was waiting for the perfect paper to use with it. 

I love unfinished wood because the potential is endless, however, I'm not a big fan of painting them first.  A great, but messy, alternative is using Tim Holtz distress stains in a color that coordinates with your paper.  Fortunately I had a color that worked on hand and was able to stain the box first and then cover with paper. 

For the sides I cut a 12" long strip slightly smaller than the width of the side.  I then cut them in half and met them in the middle.  I did this with this paper so it wouldn't end up upside down on one side. 

The envelope and "LOVE LETTERS" are stickers, attached with pop up adhesive, and the LOVE forever yours portion is fussy cut from a scrap piece that I was able to salvage a portion of.

The hearts are all fussy cut from one of the sheets of patterned paper and I distressed with a little red ink and adhered them alternating between glue dots and pop up adhesive.

Thanks for looking ~ Michelle

Die Cut Heart Mobile

I got a cricut not too long ago and wanted to share one of the projects I created with it.  I had seen a cute mobile at a Saturday Market and had been wanting to make one of my own for awhile so that was one of my first projects.

I used the inside of a hoop ring for the top and white thread is criss crossed across the ring to allow me to hang strands around the inside and outside.  For the hearts I used my cricut to cut the shapes and I love that with a press of a button you can flip and cut the mirror image.  Then I cut lengths of thread and attached two hearts back to back at several points on the thread.  Attach each strand to the hoop or a piece of thread in the middle until you get the desired look.  Then I covered the hoop with ribbon. 

This is one of my favorite projects and will definately be making another one soon.

Thanks for looking ~ Michelle ~