Jack(son) in a Box

Hi All! Happy Monday! I thought I'd start the week off by sharing a card box I made to house the set of Jackson cards I made a few months ago. (You can see that card set here.) This project came with me to the CTMH Convention for the Creativity Showcase at the beginning of July.

Let's take a look:

For this box, I altered a Close To My Heart My Creations Journaling Cards Box. These boxes are originally white and have an easily-removable insert in them that allows you to stash your Picture My Life cards. However, I find they hold A2 sized cards and envelopes very well once the insert is removed, so that is what I generally use them for.

To alter the box, I first inked around the edges with Glacier ink. I then covered the box with layers of Cocoa and Glacier cardstocks and finished it off with paper from the Jackson Collection. I embellished the front of the box using Jackson compliments, which I popped up at varying heights with dimensional adhesive. and added some metal from the Rosewood Mini Medley collection (along with a  memo pin from my stash) for added texture. For the lid, I added a zip strip from the Jackson papers that I edged with Glacier Extra Thick Twine. I finished that off with two large metal-rimmed pearls (also from the Rosewood collection) to tie everything together.

Here's a look at some of the embellishments:

And here's a look at the sides of the box:

Finally, here is a look at the box with a representative sample of what it houses inside:

I hope you enjoyed this box. You can also see how I've altered this type of box before here and here. Have a fabulously inspired week!

Mini Memories

Hi All! I wanted to share a mini album I made for my husband a few of weeks ago. (It was originally supposed to be for Father's Day, but I was a bit late getting it done.) I used it as part of my display for the Creativity Showcase at the Close To My Heart convention a couple of weeks ago.

This album is actually an altered card box I had in my stash. The box was originally plain white, but I inked around the edges with Glacier ink both inside and out, and then covered it with layers of Cocoa cardstock and Jackson papers, which I inked around in Cocoa ink.

Here's a look at the sides:

I decorated the top of the box with an assortment of Jackson complements, which I popped up at varying heights using dimensional adhesive. To give the whole thing a little more texture and interest, I added a bit of hemp twine from my stash and some Aqua Dots that are reminiscent of turquoise. I then wrote in the date of when the events in the album took place.

The album itself is accordion style made from Kraft cardstock and matted with Jackson papers and Picture My Life cards, which are no longer available. Here's a look at the box slightly opened with the album showing:

The embellishments on the first page are cut from a Jackson Picture My Life card. The sentiment is from the Do Your Best stamp set (now retired) and is stamped on another Jackson Picture My Life card. Here is a look at the album partially extended:

The album is attached to the inside base of the box and actually has photos on both sides. (Sadly, I couldn't really get a good picture of the other side.)

And there you have it. My better-late-than-never Father's Day mini album! (My husband loved it, by the way....) Hope it inspires you to go create a little somethin' today....

Oh, and if you love the Jackson look, better hurry and pick up some paper and embellishments. The line will be retiring at the end of August, and it's going fast....

A Box Full of Happy

Hi All! Today I'm sharing, as promised, the little box I made to go with birthday cards I created using the Blossom Cardmaking Workshop On The Go.  Let's take a look:

The box itself is Close To My Heart's My Creation Journaling Cards Box that was designed to hold Picture My Life Cards. It has a removable riser in the bottom that allows the 3x4 cards to peek over the 4x6 card, which I removed to accommodate the standard greeting cards. The My Creations line is designed to be altered, so this box was white when I received it.

To alter the box, I first inked around the edges from the outside to the middle with Smoothie Exclusive Ink. I then cut panels from Pear Cardstock that were 1/4-inch shorter (length and width) than the box and adhered them to the box. I covered the Pear panels with Blossom paper that was cut 1/8-inch shorter (length and width) than the Pear. While I did add a Pear panel to the bottom of the box, I didn't add the Blossom paper so that the box would remain level.

Here's a look at the covered sides and back:

After I finished with the panels, I turned to decorating the front.

First I cut a piece of zip strip from the Blossom paper that was the length of the Blossom panel. (The zip strip is the extra 1/2-inch of paper at the top of the page that is patterned on one side and has information regarding the paper colors on the other.) I then cut two lengths of Glacier Extra Thick Twine--one that ran the length of the Blossom panel, and another that was long enough to tie a bow with. I tied the bow to the first length and then adhered them both above the zip strip with a thin line of Liquid Glass.

After the Liquid Glass dried, I moved on to the embellishment cluster toward the bottom of the box.

For the cluster, I relied heavily on stickers from the Blossom Compliments pack. I adhered the stickers to Pear Cardstock and then fussy cut around them. I left a slight edge of pear showing on the "Friends" and "Family" flags to help them stand out. I then layered everything with dimensional adhesive of varying thickness. I added a pin from my stash to hold the "Live A Happy Life" sentiment, which is anchored in dimensional adhesive. Then I finished it all off with stickers from the Junebug Puffies pack (currently on the "while supplies last" list) and Sparkle Flourishes. (This girl needs her bling....)

Here's a look at the box slightly open:

And here it is with a sampling of the cards inside:

The number of cards these boxes can hold varies with the thickness of card embellishments. I was able to house 9 of 15 cards and envelopes in it pretty easily. The whole set would make a lovely gift, but I think this one will stay with me. It just makes me smile. And when I run out of cards, I can find a gazillion uses for the box!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the Blossom Card Box. If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to leave them below!