Monthly Archives: November 2009

Good morning!  Are you stuffed?  Will your pants button?  I am and I wore elastic waist!

I was so tickled a few weeks ago when I received an email from my friend Taylor, asking me to take part in her Taylored Expressions Black Friday Blog Hop!  Taylor and I were on the Splitcoaststampers Dirty Dozen Design Team together and we haven’t worked together since.  It’s so hard to believe that was almost three years ago.

Taylor’s challenge to a long list of us (shown later in the post) was to take her Perfect Package Card Box and alter it either to hold a set of cards or use it to wrap a holiday gift we’ll be giving this season.  Here’s what Taylor sent us . . .

and because I’m not one to really follow the rules (when I read them) I stepped outside the box on this one.  I actually turned the Perfect Package Card Box into a gift.  You know how I like little boxes!

The first thing I need to tell you, is if you decide to paint this card box, make sure you apply a coat of gesso before you start.  I didn’t and painted all the edges with Distress Crackle Paint, let it sit overnight to dry and the next morning it all flaked off.  That’s when I learned you must first apply a coat of gesso.  The Graphic 45 paper was cut to size and adhered to the box using Claudine Helmuth’s multi-medium.  The keep the crackle paint from flaking anymore, I and after I sponged some Vintage Photo ink along the edges, I applied a light coat of the multi-medium over the entire box. 

Now for me, this next step was the fun part!  Here’s a close-up of the top of the box.

I die cut/embossed Spellbinders™  Peony Nesties and the leaves from Flower Creations Three.  I shaped each piece as I wanted and then dipped them into UTEE that had been melted in my Melting Pot.  Starting with the larger bottom piece of the Peony and building up, after they were dipped in the UTEE I held them up to drain a little and then layered them as they came from the Melting Pot.  This way, when the UTEE dried it acted as my glue.  I had every intention of doing a video of this part and having it uploaded here today, but time just did not permit.  I will have it done over the weekend however and post it separately. 

The scrolls are chipboard that I dipped in melted beeswax and when cooled covered with different colors of Perfect Pearls.   Way too much fun and the flowers actually look like they might be porcelain.  I’m sure there is already a name for this technique but in the meantime, let’s call it Faux Porcelain.  If you know the actual name of the technique please let me know!

I finished off the inside with more Graphic 45 paper and black felt.  For the legs on the bottom I found an old necklace with four of the same size wood beads and painted them black.  They were adhered to the bottom with Matte Accents.  I remembered I had purchased a few keyholes at the Flea Market a few years back, went digging for them, and fastened it to the front with brads.

• Paper:  Graphic 45 Fashionista Collection; Core’dinations Scarlet; Prism Herbal Garden Dark
• Ink:  Ranger Vintage Photo Distress
• Accessories:  Spellbinders™ S4-109 Flower Creations 3 and S4-193 Peony Nesties; Maya Road Scroll Corners Chipboard; Ranger Melting Pot, White Beeswax, Claudine Helmuth Studio multi-medium matte, Pitch Black Acrylic Paint Dabber, Copper Gold and Green Patina Perfect Pearls, Matte Accents, Fired Brick Distress Crackle Paint; Gesso; Keyhole and Brads; Wood Beads; Black Felt

Now that you’ve seen my project, it’s time to send you along to the other designers in today’s Black Friday Blog Hop:

Alex Maldonado: http://fairyblossoms.typepad.com/
Amy Rohl: http://inkaboutme.blogspot.com/
Beate Johns: http://beate.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
Bev Gerard: http://savorthejourney.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
Charmaine Ikach: http://oodabugalley.blogspot.com/
Cindy Haffner: http://cindyhaffnerscorner.blogspot.com/
Debbie Olson: http://debbiedesigns.typepad.com/
Donna Baker: http://www.serenityinstamping.com/
Jami Sibley: http://jami.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
Jen del Muro: http://iheart2stamp.com/
Jen Tapler: http://jentapler.blogspot.com/
Jenn Balcer: http://jbalcer.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
Jennifer Buck: http://thebuckstampshere.blogspot.com/
Jessica Diedrich: http://thewhimsicalbutterfly.blogspot.com/
Joan Ervin: http://stampingwithapassion.blogspot.com/
Joanne Basile: http://www.stampedbyhand.blogspot.com/
Linda Duke: http://www.lindaduke.typepad.com/
Lori Craig: http://loricraig.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
Rose Anne Reynolds: http://paperdelightz.blogspot.com/
Sankari Wegman: http://sunnysankari.blogspot.com/
Sharon Harnist: http://paperfections.typepad.com/
Sherry Cheever: http://sherrycheever.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
Taylor VanBruggen: http://www.tayloredexpressions.blogspot.com/

In honor of Black Friday and Cyber Monday (the two biggest shopping days of the year!), Taylored Expressions is offering 15% off everything in the store! Just use the promotional code TEBlackFriday upon checkout to receive the discount. You don’t want to miss up to 50% off all JustRite products, Buy 2 Get 1 Free on Tiny Twinkles, and the new TE Shirts & Aprons!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fabulous day!  Oh and I have to tell you . . . my girls liked this box so much that Katie wanted this one (I don’t know if I can part with it) and Mallory wants one that’s brighter.  It looks like I’ll be shopping for a few more of these!