Quick & Easy Gift Idea

This was a 15-minute project that looks like so much more. The little notebook measures 4-1/2 by 6-1/4. It was a Target "find" the last time I was in Grand Forks, and I'm kind of kicking myself that I didn't pick up a half dozen or so. It was in the stationary aisle, and while I don't recall what it cost, I'm relatively certain it was under $3. The black strip along the side is nice looking and feeling fabric, which coordinates perfect with the Silhouettes paper. The paper adhered to the front measures 3-3/8 by 6-3/16. Because the notebook is a nice craft color that also coordinates with the paper, I didn't cover the back. Had I decided to do so, I would have had to have worked around the rivets that hold the black elastic cording that keep the book closed. I used Yes! paste (a good subject for an upcoming Friday Favorites) to glue my paper to the cover. Adorning my book are a 3-1/2 inch white flower from the Just Blooms Big Pinks collection. The center is comprised of a stamped flower and small Circle Window Charm backed with the polka-dot paper from the Silhouettes packet. I both "ironed" the large paper flower and curled the petals of the stamped flower with my thumb nail - a very handy "tool" for manipulating paper. Because I wanted all of the flower elements to stay stuck, I made large "glue dots" with Adhesive Sheets cut with 1-inch (for the big flower) and 1/2-inch circle punches. My flower and its center pieces are not going to come off.

Materials & Tools: Notebook from Target, Silhouettes paper packet, Yes! glue, Just Blooms Big Pinks collection, Bamboo cardstock, Black and Bamboo ink pads, Joy Forever stamp set, Circle Window Charms, 1/2 and 1-inch paper punches, Adhesive Sheets.

A Long Time in the Making . . .

I usually wait until I'm done with a project before posting it. However, this one has been such a long time in the making, I'll post it in it's unfinished state. I received a Comfort Candle last Christmas, and this is the box it came in. The original packaging included some pretty ribbon and a small floral spray tied to the lid - beautiful packaging for a lovely candle. Sturdy with an almost suede look, the box was a keeper, and right away, I knew I wanted to do something with it, using either the Vintage Travel or Simple Pleasures papers. I ended up opting for Vintage Travel.

There are a variety of things I could have done. I could have torn the paper and done something a little more random . . . and probably, artsy. Instead I opted for a patchwork design, leaving space between each of my paper pieces to show a bit of the original box. Early on into the project, I realized that butting the papers up against one another would have been the easier way to go. As it was, my ruler got a lot of use. Measuring to a 1/16th of an inch was often required, and there was the fact,too, that the box was not perfectly straight. I was reminded of my wallpapering days when I took for granted (at first, anyway) that every wall was straight. Most of the paper pieces were distressed with Bamboo ink. The only paper in the packet that I didn't use was my favorite, the colorful stamp paper. Instead, I cut a few stamps out and added them when the box was done to add little splashes of color here and there. As I look at the photo, I'm thinking I may add a band of the stamp paper around the outside of the lid. I'll cut a strip and see how it looks.

I have not finished the inside of the box yet but plan to do so with some cut-to-fit, sanded cardstock. I would also like to add some type of knob to the lid - something antiquey looking, maybe metal or perhaps wood that's painted and sanded.


While most use Modge Podge for paper crafting projects, I use Yes! paste. The jar describes it as an "All Purpose Stik Flat Glue." That's a good description, as I've never experienced wrinkled or buckled paper. It's said to be a favorite amongst bookmakers, and I've used it successfully for those projects as well. What it doesn't work for (permanently, anyway) is covering metal boxes. For those projects, I've had more long-term success with my Xyron. I've had my jar for at least a couple of years and will probably have it for another year or so. I purchased it from scrapbooking-warehouse.com, which at $8.68 still has the best price I've found.

I have yet to decide what I'm going to do with my box. I may just find something special to put inside and give it back to the person who gave me the candle last year. There's the possibility, too, that I might find the perfect place for it and keep it. I've got to finish it first!

Clipboard Revisited

Last weekend, I posted a paper coaster clipboard for the idea factor. I'd found some cute ones on another blog and wanted to put something together quick before I forgot about them. The alligator clips I had on hand were smaller than this one, and as my coasters were only 3-1/2 by 3-1/2 inches square instead of the 4-inch ones used by the original poster, I wanted to come up with a way of making my clipboard larger without purchasing additional coasters (until I do something with the stack I have on hand). Did you know that if you adhere five cardstock shapes on top of each other, you have a piece as sturdy as chipboard? And, that's what I used to revamp my clipboard. I cut five 4-inch squares of Chocolate cardstock, rounded the corners with my corner rounder and glued them together. As I was gluing them together, I realized that if I wanted to save a little $$, I could have used less expensive white cardstock that I buy in bulk for the middle layers. Next time. I think the clipboard is cute and would make a nice "tuck-in" for a card or gift basket. Add a magnetic strip to the back, and you can hang it on the refrigerator or the side of a file cabinet.

Altered Tea Tin

Here's an altered tin, one of six tea tins I ordered from Specialty Bottle Supply. It's covered with paper from the very pretty Life's Delights paper packet. The tins are 6 inches tall and 2-1/2 inches in diameter. The ribbon is the 3/8-inch natural twill from the Ribbon Rounds White Daisy Collection. I stamped on the ribbon with Chocolate ink. The stamp is from the Happy Birthday set. The cover is decorated with a 2-1/2 inch Chocolate scalloped circle I cut with my Cricut and circles cut from Sweet Leaf and Colonial White using Coluzzle templates. I was going to get rid of my Coluzzle cutting system but thought again while working on this project. The stamps I used on the lid are from the Playful Petals set. As an afterthought, I added a 3/4-inch band of scalloped Chocolate cardstock to the bottom of the tin. To finish it off, I was going to hang some type of charm from the knot but just couldn't come up with the "right" thing. Currently, my tin is empty, but when the time comes, I'll find something to fill it with candy, tea, a half-dozen or so small, homemade cookies, or something of the like. The contents will depend on the recipient. The lid has a nice plastic insert inside that makes it airtight. Later!

No, this was not on my list . . .

OK, so I'm easily sidetracked. It happens when straightening up the craft area is on the "to do" list. I've had a half dozen empty one-quart paint cans sitting on the shelf for a long time waiting to be altered. As the cans and the November Stamp of the Month, "Snow Friends," were in close proximity of one another, I felt compelled to do something with them. The can is covered with paper from the retiring Deck the Halls paper packet. To attach the paper to the can, I used the Xyron, but I think a tape runner or any double-sided tape would do the job, too. Once the can was covered, it was just to add a piece of Cranberry grosgrain ribbon and the stamped image that I'd colored with markers and jazzed up a bit with a little Prisma Glitter. It was a quick and easy project, the kind I have time for at holiday time. The container would make a nice presentation for homemade candy, a drink mix, bath salts, etc.

Trash To Treasure

This started out as a four-pack of Starbucks Frappuccino (AKA highly addictive iced coffee beverage). When it was gone (within a couple of hours), I decided that it would be fun to "alter"/cover the carton and that I could come up with something to put or possibly store in the bottles. The paper and Stickease are from CTMH's Abundance collection. Only because of the handle did I have to take the carton apart to make a template. The rest of it was easy. There were a lot of decorating options, too, with the stickers proving to be fast and again, easy. I covered the logo on the caps with cardstock cut with a 1-11/16 inch circle cutter and last but not least, filled the bottles with Hershey's caramel kisses, Hershey's miniatures, and a couple different flavors of Nips. Marv asked me what I did with the leftover candy to which I replied, "I ate it." Oh well. Anyway, a fun little project.