Box of Cards

As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I get a monthly magazine that has business tips and card creations to help support and inspire me. I like this; it helps when I'm lacking creativity. This month's cover art is of a box that holds 4" x 4" cards. I downloaded the instructions and this is what I came up with.

I used Palette of Prints designer paper in Rose Red for the box. Love how springy those little white flowers look! The container takes only a few minutes to assemble. Making the cards that go inside was a bigger challenge, as I wanted to expand on the flower theme using the white rub-ons I have left over. These really force me outside my comfort zone because I'm not secure in working with them, but the large flower on the front is from the set and it stuck where it was supposed to and not where it wasn't, so I was emboldened and pressed on (no pun intended!).




These four all use the color scheme of Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, and the Rose Red dp. The white complements these well. There are black ones in the set as well, but I don't think those work as well with these colors and the predominant white of the dp.

The first card came together rather quickly, as the little flower rub-ons looked just like those on the dp, and the sentiment "you are a breath of fresh air" also makes me think of spring! But the other three, they took longer. The rub-ons in the corners of the second card coordinate with the Beautiful Thing stamp set, so the same image--just a little larger--is stamped to create a background. The words I wanted to use didn't want to stick to the stamped flower at first, and this perplexed me! I think the ink just wasn't thoroughly dry yet, even though it felt so to the touch. The second attempt was successful.

The third card was interesting, as, at first,I really struggled with how to use these corner what I call "sunshine circles". Remember as a kid when you'd draw a scene, you'd draw the sun in the upper left hand corner? This is what these reminded me of, and I was stressing about how to incorporate them (my politically correct way of saying I was trying to get rid of them!). I persisted though, and I'm really pretty pleased with this one. I added the saying from Beautiful Thing to complete the look.

The last card is adorned with two long strips of rub-ons to create a wallpaper-like border on the top and bottom of the card. I went with white as a base for this last one, as I wanted variety in the set. Those little "photo corners" were the perfect little touch of the dp to highlight the sentiment without taking away from the pretty strips of rub-ons. It may be hard to read, but this one says "The Sweetest Thing". I hear that a lot in the South--"it was 'the sweetest thing'" or "you're 'the sweetest thing'". I think the phrase is lacking by just saying "THE", but they didn't ask me. Again, I just wanted to put these things to use so I could make room for other stuff in my craft room.

I think I may add a ribbon around this box to hold the cards inside. The dp isn't as thick as card stock, and the box is a tad fragile. Who will be the recipient of these? I'm not sure. They don't have matching envelopes because we don't sell this size, so they'd have to be tucked in a briefcase or a lunchbox or with a gift. This was a good exercise for me, though.

ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NOTE: A few days ago I posted the card I made for the family of 3-month-old Joshua, who is in the hospital because his body can't regulate its blood sugar. He has been transferred to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where there is a team of doctors who specialize in treating children with hyperinsulinism. Here's a link you can follow to read more about Joshua's condition and how it's being treated. There's also an address there for the Ronald McDonald House where they'll be staying for the next 3 weeks. If you'd like to encourage them with a card, please feel free! Just mention that you heard about their situation from my blog, so they know how you found out about them.