Mothers Day Gift Box

Hello there, I hope everyone is well today. Thanks so much for the great comments left for my St Patrick's card, I just saw that I won a Top 3 at Inky Impressions with that card, which makes me doubly happy cos it was the first card I've put in a challenge for some months. I mentioned that I felt 'off my stroke' with my colouring on it because I felt I could have done it better. You know what it's like when things don't turn out quite as you'd expected! It wasn't a bad colouring, just wasn't what I'd pictured when I started out. But why do we have to get three quarters of the way through a colouring before we realise it isn't gonna work out as planned? I don't have enough energy to be a perfectionist anymore so I never scrap an image, he hee.

Anyway, as it was Mothers Day last Sunday, I made this little gift box - it's just big enough to hold 6 little wrapped chocolates.

It's a recycled project because I made it from one of those box blanks that chemist's use to put blister packs of tablets in - I just ripped off the label and decided to use it in crafting as it was in mint condition. Here is the 'before' photo with the papers that eventually were attached to all the sides:

I used some Papercellar paper and cut rectangles to fit on all 6 sides of the box. Then I aged them with distress inks in Tattered Rose and Weathered Wood, and handstitched around all the edges.

Only the top of the box is decorated....I used some rose ribbon in white, and I quite liked the lacy fabric that the ribbon was attached to so I didn't cut that off and instead let it overhang the edge of the top side. Then I took a rigid epoxy sticker bearing the word 'Mother' that I found lying forgotten in a box, and tried to age it a little. I didn't have any ink pads with the sort of ink that would dry on smooth surfaces, so I took a copic marker and used that instead to add a faint bit of ink around the edges. Then I used a darker copic marker to colour a silvery metal flower and added this in the centre. The flower had lost it's original gem centre, so glued a pearl bead in the flower centre. A Tim Holtz adage ticket saying 'Love', a sequin heart with some co-ordinating ribbon, some pearls from a spray and some liquid pearls finish it off.

It was an easier project in one way because there was no colouring involved (although I did still manage to use my Copics, he hee) but in another way it was harder as it took a great deal of time to handstitch all the papers and decide on a layout. I'm happy with it though and it's nice to spend time on special projects.  It was hard to photograph, so here's one final shot of the box:

The card that accompanied the box is my May project for Sundays With Crissy, so I can't show it to you yet (wink!).

I'm entering this box in these challenges:

Bunny Zoe's Crafts - Shabby Chic/Vintage

Craft Your Passion - Just Sentiments

Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes

Glitter Geeks - Mothers Day

Lollipop Crafts - Sentimentally Yours

Moving Along With The Times - Special Lady

Papertake Weekly - Bingo (Gems - Free - Lace)

Sentimental Sundays - Metal (the flower in the middle)

Squirrel & Fox - Love

Top Tip Tuesday - Mothers Day

Till next time, keep smiling!