I was inspired by handmade Valentines with all the sparkle and glitter that make the day so festive and fun to create this little box.
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| Tip: Adding a ribbon to the top or sides of the box is an option for creating a decorative hanger. |
The pattern “here” is a simple triangle box. Even though the two pieces appear to be the same size, the top is a bit larger so it will fit over the bottom portion of the box without binding. These were traced onto red cardstock and stamped with Love Song in Crimson Red VersaFine ink. After assembling the box parts, I marked on the back of each which was the top and bottom.
To create the box top, I rubbed Pearlescent Orange and Pearlescent Orchid Brilliance inks on white cardstock with sponge daubers. Before the next step, I quickly dried the inks with a heat tool. Love Grows was stamped over the blended inks with Crimson Red VersaFine ink. While the ink was wet, I sprinkled the stamped image with Judi Kins Sticky Stuff embossing powder, tapped off the excess and heated. (Hint: Be careful to not overheat and cure the powder.) After the powder had been heated to create a tacky surface, I sprinkled Ruby Red Microfine glitter on top and tapped off the excess. A light, fluffy paintbrush is helpful to remove any stubborn glitter than may be statically attached. Another quick flash of heat set the powder.
To create a template for the heart, I simply freehand cut around the stamped design and used the trimmed image to create three additional “die-cut” looking pieces. I traced two additional hearts onto a heavy-weight file folder (adds great stability to the project) and one onto red cardstock. This gave me perfectly matched cut outs even though I may have trimmed the first heart a bit asymmetrical. The two manila hearts were painted with Snow Cap Adirondack Acrylic Paint.
The scalloped edge was designed by punching ½” white cardstock circles and positioning them around the backside of the stamped heart. For illustration/photographic purposes, I used pink circles in this example which provided a better contrast against the white cardstock. I did a quick “dry run” with the circles to see if the fit worked around the shape. This gave me the opportunity to make any notes if some circles needed to be adjusted or overlapped slightly before adding the adhesive.
After the circles were positioned around the perimeter of the stamped heart, one of the white painted hearts was attached over top to cover the exposed edges. The same steps were used for the back of the box using the other white painted heart and the red cardstock heart for the back. To give the scallops extra sparkle, I painted them (both sides) with USArtQuest’s Duo Embellishing Adhesive and added Angel Dust Microfine glitter.
Next, the triangle box sections were glued to the corresponding artwork for the front and back. A small banner was cut from white cardstock and stamped with Je t'aime in Onyx Black VersaFine ink and heat embossed with clear powder. Before the banner was creased with a z-fold on each end and the ribbon inserted, it was sprayed with Frost Sheer Shimmer Spritz. It is hard to see in the photo, but this mist gives white cardstock an extremely elegant finish.
To help sort out the supplies from the instructions, I have included an “at-a-glance” summary below for a quick reference.
Have a wonderful day,
Elizabeth
Supply Summary
Penny Black: Love Grows 4121K, Love Song 4122K, J’aime Paris 30-065
Tsukineko: Pearlescent Orange Brilliance, Pearlescent Orchid Brilliance, Onyx Black VersaFine, Crimson Red VersaFine, Frost Sheer Shimmer Spritz, Sponge Daubers
Judi Kins: Sticky Stuff Embossing Powder
USArtQuest: Duo Embellishing Adhesive
Barbara Trombley’s Art Glitter: Angel Dust, Ruby Red
American Crafts: Boutique Rouge Ribbon (Sheer with Satin Edges)
Ranger: Snow Cap Adirondack Acrylic Paint