Boxing Up a Blue Christmas



Hey People!!  It is another exciting ride with the E-Team today!!  The Team was challenged to alter one of T!m Holtz's configuration boxes.  OH MY!  These are like a never ending puzzle!!  So many different possibilities!!  Of course, all these different possibilities mean that you will not want to miss what the other
E-Team members came up with!!  AND to add to the 'liciousness (that is a word, I'm sure!) of this hop,  you will want to leave ONE comment on each blog within the NEXT 48 HOURS (starting at 8am EST today) as Daisy will choose 2 winners from all blog comments by random draw for a Configuration box of your choice, plus lots of paper crafting goodies to enjoy with it.   The winners will be posted on the eclecticPaperie blog on Dec. 3!

Broni Holcombe

Linda Duke

Linda Ledbetter

Micki Harper

Sherry Cheever
And ME!

I absolutely love Christmas!! Even with all the added stress I put myself under, it is about the only holiday I go all out for as far as decorating.  I have different themes for each room.  The TV/family room is done in primary colors with Nutcrackers being the focal point.  My formal room is done in cobalt blue and white with my small collection of white/Silver (or cobalt blue) Santas as  the focal point.  My project today was inspired by a white and silver Nutcracker I found and the "Winter Wonderland" I try to create with my formal decorations of white/silver and bright blue. 

Now of course, this looks NOTHING like the idea I had in my head!!  But as I started creating, things just kept taking a different turn than I had planned.  I started by painting the 6.75 x 8.75" configuration box and the largest cube the brilliant blue.  I then used a crackle medium on the main box.  Once dry, I went over it with some spring white acrylic paint that had been thinned with some glaze. 

While the box and cube were drying, I cut off the top of a Styrofoam cone and wrapped the Lavish Trimmings around it.  A combination of Glossy Accents and straight pins held it in place until it dried. Just a note:  if one was to get involved in another project and walk off and leave the straight pins too long in the Glossy Accents, one just might have to twist and wiggle the straight pins loose from the dried Accents.  Just sayin'.  It would seem that I did not take into consideration any tree topper I might have wished to add to this when I cut the cone.  Soooo.  I  just cut off a couple of the ribbon flowers and glued them on top of each other for my "topper".  The garland was found in the "mini" ornament section of Michael's. 

The large cube was wrapped with the Symphony Tissue tape.  I used Spellbinders Create a Flake One and cut the second largest flake from some Pure Luxury  card stock and from a piece of scrap aluminum metal. I layered the two dies and topped with an Accoutrements Classic Button.  I used some Glossy Accents in the center and sprinkled some ultrafine Canadian Blue Art Glitter over the wet Accents.  I tucked in a French Horn ornament and  some Christmas picks, including a couple of Maya Road crystal trinket stars that were originally suppose to be my tree topper!  The stamped music sheet was a discarded scrap from Darcie's Cardinal Ornament that didn't make the cut on my previous project.  I covered the stamped image with Distress Rock Candy stickles. I used Glossy Accents along the edge and sprinkled with SU's chunky white glitter.  

More Spellbinder snowflakes were cut out of scrap metal.  For the larger die used, one must carefully remove the image from the metal and the "arms" are finely detailed and want to stick!!  While the metal was still in the die, I used a paper stump to emboss the details.  The flakes were adhered to the back of the box with Tombow Metal Liquid Glue.  

 The final touch was to paint another of the cubes the same shade of blue and wrap along the top and sides with the Snowflake Tidings Tissue tape.  I painted Distress Crackle paint over the cube and tissue.  I then used my Cuttlebug "Olivia" alphabet dies to cut out the letters from Claudine Hellmuth's Sticky Back Canvas, with the tape liner being the "front".  I removed the liner, exposing the sticky and covered the letters with SU's fine silver glitter.  I then used the still wet crackle paint as my glue.  I topped off the cube with another snowflake made of Pure Luxury cardstock.  I used my Glue Pad to apply a sticky layer and more SU fine silver glitter to the alternating layers. 

After 10 attempts to get a decent picture of the snowflake on top or a focused picture period, I admit defeat.  This will give you a general idea. 

Supplies:  Tim Holtz configuration box, idea-ology products, Claudine Hellmuth canvas, Ranger signature products all found at ecleticPaperie. 

I think these configuration boxes have soooo many fun possibilities!!  I'm already thinking of some other "themes" that I just might have to explore!!

Thanks for dropping by again today!!  I hope you ejoyed this ride with the E-Team!! Till next time.....

REMEMBER TO TAKE TIME TO EXPLORE SOME TYPE OF CREATIVITY IN YOUR DAY!