Pearly Pink Valentine Heart Box Tutorial

It's time for a little tutorial using some wonderful Tonic Studios products. Create this decorated heart gift box and make someones day with this special little trinket box made with love...

First you will need a little paper mache box to decorate, just like this one, plus a sheet of smooth white card for painting and die cutting. (A little suggestion -  when choosing your papier mache box, always pick one with as loose a lid as you can find to allow for the thickness of your paint and paper.)

Tonic Studios Supplies...

• Nuvo Acrylic Paints in white and metallic pearl white
• Nuvo embellishment mousses in peony pink, lilac lavender, cornflower blue and aquamarine.
• Tonic Funky Glue
• Nuvo Glimmer paste in Moonstone
• Nuvo Crystal Drops in Wisteria purple
• Paper for lining your box. I used some 12x 12 Tonic paper I had (Romantic Cottage paper pack)
• Essentials Die Set - someone special
• Verso - First Crush Die set. 

INSTRUCTIONS

Prime your box with one coat of white acrylic paint .
Once dry, mix metallic white pearl acrylic paint with the embellishment mousses and paint your box and sheet of white card alternating the colours to create a variegated pearly effect. Use mostly pink with splodges of the other colours. Once dry, smooth  some glimmer paste with your finger all over the sheet of card which you will use to die cut your embellishments.

When totally dry, diecut your embellishments and glue to the box.

To line your box draw around the base of the box and then draw a line around 2mm insidewhich will be your cutting line to allow for the thickness of the box sides. Cut two strips to fit neatly in the sides. You can either repeat this for inside the lid, or paint inside the lid as you prefer. 

Decorate the edges of your lid with Nuvo Crystal Drops. 

I also glued some of the little hearts from the die cut onto the lid of the box. 

Now all you need to do is find a suitable little gift to go inside the box. Or better still...make one! 

There are other lovely heart dies from Tonic Studios that would work just as well for this project. Why not check out the full range on their website. 

Hope this gives you some ideas.
Have fun.

A Touch of Tartan

This is the last of the MDF units which I decorated for one of the most recent shows on Create and Craft TV. This is Tonic Studios Lyon unit, and I decided to go a bit patriotic on this one. OK, so there is more than a touch of tartan here. I had quite a job finding tartan papers, but I think it was worth it in the end. This little unit would be perfect for a gentleman's accessories. (Or for Bay City Roller fan memorabilia!)

The drawers were just begging to be lined in clashing tartans.

Time for my next project now....I'm going to be playing with paper clay.

Don't forget to check out the rest of my blog.

Have a lovely day
Bye for now.

Scented sachet idea - no sew - With Tonic Studios new Affections dies

There's a lovely new range coming to Create and Craft TV on Friday at noon. (For those in the UK )
It's Tonic Studios Affections die range - and they are just so pretty.

I've used just one of their heart dies in one of the sets to cut into two sides of their Pillow box die. I backed these with different coloured organza, and then filled them with Provence lavender, made a little loop and tied a bow and  - voila - the easiest scented sachets I've ever made.

Have a love - ly day

Doda
xxx

Goodmorning

Hello there. I never got around to showing you all the other jewellery boxes I made the other week.

As usual, it's been pretty busy around here.

As you can see, I had a lot of fun making pretty jewellery with shrink plastic with this range of dies and punches.

You can find out more details on Blog Tonic.
I also made a plaque for a dear friend who is having a baby very soon.

Today, I am whizzing around - or I will be shortly, getting the place ready for my little 8 year old daughter's birthday party. How the time flies! I'd better get busy, there is much to do! BTW, she was very impressed with the pop up butterflies inside her birthday card!

Have a lovely day

Doda
xxxx

A touch of decoupage

Would you believe this started life as a red metal tray with a snowflake pattern?
After a bit of a sand, two coats of metal primer, and three coats of base colour, some Mod Podge, laser printouts of shells that I got from the Graphics Fairy, and patterned paper cut with the fabulous new dotty lace punch and matching intrica die set from Tonic. Followed by about 3 coats of Mod Podge to seal it.

OK, so it was time consuming, but I am pleased with the result and it should last for a good while...and aren't the new dies and punches so pretty!

Lots more crafts to come...watch this space.

Have a great day. Hope the sun is shining for you !

Doda
x

Busy, busy, busy

(I'll give you the template for this box soon...)

It's been a very, very busy time here for the last couple of weeks. We've had more viewers to see our house than at any other time so far. More viewers coming on Saturday....we just need one buyer though! Almost had one, but it didn't work out for them.

It's tricky trying to fit in tidying everything up for viewers and making a mess in my craftroom...and boy...do I make a mess when I get going in there!

These are some of my latest makes with Tonic's newly released dies. As you can see...they're great for those special birthdays and gift giving.

I especially enjoyed making this hand bound album. Every time I make books I realise I have forgotten just how much pleasure it gives me. I'll need to make another one of these some time.

I even made a tissue box slip cover, but thankfully we are all 99% better now in the Smith household, so not needing the tissues any more.

Hope the British weather improves ...especially for all those poor people who have been flooded. So sorry for you.

Take care

Doda
x

Happy Thanksgiving

Hi, hope you are having a lovely day today.
I'm just dropping by to show you some of the cards I have made recently with Tonic Studios latest dies. These dies are gorgeous! So intricate.

I had a lot of fun making these cards with them.

I'm loving the whole papercut vibe. A little bit Rob Ryan - whose stuff I LOVE!

And now I am trying out some more new dies and creating some new projects with them. But I can't show you just yet...Top Secret!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends.

xxx

Autumn Light

I love the morning light this time of year. The sky is ominous and purple grey and the sun kisses the tops of the golden and copper trees. This morning there was also a rainbow. Beautiful!  I snapped this shot with my mobile phone through my little girl's bedroom window while I was helping her get ready for school this morning.

Not had too much time for crafting this week, but a few cards have been made...

As always...made with the aid of Tonic Studios gorgeous craft tools. For more details on cards and for more papercrafting inspiration do check out Blog Tonic

Hope you are staying warm wherever you are.
XX

Cake O'Clock

We went for a lovely walk by the seashore on Saturday. The weather was unbelievably mild for October - it's back to it's usual cold and wet now though. The sea is so therapeutic! I always wish I could stay there all day.

I can show you this card now that my lovely niece has received it. If you would like the details on what products I used, please pop over to my post on Blog Tonic.

Hope you are keeping warm and well, and having a fabulous day !
Bye for now !

Tick, Tock ! A paper Clock !

Something a little different from me this time - all made with Tonic Studio's gorgeous dies.

The wonderful thing about Tonics dies is you get a perfect cut every time. I only used one type of card for this whole project. White hammered finish card.

If you would like a few more details on how I made this clock, please pop over to my post on Blog Tonic.

I've been wanting to make a paper clock for ages, and now that I have, my head is ticking full of lots of other clock ideas!  But you know what they say... time flies when you're having fun.

Butterflies and Blooms

 Life has been fairly hectic this week, but I have managed to squeeze in a little time to play with Tonic Studios latest release. The gorgeous Butterflies and blooms dies.

 I love the way you can layer these dies for a 3d effect.

My little daughter is home sick from school today, so I have just stuck a movie on the tv and now I am off to make something else. I have until the movie finishes. I better get busy !

Finished my latest order...

Score,   fold,   print,  punch,  stick,  punch,  stick,  punch,stick...

  print insert,  fold,  measure,   punch,   punch,   punch,   punch...

measure ribbon,   thread through, tie - do the whole thing again 80 times.

All ready to post off to the Bride now.

Phew!