Pages in the box : 2014

The BOX....

A Glorious GARDEN of Nature

Sometimes when I decide to create something SPECIAL...

I plan the whole thing out in my mind...

Piece by piece...

As I did this...

Except this was going to be a book...

not a BOX...

Things always happen the way they are suppose to happen.

I felt that the book would not be sturdy enough... so I thought about it ... and changed it over to a box... with each section coming out... one by one...

Each one it's own character, feelings and letter in the word NATURE....

Oh perfect...

I am so very glad that I did make that decision... as this is much more Friendly usable ... and there will be a lot of people handling it... and looking at it.. so I really wanted it to hold up to even KIDS... WOW... am I nuts or what...

Anyway... here are the pictures as the box progressed...

I made the box from cardboard/chipboards... I doubled them for strength... and then covered them in Black cardstock.. for the color and also more strength...

Then I had fun...

Oh WHAT FUN I DID HAVE...

I wanted you to be able to see the sections prior to the pages being added... so these are the sections with the letters added onto each section... These are the letters from Tim Holtz's collection of STUFF...

Long story short... My sweet Daughter in Law went up to the Adirondacks and she carried this huge armload of bark back for me... as she knew I would have fun with it...

I really didn't know what I was going to use it for...

and to be honest... I was in no hurry... as it is special to me in many ways... so when I thought about turning the book into a box...

VOILA'

THE BARK

came into my mind...

WOW... what a special box this is too..

Thanks Casey for the bark...

I love it... and to be on this project which I really love it just makes it that more precious to me...

So the box was covered.. there were some areas where the bard just didn't cover the box... and I could have added more bark... but I added some mosses...

OH... I am so in love with the way that this is coming out...

Each layer looked better and better.... adding more moss too..

and a chunk of bark that was in the moss too... LOL.. never pass up good texture ever...

And the top of the box...

WOW...

I just love it...

I couldn't do anything to it for a day...

I let it sit and I studied it...

Doing a few other things..

Like trying to clean up the studio a little so that I had a space to play... LOL.. it was totally trashed...

And I had done it ALL...

I loved it...

and it was all about NATURE

I love the way that the box looked with the sections all in place too...

BUT....

it wasn't quite finished...

For those who know me...

they know I LOVE FLOWERS...

My favorite thing to make...

I think I have taught over 300 gals how to make flowers over the years...

I LOVE FLOWERS...

So I think I need some flowers..

Now you might think that this is made up...

but this in the honest truth...

I was thinking of Kathy Clement...

as I had just gotten an e-mail from her...

and I was thinking about CRAFT HOARDERS ANONYMOUS...

and all the flowers that I have hoarder...

and I was going to make MORE????

YIKES...

I had colored the paper...

and it was DRYING...

Taking way too long.. but wanted it to be the right wetness to make these SPECIAL flowers...

Okay... let me see how many flowers I have that I can't use on here... then I will feel better about making these...

Well I will not tell you how many I made...

but I will show you what I did...

I found some old flowers that I had never put together... and I put them all together... as above ... with beads in the center of the flowers...... I then put the flowers all together to form a little plant of flowers... it will be great for the side of the box...

but I also found about 12 of these flowers... all different colors... made from different classes over the past 5-6 years... what can I use them ON???

Well maybe this box...!!!

So.. I took them over to my painting area... and spritzed them with a little of this and that... and this is what I came up with...

These yummie flowers...

I love them all... one is prettier than the next...

but they are mainly pinks and purples... and this is FALL???

Oh yes... out at the end of the driveway... across the street there are pink and pickled raspberry colored and purple morning glories... they are beautiful...

in the spring... they are blue and whites..

but in the fall...

Pinks, purples and magentas... or better known to us as

PICKLED RASPBERRY...

Did I tell you I LOVE that color... I do..

Well they were sopping wet... and I had to let them dry... so I played a little bit...

I added this little guy...

I really wanted to add a lizard, as we have them all over the place... and yet I didn't have one the color I wanted ...

so I settled with this little guy... and he is honored to be here...

THEN I STARTED TO PLAY...

and this is what happened... I will save the words...

Look and see...

You will understand her better, after you see all the sections...

She is very important in the whole box...

Some paper beads were added too..

and a gold acorn

Little flowers were peeking out all over the box... I loved this whole look and it made me very happy to see the way it came out...

It was me... the book would not have been ME that I wanted to share...

I did add a few paper leaves.. but also wanted to make some other kinds of leaves for this box...

I also used some of the coffee filters that we recycle from our Co-op and made some small flowers and also some larger ones...

All the flowers were made with Tattered floral die cut of Tim Holtz's... love that thing... it has really done double time and is still ticking...

Oh .... I added a golden dragonfly too... so very special... love my dragonflies too..

Then I didn't have and wanted some pod like things... how can I make them...

So I grabbed a bunch of stamen... and some wire and floral tape... and made some bunches of stamen...

Then I used embossing pad and embossed them with vintage photo and then kept them hot and dipped them into a chocolate brown GLITTER... oh wow.... they POPPED...

Love them...

Added them into places that they would be noticed...

But I needed the leaves and wanted to make they by felting... I haven't done that much felting... but love it... so I have to tell you that I only had white wool... and so I had to pull a quickie and dye some with color wash by Ranger...

To start felting you lay some of the roving one direction

And then cross it over with another layer... easy enough...

Then you use this tool.. which is very dangerous... those are sharp needles that don't even think twice when they go thru your finger... not kidding... and it smarts like no tomorrow... I know.. .

you put the wool roving on a piece of thick foam... and start to punch the needles up and down.. and will create a piece of felted wool...

after much pouncing and then I cut out a leaf shape..

Wools I dyed using color wash by ranger...

And I added a little bit of color to the leaves..

I have to tell you that I really wasn't impressed with these leaves... at all.. the color wasn't what I had visualized at all.. but hey...

it is the art of doing things at times... that is the only way to learn...

So I kept on trying...

before being felted with the needles..

and after...

maybe I like some of them... but not all of them..

I made a few leaves.. and picked out the ones I liked best... and started to add them to the box...

can you see the leaf... it is above the flower...

very soft leaves.. and that is what I wanted... so I guess a few of them were okay... dont' you LOVE the color of that flower?????

Yikes... it makes my heart do flip flops...

three leaves added to the area with the face... and some acorns too... they started to appear when my hubby came in... he loves to help with gathering things like that for me...