The Ultimate Upcycled Boxes

The Ultimate Upcycled Boxes – Last year  All-star designers created projects with  Sizzix dies designed by Brenda Pinnick, Eileen Hull and Karen Burniston. Each designer posted a project on their own blog using that week’s featured die. You’ll be able to hop around and view all the creations by using the back and forward button on the sizzix logo on our blogs. The Hop went for seven weeks, with a different die being featured every Thursday. To see a list of all the designers participating in the hop, click here.

This wonderful Beauty Blooms Die, designed by Brenda Pinnick   is one of the best layered flower dies I have worked with. I received some die cuts in white, so I immediately knew I wanted to add some sort of color and stamps to my flower pieces.

I decided to use recycled pet treat boxes, which I always seem to have plenty of, and make the Ultimate Upcycled Boxes, an inspiring gift box based on the twelve days of christmas carol. This year, my family has decided to go the way of the white elephant (gift exchange) and give gifts low in monetary value but high in meaning and entertainment. These boxes will be perfect to jazz up what I plan to give them. And they are so fun to create!

Instructions for The Ultimate Upcycled Boxes:

I started by taking the box apart carefully at the glued seams and laying flat on the work surface.

Since I love creating little windows and peeks, I used a Coluzzle knife to cut a rectangular shaped window from the front of my box, which I had already covered with patterned paper.

Needing a backing for the window, I used a recycled cereal box to cut the appropriate measurements and covered that with a patterned paper as well. To create dimension, I placed sticky foam dots, layered one on top of each other, in the corners. This will be placed behind the box front.

I used wool felt from National Nonwovens to cut a four using my Big Shot Machine and my Serif Essentials Numbers die set.

Since the theme of this gift box is “four calling birds,” I used Sizzix’s Bird in Cage die cut to cut four red wool felt birds. I glued these to the box using Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue.

I did trim the tails of the birds slightly and machine stitched in place using a loose free form pattern.

I used Staz on Jacquards Pearl Ex Pigment Stamp Pad in Black and  a scrip stamp fromHampton Arts to stamp text on the flowers.

I then used color washes made from acrylic paints to slighly add color to the flower petals.

The fun continues when you add color blocks for embellishing and color washes over the patterned papers to create depth and texture.

I used tiny alphabet stamps and black ink to stamp the sentiments in the color circles and to create a tag for the box. I also should add that I covered the entire box by measuring and cutting patterned paper pieces to fit. Adding papers to the inside of the box is a good idea as well. It makes the box extra sturdy and adds a little finished touch in case you want to display the box after removing the contents.

I layered the flower and added a jeweled brad for extra sparkle.Once you have finished embellishing your art box, re-assemble with strong adhesive tape, using the original seams. You may want to also dry brush the edges of the boxes to mask any original color that peeks through.

For the “partridge in a pear tree” box, I used Sizzix Bird with wing die and free hand cut a plum from the wool felt.

The addition of a scalloped cardstock top, dry brushed with acrylic paint, add a wood handle attached with wire completes these little fun mixed media creations.

No one would guess you started with throw away cardboard boxes! The Ultimate Upcycled Boxes