Welcome! It's the first Monday of September and it's time for a new Designer Crafts Connection Bloghop. This month's theme is "Preserving Memories"... a scrapbooking blohop... with a bonus challenge of utilizing items found around the house. I love making mini albums with all sorts of fun recycled items such as flip flops, paper bags, empty ribbon/tape spools and with today's project... food packaging!
I don't have to look far for finding something to create with – there is usually plenty of interesting things to use for crafting in my recycling bin... or in my pantry and refrigerator! Do recognize this empty box? This is the packaging that comes full of tasty wedgies of Laughing Cow cheese. I never let these babies hit the recycling bin. They are a perfect for housing a mini album -or- decorated up to present a gift card. I gently peel off the package labeling from the box to give me a blank slate to work with.
I've also recycled a chipboard box from cookies and also a corrugated shipping envelope that I've cut into circles to make pages for my mini album.
I gave a distressed, white-washed beachy feel to the outside of the box and both sides of the pages with an acrylic/gesso mix and also some spray mists.
I also need some matching ribbons/fibers! I distressed some sheer organza ribbon and white cheesecloth with distress stains and spray mists.
Now to assemble my mini book - this will be accordion style. Using double-sided sheet adhesive cut to fit the pages, I sandwiched the ribbon and cheesecloth between the pages – adding some double-sided tape to the top of the ribbon to lock them in place when I adhere the top page.
Between the pages, I added some knotted natural green dyed raffia.
Nothing goes to waste with me - I used a recycled envelope to decorate the base of my box. I distressed/painted in the same fashion as the pages and adhered using double-stick adhesive sheets. I'm normally a glue-stick girl, but after all the painting and distressing, the double-sided adhesive makes assembly quick and easy.
I included some vintage beach stamp images using brown dye ink onto creme cardstock primed with the same acrylic/gesso base as everything else. I tore each image out and distressed edges with chalk inks to complete the vintage weathered feel.
I layered onto the corrogated pages a section of distressed cheesecloth and one image adhered with tacky glue. The backside of each page gives me space to add some of my vacation photos from Jamaica last fall.
I added some antique gold dewdrop ink to the inside of the box and layered a stamp collage image to the base. The gold ink worked nicely blending the hard edge of the envelope and white box with the corrugated border around the sides... WOW this is so lovely!
Now for some finishing touches: a resin cast sand dollar colored with spray mists and antique gold ink; a recycled dry cleaning tag; section of cheesecloth; raffia stands; and some real mini seashells to complete the scene.
The accordion style book nicely folds into a stack to nestle into the box... i's all grungy and weathered, and looks like it's just washed ashore!
From Cheesy to Beachy Chic...
This cheese box has been transformed completely – one would never guess what it was when I began. Keep a lookout in your pantry, the fridge and your recycling bin for amazing and interesting things to upcycle into something beautiful and useful for memory keeping!
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