Busy Bee

Today I have been quite busy. Nate is out of town for work, so I had some time to craft, craft, craft! I made about 100 wedding favor tags for my friend Karen out of Shrinky Dinks today! Luckily, I made the basic template a few days ago, so all I had to do was...

print...

cut...

shrink...

and seal!

That's all!

After all of that, I still had some energy left. I decided to make a Wedding Invitation Shadow Box for my friend Sandra, who, coincidentally, is getting married the same day as Karen so I cannot attend. :(

A few days ago, I found a tutorial on how to make a bagalope...so I did!

I sealed a white greeting card envelope, stamped a design on both sides, made the necessary folds, added ribbon handles, and finally added little pearl accents with puff paint. Since I had all of the supplies on hand, this was a VERY inexpensive way to make creative gift wrap. It's the perfect size for a gift card!

What have you been up to? :)

Shadow Boxes!

One of my favorite things to do is to make gifts. A really neat and inexpensive idea for a gift is to make a shadow box for a wedding invitation. I just use the invitation that was sent to me. I usually make them for brides-to-be and give them at their bridal shower (Yes, Cynthia, you will be getting one of these...Surprise!). Here are a few examples:

Flowers and Tulle

This box has tulle with silk flowers and pearls scattered on it.

Simple Elegance

You can't see it in this picture, but the back ground is a textured piece of scrap book paper. This is an easy way to add visual interest while keeping things simple. There are pearls scattered around the silk flowers.

Calla Lilies and Pearls

It's hard to see the embellishments, but there are little pearls all over this calla lily box.

Black and White Rhinestone

All the little dots you see are sparkly little rhinestones.

Flowers and Pearls

There is a back ground of tulle in this box.

Each box cost about $15 to make (includes the frame and embellishments). To make one of these, just get a shadow box, 8 x 10 is usually a good size, and a piece of scrapbook paper or card stock for the background. Make sure the paper you choose is compatible with the theme of the invitation. Then, you need embellishments. You can use things you have around the house, like leftover ribbon or scrap booking materials, or you can buy a few things. The clearance section of your local craft store is a great place to look. Silk flowers and beads are a great way to decorate these. Then, just glue it all together, put it into the frame, and Voila!