Make Your Own Decorative Boxes

I have a post coming up soon entitled "Feathers In My Food." I think you'll want to see the creation I made. ;-)
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Many years ago when I was crafting every single day after coming home from my office, I decided I wanted some boxes covered in beautiful papers and fabrics. Understand now that I absolutely devoted most hours outside of work to crafting. I absolutely loved it. So today I thought I'd share how to make these kind of boxes below. I'll give you the dimensions and instructions. The rest is up to you. You can use fabric or paper; it's up to you. I've shown you two of ones I've made. The purple roses box is fabric, and the red and pink roses is that gorgeous paper I love so much from The Gifted Line by John Grossman.

They are approximately the same size. I'll give you the instructions and measurements but it's up to you to do the construction. These little boxes are more for show than actual storage boxes; although, I keep pencils in them or my sealing wax and Dyno Label Maker in the other one. But I wouldn't keep anything heavy in them. Again, just for show. ;-)

You'll need foam board. I used 3/8" so that I could "score"—meaning to go a bit of the way through the foam board without cutting all the way through so you can bend it. You'll need to bend it but keep it together. For my size box below, I cut a piece 16" long and 8 & 3/8" wide. I scored it at 6 & 1/2" from the one end and then 9 & 1/2" from the same side. Or in other words, I scored it 6 & 1/2" from each short side. I then bent it carefully as to not split it. Be very careful. Then I cut another piece of foam board 28 & 3/8" long and 2 & 1/2" wide. I scored that piece at 6" and at 7 & 3/4". Using glue to attach together the 2 ends of the LONG piece I scored.

You cover it with your paper or fabric before you start making it, just after cutting it out. Then you glue. I used a glue gun. You can use any glue you want that sticks though. After covering the large piece and the long piece, you glue it together. Then I hot glued a ribbon around it to secure it.

I've read this so much I'm not sure if it makes sense to you, but if you want to try this and it's not clear, email me and I'll help you all I can. It truly is easy.

These boxes are 6 & 1/2" front to back and 8 & 3/8" wide and 2 & 1/2" high or deep.

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I love this living room setting. Just the way the homeowner has everything arranged, very cozy.

A beautiful approach to a rustic door.

Okay, no privacy here at all. I'd feel like Sasquatch was always watching me.

Just simple eye candy for you.

Be still my beating heart. However, I would keep wondering when it is going to come crashing down on my head. Looks a bit heavy.

Smiling at ya!

I don't know whether this is a fabric or a painting but it's one of my favorite photos of roses.

Just a beautiful setting for you. Very peaceful.

Sweet vignette at a bistro.

An old Victorian in San Francisco, my favorite city in the whole world. I love shopping there.

Did you hear that the mailboxes in the hometown of an Olympic Gold Medal Winner in the UK gets its mail boxes painted gold? Usually the boxes are a bright red. But what a sweet idea to help the hometown men and women celebrate a hometown victory. Bless their hearts for doing this for them!

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Your Body Talks to You; Listen to It!

I've updated my tutorial on the new blogger interface here. This one is about blogger wanting you to upgrade for more storage space and telling you that some photos and/or posts will be deleted because you're using too much space. You really need to read this tutorial. Go to the bottom of the tutorial for a bit of advice on what other options you have.
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Okay, let's talk doctors here.

For the last couple of months, I've had a problem. (No need to know the exact problem, just that it's a health issue.) I take an assertive—and I mean assertive, not aggressive since assertive sounds so much nicer, but then again I can get aggressive in my health care. :-)

Anyway, for 2+ months there has been this problem. I've talked to several doctor's offices trying to get someone to listen. To no avail. Plus it's summer and vacations with kids, so that factors into the equation. I couldn't get in to see anyone, not the surgeons I usually deal with and several others I've been trying to get an appointment with also. No one would/could schedule me for at least 3 to 4 weeks out. I was in pain. I don't think they understood the urgency of it or the pain I was feeling. When I tell you something, you'd better listen because I'm pretty accurate in what my body is feeling. Finally, I got in with my GP because of a cancellation and she told me the problem. Not anything I was expecting or even knew about. Serious and painful to say the least. I had some pain killers left over from my foot surgery over a year ago but I didn't want to take pain killers. Finally, my hubs said, 'Take them. They're there and you're in pain.' So I have been taking them. I don't like doing it but it's how I can get through some days now. I'll be seeing a doctor, whose specialty this is, next week. I just hope he listens and understands that while I don't have a medical degree, I definitely know this body better than he does. What I'm telling you is don't let the doctors tell you it couldn't be that serious. Listen to your own body and demand—as much as you can demand—they take you seriously. It's your body and it talks to you. Be assertive and don't think doctors are gods. I don't and I'm glad I don't. BTW, I love my doctor! She's fantastic.
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Oh, and to update you on the new toilet—it's working wonderfully. I love it. If you're a new reader to this blog, you might want to read about the toilet here. It's humorous. ;-)
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Pretty pink doors.

This is a cake. Can you believe it? Astonishing.

A cottage I thought you’d like seeing.

Quaint stone wall and window in a cottage.

These three strong colors just grabbed me when I saw them: aqua, fuchsia and pink. That color of pink on the door is one I’d consider for my front door when we repaint it.

Sweet garden and patio to while away an afternoon. I’m wondering how they got those arched windows to stand up.

Roses in a cute bucket.

Cute table setting for a girl’s luncheon.

This has to be a shop of some kind. Just too cute to be in a home all by itself.

Yes, these are lamps—hanging lamps. I think they are exquisite. The one on the left looks like a jellyfish. These would be so easy to make if you had the right hanging lamp to start with and fabric and ribbon.

These are also lamps. Beautiful.

I think this one is just gorgeous. It would make your room look golden when it was turned on.

A lush garden area to dream in or dream about.

I don’t think this is a cottage someone lives in since it looks so small, but it is a cute building I wanted to show you. Then again, maybe it is someone’s home.

Pretty eye-catching area in a home.

Could be a table setting for your next party. ;-)

I’ve seen these small trailers in a magazine lately while visiting my doctor’s office. They’re very small but catching on for people who travel to hike. I think you can only sleep in it. Sounds like a lot of money just to sleep in.

Cute way to display roses, whether real or faux.

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