Two posts, one day... it's madness!
My friends at Alpha Stamps sent me the most wonderful little box with wrap around lid to play with. It's very much like Graphic 45's Mixed Media 5x5 Box, only without the window and shrunken to fit in the palm of your hand.
I'm going to start a bit backwards here and show you the finished exterior. I covered the outside with Yesterday Papillon Scrapbook Paper*, added a few snippets from Thread Trading Card Cuties Collage Sheet and Sewing with Kitty Collage Sheet tied it together with some twine and an Ornate Metal Key. I finished it off with a Bronze Branch Connector on the little magnetic closure flap.
Here's the outside without all of the fuss. I distressed the heck out of it. I mean I REALLY distressed it... glue, paper, water, paint, ink, sandpaper. I love the way it looks but I really battered that little box and I'm not sure how much more it could take. They are sturdy little things, but if creating your own, I'd suggest a light hand on the creases and not going batcrap crazy with the water and sandpaper like I did.
Open up that grungy old box and here's what you'll find inside...
The papers on the interior are from the Sew Lovely 6x6 Paper Pad . Again, I distressed them. They totally remind me of the inside of an antique steamer trunk I have. Amid all this grunge and distressing is a beautiful little vignette of butterflies and flowers. An intimate, quiet moment that reflects the sentiment "Oh, the world wasn't so big... it was wonderful."
I like the surprise of something small and pretty beneath the dust and grime. It's like hope, or star-shine through the dark.
