It’s Hybrid Thursday- Time to ReNEWit!
Happy Spring, Everyone! Tgmousechick Kim here bringing you April’s ReNEW It Hybrid Challenge!
This month our featured project is a mini keepsake box, using small packaging boxes. The inspiration came from my laboratory at work. We do a fair amount of histology work, and one of our reagents comes packaged in a small plastic box to prevent breakage. Before I came along, these boxes were thrown out, but now our Histotech just passes them on to me for craft projects. Thank you, Sarah!
For whatever reason, boxes are fun! For a child, there is no better toy on earth than a cardboard box- large ones can be home to great adventures, and little ones can hold a myriad of valuable treasures. One of the funniest moments of the movie WALL-E is when he finds a small velvet box when he’s cleaning. He tosses the diamond ring inside and keeps the box!
You may not have access to plastic boxes for Vectashield, but I imagine that you other types of boxes that can be converted to keepsake boxes: Altoid tins, cough drop boxes, baby food containers, and tea boxes are a few that come to mind. The conversion process is similar. The project I’ll demonstrate for you today converts one of my boxes into a holder for my daughter’s Webkinz codes!
So, without any ado, let’s walk you through the process…
1) Prepare your foundation
My boxes are black plastic. I used the Twice As Nice Collab kit, “So Totally Teen” by MickeyB Designs and Designs by Tater, and a black foundation is great for making those bold colors pop. However, if you have a printed box or it’s the wrong color, you have the option to change your foundation. You have a couple of options. You can either create a new foundation by covering with printed paper, or you can use acrylic paint. Apply as many layers as needed to create an opaque background.
2) Design your box panels
Since the measurements are specific to your box, take a few minutes and measure the dimensions of your box. Do you want your design to go to the edges of the box, or do you want a border? Write down your measurements (add a few millimeters to account for trimming space), then head into your software, open a new letter/A4 sized project, and create boxes to serve as your canvases. Use a clipping mask to snap your papers into place.
3) Print your panels and trim
4) Apply panels using adhesive or Mod Podge (allow to dry as needed). A final topcoat of MP is optional, but might be a good idea if you think your project might come in contact with moisture. (This is a second project- a Tooth Fairy box, using “Little Leonard” by MickeyB Designs)
5) Embellish with real-life goodies- ribbon, flowers, buttons, etc
That wasn’t too bad, was it?
With one cute hybrid project out of the way, here’s your BONUS recycling paper crafting idea!
Easter is this weekend, and while it is a significant Christian holiday, it also means chocolate season in my house. Easter chocolate might just be my favorite, since the lovely pastel foil wrapping always suckers me into buying way more candy than we need. So, I’m going to share a project idea with you, so you can at least make pretty things as you consume that chocolate.
Save your foil wrappers, grab a transparency sheet, and a can of spray adhesive.
If you want to do any printing on the transparency, do your printing before foiling it. On the wrong side of the transparency, apply a light coat of adhesive, and allow it to be come tacky. Then, take your foil wrappers and apply the colored side to the adhesive. You can add small pieces or large- it’s entirely up to you!
You will end up with a sheet with a stained glass look- it can be used for anything- mattes, frames, cut for embellishments, etc. I made simple blocks and used them to embellish this card using Britt-ish Design’s Bunny Foo Foo kit:
Since this is our monthly ReNEWit feature, Donna Sangwin from reCREATE.org and I have been chatting about packaging:
Hey all – Donna from reCREATE here. This ROCKin’ Hybrid project got me thinking about single-use packaging and excess packaging. By now you probably know I am a fan of reusable water bottles and shopping bags – they just make sense. What you probably don’t know is that I won’t let my kids talk me into buying juice boxes or drink pouches, or individual snack packs. Single use packaging is made from stuff that takes hundreds of years to break down, so our landfills are quickly becoming mountains of icky old chemicals. I don’t buy Ziploc bags anymore; they also just get tossed. It is easy to buy a big box of a snack and portion out a small amount into a reusable container. It uses a lot less waste.
The antithesis of single snack pack is a company called TerraCycle. This company is the model of eco-friendly. They describe themselves this way…
“The TerraCycle Story is a tale of ultimate Eco-Capitalism. The company’s flagship product, TerraCycle Plant Food™, is an all-natural, all-organic, ‘goof-proof’ liquid plant food made from waste (worm poop) and packaged in waste (reused soda bottles)!”
They are so successful that they have been named the “coolest little startup in America ”.
So the eco-tip of the month… Think twice before tossing. You just might be throwing a million dollar business away with your garbage… or at least a potential craft material!
And now, here’s a great project from my hybrid colleague, Jaime. She converted an old box that jewelry came in to a treasure box for seashells (using a newer kit by WM [squared] Designs, D Is For Dog):
So, your April ReNEWit Challenge is this- find a box and alter it! Once you are done, take a picture and post it in the Hybrid Gallery, and then link it to the April ReNEWit challenge thread in the ScrapMatters forums. Remember that you get one Matter of Scrap Challenge point for the completed project, and you can earn a bonus point if you use a new product from the ScrapMatters store (remember to mention that in your post- that’s critical to getting that bonus point). In addition, I’ll select one random winner at the end of the month, and that’s worth an additional Challenge point.
Here’s the rest of the fine print:
- ScrapMatters products are not required, but we always love it if you use them!
- The project you create for this Hybrid Challenge cannot be used for Matter of Scrap points for other challenges. One point per project.
I think that’s it! I’m looking forward to see what pops up in the gallery!
