This project was at once fun and painful to do...... let me tell u my story......
It started when Linda wanted a special birthday gift for her niece (great aunt that she is!).... I racked my brains for something special I can do for a 4 year-old while trying to sleep at night (sure way to court insomnia!!!) The more I thought, the more excited I became and only fell asleep from sheer exhaustion at close to 4 am.....
Next morning, wrote a e-mail to Linda and spent the rest of the day at Flo's, to help her with the scrap-booking of her daughter's trip to India, for her school.... scrapbooking is really cool(such a teen word, can't believe I using it, but can't think of a better word right now!LOL!!)
Day1:After getting the go ahead from Linda that night, I worked on it for 3 hours.... measuring, cutting, pasting, modge-podge-ing so that it will be completely dry the next day.
Day2:Used Making Memories Acrylic paint;PLUM to paint the inside cover and bottom of the box twice, letting the first coat dry first, before applying the second coat. Leaving it to dry, I'm off to Spotlight to get a pretty box to package the gift and a glittery butterfly to embellish the box.....
PLAZA SINGAPURA:::: the place that empties the purse.....
First stop, third floor- Made With Love a.k.a. Local Scrapbooking Store. Lots of lovely stickers, scrapbking tools, papers.... I bought the Cutterpede mini (this is a need, no regrets so far... except that I realised after a while that the blade it comes with is REALLY blunt.... (whispers: I think they want u to spent more to buy new blades :(( ....) Bought 2 Versacraft(new) cube inkpad .... can be used on Fabric!
Second stop, fifth floor- Spotlight. Bought my butterflies (so ex.... $3 for 1.... sigh.... should have stock up some when 20% sale is on). Their boxes were not the right type.... may have to make one.... Saw some great looking pearl embellishments....... bought some..... Refused to look at papers..... mustn't l@@k!!....mustn't l@@k!.......mustn't l@@k!!.... got out without buying any papers..... good girl, ME!!
Third stop, fourth floor- Daiso a.k.a. Japan $2 store. Right at the front of the store, sits the beeeeu-ti-fuuul box for my music box! Grab! Grab! Browse in the store for another half hour.... picked up 2 more clear plastic boxes..... Finally outta there!
LAST stop, B2- Bought 2 boxes of Takoyaki balls.... best in Singapore, according to Adric Pang! Gulped down 2 of them before getting onto the MRT home... starving.... hadn't had breakfast nor lunch.... too broke!!! LOL!
Day2, part 2: Glued ribbons to the 2 edges of the box. Painted the wooden name tag , leave to dry before lightly sand-papering it.
DRAMA:It had been a long day..... that night I showed it (prettily papered and ribbon-ed) to DH and asked if he would buy something like it. DD (darling daughter) said "yes! It's so pretty". DH said " not even for a five (something like that!)"
OKKKKKieeee.... at this point I could let tears pool in my eyes as I turned my hurt gaze upon him... but he wasn't looking at me and it'll be all a waste of effort.... moreover I wasn't PMS-ing, so hard to get weepy at all!!
Boy! Ouch! Did that hurt? Yes. I quietly put the box away and went to bed.
Day 3: No heart to do anything in the morning..... but I promised to hand it over the next day..sigh! I took it out of the box, set it on the table and went about my daily chores.... stop, stared, think.... (wipe away a tear or two...... haha! no la!) whenever I walked past the table....
Time to get encouragement.... Prayed over this.... logged on to my Cricut forum... read all the encouraging replies to one of my past projects I've posted there some time ago..... Told myself I could do this and make something special.... brought out all my good stuff! That box was going to get all the works and more!!
Cut out the name on my Cricut and "shadowed" it; double layer with a shadow around it. Letters are tiny, so had to work extra carefully. Adhered the letters carefully onto the painted tag and use Plaid's Royal Coat Antique Decoupage to go over the tag to seal it and prevent the name from damage. Lovvv-ely! Mwa-ah!
Inside cover looked rather plain... hmmm. Out came my Versamark ink and cute clear Studio G flower stamps...... stamped a flower background. The great thing about this ink is that it is colour-less and takes on the color of the medium you stamp on. So I got a darker shade of plum-coloured flowers as background. After 2 hours... Uh-oh, it's not drying.... it does not dry easily on non-porous surfaces.... DIE!..... Ah-ha! Out came my fabulous Pebbles Pearlescent Colouring Chalk! Use a skinny paint brush to lightly brush over the stamped outline.... la-di-dahhhh! Wa-lah! Ze effect zis fabulo! Now ze zee z-it, now ze lon't! It's c--l! The flower background is obvious only at an angle when it is in direct light. Talk about making the most out of a mistake! Added on 2 small cream-coloured paper butterflies...... YUM!
Didn't look over-the-top yet! Glued on the cute pinky fibres I bought at Spotlight. Never used them before..... hee! hee! looks fluffy now.... feels sooo ticklish-ly-pink! Added, my all-the-way from Alaska, meadow-green SKITTLES to the bottom ribbon.... NIZE!
Almost done now..... flowers.... I promised Linda there would be flowers..... right on top...hmmm-hm! Now the shimmery butterfly.... looks LOVELY!! YES! IT DOES!
BUT! Too delicate for a 4 yo to appreciate, I thought.
Off I go again to PS to quickly grab this light-up-blinking butterfly embellishment I saw at MWL earlier but thought it was too ex.... now I just had to get it. Surely a 4 yo would be entranced by the blinking lights at a press of a button! ~~~~ZIP THERE! ZIP BACK! ~~~~
PAnt! PAnt! Off goes the shimmer butt.... on goes the blinking butt.... haahaa! PUUURR---FECTO!!
FINALLY DONE...... THEN HEARD DD said "looks too busy (I'm starting to hate that word!) leh, mom". UUUUGH! Nope! I DID NOT hear that!
Punched hole at the side of the cover of the box to attach the ribbon to go around the box... stamped "Happy Birthday" onto the clear plastic of the cover.... put everything into the box and smugly showed DH..... I NEVER learn, do I?!!! :<<
ME: What what do u think?
HIM: OK.... (ok? o-k! I wonder if u have to do time for strangling someone?hmmmm), but the metal punch in the box looks rather ugly (yes, zero in on the non-essentials....hurrmph!)
ME: nothing to say.... walked, head hanging, heart dragging on the haven't-swept-for-ages-bec-of-crafting dusty floor, out the room..
HE-EY!! Wait a minute! Yeah, he's a "tough customer", but bec of that, it pushes me to do good, to do it such that no one can find fault with the goods.... He a knuckle-head sometimes (said with good humor; mine.... ; >), but I should take criticism in good spirits and train my "hide".
So... line the box with my precious lace-pattered mulberry-like paper.... wrap up the "ugly" metal punch in another strip of lace paper.... sorry no photo.... at this point rather weary of it already.... Stuck in a free foam stamp I got with one of my purchases from US.... I'm sure Sharlene will have fun with that!
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Now work on the Coaster Booklet for Valerie; Linda's daughter...... the saga continues...... : )
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