3x3 Craft Challenge: Square Box, Door Knockers & Deluxe Collector's Editions

Hello, G45ers!

  We have a fantastic blog for you today, our inspiring 3x3 Craft Challenge!  Each month the Graphic 45 family will select three featured items and then three designers will be asked to use them in three different ways. This month's items are:  Square Box, Door Knockers, and a Deluxe Collector’s Edition

This month's featured Brand Ambassadorsare, Elena Olinevich, Sandy Trefger, and Einat Kessler.  Einat uses a black box and our Little Darlings DCE to showcase how fun it is to build a mini album inside the box.  Sandy created her sewing box with our Secret Garden which is great as a home decor piece as well as a functional way to stay organized.  Last but not least Elena, shares with us a show-stopping Botanical Tea box great for any tea lover.  So let's just right in!

Mini Album in a Box

3x3 Craft Challenge 

By Einat Kessler

“Hi dear crafty friends!

Einat here with the craft basket challenge! I love creating projects for this challenge. It makes my creative juices flow!
 

For this challenge, I created an accordion mini album nested inside a 5x5 box. I used the amazing Little Darlings paper collection.

The most fun part of this mini album is that it can be connected to the lid of the box so when you open it you open the mini album as well. It can also be removed from the lid for easier looking.

The pages of the mini album are filled with interactive moving parts that increase the space for photos and journaling.

Check out How to Create an Accordion in a Box Mini Album by Einat Kessler on Snapguide.

How to Create an Accordion in a Box Mini Album

Tip #1: When creating an insert or an interactive mechanism combine a few mechanisms together. For example create a mini accordion insert and add a little pocket in the front. That will take your mini album to the next level!

Tip #2: Use different paper pieces for the inside and outside of the box to make it more fun and interesting!” ~Einat

Graphic 45 Supplies:

• Little Darlings - Deluxe Collector's Edition
• Staples - Mixed Media 5x5 Box
• Staples - Antique Brass Metal Door Knockers (currently out of stock) 

Sewing Box

3x3 Craft Challenge

By Sandy Trefger

"I love the monthly 3x3 Craft Challenge with Graphic 45 and this month it was my turn to participate.  Three Graphic 45 Brand Ambassadors are given three different Graphic 45 products to create a project. This time it was the 5x5 Mixed Media Box, the Lion Head Knocker, and any Deluxe Collector’s Edition.  Since Spring is on it’s way for many of us and because I love to sew when I have the time, I was inspired to create a little Sewing Box to store small spools of thread and other items. But this is not just any sewing box--it has a mini album inside too!

The Graphic 45 Mixed Media Boxes are wonderful for projects.  You can quickly pattern and decorate them for a finished project in no time at all.  And because they come with six photo mats you can create something fun to add into the box.  For my sewing box, I cut cardstock hinges and attached each of the photo mats together to make a mini album.  I then added a magnet to the back of the album and to the inside of the box lid to store it in the lid of the box leaving the bottom area for storage.  

Tip:  It’s easy to create divider sections for your box.  Cut chipboard to fit, wrap with pretty Graphic 45 paper and then cut slits on each piece from the bottom center to lock the two pieces together.

Graphic 45 Supplies:

• 5x5 Mixed Media Box, Black
• Staple, Antique Brass Door Knocker (Lion) (back in stock soon)
• Secret Garden - Deluxe Collector’s Edition

Other Supplies:

• Black Chipboard
• Black Cardstock
• Black Ribbon
• Black Velvet Ric-Rac Ribbon
• Black Button Twine
• Purple Button Twine
• Black Vintage Dress Buttons
• Pearl Heart Button
• Pearl Head Quilt Pins
• Assorted Silk Flowers
• Clear Glitter Pen
• Large Magnet Snaps
• Wood Feet (4)
• Black Paint

By adding a magnet to the back of the album and one to the inside lid of the box before patterning with decorative paper, you can easily remove the album from the box to add your photos or journaling notes.

Tip:  To attach the photo mats  that come in the Mixed Media Box together, cut 1” strips of cardstock (or cut one of the mats into 1” strips) score the 1” side at ½”, fold and burnish to create hinges.  Glue a ½” section of the hinge to one mat and then the other ½” section to another mat and repeat until all are attached together. Create a magnetic closure piece out of decorative paper and stickers by gluing the piece to the back of the album, folding and wrapping to the front.  You will need to add a magnet to the front of your album and to the back of the closure piece before adding the decorative papers or stickers.

You could also find (or make) a small pincushion to tuck into one of the dividers of your sewing box.  I have not found one yet but will be looking for a vintage one.

Tip:  Don’t be afraid to use black ribbons and trim on a project to make the colors and patterns pop.

If you like to sew, I hope you’ll create your own sewing box like this one.  And if you don’t sew, it would make a lovely jewelry box too. Happy Crafting! ~ Sandy Trefger

Botanical Tea Box

By Elena Olinevich

3x3 Craft Challenge

“There are 2 main groups in the world - those who like only coffee, and those who are tea lovers. Well, I am a tea lover, so I like to give a box of high-quality tea box or something where they can hold their tea accessories.

I am so happy that Graphic45 released the DCE - Botanical Tea collection again, it has been one of my favourite for a long time. So it was a good chance to create a new box using this collection.

So I took Staples - Deep Square Matchbook box and decorated it with some paper embellishments only, that I fussy cut out of the papers

To stretch my embellishments more on the box cover, I put the acetate piece that covered the square window. It’s quite easy to do, and you can even create a shaker window, if you are interested you can check one of my shaker box I created recently here.

I also added a few metal trinkets and sprinkled the beads over them

I decided to work on the edges of my box too, and decorated it with the die cuts and the metal door knocker.” ~Elena

Graphic 45 Supplies:

• Botanical Tea -Deluxe Collector's Edition
• Staples - Deep Square Matchbook Box
• Staples - Antique Brass Metal Door Knockers
   

Other Supplies:

• May Arts Ribbon

Weekly Blog Contest

 Just leave a comment here on the blog, Instagram, and/or  Facebook to be entered to win! This week’s prize package includes a Midnight Masquerade 12x12 Patterns & Solids Paper Pad, an 8x8 Paper Pad, Die-Cut Tags & Pockets, Chipboard, Ephemera Cards, and Ivory Square Tags, a $58 value.  The winner will be announced on the blog, Friday, April 13th, 2018.

Thank you for joining us for this fun-filled Craft Challenge.  We hope you are feeling up to the challenge and want to try this at home.  Big hugs of gratitude to Einat, Sandy, and Elena for sharing this beautiful projects.  We look forward to seeing you all back here tomorrow for a Card Folio.  Until then... 
 

Happy Papercrafting!