Card in a Box - French feminine and Shabby Chic

So on Facebook's Card-Making group I see lots of people posting their card-in-a-box pictures with various themes and styles, and I thought 'well it looks fun, but too much work!'  so it never occurred to me to spend time on it.

But as the days gone by and people are still uploading their projects.  My defenseless brain waves started sending messages telling me to work on it, so I searched on Youtube and found many nice videos showing how to make it.  And this is one of them, with subtitles on the specifications of the card size and scoring measurements.

Serenestamper   http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7XHN5WG2hOQ



(It breaks my webpage a little bit but at least people can see it better.)



But since my Silhouette Cameo has spoilt me so much and done many cuttings from very intricate doily designs to simple squares, a handmade box is nearly impossible to make by hand.  So I searched 'Card in a Box' on Silhouette and found many with the basic box card design plus different themes. I picked a random one and started cutting the box and assembling it.  Then I used the good old Kaisercraft "Bonjour" 6.5*6.5 paper pad, hand-cutting out some elements and started assembling them. I also got the same Kaisercraft "Bonjour" stamps and used them with some distressing.

Other elements (the harp, the front and side panels) are from this patterened paper: FABSCRAPS-Marie Antoinette Collection.

Here it is, the final product. Not too bad an attempt. :-)

Some elements are actually coated. Also see below for the fold-up look.

The sentiment Aimer La Vie is stamped and distressed.

That's all. Basically selecting style and appropriate elements takes the majority of time. But other than that the box itself is fairly easy to make. Cheers!

Distressing a Feminine Greeting Card Using a Nail File

First of all, I have to say...  I'm officially sick of staying at hotels or serviced apartments. 

I have, since moving out of my old house, stayed at a hotel followed by a serviced apartment for more than three weeks.  And it's really not good for my health. It's all about eating too much, meaningless window shopping, being claustrophobic in the room and the the constant need to get out for some fresh air. (but still have to return to the small space)  And the bloody white sheets, how can they make them so bleachy white?!   And don't get me started with intro every time I turn the TV on.  I just can't wait to move into our new home on Feb. 10, which is 10 days away.  YES! Just 10 days!  Maybe I should make an advent calendar to remind myself of it, and tear off every day, one by one.  Or should I make a mini album to record all this. But why should I record this when I'm NOT enjoying it all?  

So, while I still retain some senses, I made a card using what I had at hand this morning.  Still no distressing or embossing tools.  But fortunately I used the free background inserts in this magazine to do some trimming and cutting.  As my article subject says, I've used a nail file to trim up the edges a little bit to make it look scuffled. But not too much. 

And it just happens that the latest challenge on Simon Says Wednesday Challenge is anything that goes with twines or strings, 

ANYTHING GOES WITH TWINE OR STRING

so I came up with this card

  

How does it looks?  Here's the close-up.

 I hope the soft and feminine tones appeal to some judges. But then again they probably have seen thousands of more beautiful and creative projects.  I'm happy to join anyway to keep my mojo coming.  Happy stamping!

Soft and Feminine Birthday Card

I probably say this too much, but the friends I met here are such an important part of my happy Singapore life. I can't say enough of the thanks and gratitude toward them.  And therefore I made this card for a friend, who's married to a Japanese husband (I can't imagine how exhausting it is to be the wife to a Japanese), has two young kids and have to work full time.  I wish all the best for her for the days to come.

This card is, except for the embellishments and card base, is made only from one same 6 by 6 inch paper pad from Kaisercraft.  I chose this layout also for this challenge:


Fusion Card Challenge
http://fusioncardchallenge.blogspot.sg/2014/01/fusion-2.html

And I love the beautiful shine on both panels. I also line some pearls on the sentiment.  See below