Mother's Day 2011

Hello! Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers in blogland. I wanted to share the card I made for my Mom; I had hoped to post it earlier, but I finished up the gift box at the last minute today. Do any of you do things on the fly? I always seem to be running 2 steps behind....

The idea for this card came from the May/June issue of Paper Crafts Magazine; it was on page 72 and designed by Betsy Veldman. I just love her style...so beautifully shabby-chic! I do have to admit mine doesn't look a whole lot like hers, but my Mom loved it and that's what counts. I figured with the pink flower and bling, it was a sure bet! I did some sponging and used some dies and felt to make my embellishments.

Sentiment: Papertrey Ink Quilter's Sampler

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Palette Burnt Umber

Paper: PTI Lemon Tart, 7 Gypsies DP (double-sided)

Embellies: PTI Button, MAMBI Bling

Extras: Fiskars Border Punch, PTI Dressform Die and Felt (Raspbery Fizz, True Black), MFT Die-namics Rolled Rose Die and Felt (green), The Cat's Pajamas Cutup Die (leaf), Needle

I had bought my Mom some jewelry and decided to make a gift box to hold the card and the jewelry. I took a few photos and will give a brief description of the steps to make the box.

I like to make my box 1/8" bigger than the card. I wanted it to be 1 1/2" deep, so I added 3 1/8" to the dimensions of the card to make the base. The top is 1/16" larger. After cutting both pieces, I scored on all 8 sides with my Scor-Pal and then creased the score lines.

Next I snipped each corner to the center of the square of the scored lines, and then cut 1/2 of the square away. I used a tiny amount of glue to adhere the triangular portion to the inside of the box.

This photo shows the assembled box and embellished lid. I line the bottom of the box with Warm and Natural batting; cut the batting to fit and adhere with a bit of glue. I decided to make a compartment to hide the jewelry (top left), so I cut a piece 1/16" smaller than the base and added 3/4" for the sides. Score all 4 sides, fold, and this time cut out the entire square in the corner. I pierced a hole in the center and used some floss for a pull loop (the floss is knotted on the underside).

Here's the finished box with the extra layer. I made the extra layer so that I could include the jewelry in the box, while having the card lie flat. The top is embellished with some sponged DP, a monogram, a button and some bling.

Here's the finished box with the card...I have to say my Mom really liked the box! I have made quite a few of them and it really dresses up the presentation of the card. She liked the jewelry too; so much that she immediately put on all 3 pieces! I don't think the necklaces were designed to wear together, but they looked nice all the same.... I had bought some Monet earrings and a necklace a couple of months ago. I went back to the same store a couple of weeks ago and found another coordinating necklace...on clearance. It was $6.99; the original price was $48. I couldn't pass up that deal, so now she has options!

I hope you had a fabulous Mother's Day today and were able to spend time with your loved ones!

Angela