Monday, January 7, 2008

It Was My Husband's Idea...

...and it was AWESOME!! After I showed him the cute little Altoid's tin from this post, he said (and I quote)... "it would be neat to have one look like a little suitcase with pictures from your trip inside."

Well... you all know what can happen when an idea like that lands in the lap of someone who thrives on being creative!!

Here it is:

Isn't it just ADORABLE?! I am sorry to report that I used some retired products in the making of this masterpiece. This project literally screamed to use the paper is from Sentimental Journey in the 2006-2007 catalog and the ribbon is the old narrow Chocolate Chip grosgrain (now we have the wonderful WIDE Chocolate Chip grosgrain which works beautifully on cards, but would NOT have worked here!). I used the smallest little buckles in my Hodgepodge Hardware kit, and paired with that narrow ribbon, an old fashioned suitcase was born! The label here was printed on my computer onto some ivory paper and layered onto Bravo Burgundy cardstock punched with the Designer Label punch. I will confess that I got meticulous here and actually trimmed the ivory paper down by hand since there's not two sizes of that punch (not something I recommend!).

I stamped the back with an image from Carte Postale using Chocolate Chip ink, just to add some interest.

I even put brads on the bottom to mock the little metal "feet" that suitcases have. It stands up nice and straight on these little feet, as you saw in the above photos.

The edges were trimmed with the same narrow Chocolate Chip grosgrain, and I wrapped a strip of Chocolate Chip cardstock around the bottom edge.

On the inside, I printed a list of the ports of call we visited during our cruise and layered it onto some Bravo Burgundy which serves as the "lining" of the suitcase.

I made another accordian pull-out and added photos from that trip to the front and the back.


So there you have it... our husbands really CAN have great ideas, can't they?! I'm actually very lucky in that regard. In fact, I have plans to show you something my husband built for me recently... but it's not quite ready to be showcased yet. Soon, my friends, soon.

Lastly, I did mention earlier that I am working on different ideas for Altoids tins so that I can have a Stamp Camp for adults. Although the tin in this post is definitely adorable (if I'm allowed to say so myself!), it will not be the one we make in class... this is mainly due to the fact that I used retired products and don't have enough of it for everyone. I have a couple other tins I'll be showing you in the coming weeks though - tins that we can all make together. So use this one as inspiration... and stay tuned for more!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! What an adorable little suitcase!

I LOVE all of your work. The mailboxes from the other day were so feminine and perfect. A few months ago I cased your 3x3 viewfinder cards using Bitty Boos, for my daughter's Halloween party invites.

Your blog is in my top 10....I check in almost every day. Keep up the good work!

Jackie W. said...

He's a keeper! That's an awesome idea and you make it so cute! Love it! (but then again, I love everything you do!!)

Anonymous said...

I just LOVE your little suitcase! My husband and I are going on a trip next month for our silver wedding anniversary, and I'm going try to make on for us! Very clever!

Anonymous said...

Kudos to your husband for the idea -- and to you for such an adorable suitcase!

I'll be referring to this one a lot in the near future!

/p

Nancy Riley said...

Oh Michele! This is so very CUTE! Has your husband ever tried stamping? LOL! Sounds like the two of you make a GREAT team! Awesome project!

Bonnie Weiss said...

OK, that's one of the cutest projects I have seen in quite a while. It's kind of scarry when your husband starts to imagine things that can be altered! Put him to work in your craft room!!

Tami said...

Too too cute!! That is a very clever idea for any special trip!! TFS and way to go "hubby" (love when they get involved!!)

Diane Noble said...

This is phenom! I love this paper, I'm so glad I still have some!!! Such a precious idea for capturing those special pics!

Inking Alaska said...

Wow - love the idea - he is a keeper and again - your blog is great!

Marelle Taylor said...

Clever!!! This is just gorgeous, and VERY cute!

Meg said...

This is just the CAH-UTEST thing ever!! I saw it in the SCS gallery when I was looking for altered altoids tins and it completely inspired my project!! I love those little buckles!!

One question..how did you punch holes for the brads?

Thanks for the inspiration!!!