Hello Friends!
It is time once again to invite you to the Design DIVAS Oldies But Goodies Blog Hop! If you arrived here from Dru Cabral's blog, you are in the right place! If you would like to start at the beginning of the hop, please go to Cindy Pec's blog.
I have a project to share with you that was challenging but a hoot to do! This "Barn" was a gift to a very dear friend who pastures some horses at our place. It is an exploding album box! Most of you are probably already aware of this box, but I want to share with all who might like to try it! I apologize for the less than clear pics. I have no clue why these are different from other pics I have taken...lol! My inspiration for the barn came from this video. I started with a 12 x 12 inch sheet of weathered wood cardstock from DCWV's Textures stack. The cardstock is scored a
t four inches on all sides. I then cut the outside corners away leaving a + sign figure. There are two inner layers cut a quarter of an inch smaller respectively in coordinating patterns and colors. I cut the lid 7 1/8" x 7 1/8" from coordinating cardstock. The lid is scored at 1 1/2 inches on all sides. The corners are cut to make tabs for the box lid. This video will show you how to configure the basic box and lid. Once the base was cut, sponged and assembled, the REAL fun started! My biggest challenge was to make the barn roof and loft. After numerous measures and cuts, I finally came up with a template I liked. I used silver cardstock for the roof. I ran the piece through the crimper to give it more of the look of our barn. I also sponged the paper with some Tim Holtz Frayed Burlap and Orange Marmalade ink to give some places the look of rust. I added a weather vane and the "rivets" for some dimension. I adhered the roof at the sides of the lid leaving extra length that I could score a half i
nch from the bottom. In the "loft", I added some frayed grass rope (used to hold hay bales), cutout critters and other "lofty" items. The hinges on the lid were cut from the Fabulous Finds Cricut cartridge at 1 inch. I added the mini brads as screws. The cut outs on this project were cut from numerous cartridges. If you are interested, I will try to put a list together for you. On the front of the box, I cut a door frame free hand and added doors that attach underneath the frame. The mini brads are used again for screws and door knobs. The opened doors reveal the birthday sentiment. Other embellishments include a 
mailbox, bluebird, and flowers that are also tiny brads. The fence is hand cut and adhered over the focal images. The little crochet flowers you see were done by my Mom. (She rocks!) All corners and edges 
were sponged with Frayed Burlap ink. Inside the box, you see a round gift box in the center. This was a fun foam cut outs container. The gift is inside the box as well as some cut out saddles. More crochet flowers are used to anchor the box a little more and add some interest. I was able to place twenty photos in this album. I added pertinent little 
decorations to the pics. More photos could have been added with swing tabs and pockets, I'm sure. It took many hours to choose, coordinate, cut, edit, adhere, sponge and embellish this project, but it was worth all the time and effort! This personalized gift was great fun to make and my friend was thrilled!Be sure to try one of these exploding box albums! The basic box is super simple and you can let your creativity flow with the focal points and embellishments. It would be a super project for a grandparent where the kids choose the photos. The box lid can be completed by adding a pretty bow or flower. So go for it!
Thank you so much for stopping by today! Hope you enjoyed your visit and you will come back soon! Visit when you have time to explore the labeled posts. If you find some inspiration, please leave me a comment and a link to your creation!
Your next stop on the hop is Linda Payne's blog. There are always wonders to be seen on her blog!
Be good to yourself; and, as always, I wish you....
Blessings,
Vicki
