Create x3

Finishing Your Altered Tin {Part 4}

So, did you get your pages done for your tin?  How is it all coming along?  Today I am going to show you how to secure your pages in the tin and finish your gift.

Once your pages are completely decorated, lightly tie a ribbon around the entire "stack."  As you can see, I placed my ribbon in the space I left in between the flowers and the title.

Next, turn over the "stack" and cover the back page with heavy-duty tape. I love using Scor-Tape.  This stuff sticks!

Then remove the covering from the tape, and carefully place your pages in your tin.  Be super careful though. Once you put the "stack" in with Scor-Tape, you won't be able to reposition it if you mess up.  Here is what mine looks like once the pages are in my mother's tin. 

Now, one thing I should have done was paint the entire tin.  The bottom is covered in a piece of Dewfrost paper with a sentiment to my mother.  However, I thought my band of ribbon around the edges of the tin would cover all of the silver but it does not.  So, I should have painted it all.  Oh well, not much of it shows, and it mostly shows when opened.  Mom won't even notice I am sure.  Just something for me to tell you and for me to keep in mind next time I make one.  I have painted entire tins before but this time I was trying to see what happened if I didn't.  And here is the rest of the finished tin.

Papers:  Memory Box Dewfrost, Memory Box robin's egg cardstock
Stamp Ink:  SU close to cocoa
Paint:  Shimmerz coffee, Making Memories shopping bag
Embellishments: Rose Moka brown alphabet stickers, Deluxe Designs chipboard, May Arts ribbon, Prima flowers, misc. buttons, Create Café felt flowers, Making Memories staples

I hope you have enjoyed this entire tutorial.  I would love to see what you create.  Feel free to leave links to your completed tins here in this comment section, and happy crafting!

Pages for your Altered Tin {Part 3}

So, did you get your tin made this weekend?  How does it look?  Well, today we will create the pages that will go inside of your tin.  These pages can be used for photos, quotes, scripture verses, or a mixture of everything.  Make these pages something that the receiver will enjoy!

To begin, I cut two 3 1/2" x 11" strips of Memory Box Robin's Egg blue cardstock.  It matches the Dewfrost papers so beautifully!  Then I scored each strip every 2" alternating my peaks and valleys.  You can see them both pictured below.

Next I determined that I would need eight spaces for photos and one space for the "cover."  So, I would need nine sections total.  One strip did not have enough sections, so I had to piece it together with the second strip.  In the picture below, you can see the two pieces that I will adhere together.

I used my Scor-Tape to piece the sections together. Once I did that, you can barely see where this section has been pieced.  I have added an arrow in the picture below to show you where the sections are pieced together.  You can piece together as many sections as you need or want, just keep in mind that once decorated and folded, it can get a bit bulky so you need to make sure your tin will still close.

Next, I wanted to round the corners of my pages.  So, I folded my pages together in one nice "stack," and then I used my Round-it-All to round all four corners.  It cut through all of the papers just beautifully.  Now, if you are not rounding your corners, you may need to make your papers just a bit smaller so that they will fit in the tin.  You can make one piece out of scrap paper to get the size that will work for you best.

I then inked all of my edges but I did not take a picture of that. You will see it in another photo below however.  Next, I printed out some of the pictures I would use.  When making small albums like this, I usually print my pictures in Microsoft Word.  It makes it easy to insert a picture, crop and resize, change the pictures to grayscale, and print them all out on one sheet of photo paper.

You may notice a few duplicate photos.  I did that because some photos I lightened and some I did not.  I wasn't sure which picture I would like best once they were printed so this works best for me to duplicate it on the same sheet.

Now you can begin decorating each section as you wish.  On my "cover" page, you can see I left a space between the flowers and the title "The Grands."  That is because we are going to tie all of this together with a ribbon that will be attached to the tin.  I will show you how to put it all together in our next post.  So for now, just keep in mind that there will be a ribbon covering part of your first "page."

So, have fun creating your pages and decorating them.  Sometimes I think this part takes the longest; however, it is one of the most rewarding steps because you start to see it all come together!  In my next and last post for this tutorial, we will finish our tin!  I hope you are enjoying this!

Altered Tin {Part 2}

So, did you begin altering your tin?  What Memory Box paper pack are you using?  Oooh, I can't wait to see lots of links to the tins you have created!  So fun!  Today we will finish altering our tin.  The next post, we will create our pages for the inside of the tin.

To begin, I decided to paint some Shimmerz over the other paint I already had on my tin. I wanted to give it a bit of an aged and sparkly look.  I also painted a piece of chipboard that is going to go on the top of my tin for decoration.  Notice how I used the Shimmerz coffee on both the tin and the chipboard but look at how different they turned out in color.  When it is all put together, it will be just what I am looking for.
Next I adhered the paper piece we created last time to the front of my tin.  If you missed the first post of this series, look here.  First, I put a thin layer of Mod Podge on my tin and on the back of my paper.  Next, I place the paper on top of the tin, and I use my brayer to make sure the paper sticks well to the tin.


I then added some letter stickers to the tin and put two thin coats of Mod Podge on top to seal the letters and paper.  I also added Mod Podge to the chipboard piece to seal it also.

Next, I tied piece of ribbon to my chipboard and then adhered that to my tin.  Here is the finished "top" of my tin.
I also went ahead and cut two pieces of Dewfrost paper (2 1/4" x 3 1/2"), rounded the corners, and inked the edges.  These two pieces will be used on the inside "cover" of the tin and the back/bottom of the tin.  The back contains a sentiment to my mother.  To adhere these pieces, I also used Mod Podge and sealed them with two coats after I had written my sentiment.

So, finish the top of your tin and get your pictures ready.  Next time we will assemble pages for the inside.  Have fun, and see you next time!

Let's Alter a Tin {Part 1}!

Most of you saw that Peggy won our $100 Memory Box Bucks contest.  Well, her winning entry made me feel a little guilty.  Why?  Because her entry was of an altered tin.  If you missed her entry, look here.  Anyway, my mother has been asking me for several months for an altered tin with pictures of the grandkids inside so she can keep it in her purse.  Then she wants to show it to the ladies at her church so maybe they can even make one.  Well, after seeing Peggy's tin, I thought that I really need to get my mother's tin made!  So, we are going to create an altered tin with photos that you can either keep for yourself or give as a gift.  This will also keep me out of trouble with Mom! :)  So, let's get started.

First, you will need to get a tin of some sort. I love to use Altoid tins.  I empty the tin, and then I run it through the dishwasher on the top rack to get rid of the "mint dust" and the smell.  They turn out beautiful.  I have never had one rust!  After you have a clean tin, you need to sand it with sand paper.  This will help your adhesive and paints stick well.

After sanding, I painted a portion of my tin.  For this particular tin, I am only painting the edges of the lid.  The rest will be covered with paper or ribbon.

While the paint was drying, I began working on the top.  To create the top, I grabbed my package of Dewfrost paper.  My mother's bedroom is decorated in these colors, and she loves them!  So, maybe I will get some brownie points for using these colors.  :)  Anyway, I pulled out three of the designs I wanted to use from the paper pack.  Then I punched five 3/4" squares out of each design.  I then created a patchwork design with the squares.  You should have three squares across and five down.  I used photo splits on the back of each square to hold my pattern together.
 
I did have to trim 1/16" of an inch off of the bottom after it was put together because it was just a tad too long.  After trimming off that small bit, I rounded the corners and inked the edges.  Isn't it pretty?  Next time we will adhere this piece to the top of the tin and begin decorating.  Then we will also be creating our pages for inside the tin.  I hope you will keep watching as we put Mom's tin together!  So, grab a tin and some Memory Box paper, and get started!  Meanwhile, I am going to e-mail my sister and my brother to get current pictures of their kiddos.  I think Mom would like a tin with ALL of her grandchildren, not just my girls. :)  You may want to collect pictures from family members too!  See you soon with Part 2!

And We Have a Winner!!

Yes, it's Tuesday!  And I promised we would announce a winner for the $100 Memory Box Bucks contest today!  I am so excited to say that we have finally whittled it down and come up with a winner.  There were some REALLY great entries, and we struggled between several of them!  Thank you all for playing along.  Now for our winner. . .

This entry comes from Peggy!  Peggy altered this tin using the Spiceberry papers along with the Snowman Friends {CL144} clear stamp set.  She then created cards and tags to go inside the tin.  We just LOVE this idea not to mention it is adorable!  Plus look how she uniquely used the popsicle sticks on each creation.  Just a wonderful, wonderful creation!  Huge congrats to you Peggy.  Please e-mail me so that we can get you all set up to go shopping. :)

And a huge thank you to everyone else for your entries.  They were truly inspirational!  Have a great Tuesday, and I will see you soon with more creations featuring our wonderful products!

One Last Entry & Contest Update

Happy Saturday everyone!  We had one last entry come in from Amy!  I thought I would share it with you as well as let you know when a winner will be announced!  First, let's look at Amy's card:

She used the Memory Box Modern Holly Bird stamp and Spiceberry papers which really gives this card a rich look.  I love how she placed her cute sentiment on the popsicle stick too.  Adorable!

Thank you to everyone that entered!!  It has been fun seeing how you use the new Memory Box products as well as your creativity in using a popsicle stick!  I am hoping to announce our winner in Tuesday, 9/15, so be watching!  Until then, happy crafting!!

Tomorrow's the Deadline & More {Entries}

Happy Thursday everyone!  I am so excited to see these entries coming in.  You still have time to enter the big the contest for the $100 in Memory Box Bucks!  You have until 11:59 p.m. Central time tomorrow, 9/11/09, to get them in!  Let's see those entries!

Today, I have three great entries to share with you!  First, here is an entry from Rosemary!
 
Look how she hung the paper by the popsicle stick.  So very cute!  Love the little knots and ties.  Rosemary used the amazing Spiceberry papers and the Snowy Eve {CL142} clear stamp set along with the Poinsettia Silhouette {E1282} stamp.  Just a beautiful card!

And the  next two entries come from Peggy!  Look at this altered tin with cards and tags to put inside.  How precious.  And look how she used the popsicle sticks on each piece.  So clever and cute!  Peggy used the Spiceberry papers also along with the Snowman Friends {CL144} clear stamp set!  Such a cute gift idea!
 
And here is her Scalloped Owl {C1293} card using the Twilight papers.  Super adorable, and I love how she wrapped the popsicle stick in hemp and added the leaves.  Too creative!
 
So, if you've got some creative time today or tomorrow, I hope you will work on submitting an entry!  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

More Contest Entries for Your Inspiration!

Today I wanted to share two more contest entries for your inspiration!  Remember, if you still have not entered yet, you have until this Friday, 9/11, to get your entries in!  Let's see those creations!

Both of today's creations come from Jan.  She created two holiday cards--one using the new Dewfrost papers, and one using the new Spiceberry papers.  Here is her Dewfrost creation:

I love how she used a dauber to color the popsicle stick to match the paper.  Her images were stamped using the Memory Box Night Before clear stamp set, and I love how she paired the calendar and ornaments stamps together.  The touch of bling she used on the corner of the calendar is perfect.  For that she used the new Memory Box sparkling snowflake jewel.  Just the perfect touch!

Her second entry using the Spiceberry papers is perfectly matched up with a Memory Box dill notecard and Memory Box kraft paper for stamping her images.  She also stamped on her popsicle stick and added some Memory Box jewels.

Such a fun and beautiful card!  I hope you enjoyed these entries.  And if you get yours in before 9/11, I may have time to feature your entries too here on the blog!!!!  Happy crafting, and thanks for stopping by!

See More Contest Entries!

Today, I have more contest entries to share with you.  These entries come from Andrea and Janice.  Let's look at Andrea's two entries.

For both of her cards, she stamped on the popsicle stick and used hemp to tie them to her tags.  Such a cute idea.  I also love how she used the Crystal Effects on the scarves of the owls on the Owl Branch stamp {F1287}.  Both of these cards are just adorable!



And here is a fun entry from Janice:

I love how she broke up the popsicle stick to create a fence.  I just pray she didn't get any splinters.  Ouch!  But such a cute, cute idea and a wonderful card!  You can see more about her entry here.

Thank you both for your entries, and remember, you still have a week and a half (until 9/11) to get your entries in!!!!  I hope to see a lot more!  For all contest details, see this post here.  Have a great day!