I was going to write about the sweet potato vine that has taken over my deck today, but ran across a photo of a project I made late last year as part of a series of repurposed items. My friend Janet and I had shared an order of cd tins and several arrived with slight dents. Since it would have cost more to send them back and there were very few damaged, we just shared the handicapped ones as well.
I was about to throw this one out in a cleaning flurry one day, but decided to think about it just a bit. The dent was on the lower left side, and I just knew I could do something to hide the flaw. I came up with the idea to use some of Paper Dreams Factory’s vintage German die-cut pansies and Dresden Foil birds to decorate the front. The inside includes a matching notepad and pen, which, unfortunately, I didn’t take a photo of and have since used this piece as a gift for a friend.
Here’s how to make it:
A decorated cd tin with notepad inside makes a wonderful gift for any occasion. The tin is slim enough to slip in a purse and protects the note paper pages.
Supplies
Patterned cardstock, trimmed 1/2″ smaller than the tin dimensions
Coordinating patterned paper, trimmed 1/2″ smaller than the tin dimensions and two small scraps
Die-Cut pansies and butterflies (Paper Dreams Factory)
Dresden Foil bird (Paper Dreams Factory)
Hand-dyed tag (RockCandy Studios)
Sentiment stamp (Oxford Impressions)
Chestnut Roan and Peacock ink pads (Clearsnap)
Silk ribbon (RockCandy Studios)
Corner rounder
Beacon Quick Grip Adhesive
Directions
1. Round corners of cardstock, paper and tag and sponge edges with Chestnut Roan and Peacock inks, or inks to match your paper. Adhere cardstock to tin front.
Note: Chestnut Roan ink is one of my favorite colors for aging paper. Also, if you use a sponge to add the color, you get a softer, more accurate faded appearance. If your prefer an edgier look, using the direct-to-paper technique with the pad will produce darker edges along with swipe marks.
2. Cut out pansies and sponge edges. This will hide the white edges of the die-cuts. Arrange pansies along left and lower sides and adhere. I allowed some of the pansies to drift over the edge of the cardstock and trimmed some to fit inside for variety.
Note: I used the largest pansy to cover the dent and tucked smaller ones around it. I could have lowered the position of the bird as well, since this is a very heavy piece of embossed paper and has a roundness to the bird’s body. Either solution would have worked to hide the dent.
3. Attach Dresden Foil bird.
4. Stamp sentiment on tag and add ribbon and butterfly. Attach to tin front.
5. On the inside, adhere the patterned paper to the inside cover and use a scrap to cover the top of the notepad. Roll a scrap of patterned paper and insert it into the clear barrel of an R.S.V.P ink pen. You can also stamp the recipient’s name on the paper before inserting it into the pen barrel to personalize it.
I hope this will encourage you to think before throwing out something that is just a little damaged, but will sit in a landfill for years to come.
Have a great Wednesday!
Tags: Clearsnap, gifts, Inspiration, Oxford Impressions, Paper Dreams Factory, recycled, repurposed, RockCandy Studios
