Friday, November 2, 2012

The Robin's Nest/Helmar Home for the Holidays Blog Hop


Hello everyone, and welcome to this special Home for the Holidays blog hop featuring The Robin's Nest and Helmar products.   I am so excited to be a part of this wonderful group of designers from both design teams, and I hope you find lots of inspiration here for your holiday crafting.  Be sure to visit each blog, leave a comment, become a follower, and you will automatically be entered to win a prize from each blog, as well as from  The Robin's Nest blog, The Chattering Robins, and Helmar.   So get some coffee, pull up a chair, and enjoy the hop.

When I think of going home for the holidays, I think of warm gatherings with my family, steamy windows, great home cooking, and lots of love.  So, in keeping with this theme, I found this paper mache box that I wanted to turn into a box with a hinged lid.


So, I first had to remove the excess paper mache from around the bottom piece.  I made some hash marks along the piece I wanted to remove.   See picture below.


Then, I covered the bottom of the boxwith Winter Retreat Glitter Swirl with Snowflakes Cardstock  and Calamity Jane Diagonal Glittered Cardstock for the roof.  This paper is absolutely gorgeous, and it reminds me of aged copper that has that beautiful blue green patina.  Here is what the finished box looks like.


If you look closely, you can see Santa in front of the fireplace.


I corrugated the Winter Retreat Glitter Swirl with Snowflakes Cardstock and used the reverse side to cover the chimney and the front eave.  I used the Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to glue the corrugated paper so that it would not flatten the corrugations.   This is a fantastic glue that sets and dries quickly.  It holds strongly and also dries clear and is acid free.  I also used the Helmar Gem Adhesive to apply the dew drops.  This was also a fantastic glue for this purpose.

Front Roof, Corrugated Chimney, German Scrap & Dew Drops
I used some resin window pieces, but had to make my own door using part of one of my window resin pieces.  I added German scrap along the roof line, and I painted not only the windows, but also the German scrap with acrylic paints.

This little box could be used as a recipe card holder, but I chose to make a mini album to keep inside.  


Here are a few pictures of the book and some of the inside pages.

Front Cover
Inside cover and Vellum Envelope with snowflake embossing
Page 1 with punched strip to hold tag
Dymo Labels painted to look like copper
Inside Back Cover, wooden tree ornament
 Here are a couple of tags I made to insert into the vellum envelopes.  I used Robins Egg Blue Glitter paper and folded it in half.  You can then write notes, recipes, traditions to remember, funny or memorable things, pictures, you name it.  In the picture below, I used one of the gold journal tags, cut it out, folded it in half around the tag, and only glued the ends so that I could insert these tiny little tags beneath the journal tags.  Just more room to keep memorabilia.
Vellum envelope tag with tags.
 This tag is also folded in half and I used a snowflake rubon in the corner.  It is waiting for more memorable things to be saved on it.
Folded tag with snowflake rubon
Robin's Nest Products Used:

Calamity Jane Diagonal Glittered Cardstock
Winter Retreat Glitter Swirl with Snowflakes Cardstock
Glitter Reindeer Stripe
Robin's Egg Blue Glitter Cardstock
Snowflake Rub On 
Hillside Mini Dew Drops 
Cherry Chocolate Dew Drops
I hope you are enjoying the blog hop.  Don't forget to leave comment and become a follower to be entered to win one of the fantastic prizes.  And be sure to visit The Robin's Nest online store for more fabulous products.  Thanks so much for visiting today, and enjoy your weekend.

Barbara

35 comments:

  1. Wow, what an amazing project! I can't believe all the details you've added (including Santa through the window!)

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  2. Wow is right! This is just fabulous Barbara, what a wonderful transformation to your cute cottage box and I also love that you didn't leave out Santa! xx

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  3. Totally gorgeous and such a cool idea for a Christmas album!

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  4. Wow, what alot of beautiful artwork for this creation! Gorgeous!

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  5. This is adorable! What a great idea to create a matching mini to tuck inside.

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  6. your house makes me miss my old house i grew up in at christmas. love your project.

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  7. WOW - FABULOUS box and album - LOVE your shimmery papers and gems!!!
    Added Dew Drops and Gemstone Glue to my wishlist :)

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  8. EXQUISITE, and i do mean, EXQUISITE set. love the peek through window. And santa is just where he ought to be.

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  9. What a gorgeous mini album and box! Great gift!

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  10. Absolutely gorgeous box and book! Your family will love it! And I love the background paper for your photo op :) Great job!!

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  11. LOVE it~ Awesome project idea and so COOL!!

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  12. WOW!!! your house is WARM and COZY! LOVE LOVE LOVE all the details. I keep looking and see more every time I look. Then when you open it there is a book waiting for photos!!! This would make a great gift... I am not sure is this was in my house I could give it away. I would have to think twice!!! Great post!!!!

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  13. Oh how lovely!!!! And I love those colors together....what a great idea....love...love...this...awesome job...tfs

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  14. Ohhhh Barbara. You have done beyond awesome. Such a cute project!

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  15. This is fab Barbara. I love this paper but what you've done with it is just lovely!

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  16. Fabulous altered house and album, love all of the details of your project but the problem is I now remember I have a house and I so want to make it. :) Thanks for inspiring.

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  17. oh my, words can't even describe my feelings right now. I am in awe in what you created. This is so incredible. I love how you turned it into even more by adding your booklet. This is wonderful.
    I'm a new follower now also

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  18. How seriously fabulous is this project?! I love this paper and your elegant project! Thanks for the chance to win! cjdempsey9 at msn dot com

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  19. I absolutely love this house and the mini album. Great job. Everything about it is wonderful.

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  20. Barbara much love went into this off the page project. bravo....
    ava g

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  21. What a transformation on this box - beautiful!

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  22. This is so beautiful and such a stunning gift idea...elegant and fantastic

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  23. Just stunning, love the project, house and book, great colours, thanks for sharing this.

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  24. What a fun idea!! Now, I need to find a paper mache house too!

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  25. Stunning house and mini! All the touches of glimmer are just fantastic!

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  26. Wow you really outdid yourself! Love these! Total transformation on the house and love all the little pockets in the mini.

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  27. lovely. great colors and papers.

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  28. What a wonderful project! I LOVE it!!!

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  29. How wonderful is that!!! I would love to have it!!! The colors are just awesome!!!

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  30. Awesome--love the papers you used to decorate this house.
    slrdowney at hotmail dot com

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  31. what a wonderful project. I love the whole gleaming metallic finish on it. Wow, I'd love that under my tree, for me or from me, a gift to be proud of and to cherish. Thanks so much for sharing your techniques.

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