Pack a Picnic - paper crafting

For the past week or so I've been playing around with one of Lauren Meador's great templates for a fun little box. It is called Pack a Picnic and it's patterned after old fashioned metal picnic baskets (you can see what Lauren has done with it here on her blog...oh wow, is she ever talented!!!). It's been so fun to create ! The first time I made it I used plain old white cardstock to make sure I could figure it out. It was so incredibly easy to work with! I can't wait to get a few more of her templates to use as gift packaging.

The first "real" Pack a Picnic box that I made was for my Daddy's Father's Day gift. I used Basic Grey (love their stuff!!!) patterned cardstock from their Ambrosia line. I saw the grey and orange color scheme and fell. in. love! The box is made with Marmalade paper and the lid, base and handles are made with Mandarin paper. Love. It!!! I put a 12oz bag of Starbucks coffee in it. Now, the coffee was a little large for the box - but I just left the lid off when I gave the gift to Daddy.

Then on Saturday, Lauren posted a challenge on her blog - use a My Timeless Template and a patterned paper that you've created. Now, stampers would use stamps. While I have some stamps, I don't have a ton (but oooh, would I love to...PapertreyInk.com could seriously become an addiction!). So, I decided to do what any good digiscrapper would do - go hybrid! I used the Lil Sailor kit by Kristin Cronin-Barrow and made a paper. I used the textured, light kraft paper in the kit and put the star brads all over it to make a new paper, printed it on cardstock, printed the template on it so I'd know where to cut and score...and voila! Cute box! I needed to use a little more adhesive on the seams - but still, it's cute (I think it is anyway). I think I'm going to use this one to package a birthday cupcake for a friend (using this recipe)

I have this template printed on some leaf-green cardstock and am going to make it again. I scored a bottle of Prima Flowers in Fresh Green on clearance at Michael's last week ($1.99 - rather than the usual $6.99), I have some hot pink beaded fringe and I think I've got some hot pink ribbon around here somewhere to make this box again but really bling it up. I'll share when I do! :) Can't wait to do that one!!!

This whole paper crafting thing? I'd almost forgotten how much I love it! :)