Cricut Circle Monthly Challenge - Reuse, Recycle and Repurpose

Hello there,

Sorry for being MIA for almost two weeks.  A child of mine got sick and then I got the anemia attack again because of bleeding ulcers.  Nothing to worry though, I guess the ulcers was triggred due to the fact that my honey is coming home soon! Yehey!!!  Everything is going crazy here in our household.  Anyways, this blog entry is not about that, I just want to share with you that finally after almost two weeks of not being able to create, I finally finished an over due project.  I didn't want to prolong the process of creating, it's just that this was a first for me and I really don't have any idea how to do it.  I've searched and searched the internet and had gone to different craft stores and stores online to help me with an idea.  This project was indeed very challenging. Curious???!

Very early this month, a new monthly challenge at Cricut Circle had been posted.  Theme is Reuse, Recycle and Repurpose.  I challenged myself into making this wedding project for my friend Lia and at the same time made it as my entry for Cricut Circle monthly challenge.  A month ago, if you remember, I was making some wedding projects for my friend Lia and I stopped for awhile.  Well, I've been lazy and what not but I cant prolong the procrastination because the wedding will be in two weeks.  I still have to finish the 13pages for scrapbook album and this wedding card box.  Yes, the project was a WEDDING CARD BOX.    I think Lia and I were bought crazy for thinking such a big and delicate project.  So without further blah, blah, blah, let me share it with you now.  Hope this project will help you for your future wedding card box project.

Items that had been REUSED, RECYCLED and REPURPOSE:

• gift box repurpose as a wedding card box
• an old and broken CD jewel case recycled and repurpose as a picture frame
• gift wrap repurpose as decoupage paper for the wedding card box despite the color was a bit off from the actual wedding motif (ivory and turqouise)
• ribbons from wedding invitation kit got from Goodwill and repurpose it as bias tape
• a pearl, which was an earring centerpiece was repurpose, recycled as added embellishment
• vellum from the wedding invitation reused and recycled for diecut couple
• scrap piece of tulle recycled and added as embellishment

Cartridges/Die-cut images:

• Monogram - Tie the Knot
• Silhouette Couple - Wedding
• "I do" Phrase - Sweetheart

Step 1: Strip a big gift box, sanded it, painted with brown acrylic paint, cut a slit on the box, adhere the wrapping paper using Modge Podge, hot glued the ribbons on the edges of the box and sprayed the box with acrylic sealer from Hobby Lobby.

Step 2: After prepping the box.  I hot glued the top and bottom parts of the box.  Wedding card box should be sealed so some wrong doers cannot steal from the newly weds.

Step 3: The last part is all about embellishing the exterior of the box.

On the side, I cut some very elegant font from Tie the Knot cartridge then add some blings on it.

It took me awhile on what to use to embellish the box.  I don't want it to look like one of the wedding gifts.  So, I decided to use a picture frame as the highlight of the box.  An old CD jewel case that I used to store my stamps had turned into a nice piece of centerpiece picture frame.  I was actually ready to throw the CD jewel case because it was broken but glad that I didn't.  Thanks to old fashioned hot glue gun.  I turned a trash item into something useful. Then, I dress up the CD jewel case a little, add the pictures of the couple and made sure to use elements that will make the wedding motif (ivory and turqouise) pop-out.

Fifteen minutes after I drop off the wedding gift box to Lia, the couple came to visit unannounced.  The couple were really impressed and amazed.  That makes all the work well worth it.  I was so happy!

I hope the slit will be big enough.  It was actually hard to make the slit because this gift box was not a paper mache material but instead a very thin piece of plywood.

This is the back of the picture frame.  At first I said I won't do anything about it because it was in the back.  But then I changed my mind and decided to cover the back with some nice patterned paper from Linen Closet stack (DCWV).

I think I've accomplished my goal for this wedding gift box.

When I read about the Cricut Circle challenge, it encourage me more to add some reusable items on this particular project.  I used the vellum inserts in the wedding invitation and cut a silhouette image of a couple out of it.  Again, it was another successful goal. 

At first I was thinking of making a veil for the bride just for added touch but the image was so small so I ended using the veil on the wedding gown.  I've sewn a flower from one of the Jolee's sticker.   It maybe a small detail but it's a great touch.

This 1" flat back pearl is a centerpiece for making a homemade earring.

I used Bowdabra on the turqouise grossgrain ribbon.

Hope you all like it!

Materials used:
Paper: Ivory CS (Gina K), Tempting Turquoise CS (SU) and Linen Closet PP (DCWV)
Tools: Cricut Expression, Gypsy, Cricut cartridges, MS deep edge punch, Bowdabra, PC paper trimmer,  ATG, Modge Podge glue, acrylic sealer and hot glue gun
Cartridges used: Tie the Knot, Wedding and Sweetheart
Embellishment: sheer wired ribbons, grossgrain ribbons, satin ribbons, flowers (Making Memories), wedding birds from Michaels, acrylic twig from Michaels, flat back pearl and bling (Prima)
Others: Wrapping paper, CD jewel case, scrap piece of tulle, pearl beads, brown acrylic paint

Hugs to all!  Until next time...