One Cup Box

One Cup Box is a decorative box for hot drink mixes and tea sachets. A fanciful creation to have on the table offering beverage choice.



I've been wanting to do something papercraft related that isn't a card when along comes a challenge from Simon Say Stamp blog for a house decoration item. As I was pondering what to make, along comes a challege from  Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Krafty Friends to make something inspired by one of the KKS Pinterest Pins. Looking through those, I spied a tissue box cover and ta-da, inspiration bloomed. However, instead of a tissue box cover, and because of the stamps I have, I decided to make a box to hold tea sachets and other drinks packets.

The images are the Mad Hatter with his tea cup, a fairy in a tea cup, and a slightly frazzled Angie in her robe with a mug of something warm and nummy. I accented these with kitties coloured to be my Scout with his orange "kitty convict" collar reflected in the bows on some of the kitties and the orange yarn of the last one.

Supplies

Paper:
Bazzill Basics - Coconut Swirl Smoothies
X-Press It blending card
Stampin' Up - Barely Banana: retired
Bo Bunny - Double Dot - Orange Citrus
Simple Stories - Life Documented
Quick Quotes - Cracklin' Rose
Cardboard: rescued from packaging
Recollections - value cardstock - orange
Recollections - open pattern paper - aqua screen

Stamps:
Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps - Angie: retired

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps - Teacup Fairy

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps - One Cup at a Time!

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps - Mad Hatter

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps - A Purr-fect Day!

Die and Punch:

Fiskars 3-in-1 corner squeeze punch Well-Rounded

Simply Refined - Floral Fancy Frame

Ink and Colourants:
Chameleon pens

Colorbox black pigment ink

Zig Wink of Stella Clear

Colorbox cats eye pigment ink value pack - green and brown

Recollections embossing powder - clear and gold

Adhesive:

Scotch double-sided foam mounting tape
Tombow Mono Multi Mono liquid glue

Tools:
Fiskars 12-inch Paper Trimmer
Tim Holtz Snips
Bone folder

Putting It Together

This has been a big project, much bigger than I thought it would be when I started it. It didn't help that I kept changing my mind on what I wanted to do for the images in the beginning and what type of box it would be.

At the start of the project I was intending to make a tissue box cover. I measured a handy tissue box (I need to remember to put it back in the bathroom) to get the dimensions for the project.

I did a bad sketch to start laying out dimensions.

The first cuts were the cardboard I had retained from various packaging. A square for the top, which ended up being the bottom, and 4 taller sides.

I set aside the box as I debated through what images to use. My first thought was to do Spring scenes on the sides, for the link between allergies and tissues, but it wasn't "singing" to me. Then I thought about kitties, and their link to allergies.

I have a rather elegant black boy kitty named Scout that's deaf. He likes going for walk and making trouble.

I started with blue on the kitties, colouring with Chameleon markers.

I then went over them with black.

I coloured the bows in orange to match Scout's collar. In 2015, the Oatmeal and the Exploding Kittens Game came up with an idea to have orange collars on pet cats to help reduce the number of lost kitties. Just like prisoners wear orange jumpsuits to mark them as convicts, so, too, should pet kitties wear an orange collar to mark them as "convicts", too: http://www.explodingkittens.com/kittyconvict. We got Scout's collar at Petsmart.

Another picture of Scout 'cause he's my cutie.

It was about this time that I started listening to the teacup fairy on my table. She had been telling me from the start she wanted to be on the box. I had partially coloured her at the Crop for Haiti as a local scrapbooking store.

I hadn't made her for a specific project. I started making her because she's very cute and I wanted to try out the X-press It card. I also paper pieced the saucer with some of the Simple Stories pad I got at the Crop for Haiti.

Joining the tea cup fairy, I have a Mad Hatter drinking tea and Angie warming her hands on a mug of comfort. I started their skin at the same time. In the corner you can also see some of the first idea, Spring related items. I'll use them another place. These are on Bazzill Coconut Swirl.

I decided to paper piece Angie's robe with some paper from Michaels. I used a green cats eye pad and partially inked the stamp.

After stamping the image, I added accents and shading with the Chameleon markers.

Then fussy cut out the robe and added it over the main image.

Angie's robe gave me the colour for the fairy's hair.

I linked colours on the three people images, greens, blues, and, since I had also finally decided on the papers for the box, orange.

I fussy cut everything out using the Tim Holtz snips. They're the best scissors for the job.

Fussy cutting makes a terrific mess. I finished up the images just a bit past midnight so had to leave the box to the next day.

Back to the box. Now that I changed the project from a box cover to a full box, I needed to make a lid. I decided to make the lid first. I made it a little bit larger than the box it covers. I cut a single square from the cardboard and four strips. I lined the box with Recollections orange cardstock which also affixed the sides together to make a box 'naked' on the outside.

For the outside of the box, I used Quick Quotes Cracklin' Rose cardstock I got as a door prize at the Crop for Haiti. One side is a burgandy brown and the other side a dark brown. For the box, the burgandy is the side facing out.

The outside paper is longer than the box so it finishes off the edge, folded over to the inside. I used Tombow Mono liquid adhesive to assemble the box.

I affixed the orange cardstock to the bottom of the box. I should have made the box in the same way I made the lid, but I didn't.

I covered each side individually with the lining paper and then used the outside paper to assemble it. I didn't fully think through how the edges would get 'hidden'. I had a very limited amount of the cardsotck I wanted to use for the box, so could not remake it. Next time I would do it different.

After completing the box, I added the absolutely gorgeous Bo Bunny double dot Orange Citrus. I should have added a matte, too, but it was rather late in the evening and my head was muddled with the exquisite orange.

The box inside and out. Orange hasn't been one of my favourite colours but it's growing on me.

I cut rectangle 'lace' using a Simply Defined die and the remainder of the Cracklin' Rose paper. I used the brown side out for the contrast. I cut and added insets of Barely Banana paper with the corners rounded. I dry fit the images on the lace panels.

Dry fitting for the angle of the tilt and placement of the Mad Hatter...

.. and a sentiment for the top of the box.

But, it was past midnight (again) after finishing the box so I had to leave the images to the next day.

I added the lace panels and the images with mounting tape to give them some dimension and more character.

And all done.

Inspiration 

The KKS Pinterest inspiration for this project was made by Sharon Caudle and features long retired KKS sets. It's an absolutely adorable tissue box cover.

What I learned

• If I was going to do this again, I would start with a pre-built box *laugh*. 
• Taking on a big project when you only have weeknights to work on it is not a good idea. (Sleep is not optional *laugh*)
• X-press It is a lovely paper for alcohol markers like the Chameleon (or Copic). I'm impressed and will be getting more.
• I really really love that Bo Bunny cardstock. 
• Orange is growing on me.

Challenges

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps' Krafty Friends! Facebook group: Let's Inspire! 1-2-3 challenge.

Simon Says Stamp 2 May Monday Challenge - Home Decor

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps blog 4 May Wonderful Wednesday challenge - Anything Goes