Tale of Two Boxes - die cutting, embossing, alcohol marker

 

My project for today is a pair of gift boxes made from the same die set but with entirely different looks. I paired the Tonic Studios die with stamp sets from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps coloured with Copic marker and an embossing folder from Spellbinders to make masculine and feminine boxes. 

I have a bit of an obsession with boxes and am always looking for cute gift box die sets. When I saw this Belgravia Handbag Die Set, I pondered ways I could transform it to be masculine.

Using just the dies in the set, the gift box is a gorgeous, very feminine purse. I made mine using Stampin' Up Pink Pirouette and Sizzix gold opulent cardstock. 

Tonic Studios (UK/US) makes some of the most marvellous dies for creating gift boxes. Some of the parts a bit bigger than the standard Big Shot which is why I am glad I have the Big Shot Plus. The boxes are quite sturdy when built, especially when using a heavier cardstock like the Stampin' Up. To adhere the sides, I use double-sided tape with liquid glue (Art Glitter glue). The tape is for instant hold and the liquid glue for a durable, long-lasting hold. This is by far one of the easiest of their die sets. 

For the masculine version, I die-cut the box base from Wild Wasabi and the overlay pieces from Crumb Cake. I used a Cane Weave 3D embossing folder from Spellbinders then added Kraftin' Kimmie inks with blending tools to all the pieces, Marvellous Mocha on the weave texture and Sandy Shores on the base. 

The result, a cute cane weave bag. I simply folded the top over to be a flap. I had wanted to hide magnets under the weave as a closure, but forgot to leave those off until I assembled the rest, so I later used a Removable Glue Dot instead. 

To decorate the boxes, I used three Kraftin' Kimmie stamp sets. For the feminine box, I used What's the Scoop; for the masculine, I used the Farm-tastic and Funny Fishes sets. I used Copic markers to colour, lots of them. I use Hammermill 100lb paper for my alcohol marker colouring. 

After I fussy cut the fisher and his dog, I replaced his fishing pole with one I got years ago from Little B. I knew I wanted the pole to hang off the edge of the box so this one is more durable than the paper one plus it's super adorable and I finally used one again!

To finish the box, after adding the fisher with foam mounting tape, I strung three fishes from Funny Fishes on a bit of baker's twine tied to the handle and added a sentiment. 

I also added Kimmie Dots to the clasp and where the handle attaches with a removable Glue Dot to hold the box closed.

O the feminine box, I added the image with foam mounting tape and a few Kimmie Dots. 

I considered adding a sentiment but decided to keep her simple. 

I am extremely pleased with how both of the boxes turned out. I'm thinking the fisher box would be perfect with some Swedish Fish candies and chocolate bon-bons in the purse. 

Challenges

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps - Skrappy: Anything but a Card

Watercooler Wednesday: Masculine