MyHumbleHomeandGarden.com
Valentine's Day
Valentine Gift for the Teacher
The type and graphic, I created on PicMonkey.com, a free photo editing site. Using the 'Design application', I clicked on 4 x 6 as my size. Knowing that I wanted the type across the top to fit a small container, I visually divided the paper into thirds, centering the type and heart.
I used 'Emily's Candy' for the text above the heart and 'Unkempt' for the text below the heart. The heart was an overlay from the Sweethearts Theme.
When I printed it out on my 8 1/2" x 11" copy paper, the type ended up being 2" wide and 2 1/4" long. Perfect! If I had white cardstock, I would have printed it on that, but obviously, I did not.
Using the flattened box as a template, I traced lightly in pencil and Sophia cut out the label and placed it inside the box. She drew a free hand heart around the "Happy Valentine's Day ♥ Sophia" and "Happy Valentine's Day ♥ Aidan" and cut those out, too. We punched a hole in the tag and ran a ribbon through it and attached to the handle.
Her little gifts looked so much more special because she cut out the labels herself! Then she filled the boxes with the chocolate hearts. (The one in the picture is the one I created as a sample. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of hers.)
Victorian bandboxes were all the rage when my kids were little. I made thousands of these decorative boxes. Some were used for functionality and some just for decoration. Most of the ones I made were sold at local craft shows. A furniture store even bought some for displays. It would have been nice to have had the Etsy shop and the internet at that time!
This little Valentine box is one of those. Although there are patterns for them, after making a few, I started creating my own. Any size is possible to make and a whole slew of different shapes. I once made a rose-colored satin cat box, which took a lot of figuring, but my favorites were the heart-shaped boxes.
The first one I made from a pattern did not have batting on the top. Didn't like that so much, so I started adding a couple of layers of batting on top of the cardboard underneath the fabric. They looked so much richer.
The lid and the bottom of the boxes were cut from corrugated cardboard. The sides of both were cut from poster board. I found that if I was making a large box, I needed heavier poster board, which I found at an office and school supply store.
A fusible webbing was used on the fabric and ironed onto the cardboard and poster board. Once the top, the bottom, and the sides were encased in fabric, they were glued together with Aleene's Tacky Glue, a little at a time, and held in place with large rubber bands.
When I got to the overlap, Tacky glue was used on it and a clip was used to clip the top to hold it in place securely. A rubber band held the base tightly.
After the box was complete, the fun part was decorating these. Ribbon roses were often secured to the top with hot glue, but I tried to appeal to everyone. Some boxes were decorated with ostentatious baubles, gimp, and tassels, and yet some were much more tailored with just a border of gimp.
Along with the bandboxes, I also created little fabric covered frames and mirror sets for little girls. Lace bags of potpourri and satin hangers were lavishly decorated and displayed with the boxes, the frames, and the hand mirrors. You can imagine the feminine display!
Considering that some people like the rich colors and fabrics, some the vibrant colors and patterns, some the soft pastels, and yet others the earthy colored fabrics, I tried to create a vast array that would surely entice each of these particular people.
Wonder if there would still be a market for this Heart-Shaped Bandbox and the little frames today.
Heart-Shaped Bandboxes and Frames
