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Wednesday 5 January 2011

Explosion Box

Here's what I have been busy with this week, amongst a lot of other things. I had a commission to do an explosion box for a 30 year old. The top of the box wasn't finished when I took the photo, it now has the name, and black gems on the letters. There are lacey punched borders around the sides as well...
The boxes themselves don't take me long at all, but putting the photos in takes AGES............

I always make the first pages, the ones you see when the box flops open, to match each other. If you don't do this you get a bizarre sort of lopsided look to the box. After that, each page is treated as an entity in it's own right. Even if you no longer mat and layer photos on scrapbook pages, it still looks perfect for these little pages, and cropping the photos into circles or ovals still works as well.................
I had enough photos to put them on the back of the pages as well, which I always like, as it makes the box that much more substantial............


I always tie the colour scheme in with the papers I have chosen, in this case hot pink, acid green and black............


and I am always on the lookout for tiny embellishments to add to these boxes. I use a lot of tiny buttons, gems and those dress it up buttons that come in packs (I particularly love the crayon ones for children's boxes)


If anyone hasn't had a go at making one of these, scroll down to labels, there is a photo tutorial on there giving the measurements.
So I suddenly remembered that it is Twelfth Night tomorrow - in the UK, that is the day we traditionally take down our Christmas decorations. We live in a three storey house, and the decorations are kept in the attic. After lugging numerous boxes upstairs, I remembered why I was reluctant to decorate in the first place. Doesn't the house look bare when they come down? I will clean and polish and buy fresh flowers tomorrow and pretend that I am a perfect, instead of desperate, housewife for a whole day.


26 comments:

  1. Oh, I love these! And this is especially beautiful. Yes, technically they're simple but putting everything in them can take forever! I made some as Christmas gifts last year, and could have added embellishment forever!
    And yes, the house really does look bare when the decorations come down.

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  2. I love to make these boxes. They ae so much fun.
    I was happy to take my tree down. Most of it was on the floor. I still have a few things out.

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  3. Beautiful! I have never made one of these and I'm not sure I want to try this. Although I think they look awesome! :)

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  4. Love your Explosion Box Envys!! I have used a similar technique here in the USA on a scrapbooking page, when I had so many good photos, I wanted to include as many as possible! But it was not part of a box. I saw the technique a long time ago when I first started scrapbooking. The "templates" I purchased called it "kinetic" scrapbooking, but the principle is exactly the same. You place your pictures on all the folded/connected papers, and then adhere it to the scrapbooking page as one base picture, and then flip open the pages to look at the rest of the pictures. (I'm probably not explaining it well!) As for the house without decorations....I kind of always felt the opposite...when they came down I felt like, thank Goodness, back to the clean look!!

    Thanks for sharing & sorry I went on and on so long!!

    Patty

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  5. Love your box. I have made them for special male birthdays and they are always fun to do. Yes today I willalso have that cleaning and filling with flowers day. It just seems like I did all that decorating yesterday.....

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  6. Love this explosion box, the details are gorgeous. Have fun taking all the decorations down. ~Diane

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  7. This must have taken you ages! This is going to be a big hit! As to the house looking bare, I wouldn't know since I never got around to doing a thing this year! By the time I got to it it was practically time to take it down...just didn't seem worth it.
    R/

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  8. OMG en that is just awesome hun, I love all the little photographs and how you decortaed them all, just wow hun. I must admit our tree comes down on boxing day to give mo oodles of room to play with his presents from santa. we do out it up real early though!! hugs Lou xx

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  9. Oh! This is gorgeous! Love it :-) Love 'n' hugs, Mel xx

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  10. Enfys, I love this project. I've not tried one yet, but that's a goal for a future time. I love all of your colors and embellishments. Hugs, dj

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  11. Gorgeous box Enfys. I started one of these and never finished it! I have a SCAL file to cut one and must get round to doing it, they are so cute. I took all my decs down today and it does look bare, mind you it spurred me to have a good old spruce up!!

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  12. Love this type of project. Would really love to try to make one. Thanks for the info on the how to. I think I may try this as I was planning on doing another paper bag album but this seems more fun. LOL Thanks for sharing. I don't do really a Christmas theme. I love snowmen so I decorate with those. I was planning to put all of that away but I woke up to more snow so they will stay out for a little while longer. I did take down my holiday cards though yesterday. LOL

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  13. This is great! I haven't tried one yet, but maybe you are just the inspiration I need.

    I find taking down the decorating to be very depressing because now all I have to look fwd to is months of cold & snow. Hope you have a great day!

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  14. what a wonderful idea.... sure the 30 year old will just love it forever!!
    vanessa xx

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  15. This box is soo cool! I've got to try this out...are there detailed instructions anywhere? You did a fabulous job!

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  16. What a fun gift the recipient is going to get. I've seen them before but I'm in the learning stage, so haven't attempted one yet. I'm still recovering from back surgery so my daughters came and took down all the decorations. They even put everything up for me! I'm so blessed.
    Mary Ann

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  17. Oh Wow Enfys stunning results, love the photos inside and Im sure it will got down a storm with the person whos receiving it. With love and hugs Shirleyxx

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  18. Its a gorgeous box, full of great memories that she will surely appreciate. I love the little embellishments, really sets it all off. I thought it was cool to be a desperate housewife lol.

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  19. I love these expolosion boxes. You did an awesome job on this one. Love the colors. Thanks for sharing.

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  20. Beautiful explosing box. I love making these and haven't made one for a while. It might be time to do one again.
    I hate taking down the decorations too. But luckily my hubby and son do almost all the carrying up and down. So that is a blessing!

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  21. I have been wanting to do aome of these. Thanks so much for shareing. I really like the idea of putting pictures on both sides of the pages. I took down all the decorations but still have to take down the tree itself. Work has been so buzy I just haven't gone back in the attic for the tree bag. Well, I am off work tomorrow so I guess that will be my project for in the morning. Somrthing I have done for several years now is set up snow villages in several rooms. I leave them up all winter. That way The house doesn't seem so gloomy when the actual Christmas decorations come down.

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  22. What a beautiful keepsake you made!
    I don't think I'd have the patience to make one of these!
    Great job Enfys!!!!

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  23. I made one of these several weeks back, and while it looked so complicated, I was amazed how easy it went together. Thank you for sharing!
    In my family we also take the tree down today, Epiphany - the day of the Magi.
    I love starting to arrange Christmas in October - with tree decorating Thanksgiving evening and taking down the last of it in February in time for Valentine's Day. Can you guess how much I love Christmas?!
    Blessings, Donna
    grandma4five

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  24. We have always left our decorations up until after the 7th too. But the reason is because it's my birthday! lol and even now when I don't celebrate anymore, I still leave them up. So tomorrow or Sunday, down comes the tree etc!I always hate to see them go. I enjoy seeing thelit tree in the evenings. And me...I'm always a desperate housewife!!! hugs, jess

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  25. What a beautiful gift, although the embellishments could go on forever they do add the finishing touches to the box.
    I always think the house looks sad and bare when the decorations come down. I totally sympathise with you, we have a four storey house so know exactly what you mean about all the up and down with the boxes and even though I can't do all those up and downs now it is just as frustrating waiting for whoever went up/down to return before the next box can be taken lol.
    Kim xXx

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  26. I just made my first exploding box the other day-- Thanks for sharing yours- it looks awesome!

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I love reading your comments, thank you for taking the time
Enfys x