Anything Goes 'Pick of the Bunch' challenge

Hi all, my post today is for Anything Goes, which I have to send my appologies to the team for as its very late & with hind-sight I should have missed this challenge out, as things have been so hectic that I just haven't had a spare hour to get my post done. The fab challenge over at Anything Goes was'Pick of the Bunch' & you have untill Tuesday 9th August to enter. I just LOVE my paper flowers, so this was a great one for me! I used my new 'Magnolia with Butterfly Dress', which along with the rest of the Magnolia collections & a whole host of other crafty goodies can be purchased from 'The Craft Den'. They really have got some excellent products, plus the service is first class!

I made this box for my Auntie who has just had an operation to have a lump removed, which was successful & she's home now. But the tissue they removed was found to be cancerous, so she will have to have chemo as a precaution. My Mum went through the exact same thing last year & another sister (my other auntie) the year before that. So I wanted to make her something special to cheer her up, so heres what I made...

...The box is actually from my local Co-op & comes with 'Whoopies' (little cakes) which are extreemly delicious, let me tell you - there won't be a shortage of supplies, as I'm always buying them & have about 10 more ready to go!This is the main square of the project which would be like the card front. Beautiful papers are 'Anna-Lee' by Prima & is defo my fave pad at the moment - can't wait to but some more, you get such a lot of paper for your money too & the designs are simply to die for...

...The design is basically a box with a square easel card on top, which I've covered & decorated with designer papers. These are such great boxes to use, as they are 6" square, so work effortlessly with a 6x6 paper pad. They come with a square acetate apature on top & I wanted to still be able to see the cakes on the inside, so removed the origional acetate & I made the easel part with acetate, which covers the hole, but still allows you to see through. I then covered the bottom section of the easel with a circular apature with netting on, which kind of rests on the acetate & gives a really nice effect. I then continued with theme & repeated the netting apature feature on the card front also...

...The Easel lifts up so you can see all of the inside, plus it reveals a hand-written message on the back. Image has been coloured with Distress Inks, (see below for details) I've highlighted this along with the rest of the boxs' edges with flower soft. I've actually mixed 3 shades; Baby Pink, Baby Blue, Ivory...

DISTRESS INKS:

Skin: Tattered Rose, Old Paper, Frayed Burlap

Cheeks: Barn Door

Hair: Old Paper, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Satin

Dress (main), hair-ties, shoes & flowers: Spun Sugar, Pumice Stone

Dress details, socks & stems/leaves: Shabby Shutters

Dress trim & flowers: Scattered Straw

Basket: Weathered Wood, Frayed Burlap

General Shading: Pumice Stone, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Satin

...The Tim Holtz grungeboard heart has been painted with white acrylic & distressed with Old Paper Distress Ink, then covered in a thick layer of clear Crackle Paint. The pink bit is not by me & I don't actually know how it happend, but I quite liked the effect, so decided it could stay! (its probably a spot of pigment from something like a Copic or ink pad, that I haven't noticed thats run when the Crackle Paints been wet.)

The swirl is a Magnolia Doo Hickey die & flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts...

...The bird has been made in the same way as the heart (see above) & set with an Aurora Sworofski crystal. The little fence I have made myself from strips of card-stock, punched with a hole & assembled into a fence shape with tiny sticky dots. Notice the over-sized hat pin, love these at the mo! The sentiment tab is part of the Prima pad again, which I've cut out & spelled out in Cosmo Cricket mini-alpha's. Below the name has been spelled in Making Memories alphabet stickers & the ornate corners are available from e-bay that I've sprayed white...

...This is the box front, which I'm particularly pleased with, as I just LOVE these Tim Holtz grungeboard hinges. I've painted them with white abrylic, then distressed with Olp Paper Distress Ink & finished with Glossy Accents. The little chipboard heart had been painted with plae pink acrylic paint & finished with Crackle Paint. (I LOVE my Crackle Paint!!!) I've then continued the netting theme by adding net to the apature & secured with 2 little pewter brads...

...Here's the back on the box, the curved label type shape is part of the Prima pad & helps to hide the die-cut oval sentiment on the otherside of the acetate. Notice the pretty lace, which runs all the way around the top edge of the box & gives a really luxurious effect. The stamp has been paper pieced & matted & layered on foam pads, then finished with a Sworfski AB Aroura crystal. The other mailin style stamp is by HOTP & both have been stamped in Sepia ink...

..& heres the whole thing straight on...