One Man's Trash...

I was busy as a bee this afternoon playing with my Crafty Secrets Book Lovers stamps

 and an empty box....this is what I started with~

You've heard of these Breathe Right strips, haven't you? They are great to wear when you are sleeping with a stuffy nose, which I have had this week because of a cold. Anyway, the box was empty and a little lightbulb went off in my head...I loved how the box opened and had plenty of space inside. Space for tea. Space for chocolate! 

I love to read and so do many of my tea drinking friends...and for good measure, why not add a Ghiradelli bar? So, I painted the box with white acrylic craft paint and let dry. Then I covered all surfaces with Bo Bunny card stock.

Handsome Mr. Sheep...an avid bibliophile... sits propped up against a thick tome by C.S.Lewis. I used white flocking powder on the sheep so he is soft and fuzzy.

All sides have stamping along the edges, and the back has a chipboard oval in which I used 4 of the Book Lovers stamps together, as well as a metal heart brad~

I had just enough room to stamp two standing books on this side~

The top is stamped too. I stamped a small open book and used Glossy Accents to adhere a Tim Holtz fragment over it. The fragment looks like clear glass and magnifies the image~

Do you see what I see? Chocolate!

I even stamped the inner box with small books~

 I really have fun altering small boxes. Remember when I altered  empty chewing gum boxes College Girl regularly provides?

Before you toss that empty box, think about what little treat might fit perfectly inside!

Fun news! This 'Book Lovers' stamped and altered box is being featured on the current Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage Blog

Sharing this post with ~

It's Overflowing

Share Your Cup Thursday

Second Day of Christmas...Boxing Day~

I hope you had a lovely Christmas! Today is the second Day of Christmas; 'Turtle Dove' Day and Boxing Day.

I did a bit of research to find out the origins of  Boxing Day but it seems nobody is quite sure of the actual beginnings. Some think it had to do with alms boxes in churches that were opened the day after Christmas and the contents distributed to the poor. One online source states, "The day after Christmas was the traditional day on which the aristocracy distributed presents (boxes) to servants. Both the church boxes and the servant presents existed, although historians disagree on which practice inspired the holiday. But Boxing Day's origins aren't especially important to modern-day Brits. Today's Boxing Day festivities have very little to do with charity. Instead, they revolve around food, soccer, visits from friends, and drinking at the pub. Boxing Day has been a national holiday in England, Wales, Ireland and Canada since 1871. The Irish refer to the holiday as St. Stephen's Day, also known as Wren Day. The Bahamas celebrate Boxing Day with a street parade and festival called Junkanoo, in which traditional rhythmic dancers called gombeys fill the streets with their elaborate costumes and headdresses. And there's the shopping. England and Canada's Boxing Day evolved into a major shopping event in the 1980s."

 Speaking of shopping, I took a quick trip today to look for bargains and came home with a Nutcracker Advent box to add to our collection. He is missing his nose, but that is easily remedied and garnered me an additional 20% discount on the already low Christmas clearance price!

I have a sweet little cup to share today too.

It has pink roses and tiny Hearts Ease, or Johnny Jump Ups on the saucer~

It was made in England~

              It has gold trim along the edges and handle~

There are pinks, blue, green and gold in the bouquet~

 My daughter baked up batches of Crackle-Top Molasses Cookies

from our favorite cookie recipe book...mmm, crunchy with a bit of spice!

Natalie H. Haughton filled this book with fabulous recipes that never fail to please~

I am sharing this post with:
Ruth's Antiques and Teacups

Martha's Favorites

Terri's Artful Affirmations

Rose Chintz Cottage