Luminous Boxes

To follow up on my last post (sorry to leave you hanging for so long!), how about luminaries for gift boxes?  These are super easy to make...so easy, in fact, that I whipped up the fall one before work this morning...and using one of these for a gift box means that the box is also a decor piece for your home.  How lovely!

I first saw this project at the Regional Seminar in Baltimore, and immediately it went into my "to do" file.  All you need is cardstock, a paper trimmer, and some vellum, and then you can decorate it as desired.  For the fall luminary above, I used Early Espresso paper, which I cut into pieces 4" by 8-1/2" long, then scored at 1/2" and 4-1/2".  I used my Circle Scissors Plus (which I love, by the way) to cut circles out of each 4x4 square, and then cut my vellum just shy of 4x4" to fit.  I stamped the images from Day of Gratitude (available in the Holiday Mini) using More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Wild Wasabi, and Riding Hood Red.  TIP: Ink takes longer to dry on vellum, so let your pieces "rest" before adhering them.  Then I just adhered the vellum to my circle frames, and used the 1/2" flaps to glue the luminary together into a cube.

Since we'll be using Flurry Decor Elements at Jackie's party tomorrow, I wanted something that would coordinate with our project, so I came up with this winter/holiday themed luminary.  It's the first one I ever made, and I'm really happy with how it turned out!  I used a number of holiday sets, including Snow Swirled (tree and snowflakes), Northern Hearts (lovebirds and wreath) and Jolly Old Saint Nick (snowman).  My frame is Marina Mist, currently my favorite shade of blue, and my inks are Wild Wasabi, Cherry Cobbler, and Marina Mist.

I could use these for sleeves around holiday treats, or put bottoms in them so that they become actual boxes.  All I need now are candles--I'll be using the electric tealights that are popular now, so this project doesn't become a fire hazard--and they'll give a lovely glow.  This is a great project for any season, any table, and any light.  Wouldn't they make great centerpieces at a wedding?  It's all about the colors and stamps you choose.

Have fun, and make some luminous boxes of your own.

Cheers!

~Melanie

Fall Luminary

Stamps: Day of Gratitude

Ink: More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Riding Hood Red, Wild Wasabi

Paper: Vellum, Early Espresso

Extras: Circle Scissors Plus

Holiday Luminary

Stamps: Northern Hearts, Jolly Old Saint Nick, Snow Swirled

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi

Paper: Vellum, Marina Mist

Extras: Rhinestones