February DT: Baby Predictions Cube and Album

Usually when I am making an off the page project I start with a project in mind and look for the right materials to fulfil it of course this time around I already had the project, Urban Lily Sugar Cube, and the challenge was what to do with it!

Heres my list of possibilities:

• Some sort of Jack in the box type thing just for fun.
• A surprise inside- Hersheys Kisses or sweets as an 'I love you' gift for kids or partner.
• Use as a 'vase' for paper flowers
• A Baby Decor Item with Black and white shapes, numbers or letters on each face.
• A little surprise for my daughters teacher.
• A birthday calendar- turned out the opposite way for the second half of the year.
• A photo per month of my sons first year. 
• Or a photo per year of my daughters 10 years + Plus and title and embellishment.
• Valentines Decor item
• Buy multiple and hang them on a string with one for each family member.
• Buy Multiple and stack them on the mantle with some letters like FAMILY, HOME or LOVE on the sides and decorated to go with our stuff.
• Cut windows on the sides and use as a display case for a tiny item.
• Carve or punch designs out of the faces.

I was also thinking that the box can be used:

• completely sealed, 
• always open, 
• or only partially put  together

And options for the inside included:

• a built in mini album/s
• A free standing mini album
• Scroll Album on it's own
• Scroll album on a cotton reel
• Some sort of pop-up
• Just folded pieces of paper with messages, affirmations, suggestions of things to do, fortunes or who knows what on them.

As we are expecting a baby later this year so I thought it would be fun to have a baby themed project and I came up with a prediction album. 

I decided to paint the box first but of course I could have papered or inked it as well. I keep an old magazine by my table and use it when I'm doing messy stuff- if the page gets too messy I can just turn to another- great when doing lots of gluing.

Both side Making Memories Funky Vintage Deep Sea.

I used Adobe photoshop to pull together photos of us all as babies on the one print and got three copies just in case. The Black and White pictures help to give a cohesive feel and work well with the Kaisercraft papers. (And yes that is two different babies at the bottom of each column. :-)

Used my square punch upside down to ensure I got it in just the right spot.

Mounted us all on the Kaiser Papers.

And then used foam tape to pop us up off the box and add a little more dimension.

A question mark from AC Thickers- Foam to represent the baby.

I used Making memories Book Tape to join the box sides together. There are holes that allow you to tie each side with ribbon but that wasn't really my style. :-)

I used Metallic rub-ons to add some contrast to the edges of the box. These come in sets of seven coordinating colours and work simply with body heat. You rub it on your finger and then rub it on the surface you are colouring. They last forever and Caz has three different colour kits.

I then cut a cover and pages for my mini album. I like to make the cover about 5mm longer and wider than the inner pages.

Scored the fold of my pages and cover with my stylus and trimmer.

And lined them up ready for stitching.

Because I used paper and light card and only had 3 layers it was easy to stitch them all together- with a larger number of pagers or heavier card you may want to do the pages in sets and then tie or bind into the cover.

I also used 7 Gypsies Gaffer tape as a decorative binding on the outside of my cover- it add strength as well- not needed in this case but sometimes handy!

I quizzed my family and filled in their new baby predictions. Added a title to my cover and enclosed my mini album to the box and secured it closed with ribbon. Then added a loop of ribbon to hang the cube with and a ribbon tassel for decoration.

I wrapped some jewellers wire around a bead to anchor it inside my box and then pushed the wire through the corner diagonally opposite to my hanging loop. Cut even lengths of pink and blue ribbon folded in half and tied approx a cm from the fold I then looped my wire through the loop and twisted it to secure the tassel to my box.

I am really hoping Merenia's weight prediction way bigger than the real thing!! And I can't say I'm liking either of their choices for names.

Caz Dezign Supply List:

• Urban Lily Sugar Cube
• Kaisercraft Distracted-Confused
• Kaisercraft Distracted- Dazed
• Kaisercraft Distracted- La la Land
• 7 Gypsies Gaffer Tape Red
• Making Memories Book Tape
• Pebbles Inc. Dymo Baby Stickers
• Metallic Rub-ons Kit 1
• Foam Tape
• Henzo Photo Splits

Other Supplies: Making Memories Paint- Funky Vintage Deep Sea, Ribbons Various Artists Stash, Bead, Wire, Marvy Square Punches x2, AC Thickers Foam, Cotton, Light Card- white, Smiggle Micro Liner Blue 0.5.

♥