Recipe Box

OK, am I the only one who planned on making a Christmas gift, bought all the supplies and then...BAM...Christmas was over? I have a sneaking suspicion that I am not, though most will not go on their blog confessing it for the whole world to read, LOL.

When I saw the recipe box on Nichole's' blog Capture the Moment, I knew I had to make one for Alicia and James (my daughter and SIL). They both love to cook so a recipe box is a gift they would both appreciate and use. But....It was never made.

About 6 weeks ago, Alicia was telling me that James wanted to buy a recipe box or binder to hold their growing pile of recipes! OH NO!!! I told her to hold off for a bit and I would finally make the one I was supposed to give them for Christmas.

 

Here it is, FINALLY!  I did not add embellishments since it is mostly for James and wanted to keep it on the masculine side.  Also, unless I would mod podge over them, they would get YUCKY, LOL, being in the kitchen.

The stamp set I used is "Sun Ripened II" a retired Stampin' Up set that I purchase just for this project (though I am certain I will find many other things to do with it, LOL) You see, they have a nice size counter in their kitchen where they keep a mini bar. On the wall in front of the counter and under the cabinets, they have a collage type of picture with wine, wine glasses, grapes and some other thing. It looks like an old advertisement and this image reminds me of the picture.

  This is a close up of the pattern paper I made for it.

I used the Kraft paper from Paper Temptress, which is a very heavy weight paper, perfect for a project like this.

I stamped the image randomly using Staz-on Royal Purple.

To color the images in, I wanted a soft vintage look. I chose the Stampin' Up colors Mellow Moss, Pale Plum and Close to Cocoa, pulled out the stamp pads, reinkers, paint brush and a tiny cup of water.

To get the vintage look on the Kraft paper: 1) add a drop of reinker onto the inside of the stamp pad cover.  2) dipping your brush in water and pulling a bit of the ink to the side, mix the water and ink until the color is well saturated. At first it may look like there is not enough color when applied to the image, but that is what you want. 3) color the image with the saturated ink, changing colors as needed. 4) As you paint, continue to mix the ink with water until your image(s) are complete. **there is a name for this technique, which I just can't seem to remember right now---but, the name is not as important as knowing how to do it, right?!

One of the funnest parts of this technique is watching the color appear as the water evaporates.  If you would like, you can even use a heat gun to quicken the process. You may find that the colors are not as dark as you would like, go ahead and apply an additional layer of saturated ink. One more plus about this technique is you don't have to worry about getting color outside the lines.  If you do, it just adds to the look!

   

Here is the top of the box. I wrapped a bit of hemp twine around the edge before using the mod podge to coat it. I think it gave it a more finished look. Additionally, mod podge gives it a wipe off surface, which is important in the kitchen!

 

Since the Papertrey Ink box is white, I wanted to paint it to match the paper.  First I used some tan acrylic paint. When that was dry, I used some craft ink spots and dabbed on some purple and green. I had to use what I have on hand, but would have preferred a more vintage/antique tone,  but these worked OK.  I then took my Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad in Antique Linen and just ran it over all the inks to tone them down a bit.  *** I will admit here that I was reaching for the Old Paper pad and did not realize it until I saw how "brown" the ink was! Oppps! Note to self, always check the cover to confirm color before preceding, LOL***

Here it is full of the recipe cards.  I used some scrap packaging cardboard to make the separators.  I made more of the pattern paper, but did not paint it.  I cut it to the size of the separators (I know there is an other name for them...if you know it, drop me a comment so I can stop thinking about it, LOL)  Anyway, I adhered the paper to the front after I attached the tabs that I made using my Stampin' Up Round Tab Punch.

I am going to end this post with a picture of my female chihuahua, Jazer.  This was her yesterday! She is laying in one of the little beds we have for the chihuahuas, which are right next to the heater.  I still had the heat on since it is still quite chilly in the mornings here, yet she still wraps herself up like a little burrito, LOL! If you click on  the photo, you will see a tiny bit of her tongue sticking out on the right.  She is so funny, this happens every time she is completely relaxed! See you Monday! Hugs, Sandy O