8th August Sunday Challenge

I hope that you've had a good week and been busy being messy with the mists and paint. Don't forget to show us what you've been up to using the link in the sidebar. We're being sponsored by Cosmo Cricket this month.

Today Amanda says;
This challenge is for those who fancy creating something a little different! I don't know about you, but I'm always on the lookout for inventive and pretty ways to store crafty items. Your challenge this week is to alter or create from scratch a pretty storage item for your craft space.

So get those thinking caps on and have a go :) If you're stuck for ideas, here is what the design team has been working on this week:

Amanda:

I used one of Cosmo Cricket's 'blackboard' memory boxes to create a storage place for some of the little vintage bits and pieces I want to keep to hand in my scrap space.

After trying unsuccessfully to cut a hole in some patterned paper to fit the window in the box, and several curse words later, I decided to outline the window with some gems. The colours of the Cosmo Nutmeg collection worked really well for vintage inspiration, and I used a picture from one of the paper sheets to back the cute window. Some bakers twine and a silk flower finished it off without going too over the top when I wanted it to be a functional box.

Anna: I decided my dull pen pot could really do with brightening up! I painted the edges of the pot in
bright pink, then I covered it with some Cosmo DeLovely paper and then cut out some flowers out of the other Delovely papers and used a border punch to add an edge to the top.

Fabi:

When I got Amanda's package I was so amazed. These 2 Cosmo collections are wonderful and I couldnt wait to work with them. We also received two very cute boxes. Ive choosen the smaller one and made a gift for my US roomate as a thank you gift. To add a little extra, ive stamped one flower with working stamp and layered another flower on the top. Then I've used a tiny rose to add as flower button.

Lisa:
I had a good think for this weeks challenge. I wanted to make something that could really improve my craft space. So I had a good look around my room and decided that my paints, mists and inks really needed a better organised space.

To start this I took this empty box and Cosmo Cricket 'Nutmeg' papers.



I took the metal piece off the front so it was flat. I completely spray misted inside and covered in the wood look papers. (I love these)

I now have somewhere to store my paints neatly.

So, thanks to this weeks challenge, this area of my studio has gone from looking like this.

To this : )

Nic:

When it comes to craft storage, I like items that allow me to see my stash as I am very much a 'use whats on my desk' type of scrapper. I love ribbon but don't use it enough so decided to make something I could place on my desk and which I could display some of my favourite pieces of ribbon upon.

I used the gorgeous cosmo cricket delovely papers to create a little bag and some circular ribbon spools. I strengthened the paper by painting it with paper mod podge and weighted the inside of the bag. I used three wooden skewers which I painted white - I've added a bottom row of spools with ribbon attached and the top without so you can see each full and empty, you could alter the length of the skewers depending upon how many spools you want to display. To finish I added a couple of embellishments to the front of the bag and a little tag. Hey presto, somewhere to store a few of my favourite ribbons.

Rebekah

I used the cosmo cricket photo box and the 'delovely' range to make a little storage house for my coloured pens. The roof is made from folded scraps and the little birdy is hanging from the flower by a thread. Materials: Cosmo cricket blackboard photo box and 'delovely' range

Sara: I have this little box that sits on my desk, that odds and ends are dropped into when my layout is finished. A random button, the left over staples, the last little bit of ribbon etc. I had previously just left it plain but saw this challenge as the perfect opportunity to spruce it up a bit. The papers and alphas are Cosmo Cricket, the flower, scalloped sticker and string are from my stash.

Sue: Simple Origami Boxes
I love making these boxes and use a lot of them in my scrap space as a temporary (and sometimes permanent) holder for the little pieces that I have. And I must admit, as a scrapper who loves details and not throwing away too much, I have LOADS of little pieces. Each box is made with a 12x12 sheet of patterned paper and holds loads of things - even my frequently used acrylic stamps.

They're handy for things you want to keep visible, on your table and within reach.

Will you make a box today?

Tessa:

I love sketches, but I realized that I had printed off sketches taking over my scrap room - in drawers, tucked between books, pinned to memo boards, etc. I decided that I would love a designated space (and one that wouldn't take up much space) to hold all of my favorite sketches. This little box is the perfect size to fill with index cards, on which I can easily draw the sketches, tape printed sketches, and note the source of each sketch. I can grab my box when I sit down to create and quickly flip through the cards for some instant inspiration. The container, alphas, and papers are by Cosmo Cricket, with a touch of October Afternoon (the stripes).

Valerie:
I don't know about you but if I can't see what I have, I will not use it. "Out of sight, out of mind" - that's what prompted me on this challenge. One area where I tend to ignore supply is in the ink department. I'm fairly new to the ink/technique world so I need a constant reminder of how pretty ink can be. So, with that in mind, I made myself an ink sample selector - designed to hang on a hook in plain sight of my seat at the desk:

I kept it simple and low profile since this is a tool I will be using a lot and the focus is on the ink color. This selector happens to be for Distress Ink, but I plan to make one for the other kinds of ink & paint I have, too. Here's an interior view:

To make the interior pages, I made a simple text box with the ink name and color in MS Word. I fit 5 boxes on an 8 1/2" x 11" page then printed them on white cardstock. Then I got to work coloring each one with my ink blending tool and a little bit of water splatter technique, just to keep it interesting. (It was great ink practice!) The album cover, cut from a piece of chipboard and covered with Cosmo Cricket "DeLovely" paper, is 6" x 2 1/4". The interior pages are 5 3/4" x 1 3/4".
You could customize this selector by putting your ink samples on your go-to cardstock colors. I tend to use a lot of light colors so I used white, but a kraft selector would be handy, too. I'll add it to my to-do list!

Materials: Patterned cardstock, die cut flower, numbers: Cosmo Cricket (DeLovely); cardstock: Close To My Heart; letter stickers: Making Memories; felt button: craft supply

We're looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Our sponsors again this month are Cosmo Cricket and in addition to being in with a chance of winning the monthly prize of a collection pack, by uploading your link to the side bar you could win two Cosmo Cricket Blackboard boxes (two sizes). Enjoy the challenge :)

Edited to add i.e. it's Amanda poking my nose in ;):

Winners are usually selected randomly for a monthly prize, and all August entries will be entered for the chance to win a Cosmo Nutmeg Collection. ALSO, because this week Cosmo Cricket have kindly sponsored us and our DT, I will be choosing a winner for this challenge! The most inventive and pretty creation will win the 2 blackboard boxes that Rebekah mentioned.

Plus, look out for more from Cosmo Cricket next week! I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to CC for their support - they have always been incredibly supportive of our endeavours here at The Studio :-) They're an amazing bunch of people!