Tutorial: Boxes!

Who would have thought that I'd have time for a tutorial?? I didn't even think I'd have time to scratch my nose these days, but somehow it occurred to me to photograph this quick project. Okay, so it's not a hard project, but still...

See, here's the thing: I HATE spending money on disposable things!! And I feel very warm and fuzzy about reusing materials. This adds up to, among other things, reusing packaging materials to mail my Etsy orders (most of the time). MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) recently sent me an envelope of goodies that was reinforced with two 8.5" x 11" (notebook paper sized) cardboard sheets. I decided to try to make a box out of them, as they were pretty sturdy pieces of cardboard. And here's how it went:

Your finished box will be about 4.5" x 7" x 2" when using 8.5" x 11" sheets and following these measurements.

Start with 2 sheets of cardboard. Mark lines 2" in from all sides (2 inches is the depth of the box--change that as you please). Cut one side of the square in the corner, on all corners.

Be uniform in your choices of which side to cut. It'll look better that way.

Fold on the lines so that your sides come in toward the middle. Fold the corner flaps in, like in the photo.

Apply a good amount of hot glue or other strong glue (especially if you're mailing this box) to the inside of the corner flap.

(Folding to the inside or outside works--I just thought this way seemed more stable.) Hold the flaps down tightly until the glue hardens. Repeat for the remaining 3 corners. Be uniform on all corners.

Repeat all steps with your other sheet of cardboard. There is a VERY tiny (1/8" or less) difference in the size of the boxes. To make this difference, just move your lines in about 1/8" more from the edge of your second box. This will allow one to fit inside of the other, giving you a top and a bottom.

And there you go, a completely free, eco-friendly, customizable box!
Wrap it up, cover it with fabric, stamp it, paint it... whatever suits your cause.

So I'm thinking that using greeting cards could make adorable small boxes, and cereal boxes are probably the perfect size for this project. But really, it's a great way to reuse just about any pieces of cardboard that's big enough to fold up. It's fast, easy, cheap--oh, there's a very inappropriate joke in there somewhere... Anyway, I love it, so I just thought I'd share.

Happy Holidays!

Welcome Home, Oliver!

I cannot think of how to start this post. The past week brought much happiness and much grief.

First, the baby! My 8 lb 5 oz, 19.5" long son was born at 11:39 am after a mere half hour of hard labor. I was induced at 7 am, had my water broken at 10:30, and there he was, just over an hour later! This was by far the shortest, easiest labor and delivery I've had, with the best results in regards to my body.

Here he is:
Oliver Daniel Jamison Schanzmeyer!

I truly believe that the ease of this birth had everything to do with the short chapter I managed to eek out of a Hypnobirthing book about relaxing through breathing so that you can let your body do what it's supposed to, rather than fighting against it. I didn't have much time to practice this time around, but for our next birth, I definitely plan to read the whole book and practice the techniques ahead of time. Perhaps that last half hour will go smoother!

The birth of a child can easily be called the happiest moment of one's life. My happy moment was followed less than 24 hours later by one of the saddest; my sister Brenda, at 40 years old, passed away unexpectedly. She was disabled and had been having medical issues that were never able to be resolved before she withered away. She died with a bad kidney function and high blood pressure after a period of intense weight loss.

The circumstances surrounding her death have left me with profound grief. It's such a confusing time, something to awful riding hot on the heels of one of the happiest events of my life. I'm trying to focus on the positive: I didn't have to labor and deliver a baby after she passed, for example. As hard as this is, I think that would have been near impossible.

And then, two days later, the Thanksgiving holiday brought a load of family to our little home, another happy day tinged with sadness due to Brenda's absence. Her favorite thing in the world was socializing, spending time with her family, playing with her niece and nephews. I missed her buzzing about, clearing the table too early, telling stories about her dog chasing skunks and licking her face. Who would have thought those things did, indeed, need to happen to make it feel like nothing was missing?

Now that we're back home (services were Friday, and we packed up our toddlers and newborn and made a seemingly LONG day trip out of it) I'm hoping to get to rest up and sort through everything. Here's another picture of our favorite part of the circle of life: the beginning.

Etsy Shop Update: Warm Weather State of Mind

Here we go, the latest crop of warm goodness in my Etsy shop!
Thank you, again, to the lovely Nicole for helping to bring the products to "life"!

Ear Warmer, Scarf, and Arm Warmer Set in Winter White

Hat and Cowl Set in Pastel Green

One of my personal favorties...

Sweater Dress/Top/Tunic in Army Green, with matching pin

Shoulder Wrap/Shawl in Creme with Gold Ribbon Accents and Pins

And these fantastic babies...
Pink Cashmere Leg Warmers!

I'll go ahead and include this gorgeous ribbon and bead necklace, too, altho it's sold already. I plan to make more like it...

Beautiful!

Thanks for looking, and
Happy Shopping!

Little Miss Patriot

Imagine my surprise when my three-year-old came out with this one day, start to finish. We've spent quite some time since discussing what all the words mean. I'm completely in LOVE with this video, so I have to share it with you!

Would-Be Shop Addition

I just wanted to highlight a recent project that I was extremely happy with--and I wasn't the only one!

One of the items I've mentioned as needing to be listed in my shop was this lovely black top. It's made of an Eddie Bauer wool blend skirt. I turned it into a racerback tank dress/top and designated my darling friend Jessica try it on and give me an idea of what size it should be. And I always like to see how my things fit real bodies--you learn a lot from that!

Well, she saved me from the photographing and listing process by snatching it up for herself--a lucky condition of living close to me, I suppose. :)

She accessorized the heck out of it, putting together the most awesome outfit I've seen in a long time! The black flower pin came with it, but what's that on her wrist??...

Could it be the beaded cuff I made for her bday, like the one listed in my shop?!? :D
What a great look, Jess! Great job!