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INSPIRATION
DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKINGHybrid Altered Recipe Box
Friday, May 21, 2010
It’s Kathy…I’m back to bring you another SUPER cute hybrid project. I had SO MUCH FUN creating this recipe box for a wedding shower that my girls and I attended last weekend. Purple and yellow are the bride’s favorite colors, so I used them as accent colors along with the totally fun and cheery papers from the Giggle Box Collection. This kit is EXTRA close to my heart…it is the first kit that I worked with after joining the SP team last summer. That LO was done a few days after my son Lawson (who spent his first week sick in the hospital) was born. The bright, happy colors and whimsical style of this collection was so comforting to me and lifted my spirits during a difficult time…needless to say, I LOVE IT!
It was equally as fun to use Giggle Box to make a special family keepsake recipe box for a special couple just starting out. I have to tell you that I spent a considerable amount of time actually embellishing the box, from crocheting the flower accent, to cutting, painting and stitching the canvas leaves, and making the some homemade “glimmer mist” to spritz the crumpled flowers…you get the idea! However, I really believe that the details totally MAKE these Hybrid/Altered projects. There really isn’t anything complicated at all about altering the recipe box itself, or in making the embellishments either, for that matter. It simply requires some thought and an afternoon to let your creativity flow (or a couple of nap times, in my case)!
I started with an inexpensive recipe box that I got at a large chain craft store in the “bargain aisle”. I scuffed up all of the exterior surfaces and distressed all of the inside edges that wouldn’t get covered with medium grit sand paper. I was lucky enough that the areas inside that I didn’t cover with the Giggle Box papers, coordinated well enough that it didn’t matter. Next I printed out the Giggle Box papers on my printer at full scale, (it just cut off the area outside my 8.5×11 page) and cut them to size. I glued them down with a glue stick (as mentioned in this post) schmeering the glue on the BOX, not the paper. I lined the top of the box with paper and on the bottom, I used a piece of brown Core’dinations cardstock that I distressed (I *heart* Core’dinations SO MUCH).
After all the paper was glued down, I applied two thin coats of Mod Podge to every outside surface. After the Mod Podge had dried thoroughly, I gave every edge a good sanding to distress the edges, and prime them for a good coat of Tim Holtz Distress Ink. I let the distress ink dry well and then carried on embellishing the box, my absolute favorite part of all! This is where my creativity soars, and the whole project just comes together. The great part is, the sky is the limit, and everyone’s interpretations are different, be unique and be true to your own style. Tip: feel free to use other’s art as inspiration, but don’t forget to celebrate your own tastes and expression in each project you create.
Last fall, I began organizing my own family recipes and “scrapping them” into very simple recipe cards I created. I purposefully kept it simple using the classic Damask and Dots Collection paper. I printed them at Costco as 4×6 prints, and used a 4×6 flexible magnetic frame as a way to keep the cards clean and easily visible (on the fridge) while I am cooking. I was so proud of myself for thinking of it because it has been so useful…don’t you love it when you have a good idea…LOL!
So, I added a set of my own family recipes among the coordinating tabbed recipe dividers and a flexible magnetic frame to finish it all off.
And, because I’m nice and I like y’all so much, I’m sharing my APPLE MUFFINS RECIPE CARD with you as a free download! Hope you enjoy!
Free (not desktops), Hybrid Projects, Uncategorized 16 Comments
What a great project!!! Thanks so much for sharing (and for that great recipe-card too LOL!!!)!
SP to the rescue, again. I asked my daughter what she would like for her birthday breakfast tomorrow and she said fruit salad and apple muffins! Thank you for the recipe – and the cute box idea.
YAY, Janet :o) i hope that she has a WONDERFUL birthday…and that you all enjoy the fruit and muffins…lol – LOVE that :o)
Made them this morning and they turned out PERFECTLY! We live on the border of high altitude, so I’m never sure if a recipe will work and this one is a definite keeper (used regular sour cream and low fat plain yogurt since that’s what we use). Thank you Kathy and SP!!
Janet, I am glad that they turned out so well. It is our family’s all time favorite! And thank you for the sweet comments!!!
I love it! Good idea with the photo paper printing and the magnetic frame for the fridge. I love the flower on top. Any chance you could give instructions and/or a template for the flower?
Thanks.
Thanks Jennifer! Yes, I will work on a little tutorial for the flower. It may take me a few days, but check back and I’ll see what I can do!
I LOVE the recipe box! Thanks for sharing how you put it together, and for the tip about using a flexible magnetic frame. Also, a big THANK YOU for sharing the Apple Muffin recipe card with us. Could you please tell me what font you used on your index cards? Thanks!
Crissie, thank you so much! I used Wendy Medium for the title, Century Gothic and VT Portable Remington in the body. Hope you enjoy the recipe…they are my family’s favorite muffins!
This is such a cute kit and I love the creative recipe box! Is there a coupon discount to purchase the kit? Thanks for the inspiration!
Awesome project. I am helping my daughter in law make a scrap recipe book as we speak, but I also like the box. Maybe I will make this for myself. You wouldn’t want to share the recipe card in a blank state would you???? Puleeessseee! Thanks. I just have to say how much I am enjoying this blog and all the updates. I have love SP for many, many years and the blog update are just great, giving more ideas to use the wonderful products at SP. Thanks again.
PS. Please can we get the recipe card to use for our recipe box?????
You are so sweet, Jackie – thank you! And, LOL…i have to tell you that KATHY wanted to share the template and we tried…but time got away from us and we decided to just go with the final card. I promise that in the future we will try to share a template. But, the good news is that it was super simple…just a 6×4″ file with a rounded rectangle on top (I believe I included a rounded rectangle shape in the new SCALLOPS, SHAPES & MORE collection at the Shoppe). Other than that – it’s just papers and embellishments :o) Anyway – just had to tell you that Kathy tried…it was me that got in the way LOL! Thanks for the comments – Kathy rocks :o) Have fun with your recipe box…we would love to see pics of the final project at the Shoppe’s gallery!
you already know i LOVE this, kathy…lol…but i just had to say it again :o) it is so obvious – the amount of time and love you put into this project and i just THANK YOU for sharing it with us (as well as the recipe – YAY!).
Thank you ladies!!! So glad you like it, I am in love with it, and really did have a hard time parting with it. I know it will be loved in it’s new home though, and it was so fun to make, I might just do one for myself as well!
WOW!!!! This is stunning!!!!!!!!!!!!a REAL WORK OF ART!!!! I’m sure the bride loved it!!!!!!!!!! I want one for myself!!!! ;). You put a lot of time, effort and love in this. Amazing!!!!!!!!!11 Hugs & kisses, Mariquita
what an awesome project Kathy!! it came out so fabulous!! and thanks for the apple muffin recipe – YUM!!