Mixed Media Valentine Box

Valentine Box 1 dCipollo Designs

Mixed Media Valentine Box

by: Diane

I love antiques, especially china shoulder head dolls. There is something special about their beautifully painted faces. I spent hours on Ebay browsing for my next little friend and what better project for her than a Valentine’s Day box. Use it as a decoration or put that special gift inside for that special someone.
Valentine Box 2 dCipollo Designs

How to Make Mixed Media Valentine Box

Free Downloads:

Valentine Box SVG cut file
Valentine Box Accessories SVG cut file

Supplies:

  • French Industrial Paper Stash by Tim Holtz idea-ology at JoAnn.com
  • Collage Paper Stash by Tim Holtz idea-ology at JoAnn.com
  • Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad at JoAnn.com
  • Lace Pack by Kaisercraft at JoAnn.com
  • Artistic Wire at JoAnn.com
  • Holiday Glitz Chain by Plaid at JoAnn.com
  • Gauze fabric
  • Black floss
  • Beads and rhinestones
  • China shoulder head doll
  • Silhouette Cameo
  • Glue

I wanted to give the project a vintage look, so I searched through my stash for the perfect design elements. I used Tim Holtz idea-ology card stock, which is already distressed. I repeated the black from the doll’s hair with black lace and floss. To add more texture, I used gauze fabric, metallic chain and wire, along with some beads and rhinestones.
Begin by choosing two coordinating papers for the box. I love to work with stripes, so I chose a red striped paper for Valentine’s Day and coordinating script design for the box top, both from the Tim Holtz idea-ology French Industrial collection. I used a distressed dark red paper from the Tim Holtz idea-ology Collage collection for the hearts, mini flags and filigree corner embellishments.
Valentine Box 3a dCipollo Designs

Silhouette Cut

Note: For both the top and bottom of the box, we will be cutting two square pieces. Depending on the thickness of your card stock, you might need to reduce the scale for the second square piece, so that it will fit inside the box.
Using the color-coded diagrams above and below, we will cut the scalloped heart, rosette rectangle and the smaller flag piece from a lighter colored paper and the plain heart, rosette heart (with flat bottom), large flag and filigree corner pieces from dark red paper.

  1. Open the Valentine Box SVG cut file into Silhouette. Select all of the cut lines, right-click and choose ungroup. Select the 2 box bottom cut lines. Drag these from the cutting area, leaving the 2 box top cut lines. We now have one side piece (with tabs) and one square piece.
  2. Cut the two squares and one side piece from your choice of paper, making the scale adjustment for one square piece if necessary.
  3. Replace these cut lines with the two box bottom cut lines. Cut one side piece and two square pieces from the second paper.

Valentine Box 3b dCipollo Designs

  1. Drag all cut lines from the cutting area. Click File – Merge to open the Valentine Box Accessories SVG cut file into the Silhouette cutting area. Select all of the cut lines, right-click and choose ungroup.
  2. Remove all but the cut lines for the lighter pieces, load the lighter colored paper into your Silhouette.
  3. Select the scalloped heart piece and click Object – Replicate – Row of Three. Silhouette will duplicate the piece and place three in a row. Repeat this for the flag piece. Cut all 7 pieces with your Silhouette.
  4. Replace the current cut lines with the cut lines for the dark pieces. With the filigree corner selected, replicate four in a row. Replicate the flag and the plain heart cut lines three in a row.
  5. You should have the rosette heart, 4 corners, 3 flags and 3 hearts ready to cut. Load the dark red paper and cut all pieces.

Valentine Box 4a dCipollo Designs

Assemble the box

  1. For both the top and bottom side pieces, fold the tabs, glue the ends together and glue the tabs to the underside of the square pieces. To hide the tabs, glue the second (smaller) square piece inside.
  2. Use your favorite ink pad to distress the edges of the box.
  3. Glue the four corner filigree pieces on to the top at the corners. Glue .25 inch black lace around the bottom edge of the box bottom.

Valentine Box 4b dCipollo Designs

  1. Cut a 1 inch thick strip of gauze fabric. As you glue the strip around the sides of the box top, pinch the fabric to make a ruffle. Wrap black floss around the center of the gathered fabric three times and glue in place.
  2. Glue the chain over the floss at each corner of the box top, allowing the chain to drape down each side. Repeat this, draping the chain slightly less the second time.

Valentine Box 5 dCipollo Designs

Assemble the embellishments

  1. Glue a scalloped heart over the center of each plain heart. Save two of these hearts and glue the other over the rosette heart, aligning with the flat bottom. Distress the edges of all hearts and the rosette rectangle.
  2. Glue one of the layered hearts at the center of both the front and back side of the box top.

The Rosette Back

  1. To assemble the rosette, fold the rosette rectangle in increments. Choose which side will be the back of the rosette. Creating only a half circle rosette, glue the rosette heart to the center of the back of the rosette, matching the flat bottoms.
  2. To assemble the mini banner, fold the round tab to the back of each flag piece and glue the smaller flag piece over the center. Glue a pearl to the center of each flag. Glue the flags along a strand of black floss.
  3. To hang the banner, glue the ends of the floss to the back side of the rosette so that the banner hangs at a slight angle. Glue a piece of chain at each end of the floss, allowing the chain to hang below the banner. To finish the ends of the floss, glue a rhinestone over each end.

Valentine Box 6 dCipollo Designs

The Rosette Front

  1. Dress your china doll shoulder head with a piece of cotton lace and add some bling to her hair. Glue her to the center front of the rosette, matching the bottom edges of the doll with that of the rosette.
  2. Glue the finished rosette at the center of the box top, allowing the sides to extend beyond the edge.
  3. Curl about 2 inches of wire around a small stick and glue the curled wire around the front of the shoulder head.

Valentine Box Pinterest dCipollo Designs
Hope that you enjoyed the project. Come back soon!

~Diane

More Silhouette SVG cut files and projects available at dCipollo Designs.

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Linda
Hi! I'm Linda, the craft addict behind Craftaholics Anonymous®, a craft blog. Crafting is cheaper than therapy, right? When I'm not DIYing something, I can be found taxiing around our 4 crazy kids or working out. Or shoe shopping... because you can never have too many shoes! Happy crafting! ♥
Linda
Linda

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