Simple Expressions of Love...

A few weeks ago, out of the blue, a dear friend of mine dropped off a sweet little gift -- a small box of assorted chocolates and a little birdie that I love! I wasn't home at the time, so she put it by my front door and sent me a text to let me know that a little something was waiting for me when I got home. Don't you love small and simple expressions of love? I know I do. Sometimes a two-pound box of See's candy fits the bill, but most times a little container with three chocolates is all you need to let someone know they are well thought of and loved.

Along this line here is a simple and inexpensive gift from the heart that you can give this Valentine's Day to someone you love or admire. It combines a paper mache box ($.99) covered with scrapbook paper ($.50) and Mod Podge.You can add a beautiful removable flower made from synthetic fabric scraps to the top of the box and (of course) some chocolate and you have yourself a lovely gift. Let's start with the box...

You can buy these paper mache boxes at any craft store. This one is about 3 inches wide by 1 1/2 inches tall. It's just a little squirt -- perfect for jewelry or some chocolate pieces. For a more complete tutorial on how to cover a paper mache box, go to this tutorial I created last Spring. This isn't rocket science though, so most likely you'll be able to get the gist of things from looking at the photos below! To cover the bottom of the box: Cut your paper so there is at least a 1/2 inch overlap on each side...

Then paint Mod Podge on both the paper mache box and the scrapbooking paper and adhere the paper to the side of the box. Slit the "overhanging" part of the paper every 1/2 inch, apply Mod Podge to the paper and the box, and glue the paper to the inside of the box. Do the same to the overhang on the bottom of the box. Then apply Mod Podge over all the scrapbooking paper on the box to give it a little sheen.
 

To finish the inside of the box I cut a strip of paper to cover the edges of the scrapbook paper on the inside of the box. Apply Mod Podge over that as well...

To cover the lid of the box just place your lid on the underside of your scrapbook paper and draw a circle around the lid. Then measure the side of your lid (mine was 1/2"), multiply that by 2, and add that amount (1" for mine) to the edge of the circle.

Cut the paper out and apply it with Mod Podge to the top of the box. All that's left is to slit the sides and Mod Podge them to the side wrapping them around to the inside of the lid much like you did the bottom part of the box.

Now all you have to do is make a gorgeous flower...

The flower pattern that I used is one I created about a year ago. Go here to read the post. This pattern is now for sale in my Etsy store. Go here to buy it!  Once the flower was created, I taped it to the top of the box...

I used three different types of fabric for this flower. The first was a soft pink poly satin, the second a white poly satin, and finally a white shimmery organza. I think it's one of my favorite flowers ever because of the different layers of color and texture...

I chose to tape it to the top of the box in case the recipient might eventually want to take the flower off the box and use it in a different way.

I then added a little soft pink crinkle paper and some chocolate kisses.  A Valentine's gift isn't complete without a little chocolate...

This little gift could be considered 3 gifts in one. A little box to hold treasures, a removable flower to be used however the recipient would like and, of course, some chocolate. It's not an expensive gift, but sometimes those small, simple gifts from the heart are the best of all.

Linked to:
Show & Tell Saturday @ Blue Cricket Design
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
SAS Day @ Just A Girl
20 Below Thursday @ Christina's Adventures
Trash 2 Treasure @ Sassy Sites
Linky Party @ Love Stitched
Meet Up Monday @ The House Creative