I’ve been saving the best of these decorated boxes for last.  This heart shaped box is easily my favorite, and it took me a while to think of something that I wanted to do for the inside of it.

The first thing I thought to do was to crochet a piece of handmade lace and use it as a tie – like the tie on a ring bearer’s pillow.  I tried it, but it turned out kind of awkward. I think I made the lace too long and the white lace with white flowers was a little too boring visually.  In the end I decided to glue a medium sized white chrysanthemum in the middle and add some stamens off to the side. It was still all white, and I knew it needed some color, so I made a silver and aqua blue dragonfly to perch on the flower.

I feel like it gave it just the right pop. This also gave me a chance to use some of my older colors. When I dye ribbon, I want to make sure I have enough to finish my project plus extra, just in case I run into some problems. Also, it’s really hard to get the same color twice – once you toss out your dye bath, you’ll never the exact same color again. I usually end up with way more than I need, but I can always use the rest later on.

This box is definitely my favorite, and I’m a little hesitant to let it go. But, it is now available in the Shop if anyone is interested in giving this special little piece a new home.

To be honest, I don’t hang on to a lot of my own work.  Even though I love making things, if I kept all of the things I make I’d end up with way too much stuff. I hang onto a few things that I feel really attached to and the rest I give to friends and family as gifts.  I’ll probably work on a different box just for myself at some point, but these boxes are more an exercise in creating something beautiful from old supplies than a personal piece for myself.