Don't be Blue, I love Ewe! (DIY double-sided patterned text paper)

This fuzzy little dude has the blues. :O(

(The sentiment on the front says "How are Ewe? Feeling Blue?")...

...but inside the window is a little pick me up:

His glittery sheep buddy is in there with a flower & the DIY patterned paper says "I love Ewe! Don't be blue."

The Farmyard Friends sheep is baaaaack! heeheehee...with a vengeance! (Four tutorials for this 4 by 4 1/2 inch, flapped window-box) That's a lot of blah-blah-blaaaaah on my part, but for some reason when I made it I had photographed & wrote out all the many many details for this odd little box. Hopefully, you'll find something interesting in all of it.

Here's somethin' I had fun with since it's very customizable...

Making Your Own Double-sided
patterned text paper:

The white paper that comes in the Paper Garden Projects Farmyard Friends Kit is dreamy for digital printing & making boxes. It's nice & sturdy. I printed on each side of a piece to make a custom cardstock for a window box. The text all over this homemade double-sided patterned paper repeats a different sentiment on each side in blue & pink:

The outside in blue repeats: How are you? Feeling Blue? That won't do! Then the inside in pink repeats Don't be blue. I love Ewe! And here is to You, shakin those blues.

You can download the word documents here,
if you think you might like to use them.

Customizing:

You can even emboss the text (& make your own font too):

(Click these images to check out the post on how to do that.)

Of course, you could also make your very own (whenever you want for whatever) by typing out anything you like in any colour & font. Don't you just love computers? :O) You could add the name(s) of someone special, favourite quotes, song lyrics, or poetic verses.

Double-sided digital papers. With digi paper being so hot right now, there's a wealth of images to print on the other side of your text. Combining digital papers & word documents lets you have the patterns you love with your own message on the inside. I like cardstock with a good weight so I can use them in a card or box.

The embossed Scene for the
front of the Box:

Supplies:
(All these come in the Paper Garden Projects Farm Friends Stamp Kit)

Stamp: Sheep with flower in its mouth (Designed by Pink Cat Studio)
Scrap of Parakeet (lovely grass green) textured Cardstock
2 pieces of Wedding White Cardstock (to print out text patterned paper)
Basic Grey Urban Prairie Paper: Weather Vane
Urban Prairie Brads

Other Materials:
(from your stash or Paper Garden Projects)

Ribbon: Rose Pink velvet Ric Rac

For Box:
Scor-Pal
Oh So Sticky tape
Cuttlebug embossing folder (I've used Floral Fantasy)
Nestabilities Label 2
Scissors
Tombow Monomulti
Green markers, ink & chalk (blues & greens)

For the 2 Sheep:
Black ink
Copic Markers: Black, BG-15 Aqua, & RV-11 Pink
watercolour pencil crayons
Fiber to cut up or Flocking
Turquoise Glitter




Step 1) Partial emboss a piece of the wedding white cardstock from the kit. This is the Floral Fantasy Cuttlebug embossing folder. (You can see the selection of folders at Paper Garden Projects here, if you like.)



Step 2) draw blades of grass where embossing meets unembossed cs



Step 3) Ink the embossing (I just used the direct to paper method with Certain Celery ink)



Step 4) Even out the colour with pastels or softer green ink



Step 5) Create 2 oval sentiments (out of scraps from the box.) This one says "How are Ewe? Feeling Blue?" Save one for the inside (mine says: "I love Ewe! Don't be blue.") I used SU oval punches, but these using these Nestabilities label dies would be adorable (or whatever you have on hand.)



Step 6) Add ribbon to the card front with enough length to wrap all the way around to the front again. (this is Rose Pink velvet Ric Rac attached with Oh So Sticky tape.)



Step 7) Wrap the ribbon around the front to line up & trim it.



Step 8) Hide the ribbon seam with sentiment

The Other tutorials coming up for this window box:

A) Makin' the fuzzy sheep (no sew)

B) Building the box (4 x 4.5):


...and finally...

C) Decorating the Box (inside):

(The Glittery sheep Scene)

Hope all these big baaaaad details don't make you feel sheepish about making a window box! I just like to complicate things out of 'shear' woolly-headed-ness. ;o)

Quick Links:

FarmYard Friends Stamp Kit available here & some stunning projects made with it here on Cathy's Blog and Tracy's blog

:O)