Special Delivery Baby Keepsake Box by Susan Killam

Hello folks!  Today I have a baby-themed keepsake box to share with you.  I used the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts large Hidden Drawer Book Box and turned it on its side.

Sometimes I joke with myself that "I make the mistakes so you don't have to".  Today's project is super sweet to look at but was a bit sassy to finish.  It all comes down to a lot of excitement for the *idea* and no stopping to actually design it.  I jumped right in!

First steps are to cut the laser details out - I usually only press a blade in rather than try to slice into the chipboard.  Mostly because I'm a klutz.  If needed, turn it over and press into the reverse side.  Next, wipe off any laser soot with a barely-damp paper towel.

Choose your paper.  At the time I thought the special delivery laser cut would be all-white, possibly with crackle paint.  I wanted to make sure it would stand out on the keepsake box top.  In #2, the diamond paper is the top and the green polka dot is the top inside.  Note in these photos the notches are penciled and cut on the inside layer only.  I chose the text paper to wrap around the the outside walls (#3).  To finish, I pounced white glue on the chipboard to layer the papers.

Assembling the box required white glue on the tabs, both hands and a little patience while the glue set up well enough to move on the the next piece.  No pictures, though.

So, ta da!  #1 below shows the assembled box *and* temporarily taped-together drawer.  (I did this to be sure the handle would be in the center.)

#1 - measure the center of the drawer front and poke a hole
#2 & #3 - lay the box on it's back end and center the drawer front on top;  extend pencil lead to make a mark on the inside drawer front
#4 - poke a hole in the inside drawer front

These will be lined up when you're ready to assemble the drawer.

Choose and cut your inside and outside papers for the drawer.  Notice my striped inside paper is the same height as the dotted outside paper?  Er, this is where I made the miscalculation.  I didn't want the chipboard tabs to show on the finished box, but didn't think about it until all the papers were cut AND glued.

It was not a happy "ah-ha" moment.

I had to re-cut all the dotted papers (even the larger one) and layer them on top of the original dotted paper.  At this point I have two layers of paper on the outside of the drawer.  It's a snug fit in the box.   Not my best work, but I will *never* forget this lesson! :)

Back to the drawer assembly... put a little glue at all the joints and hold it a few beats to let it set.  I used a paper towel to remove little bits of seeped out glue on the inside.

I put the handle on and clamped the drawer front to the drawer inside piece.  Just for good measure I added a heavy item to let it all sit over night. 

The next day picked out the colors for the Special Delivery laser cut, and painted and embellished it. (My original idea of all-white was too boring.)  Photo #2 shows how I reclaim that laser shadow if paint spills over the side -- use a brown brush-tip marker and lightly fill in from behind.

I love the flourishes of the 5 Petal Flowers, so I gesso'd and painted green.  The flowers look like leaves on the finished box.  Kinda neat!

More finished photos!

Thanks for visiting today!  I hope you're inspired by our daily new projects here on the GSL Cuts blog!

Cheers,
Susan

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Used
Hidden Drawer Book Box (Large) #D165D
Special Delivery D30M (Coming soon!)
5 Petal Flowers w/Flourishes D12P (Coming soon!)

Other Supplies Used
DCWV Nana's Nursery, Baby Girl (from 2010-ish)
Prima, Petaloo, Wild Orchid flowers
Liquitex white gesso & acrylic paints
Golden Titanium White acrylic paint
Lumiere acrylic paints
Ranger Liquid Pearls - white opal
Ranger Stickles - diamond, clear rock candy
Mod Podge
Fabri-Tac
Crafters Pick