You are special

(dank je wel, Liane!)

Don't forget: you are special!
Happy weekend everyone!

Big day?

Is a birthday a big day? Not really when you're getting older, greyer and get more wrinkles...
But oh boy, you spoiled me with all the lovely suggestions I got in the mail!
A very big thank you to everyone who took the time to think about something fun to do and send me a card. I really enjoyed opening the mailbox & reading all these suggestions:

• A visit to a wellness center and totally spoil yourself
• A worry free day
• A spoil-yourself-day, lots of great food & fun
• Distribute colorful helium balloons with inspirational quotes & wishes to complete strangers
• Go scuba diving over some coral reef
• Go to a yarnshop & spoil yourself rotten
• Visit a museum
• Bake a cake
• Paint a picture
• Call a friend
• Take a walk
• Spend time with those you love
• Go to a fun swimming pool
• bring food to an animal shelter
• Go to the movies and get the largest popcorn box
• Open a special e-mail account & postbox for future birthday messages
  
• Visit the Handmade & funky X-mas market in Amsterdam
• Have a crazy hairday/get a new color
• Buy cake/Eat cake

So many awesome ideas! But you know what? I still feel sick.
I've been resting all day yesterday in the hope that I would be OK to go out & have some fun. Alas, I feel like a dishcloth, my nose is red, I'm coughing like an old man who smoked all his life & my throat hurts horribly.
So I'll take it easy and go for the 'buy cake/eat cake' option.
That way I can still veg out on my couch , watch some movies and stuff my face.
Anyway, the suggestion came from Anna Ruby King so she can expect the feeling 'special' in her mailbox soon...
Congrats Anna & if there's any cake left, I'll send you some to go with that! ;)

In search for fun ideas...

Two weeks from now, I'll be celebrating my birthday. Those days usually pass like any other day as every day is a celebration for me. However, I like to do something different this year. Something extra-ordinary or just something silly. But what?
I have been thinking and thinking but have not come up with anything more clever than this... (as I know it would make me extremely happy)

Just send me a note or a card (no presents!) with a suggestion what I could do the 13th of December.
Jip, via snail mail.
Because I love to open the mailbox...

In return, I'll give away this special feeling to the most awesome idea/card.So, let's go! :)
Mitsy Sleurs | Spaarzaamheidstraat 20 | 3500 Hasselt | Belgium

How to make a special giftbox?

I have to admit: this is a tutorial that involves a lot of work. I recycled a pre-made box to reduce the amount of work. But you can also used recycled cardbord and assemble the box yourself of course.
Because these boxes take so much time to make, I usually only make them for very special occasions or people. As far as I know, all of them have kept the box the gift came in. To use every day or sometimes. I just love the thought of something handmade being cherised.

Here is what you need:
Handmade paper, thin cardboard, PVA glue, box, pencil, eraser, scissors,

glue brush, scoring tool, cutting knife, doublesided tape, thick transparant plastic, ruler, something small but fun to put inside the boxHold the side of the lid on the edge of the paper and draw a thin line.
Do this for 2 sides.

Place the lid against the thin line again and put the box down. Trace the bottom of the box on the paper.

Add the same lines on the other two sides.
It should look like this now.

Cut out along the lines.

Take the lid and put the thing you want in there on the inside
and draw a border around it.

Cut out the border with a cutting knife.

Put glue on the paper.

Place the lid on top of the paper.

Fold the paper around the lid.

Press the paper with a scoring tool closely to the edge of the lid.

Cut the middle part with a cutting knife so that
you will be able to fold over the paper to all sides.

Put glue on the sides and fold over the paper.

The lid should look like this now.
Let it dry for a bit.

Do the same with the bottom of the box.

Now cut a piece of sturdy transparant plastic to put over the hole in the lid.

Put doublesided tape along the edge of the hole.

Place the plastic on top of the doublesided tape.

Now we will make a box for the finding you want to put in there. Use the left over cardboard you cut out as a mould and depending on
how thick your finding is, you add some flaps to it.

Score the lines with a scoring tool so that it's easier to fold over.

Put glue on the cardbord.

Glue it onto the paper and cut it out.

Attach some tape to the edges to make a box.

Put doublesided tape on the outside flaps.

sorry for the very bad picture...

Put the finding inside the box.

Press the box onto the inside of the lid.

The inside of the lid looks dreadful so we'll put some paper of that too. Place the lid over a piece of paper and cut about 1cm around.

Then cut some lines toward the middle of the tiny box inside the lid.

Put glue on the inside of the lid.

Oops, I forgot to cut away the corners which makes it harder to glue,
so I do it quickly while glueing!
Press the paper firmly onto the inside of the lid.

That looks better already.

Ready! :)This mighty cute sales fairy will go into the box.

I made this sales fairy especially for the European Streetteam's new game. This fairy will sprinkle her fairy sales dust in Turkey as StarOfTheEast was able to catch her.
I caught this fairy & she already worked her magic! :)
Read more on the Sales Fairy game on the Handmade blog of the European Streetteam.

And while I was making boxes, I made some more for future gifts.