Little Pink Studio

Altering a Valentine candy box

Hello! I altered this candy box a couple of years ago for a swap and thought I would share it today. It's such a great way to transform an inexpensive candy box and make it into a fabulous gift for a friend for loved one. 

Just discard (or eat. ha.) the candy, and using your favorite matte medium cover the top of the box with a mixture of vintage papers. On this particular box, I used antique ledger papers, vintage flocked wallpaper, and a heart shaped doily. 

On top of the vintage papers, I added some polka dots with pink paint, a vintage image, and some fabulous vintage hat netting. To adhere the netting, I just placed little dots of glue under the velvet spots and glued the rest under the edges of the box top. 

Adding some vintage millinery and a velvet bow finishes off the top of the box. 

I also added some paper bits and polka dots to the inside of the box as well. 

Then, just fill it up with treats! 

I couldn't find the image I used on my box, but I thought this little darling would work well too. 

And this is the image I used on the inside of the box. 

Let me know if you alter some candy boxes too, will you? I would love to see. 

I'll be back tomorrow, and follow me on facebook for even more vintage images this month. :)

xoxo, Cerri 

Happy February!

Hello! Sorry to have been gone for a couple of weeks, but somehow, life just keeps getting in the way lately...and to be honest, my creativity has been a little zapped. But, I'm ready to get back into it and what better time than during this month of love, romance, and all things heart related! I'm planning on posting everyday this month with at least a photo related to hearts, romance, and love. I have some fun ideas planned, and hope you'll join me. 

To get started, here is the wonderful photo above with out my picnik doodles on it. 

Isn't she just fabulous? Found her on pinterest, of course. 

See you tomorrow!

xoxo, Cerri

In case you're ready to start making your Valentines

Hello! I can hardly believe how fast January is just flying by us, and I know on everyone's mind is Valentine's, right? :)

 I just finished listing several new, and super cute packaging supplies in the shop. First up, these little boxes with the heart cut out. They're the perfect size for treats, goody bags, Valentine's, cards, or even ATC's! 

Lovely paper mache hearts imported from Germany. They make such a sweet little gift box, and can be altered to your heart's content. These boxes have been made in Germany for about a 100 years, and sadly, they have decided to stop making them. (and the eggs,too! I'll list the eggs very soon) I was able to import a few of the boxes, but once they're gone, I don't believe I will be able to get them again. 

Cardboard sliding boxes! Love these! They're a great little blank canvas waiting on you to paint them, collage them, etc. Use them for treat boxes, Valentines, ATC's, or even create a little mini album to go inside! They're much better than the average match box. :)

Fries, anyone? I'm loving these white, blank french fry cartons! They're just perfect for all kinds of sweet packaging needs. You can add a cute label and treats for your party favors or goody bags!

In about five minutes I added a bit of vintage lace, a little seam binding, and a vintage millinery flower, and there you have a perfectly romantic holder for your Valentines! 

All of the new packaging materials can be found right here.

I also recently added some lovely new twine, which is perfect for wrapping around your Valentine's. (or any other package!)

 My favorite is the new red, white, and pink. 

The new twine can be found right here.

And lastly, we added some fun new paper bags as well.

Kraft paper, and polka dots? Yes, please! 

 And more polka dots. (in red and pink) The bags can be found here. 

Those are all of the new items. I'm working on some fun new kits, too. I hope to have those ready very soon, since January is uh, almost over. Sheesh!

Cerri xoxo

How about a Tuesday tutorial?

Hello! I can hardly believe how fast January is flying by already! I would like to keep up with the Tuesday tutorials I started during the holiday season, and to start off the year I'm reposting a little project I created for Joli Paquet a couple of years ago. It might give you a jump start on thinking about your Valentines. So, let's get started.

Do you have lots of scraps of lace and trims? This project is a great project to use those scraps and make some pretty Valentines! I sewed my Valentines, but you can certainly make this project using your favorite adhesives if you prefer not to sew.

 

Gather your supplies:

 

Canvas sheet (I used Frederix canvas that can be found at Michaels, but you can also use cardstock if you prefer)

 

paint

 

Scraps of vintage laces and trims

Coordinating seam binding or ribbon

glue dots

Sewing machine (or your favorite adhesives if you prefer not to sew)

 

foam brush

 

paint brush

 

vintage china doll OR your favorite images (you can do a search for the china dolls on etsy if you don't have one in your stash, I saw several sellers with them)

 

Hot glue or othe strong adhesive (I use The Ultimate glue)

Satin wings

Begin by cutting a heart shape out of your canvas or card stock. Then brush a layer of paint onto the heart. And set aside to dry.

While your canvas is drying gather your favorite scraps of lace and trim. Cover your heart with glue dots that will help you keep your laces in place while you sew them on. Lay your trims over the heart in whatever manor pleases you.

 

Begin sewing your scraps to your heart. I stitched around and around the heart until my stitches had covered the whole thing. I did my best to go in a heart shape, but as you can see, that didn't always happen and since I was using a light colored thread that was ok.

 

Once your trims are completely sewed on, you'll want to trim off the excess. I think it is easiest to do this from the back so that you can just follow along with the shape of the canvas. Save those scraps for making more Valentines!

Next, since my vintage china doll reminded me of a cherub, I wanted to give it some wings. To add polka dots, just dip the end of your paint brush in your paint and dot onto your wings.

 

Once your wings have been polka dotted to your liking you'll want to glue them to your china doll using either hot glue or another strong adhesive. I use The Ultimate glue. This glue is always in my studio as it will bond just about anything and takes the place of hot glue for me! Besides my Coccoina glues, it's my very favorite glue. You then attach the whole thing to your heart. I chose to place it in the center, but you can put it anywhere you would like!

Once my "cherub" is in place, I punched some holes in the top of the heart and strung the seam binding through. Tie a bow at the top and hang it somewhere it will make you happy. :)

That's it! A great way to use up those vintage scraps of lace! You could further embellish your scrappy Valentines with words, or vintage millinery flowers. 

This is another Valentine I made that year using the same technique, but with a vintage image instead. 

Have fun, and I would love to see any scrappy Valentines you have made. 

xo, Cerri

Sale!

Hello! Just popping in to let you know about the sale going on in the shop!  Most remaining Christmas items have been marked down 20-40% off, plus there are markdowns throughout the shop. Some items are hardly ever on sale, like our vintage dress forms, and that is a temporary reduction. However, many other items are marked down and will not be restocked. We have to clear out the old to bring in the new, right? Plus, I have some pretty fun things planned for the shop this year. :) (more on that later)

I have also been restocking the favorites that sold out during the holiday season, like the rose print bags. I've had quite a few of you waiting on those, and I'm happy to say they're finally back in stock! 

A few new items have trickled in, like these lovely nests, and gorgeous pompom trim!

The pompom trim comes in 3 lovely colors, ivory, pink, and aqua, but the ivory is my favorite. It looks as though it has been lightly tea stained. 

More restocks and new items are to come, and I'm currently gathering some lovelies for Valentines season. But for now, enjoy the sale and stock up on some of your favorites!

xo, Cerri

Happy New Year!

Happy 2012! I hope this new year brings happiness and love to all of you!

Much love, Cerri

Merry Christmas!

Need a last minute gift?

A Little Pink Studio gift certificate would make a lovely stocking stuffer for any creative gal on your list. Just click here to pick them out in any denomination. I can send them via email on Christmas Eve, or even schedule them to arrive in their email Christmas morning. (or whenever you prefer)

If you prefer a mailed certificate, it's still possible, but you will need to contact me for expedited shipping rates. 

Gift certificates are always a nice gesture, and who doesn't like to do a little after holidays shopping for themselves? :)

I still have one more tutorial I wanted to do for you, and I'll have it on here sometime this week. 

I hope you're enjoying this special time of year, and not getting to wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of it all. 

Much love, Cerri 

Merry making..

My niece and nephew visited us the past few days, and what a wonderful time we had. This is my sweet niece in her Santa hat. The kids coming to visit us every year during their Christmas break is a family tradition, and we've been doing it for years. I love this special time and look forward to it every year. This weekend we packed as much activity into 3 days as we possibly could. 

My niece and I dressed up and went to the original "Miracle on 34th Street" movie at our historical Tennessee theater. 

We baked lots of cookies and the kids decorated them. I love how cute kids do cookies and other sweet treats. 

And of course, we had to make plates and mugs to leave out for Santa, right?

My nephew wanted to make a spanish mug...

We also went to see this movie.  We snuggled up in the car and drove around looking at all of the pretty Christmas lights. (something I've been doing since my girls were little)

And of course, we had to have crafts. We made simple ornaments from kits picked out at Michaels this year to keep things easy, but the kids loved it nonetheless. 

But most importantly, we laughed, we snuggled, we loved each other, and we created memories that will hopefully last a lifetime. 

I hope you're enjoying this holiday week!

Cerri xoxo

Some favorite Christmas images

Hello! I hope you're having a lovely weekend in the middle of the Christmas rush. My niece and nephew are visiting us this weekend. Every year at Christmas they come and visit us and we do all sorts of fun things like crafts, going to and watching Christmas movies, and baking cookies.One of my favorite things we have been doing since my girls were little, is  to take blankets and hot cocoa, snuggle up in the car and drive around looking at all of the pretty Christmas lights.   It's always so nice. I'll admit, it's a little different this year without either one of my girls home, but Kenz will be home from college tomorrow! 

In case you're needing some images to make tags out of or to print and add to your packages, I thought I would share a few of my favorites. 

Sometimes I can't remember what I have already shared here, so please forgive me if I have posted any of these before. :)

Cerri xoxo