Explosion Box

For a while now I've been dying to make an explosion box. Basically, an explosion box looks like a simple box from the outside, but when you lift up the lid, it's way more than what you expected. It's like a layered gift. With each layer and each side you can embellish and take an opportunity to give the recipient a little something special. While working on some samples for our mobile store I came across this die cut sheet from Teresa Collins' Stationary Noted line. It's full of beautiful postal themed papers and embellishments. I really liked the color combination as well. It's a great mixture of blue, red, white and some tan thrown in. I also found this awesome red chevron burlap ribbon at Hobby Lobby and thought it would look fabulous together. 

Until next time.....

Chicken Wire Lighting

When Billie and I were putting our heads together on the lighting options for the Craft Coach we weren't thrilled about any of the options. We knew we wanted something different and also knew that we were limited on space. After some collaboration we came up with little something. We weren't sure if this idea was going to work, but we're pretty pleased with how it turned out.

It may just look like a bunch of fabric scraps lining a wall, but it's more than that. It's a light fixture of our own design.  With just a few supplies, we created a truly unique way of lighting a small space. 

First we measured the length of the trailer.  Next we cut our chicken wire into more manageable pieces and folded it lengthwise in order to make it double strength.  The LED rope lights were heavy and we needed it to support the lights. We stapled the chicken wire along the top of the trailer and curled up the chicken wire to create a "channel" of sorts to place the rope lights in. 

We placed the rope lights in and stapled the other edge of the chicken wire along the top of the trailer. Now I know you might be thinking why bother with the chicken wire? The answer is: we didn't like the look of the rope lights by themselves and wanted a simple way to cover them up, but not completely conceal them in order to still have light. We then proceeded to tear a ton of fabric strips and tie them to the chicken wire. 

 It's hard to tell from the pictures, but it gives just enough ambient light. We also have the rope lights along the shelves on the left side. 

The Craft Coach is a constantly changing space. It makes for a fantastic backdrop for all our creative musings. We're always coming up with new ways to display as well as making her a more functional mobile store. It's a small space, but we strive to make every inch count.