carnival issue 3 ••••• 3-dimensional

welcome to the 3rd dimension! 
i have some great inspiration for you to bust out of the flat paper zone.

let's start with ready-to-go blank board mini shadow boxes...these are so much fun to fill and decorate.  i chose to make "travel boxes" - each one will celebrate a place i visited. this one is for paris—my mother and i had a wonderful time there several years ago.



































here are the basic steps:

1.  line the inside with paper or photos. my side walls are covered with a sliced up aerial photo of paris that i took from the top of the eiffel tower. my back wall is a little fleur-de-lys die-cut with a picture of a statue of joan of arc inside...the statue was right around the corner from our hotel.
2.  choose some charms and/or cut-outs to adhere in front of the back wall. i chose a lamp post from a picture i took in the park at the base of the eiffel tower, and a metal charm of...well, you get the idea.
3.  decorate the outside. i distressed mine with black, blue and bronze inks and a couple different rubber stamps.
4.  print out the name of the place you visited on translucent paper and adhere to the inside of the window.
i plan to make a bunch more for other trips i have taken to mexico, alaska, hawaii, puerto rico, jamaica...they'll look so cute lined up on a shelf or windowsill, or even hanging in a mobile.  click here for a gallery of beautiful design ideas for these boxes.
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and now for some wonderful submissions i received and some terrific posts i found!

•  carli made this adorable photo cube for her kids - so creative and interactive too.

•  patricia posted this great ornament design ...i remember making these as a child, can't wait to make them again!

•  tamara shares instructions for how to make an ingenious box card to hold a greeting and a surprise.

•  angela made a gorgeous poinsettia ornament and card by cutting and layering.

•  over at little house in the suburbs, you can learn how to make your own beautifully textured handmade paper from the stems of an okra plant. 

•  for tons of family friendly 3-d craft projects - check out jolly mom!  she hosts "make something monday" which challenges you to make a fun new craft each week.
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thanks for reading!
issue #4 will be posted on december 12th.  
it will showcase the best of 2008 - what were your most creative papercrafting projects this year?  

email me with your ideas and submissions!