[Lilygirl]

I did it! I used a drill press - well, I was standing in the garage (a.k.a. DH's hobby woodshop) treasure boxes in hand, staring at the drill press, when DH intercepted. I am still not sure whether he didn't want me damaging his drill press, or puttng a hole in my head http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0304/waffen/violent-smiley-083.gif

Here they are. I still want to gloss them up and smooth out the 5mL box.

Imp Box Closed
Imp Box Open
5 mL Bottle Box Closed
5 mL Bottle Box Open

I'm really enjoying this - I'm making more boxes tonight too!

Lily

This post has been edited by Lilygirl: 17 April 2005 - 03:47 AM

[laochodia]

Oh my! Dear, if you ever start selling those and/or custom-making those, sign me up for one. Those are positively wonderful

[Lilygirl]

Here's the next one I'm working on. It's still in progress, I don't have the sides or inside finished. I'm contemplating using something else (other than styrofoam) to hold the impies/bottles.

Box 3 unfinished (closed)
Box 3 unfinished (open)

OMG, laochodia, absolutely! I'd love to custom make one for you and/or sell any of the ones I have made so far. Thank you thank you thank you for such a wonderful compliment on them. I'm glowing now. http://pages.prodigy.net/rogerlori1/emoticons/blush4.gif

Lily

[laochodia]

How many imps does the first box hold? -squints- I can't really tell. I'm def. going to be asking for one as soon as I get some money :P

[Lilygirl]

Heya laochodia! I had to come down again to read your post to make sure I didn't actually *dream* that someone loved my imp/bottle boxes as much as I do!

The measurements of the ones I have made already, and quantity they hold are as follows:

Imp Box (green)
inside measurements = 5 3/4" x 3"
with lid on (amt. of room it'll take up on your countertop) = 6 1/4" x 3 1/2"
# of imps it holds = 40

Bottle Box (pink toile)
inside measurements = 5" x 5"
with lid on = 6 1/4" x 6 1/4"
# of bottles it holds = 12

Bottle Box - hinged lid and domed slightly on sides (driftwood colour with vintage decoupage)
inside measurements = 6 1/2" x 6 1/2"
with lid down = 7 1/4" x 7 1/4"
# of bottles it holds = unsure, I don't have the inside done yet, I could do for a variety of bottles and imps. I could do it out of wood or styrofoam, etc.

Just tell me how many imps and/or bottles you want it to hold, what colours, themes, style you like and I can take care of the rest! I could also do it as a swap for impage on my wishlist (since I still don't have many yet!)

Just PM or email me whenever you want (email is twostewarts*at*telus*dot*net)

Moderators, if it's against policy to list email addys, please delete the addy above. I'm going to read the policy again right now and if I find it's against rules, I'll delete it myself. *edit* I can't find a rule about not posting email addy's. Oh, I hope I'm not violating anything. Please tell me if I am. :P

Lily

This post has been edited by Lilygirl: 17 April 2005 - 05:01 PM

[quinkel]

That's beautyful Lilygirl!! I like those pics(like some people like porn :D :P )

[Lilygirl]

Thanks quinkel! LOL!! I'm glad the pictures were "good for you too" LOL!!

I'll post more as I do more. I'm doing a box for laochodia right now and I'm falling in love with it! It's a labour of love, that's for sure! I just wish I had the entire day to do boxes, not just a sliver of time every other night because my day job and other obligations keep me far too busy. Why can't we all just do what we *want* to do, not what we *have* to do??!! :P

Thanks for the compliment!
Lily

[Anarchy99]

Your boxes are gorgeous! Very elegant. I like! :P

Reading this thread and seeing your pictures has inspired me to make my own boxes for my impses and the lone bottle I own. I'm doing ribbon embroidery with my first initial. I'm using one of those Keepsake boxes they sell at Michael's. I'm just hoping I don't screw it up! (I only have the box and the embroidery planned, I have no idea how I'm going to finish the boxes! I have far too many crafting stuff lying around. *sigh* I even found some foam left over from some other project I did.)

Yeesh... I just paypal'd someone for MORE imps! My collection is growing at an alarming rate! EEP! :D :icon_eek:


(ok I admit, I'm loving every minute of it! My bank account isn't, but I sure am!)

This post has been edited by Anarchy99: 24 April 2005 - 03:34 AM

[Lilygirl]

Thank you so much, Anarchy99! Eeks, I hear you about getting addicted to BPAL - and the bank account!! I love paypal too - my poor credit card though! LOL!

Thank you so much for the compliments on my boxes. I'm glad it's inspired you to start making your own. Let me tell you it can be just as addicting. Now my poor credit card has had a workout at the craft supply store and my dining room table is lined with acrylic paints in every shade, mod podge bottles in matte and gloss, paper, x-acto knives, scissors, styrofoam and boxes in many sizes!

You're going to do just fine, don't worry about screwing it up. Everything you do (planned and unplanned) make it personal and give it your "stamp". It's an incredible feeling to have made something and to be so proud of it. I'd love to see a picture of yours when you're finished.

Here's my latest love, the custom box I completed for Laochodia. I can't wait for her to get it!
Top
Front
Side1
Side2
Back
Inside
Bottom

Good luck with your crafting!
Lily

This post has been edited by Lilygirl: 25 April 2005 - 03:57 AM

[helarctos]

Gorgeous! :P Hey, how come there isn't an icon for drooling?

[gwynhwyfar]

I have a new way to store my sample vials. After several trial and errors with this, I found one that I like the result of. These three pictures are all the same box, from different angles. :P

http://i5.photobucke...hwyfar/box1.jpg
http://i5.photobucke...hwyfar/box2.jpg
http://i5.photobucke...hwyfar/box3.jpg

The box holds 25 sample vials safely and the holes are the exact size to hold a vial snug, with or without a tag wrapped around it.

*beams happily at her new little box*

[Lilygirl]

That is brilliant gwynhwyfar! I love that it's a "soft" box too! Nicely done!!

Lily

[tart]

Oh wow! That's a wonderful box, gwynhwyfar!

[gwynhwyfar]

Lilygirl: Thanks! I've been playing with the 'right' storage for sample vials for a long time and I've been using the styrofoam in wooden boxes for most of that time, but I didn't like the tendency of the styrofoam to eventually fall apart. Being a typical Cancerian (*giggles*), I also didn't like that no matter what I did in terms of painting it, it always had that 'wood' look, so I started to play with other things. And, lo ... my cute little plastic canvas and yarn box is born. I think that I'm going to eventually switch all my oils to this style of box. I like the size, too -- 25 vials in one box is a smaller number to go through than what's in some of my older boxes and an easier/smaller number to chart inside the lid on contact-paper covered grid paper.

Tart: Thanks! I think it's rather cute. Almost adorably cute. I keep having this weird desire to make one that looks like a frog with google eyes, since you can do that with plastic canvas. *giggles*

I'm considering seeing if anyone might be interested in trading imps/bottles/etc. for them. I know that I love them, but I'm not sure that anyone else would be interested. What do you guys think? :P

[tart]

I think that people would swap for them. I'm personally all set for an imp holder for now, but I think that's the cutest thing! I think it would be neat to have one done up in hemp or raffia...

[Penance]

I second the hemp suggestion, tart. That'd be adorable! :P

Also if you could somehow do it with grosgrain ribbon, maybe in black. I know I've seen it done on those plastic grids, but if don't know how well it'd lend itself to that sort of thing. Either way, hemp sounds adorable. :D

[gwynhwyfar]

Penance, on Apr 27 2005, 01:39 AM, said:

I second the hemp suggestion, tart.  That'd be adorable! :P

Also if you could somehow do it with grosgrain ribbon, maybe in black.  I know I've seen it done on those plastic grids, but if don't know how well it'd lend itself to that sort of thing.  Either way, hemp sounds adorable. :D

Oooooooo. I like both of those ideas. Now I'm going to have to experiment over the weekend. This weekend was officially declared 'ignoring my final paper' weekend, so it seems like a great weekend to play with ribbon and hemp and plastic canvas.

I'd been considering whether I could use very narrow strips of fabric cut on the bias for it. There are some absolutely gorgeous calicos that would be cool. And I was thinking that tulle would be an interesting look, if I could get it to work on the canvas. And I was wondering about adding blending filiment used for cross stitch to the yarn to give at least the lid a sparkly look.

I was already thinking about different patterns to make on the grid with different colors of yarn, so this is just another little set of experimentations.

*giggles*

I think I really AM 'too creative for my own good.'

Thanks for the ideas, guys. :D

[Kate]

I thought I'd chip in and share my storage solution too. It's a great moment for me to do it because with my recent purchases and swaps, I now have a FULL box. :P That's only 20 imps for me so far (though I've tried more) but it's exciting as I'm fairly new.

I wandered around a few stores looking for something I wanted. I plan to make my own box eventually, but have no time currently, so bought one to modify instead. I found an adorable little box at Cost Plus World Market in the sale bin for about $8. I got a piece of wood and cut it to the dimensions I wanted (leaving room for my 3 bottles on their way soon) and then drilled lines of imp sized holes in it in rows. It works SO well. I will need to expand eventually, but it's compact and cute and holds them upright. I love it!

I took a couple pictures of it. This one HERE is the outside. (it's brighter red than that and is apolstered in a lovely fabric with beads and stitching). This one HERE is the inside full of all my precious imps.

Eventually I plan to paint the wood so it matches. When I expand and make my own I will use the same wood design because it works so much better than styrofoam for me. Also it has a nice fresh wood smell. I love opening it because I am hit with a wonderfully powerful scent of all of the imps combined! :D

[OriginalWacky]

The Mate has told me that he will help me make my boxes, and now that I'm getting quite a collection, I'll be getting started before long. My plan is to use small wooden boxes, possibly stackable, and have an inset with pre drilled holes for imps, or bottles. I think I'm even going to do some inlays on the wood, and play with things like that, to make it even prettier.

Until then, they must stay inside a cardboard box to protect them from the light and the cats.

[Lilygirl]

I didn't like the styrofoam "crumbs" that occurred when you removed and replaced imps in their foam drill holes either, so with the box I made for Laochodia, I contact glued a piece of thin rubbery foam to the top of the styfrofoam before drilling the holes. Voila...soft & snug holes, being that the top was rubbery, still light because it's styrofoam and rubber foame, and no crumbs!!

Love all these ideas! Keep them coming!
Lily

[Anarchy99]

I'm creating a few boxes for BPAL storage. My imps seem to have bred overnight! (Oh how I wish that was true! LOL) I haven't even recieved my first order from the Lab yet!! EEP!

Anyway, I'm doing embroidery for the top which is almost finished, but I'm having a bit of problems with the foam. I read the thread that explains how people make the holes for the imps, but what thickness of foam do you use? Do you use a foam that is almost as tall as the imp bottle or do you use foam that is much smaller so you can read the labels?

Help?

Thanks in advance!

[Krista]

I used foam that's about half the thickness as an imp, and I wrap the label around the bottle to fit it in.

[Molly Moon]

I used to use one inch foam because I thought that was the best way to secure them, but now I use 1/2 inch foam and its just as good plus the labels can be read.

[Anarchy99]

Cool! Thanks guys!

[Jessica]

Not sure if it was mentioned, but I just bought an, "Aromatherapy Storage Box" from Bath and Body works. It was about $15 and it can hold 12 bottles. It's really pretty by itself, but if you wanted, it would be easy to decorate. It can also hold four imps in a 'bottle slot.'

I've been looking for a way to get my things off the top of the bookshelf, so this was a great find.