Owl Tote Box: My First CAMEO Project!

Hello, my sweet friends! I hope everyone is having a sparkly day. :o)

I received a belated Christmas blessing that set my heart aflutter. My incredible sweetheart blessed me with a Silhouette Cameo and I remain a bit stunned. :o) I (of all people) don't have the words to express how much I love this machine! The possibilities are endless and it cuts to perfection. I certainly have a ton to learn and am excited to discover all that it entails and the creativity it sparks within me. :o)

My first Cameo project needed to be sappy, sweet, and bursting with love... and I wanted it to be for this month's I Feel the Love two-part collection. It is in loving memory of Vicki Soto, the heroic first grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who gave her life to save some of her students. On part is to create Valentine's/Hearts goodies for those precious children her selfless actions saved.

I happened upon a Lori Whitlock file for a precious 3D Owl Tote Box and had to make it for those kids to hold some sweet creations. But I couldn't make it a regular owl... I wanted to celebrate all things LOVE by transforming her into a Valentine's Owl! :o)

Isn't she sweet?

I used a combination of papers from Doodlebug, Imaginisce, and Martha Stewart to bring her heart to life. All of the edges are lightly inked in Victorian Velvet for some depth.. and I think she's blushing from wearing her heart on her sleeve. Or feathers. :o) Tiny rhinestones accent her eyes, reminiscent of their beloved teacher. How beautiful is a soul that sparkles so brilliantly it is seen through the eyes... just like Vicki's. With as much love as I want to deliver the children who endured that nightmare, I needed to make something extra special. Sure, it's merely a box... but it is made with a love so strong that I'm hopeful it will saturate their hearts.

A little closer view of the papers. That middle layer of feathers is not dotted, as it may appear.

If enlarged, you'll notice a couple of my favorite details. The darkest paper consists of a plethora of tiny hearts... tiny heartfelt sunbeams to bring comfort and joy. The bottom layer was sparklified, but it's hard to see in the smaller image. As I mentioned with my last card, I am incorporating green into everything I make for this collection because it was Vicki's favorite color. The flowers in this paper are centered with green, pink, and white rhinestones. The other green accent is the scallop detail around the ribbon-closure circles. I used sparkly and bubbly ribbon from Hobby Lobby, topped with a Little Yellow Bicycle stiched-heart button and Blossom twine from My Craft Spot.

Additional love graces each side...

I tweaked the heart die from the Spellbinder's Fanciful Holiday set to embrace the loving sentiment. I masked off most of a sentiment from My Craft Spot's Joy to the World stamp set, stamping only the 'Love.' A few red rhinestones were added because love is always sparkly. :o)

Challenges Entered:

 *2 Sisters~ Celebrations

 *Craft Us Crazy~ Celebrate Love or Red

 *Craft-Room Challenge~ Valentines

 *Cupcake Craft Challenge~ Anything but a Card

 *Decorate to Celebrate~ Any Theme Party

 *Divas By Design~ Make It Girlie

 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes

 *My Craft Spot~ Anything Goes

 *Paper Playtime~ Pets/Animals

 *Scrappy Moms Stamps~ Out of the Box (Make a box!)

Thank you for fluttering on by! I wish you a sparkling day of love. :o)