Box for Floral Mini-Album–Completing the Construction

Today I finished making the two boxes, with the exception of the embellishments for the top, and sorting one or two problems.

I began today’s session by cutting the pieces for the front mats.

I had to sleep on it to work out how to get the hole for the clasp in exactly the right place. In the end, I added some Zig 2-way glue on the back and let it dry so it was tacky (temporary adhesive) and lined it up on the box and pressed it into place. Taking my pokey tool, I pierced holes through the mat from inside the box where I’d already made holes, for the brads to attach the clasp.

I then removed the mat. I laid the clasp on top of the mat and lined up its holes with those I’d just pierced, and drew round the clasp. I added 1/4 inch all around and then cut the piece out. I double-distressed all the edges (including the edges of the cut hole) with Vintage Photo and Black Soot Distress Inks.

I attached the clasps to the front of the boxes, filling the concave back surface of them with Pinflair gel glue as I’d done for the other part of the clasp, and attached them firmly to the box with the same antique brass coloured brads.

Now I was ready to attach the front mats, and it was easy to line them up over the clasps and glue them into place.

The lids laid in place, so that I could test that the clasps worked correctly.

I cut the two mats for the backs of the boxes and double-distressed them as before.

The back mats glued in place. I didn’t realise till later that I’d made a mistake here.

Double-distressing the side mats.

The side mats glued in place.

It was now that I realised my mistake – I should not have glued the back mats in place until the hinges had first been glued down, because the mats cover the construction strips.

Fortunately it was easy to remedy. When I was making the Floral Mini-Album I learnt on Youtube that if you glue something with double-sided tape and have made a mistake, all is not lost, because you can soften the glue by heating it with a heat gun, and peel it back. This is what I did here.

Here is the lid in place, with its Tyvek hinge concealed by the re-attached back mat.

Using the cut out piece from the front mat as a pattern, I cut two pieces from an offcut from the front mat and glued them in place inside the box, over the three brads attaching the clasp to the front of the box.

Using a 1-inch punch and cutting from the same offcut, I attached circular pieces over the brads inside the lid flap.

The brads are now all covered, giving a neater finish, and preventing anything catching on them. I used wet glue to attach them.

I decided after all that I would use the metal corners I’d bought. They are only joined on one edge; there is a gap in the other so that you’ve got a bit of flexibility for lining them up. I cut along one of the other two edges so that a flat piece was detached, and filed it smooth, and gently bent it back into shape with pliers.

I did this because if I had put complete corners on the back, the lid would not have opened. I put the flat piece of the corner that I had cut off onto the back of the box, and the remaining piece around the corner of the lid.

I had a bit of trouble with this and it was hard to make them stick, even with hot glue. Opening the box, the two metal pieces collided and tended to knock each other off, so I had to heat it up and move them a bit so that there was a gap. I’m not sure I’m 100 percent satisfied with the result just yet.

Also, opening the box, the inside of the Tyvek hinge is visible, and it’s white. I don’t think the attachment of the Tyvek is strong enough as it’s tending to peel away. I propose adding another strip inside. This will be visible unless I ink it to match the box. I may also have to add a couple of ribbons to prevent the lid opening too far.

I added the metal feet, using hot glue.

Anyway, for now, apart from these final minor problems to sort out, the boxes are complete. Here they are with all the metal embellishments in place.

I have sorted out some remaining flowers from the Floral Mini Album project, and I need to make some more leaves, because these were all used on the album. I shall also die-cut some more gold Moroccan trellis and possibly some other embellishments. These will all go on the top of the boxes, and then the project will be complete. I have just under a week to do it, so I’m not panicking… Yet!