Small Cabinet

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and I am the hostess this time.  I am calling it It's a Small, Small Word and I describe the challenge this way:

"Create or alter something small in a shabby chic or vintage style. Your finished project can be anything from the size of an inchie, matchbook or domino to the size of a playing card or note card, which means anything from 1 inch to 4 inches and it does not have to be flat. Be creative and let us know in your post just how small your project is."

I have made a little cabinet with a surprise inside.   The cabinet is just under 4" long by 3" wide.

I asked my husband to laser cut some chipboard pieces for me for the cabinet but he has a little program that creates boxes so he made me one of those instead.  It is made from Baltic Birch and since the pieces that make it up are interlocking, it is perfectly aligned on all sides.  I coated it with black gesso and then cut paper from the Graphic 45 paper called Once Upon A Springtime to cover all exterior surfaces.  All the papers have been inked with Hickory Smoke Distress Ink.

Next I embellished the top.  I started with a little piece of May Arts black crochet ribbon and topped it with a black feather, followed by a stamped branch from Heartfelt Creations and a magnolia flower from Wild Orchid Crafts that I inked with some Tea Dye Distress Ink.

Next I recycled a little lock and key set that had been coated with Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint and I added some Tea Dye DI and then tied them together with some organza ribbon from my stash.  I added a chipboard piece from Graphic 45 A Ladies Diary collection, a fairy postage stamp from Once Upon A Springtime and a Martha Stewart punched butterfly with little black pearls for the body.

When you pull out the drawer, it isn't a drawer at all - surprise, it is a micro album.  The substrate for the album is chipboard that was covered with black card stock from Michaels and then covered with the same papers as the cabinet.  Next I made all the pages with lots of papers from Graphic 45 collections - Once Upon A Springtime, Gilded Lily and Precious Moments.  I have added a few embellishments but left it fairly plain so that it would close properly to fit inside the cabinet.  I did add some black satin ribbon to keep it closed when it is outside the cabinet.

All the pages are pockets and hold a photo mat that has patterned paper on both sides and will fit one of those tiny school photos that your kids got in their pack so they could trade with classmates.

The front of the first page has a flip out pocket that also holds a photo mat and is decorated with an element from Graphic 45.

The back of page one has a pocket with a little band of lace and the front of page two has a little diagonal pocket.

The back of page two has a side pocket with another photo mat and the front of page three has another pocket decorated with a Graphic 45 element.

The back of page three has a tiny envelope created from card stock with a Velcro closure and a teeny button.  The front of page four has a flip up decorated with a pearl flourish.

The back of page four has another lace trimmed pocket and the front of page five has a flip out pocket with a photo mat.

My husband was kind enough to take the photos for me while I was out and he forgot to take one of the back of page five but it has a diagonal pocket like the front of page two.

Once the album was decorated I added the little metal handle, which was altered with Pitch Black Alcohol Ink. There is no decoration on the front or back of the album in order to ensure that it behaves like a drawer and pulls in and out easily.

I hope you will be brave and create something tiny to share with us.

The following items used to create this project came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique: