Altered Celestial Seasonings Tea Tin with Mini Scrapbook

My darling friend Joanne asked me to make something for her to display on her new "Meet My Friends" section on her blog. I've been holding this post until she posted my creation so now I can put it up here!

It's an altered Celestial Seasonings tea tin that I picked up in Colorado years ago at the Celestial Seasonings factory. Had I know I was going to be SO sucked down the rabbit hole of crafting this many years later I would have picked up 50 of them! hehehehe...but alas, it's my only one. So I'm most definitely keeping this one for me but it's such a great gift!

Process:

I created a template/pattern using the tin as a guide for the top and bottom as well as the inside. I traced the tin on scratch paper and then cut the pieces out. I then traced them (all free hand) onto my chosen cardstock. I then cut the pieces out free hand (there has to be a better way but I haven't figured it out yet since it's my first one). The pieces don't fit *exact* but they're very close. I'm kind of picky about details so the fact that they don't fit perfectly vexes me a little.

I then measured the inside and cut my accordion album at 12" wide by 3" tall. The individual album pages are 2" each so there are 6 of them on each side. I printed the photos of my children on regular paper (just because I didn't have photo paper) but if I were doing it for someone else I would invest in the photo paper. But my printer is pretty good so the pics on regular paper came out pretty decent. I decorated the tin first and then the album. I added the pics of the kids at the very end and then decorated it a little more. All in all it probably took me about 3 hours.

Basic Recipe:

Cardstock: SU! Tempting Turquoise, Gable Green, Pink Passion, Chocolate Chip
Designer Paper: Heidi Grace Designs - Mushroom print, Stacy Claire Boyd - Mod Squad Collection, Martha Stewart
Ink: SU! Chocolate Chip, Pomegranate
Stamps: SU! Three For You - Punch Box, Wild About You, Bugs and Kisses, Warm Words, Doodle That, Stampendous - Princess Chick

Embellishments: Cuttlebug Embossing Folders and Die Cut (bee and flower), Heidi Swapp Bling, Dots-Dashes-Check ribbon from Michael's, SU! 1/4 " Grosgrain ribbon in Chocolate, Turquoise, Apple Green, Rhinestone brads from JoAnn's, Swirl Clip - Making Memories, All other brads are Making Memories, Sakura Stardust Pens, SU! Three For You Punch, a variety of adhesive