I'm a little behind in posting these. They were created for Round 5 of the Matchbox Swap on Craftster a few months ago.
My first partner, cackle, loves mermaids, the ocean, shells, Victoriana, steampunk, and Pre-Raphealite art. I tried to combine all of those loves in my Mermaid Expedition Matchbox. I pictured an adventuresome and very scientific Victorian heroine setting out on the Nautilus in search of the elusive mermaids of the sea. With a log book in hand and her bustle firmly in place, she would no doubt bring back proof to all of London society that these beautiful sirens of the deep do in fact exist!
The box was made of cardstock. The cameo frame on the front was found in the scrapbooking section of Tuesday Morning, and I just couldn't resist them. It came with a circular one too, that I thought looked more like a porthole on a ship, but alas the circle shape didn't fit onto the matchbox. The image of the Mermaid came from
the Graphics Fairy.
The back of the cover has some Tim Holtz gears on it, held in place with oxidized brads. The contents are a melange of bits and bobs. I admit I was trying to channel craftster friend Wulf in my choices, as he always picks such fun items to fit inside his boxes.
Some of the items inside include an envelope of watch parts given to me by april again, a wing and shield charm, brass swivel clasp, compass charm, glass vial filled with tiny shells and clear resin, square brass beads, brass chain, freshwater pearls, mini shells, brass and copper gears, shell buttons, mermaid earrings, pocket watch charm, brass key charm, carnival ticket, and some bits of fun paper.
My second partner was jmiller614, who after some messaging back and fourth, I discovered is also from New Hampshire! She is equally "stuck" in another state, far from home too. As I adore - and greatly miss - NH, I couldn't resist the idea of creating a Granite State themed box for her.
The box was again made of cardstock. The letters on the back of the cover are chipboard pieces I found in a "travel" set at Dollar Tree. I liked how they mingled with the green box to give it a woodsy feeling. Sewn along both sides of the box are green buttons.
The front has our state motto on it, the legendary "Live Free or Die", penned by Revolutionary War hero (and NH native) General John Stark on the anniversary of the Battle of Bennington. Poor health kept Gen. Stark from attending the reunion, so he sent a toast by letter to his friends. The first layer of goodies inside the box includes glass leaves in green and brown to represent NH's beautiful fall foliage, a bottle of flower petals from my last garden in NH before I moved to KY, a baseball glove for jmiller's love of the Boston Redsox, a compass button for her love of hiking and outdoor sports in New England, a Tim Holtz "Unique" token.
Digging deeper into the box there is a piece of tartan ribbon for all the Irish & Scottish immigrants to New England, a bottle cap pendant with an image from a vintage postcard of NH, a cookie fortune that reads "Fortune sides with him who dares" for our rather strong Yankee spirit, paper butterflies and flowers for NH's flora & fauna, a piece of velum with out state flower, the purple lilac on it, a ring clip, a sketch of Fort William Mary from 1705, some bits of pretty paper, and a scroll of the poem
Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost.
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