Eileen Hull Coffee Cozy Gift Box

Hi all! Today I have a 'cozy' little project that I made for this month's Eileen Hull Art With Heart challenge. Last year I was inspired by my friend, Debi Vincent, to try felting thrift shop sweaters. Debi makes the most amazing things with her felt and I wanted to start a collection of my own. So, I went out, found some sweaters, washed them, cut them up, stacked the felt nicely, and then left it. Knowing me, I got distracted by something else and left the felt behind.

When Eileen's Mug die came out, I had a little glimmer of a project idea using my gorgeous wool felt. It all fell together last weekend and my coffee cozy gift box was born! The great thing about this treat is that it's actually two gifts in one. Removing the handles from the mug turns it into a coffeehouse-style cup that holds the cup sleeve in place. By using Eileen's Make it 3D die, you can turn the cup into a gift box and tuck in more treats like coffee packets and a gift card. What coffee lover wouldn't be thrilled to receive a gift like this?!

Here's how I made it:

Begin by cutting two mugs from white matboard using Eileen Hull's Mug and Spoon die. Trim off the handles. Also cut two long panels from the Make it 3D die.

Emboss the cup pieces using Eileen's Waffle embossing folder. Assemble cup and sponge edges lightly with Brushed Corduroy ink.

Now let's make our easy, no-sew sleeve! If you have a cardboard sleeve you've saved from your last coffee, you can use that to make a pattern, or there are lots on Pinterest. Trace your pattern onto felt and cut out. Die cut four pieces of rick rack from a coordinating felt using Eileen's Borders and Hydrangeas die and adhere to the sleeve with Beacon's 3-in-1 glue. Cut a heart using Eileen's 3D Cube die and adhere to the center. Finally, add velcro closures. The velcro I used had a heavy duty adhesive so I didn't bother to stitch it down. If you wanted to, you could stitch the whole thing together, or sew a button on one end and snip a hole in the other. I thought velcro was the best way to go since you can adjust your sleeve that way.

Finish the box by wrapping the sleeve around it. The sleeve is a bit larger than the cup, but the velcro will hold it in place. Add your desired treats and you're done!

Here is the sleeve on a reusable cup. How cute is that? So cute, in fact, that my daughter has already claimed it for her own! These are so easy to make that you can put them together in less than an hour. My kind of project! This would be a fantastic gift for a favorite teacher, or a nice treat to cheer up a friend. You could even add a 'Thanks a Latte' tag to it (I meant to and totally forgot!). If you wanted to get fancy, you could take a few extra minutes and hand stitch some of the die cuts too. I think I'll do that on my next sleeve. And imagine all the different die cuts and colors you could use...I feel a trip to the thrift store coming on!

The supplies I used can be found at Simon Says Stamp and Inspiration Emporium via the links below. Remember, you can use my discount code - stamptramp - at IE to save 10% on your order.

Sizzix Bigz Die MUG AND SPOON 659869 Sizzix Textured Impressions SUNBURST AND WAFFLE Embossing Folders 659879 *Sizzix Bigz Die BORDERS & HYDRANGEAS 657721 Eileen Hull Make it 3D Die Eileen Hull Blocks/Cubes 3D *Beacon's 3 IN 1 ADVANCED CRAFT GLUE Crystal Clear Instant Grab Fast Dry Glue 00210 *Tim Holtz DISTRESS INK PAD BRUSHED CORDUROY Brown Ranger *Tim Holtz Sizzix VAGABOND MACHINE Die Cutting Embossing Alterations 656850

InLinkz.com

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Don't forget to add your project to the link up on Eileen's blog. There is a fantastic die up for grabs!