OK, I know, Christmas is over.  It’s time to move on.

And originally I wasn’t going to share today’s project here.  Especially since it’s a Christmas present and I didn’t want to give it away because the recipient does occasionally read my blog.  But then I loved how it turned out and decided, well, why not share it after Christmas?

You’ll remember the recipe box makeover that I shared last week.

Well, when my niece saw that post she was about to leave a comment suggesting what a great Christmas present this would make for one’s niece.  But then she saw that I mentioned it had already been sold.

Well … no problem.  I decided to just make another one for her.  I had another small, wooden recipe box on hand, and I also had more of the I.O.D. Partridge Lane transfer.

I did my usual prep of cleaning, scuff sanding, and applying a coat of Dixie Belle’s Bonding Boss.  Then after two coats of DB’s Ecru, I first applied one of I.O.D.’s Twelfth Night paint inlays to the top of the box.

Then I added some more of the building fronts from the Partridge Lane transfer to the front …

and I wrapped them around each side.

I also added a small number transfer from Tim Holtz on one side.

You may notice that these buildings are a bit larger than the ones I used on the first recipe box.  The Partridge Lane transfer comes with three different sizes of buildings, and these are the biggest.

I lined the box with some cute Santa scrapbook paper.

I simply used double sided tape to hold the paper in place.  If it gets dirty and worn down the road, it can easily be pulled out and replaced.

Ultimately I think I like this 2nd box even better than the first.

What do you think?

P.S.  I painted up that first box way back in October and just waited to share it with you here last week.  As you can see, the view outside the window behind the box has changed quite a bit since then.  It’s a little more white than green now.

OK, that’s it for Christmas projects, I promise.

What’s next?  Well, I’m not entirely sure.  I plan to take a short break between now and the New Year, during which time I will be working on a list of ideas for winter projects.  Painting the bathroom?  Making over a dollhouse that I found free at the curb?  Painting more toolboxes?  Adding some much needed final touches to previous home decor projects?  How about finally getting around to painting the inside of my kitchen cabinets?  I’ve got lots of ideas!

I hope you’ll stay tuned to see what I get up to!