The popular phrase “thinking outside the box” is commonly used to describe thinking creatively without limitations or rules. I’m a big proponent of this approach, but lately I’ve been busy thinking inside the box! Inside repurposed Altoids Mints tin boxes, that is!
The most recent outcome from this line of thinking is a boxed set of mini reference cards showcasing the Language of Flowers.
Floriography, the language of flowers, was first mentioned on this blog in the post Say It With Spring Flowers. Giving specific flowers to communicate a coded message was very popular during the Victorian era and numerous books were published to explain the sentiment of various flowers. One of the earliest was written by Henry Phillips in 1825 and titled Floral Emblems.
Phillips, like most of the authors that follow him, credits Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s observations of the Turkish love letter as a major impetus behind the craze. Lady Montagu, is popularly quoted as writing: “There is no colour, no flower, no weed, no fruit, herb, pebble or feather that has not a verse belonging to it; and you may quarrel, reproach or send letters of passion, friendship or civility, or even of news, without ever inking your fingers.”
Thanks to the magic of Canva, an online graphic design platform, I was able to illustrate various floral sentiments with flowers I’ve photographed. I shared 18 springtime flowers in the Say It With Spring Flowers blog post.
One of my favorite floral sentiments from that post is the forget-me-not which is said to represent “true love”.
In the follow up blog post, Say It With Summer Flowers, I shared 15 more flowers with the sentiments they represent. Roses, for instance, are very popular summertime blooms which are said to represent “beauty”.
Recently, it occurred to me that the floral illustrations I shared in those blog posts could be repackaged into an adorable deck of mini reference cards. My current obsession with repurposed Altoids Mints tin boxes provided the perfect opportunity to bring that idea to life.
It took a little finagling to resize and recreate the floral images in the required size and format but it was worth the effort. The result is a deck of thirty-two 3.5” x 2.12” cards packaged in a compact tin box abloom in floral shapes and colors.
As an added bonus, the resized graphics are easy to share. I’ve packaged them into a Complimentary Download which is available to you here at no charge. The first page of the download, which includes prints to decorate the inside and outside of the tin box, looks like this:
Using the Complimentary Download to create the floriography mini reference cards and their decorative floral container is easy― especially with the following step-by-step instructions.
Instructions for Language of Flowers Mini Cards and Decorated Box
Only basic crafting skills, a few supplies and ordinary equipment and tools are needed for this project.
Supplies Needed
. Repurposed Altoids Mints tin box in standard size: 3.62” x 2.25” x .75”. Alternatively, a Barkleys Classic Mints or similar tin box can be used. If your box is a different size, you will need to adjust the downloaded images and the tutorial measurements accordingly.
. Language of Flowers Mini Cards – Complimentary Download.
. Professionally Printed Images: FIVE 8” x 10” photos on cardstock. Alternatively, print the images on a home printer using heavyweight paper such as cardstock. See Step 1 below.
. Cardboard or Heavy Paper: ONE 4” x 3” piece to make template
. Opaque Lightweight Paper: ONE 1” x 12” piece to cover the sides of the tin box
. Double-sided Tape: such as Scotch 3M Photo & Document Mounting Tape
Equipment and Tools Needed
. Computer and Printer: Needed if you choose to print Complimentary Download yourself. See Step 1 below.
. Paper Cutter: Sometimes called a paper guillotine. Alternatively, scissors can be used to cut the photos.
. Pencil
. Ruler
. Scissors
Step 1 Prepare Printed Images
Download the Language of Flowers Mini Cards – Complimentary Download in preparation for printing. Open the downloaded file on your computer and Extract the five files. It’s possible to print the images on your home printer but you may get better results from a professional photo printing service. In either case, I recommend using cardstock or a similar weight paper so the cards will be firm and solid.
The various images included in the Download have been specifically prepared to fit on and in the tin box. The images for the lid (inside and outside) are 3.68” x 2.31”; the images for the bottom of the box (inside and outside) are 3.62” x 2.25”; and the images for the mini reference cards are 3.5” x 2.12”. The Download includes five pages designed to be printed as 8” x 10” photos.
If you are printing yourself, please verify the scale as indicated on the first page of the Download. Or if you are using a photo printing service, please upload the file without changes and ensure the uploaded photos are not being cropped and no borders are being inserted.
For the record, I ordered my prints from an online photo publishing service called Shutterfly. They printed my uploaded files as 8” x 10” photos on cardstock paper. The quality of the prints is excellent. But unfortunately, the shipping envelope was bent and my order was damaged. This has been a recurring problem with my Shutterfly orders―whether that’s the fault of insufficient packaging or careless delivery folks, or both, is unclear. To their credit, Shutterfly has been quick to offer free reprints and, eventually, a full refund. But the end result is the quality of the delivered product is unreliable and I’ve had to spend time working around these issues.
Unfortunately, SnapBox, the online professional printing service I’ve used for years without any issues is no longer in business. So, I’m still in search of other alternatives. Please let me know in the comments below if you have any recommendations.
Here are my printed images.
Step 2 Prepare Mini Reference Cards
As noted above, the mini reference cards are designed to measure 3.5” x 2.12” so they will slip in and out of the tin box easily. You will have to trim the outside corners to match the curve of the tin box. Begin by making a simple template from cardboard or heavy paper. Use the tin box to replicate the corner curves.
Use a paper cutter, or alternatively scissors, to cut out the mini reference cards.
Then use the template to mark the rounded corners and trim with scissors.
Step 3 Prepare Prints for Decorating Tin Box
There are four images designed to decorate the tin box. The images for the lid (inside and outside) are 3.68” x 2.31” and the images for the bottom of the box (inside and outside) are 3.62” x 2.25”. It’s best to leave a little border around these images when cutting them out so they can be finetuned during assembly.
These images are intended to be placed as shown below.
Step 4 Assemble the Tin Box
Clean the Altoids Mints tin box.
Start by covering the outside edges of the tin box with lightweight paper such as opaque tissue paper. Cut two strips: ONE ½” x 12” and ONE ⅜” x 12”.
Attach a long piece of double-sided tape, such as Scotch 3M Photo & Document Mounting Tape, to the back of the wide paper strip. Align the edge of the paper strip with the bottom edge of the box and smooth into place. This leaves the top lip bare so the box can open and close smoothly.
Use the same approach to attach the narrow strip to the outside edges of the lid. Align the paper strip with the bottom of the lid, just inside the rounded edge. Fold over the top edge and press flat. The overlap will help hide the seam between the paper on the sides and the print on the top.
Use scissors to finetune the images for the lid and the bottom of the box. Use several strips of double-sided tape to attach the images.
Et voilà! A set of mini reference cards explaining the Language of Flowers in an adorable decorated tin box―perfect for sharing or gift giving. Alternatively, you could go all Victorian and send a secret message by slipping one or two mini reference cards into the next bouquet of flowers you give!
More Info
Please pin this image to share or save for future reference.
Previous blog posts mentioned in today’s blog post include:
. Say It With Spring Flowers
. Say It With Summer Flowers
The following books and articles were consulted in the writing of this blog post:
. Floral Emblems by Henry Phillips; published in 1825. The book is available here on Internet Archives.
. The Turkish Embassy Letters by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu; published 1994. The book is available here on Internet Archives.
Today’s Takeaways
1. Assigning specific sentiments to different flowers was popular during the reign of Queen Victoria.
2. The mini reference cards featured in this blog post can serve as a convenient guide to the secret language of flowers.
3. Consider making your own boxed set of mini reference cards showcasing the Language of Flowers.
