GD:Liz Borer Project #2 Two Pretty Boxes

"Hello everyone, Liz here with a different project. I have used autumnal colours this time to show the versatility of these stamps. I have actually decorated two boxes so that I could show that the same colours would create different effects".

I started with two little wooden boxes and painted them both with Vanilla. I painted them inside and outside before sanding lightly to get a nice smooth surface. I then painted the outside again. The insides of the boxes can be left painted or another option I like is to line them with pretty paper. 

I then added some colour by applying it with wet wipes. Dab a little colour on randomly and bounce the wet wipe over the surface of the paint to spread it out and make it look mottled. To start with this looks messy and horrible but after using more colours it starts to look almost like marble. On the smaller box I started with Cinnamon but I omitted this colour on the larger box because I wanted a slightly lighter finish. I find that it is best to dry the paint between layers but don’t add the next layer of paint until the surface is cool or the paint dries before it can be spread around.The next colour is Pumpkin Soup (this was the first colour for the larger box). Again apply randomly. This picture shows the smaller box up to this stage.

The next colour is Brown Shed and finally I used a little Eggplant in places to deepen the overall colour. I often find that I need to go back and repeat at least some of the colours again to get the right effect and for the smaller box I added quite a bit more colour to achieve a darker overall effect. Here you can see the two boxes which are different in the depth of colour.

 

I mixed a deep plum colour to paint the edges of the smaller box – a mix of Brown Shed and Eggplant. When all the paint is dry I applied a coat of Satin Glaze just because I wanted a slightly shiny look, but you could omit this if you prefer. A glaze with a slight shine like satin can add real depth to the colour, rather than a matte finish which is much flatter.

I then stamped and embossed the trailing ivy from EEB01 onto the larger box. This was quite random and I also stamped over the sides of the box. I used a plum coloured embossing powder. The smaller box was stamped and embossed using black embossing powder. I used the ivy from EEB02 on the top and the holly also from EEB02 around the sides.

Next I stamped two fairies from the EEB01 and EEB02 stamp sets and coloured them with various paints. I find that if I mix the paints with Matt Medium they are more transparent and tend not to obscure the lines of the stamped images. I then stuck the faces onto circles of thick card. Finally I rolled the edges of the discs over perfect medium before rolling them in embossing powder and heating to give an embossed edge. 

To finish the boxes I stuck lace over the boxes; for the larger box I stuck the lace right down over the sides and when the glue was dry I cut the lace between the lid and the base. The fairy images were then adhered to the box lids as shown and a few final floral embellishments were added.

That’s all for tonight folks. I shall be back again tomorrow with a final project for this month . 

~Liz~ 

A huge thanks from all at PaperArtsy HQ Liz for another fantastic project ... the warm rich tones work beautifully with your new designs, the combination of embossing and lace add such an elegant touch to these boxes.

We would love you to join in with our monthly challenge. If you are inspired by any of this month's guests who have blogged between Sept 1st 2014 and Sept  30th 2014 then join in and link up your creativity HERE. You will go in the draw to win a voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. You need to add your link by 19:00 (London time)  Sept 30th 2014