Bright and Breezy Box

Hello! Today I'm sharing a box I altered to store some of my inkpads. The style is a little different for me but I think it's rather jolly and is certainly an improvement from a boring brown box! I used mainly DecoArt products to transform it - list of materials at the end of the steps.

I need to thank Erica Evans and Debs Wainwright for inspiring me to get this little project done - thanks girls! Thanks also to Sue Roddis for the box!

Here's how I made it:

I forgot to take a picture of the blank box - doh! But it was ugly brown wood. I started with a coat of Everlasting Chalky Finish by DecoArt - look at that coverage onto varnished wood!

I then added tissue paper all over with DecoArt Decou-page Matte. When dry I covered the whole thing with DecoArt Translucent White to tone down the tissue design.

Using a dabbing motion, apply patches of Green Gold and Cobalt Teal Hue Media paints (I do have other colours - honest!!!). 

Add stencilling with a couple of Andy Skinner stencils (Halftone and Creativity) using the same colours of paint (I mixed the Teal with Tinting Base to make a tint). Add tone-on-tone stamping using various stamps (Stampers Anon and Carabelle) and toning ink colours. Make sure you use permanent ink.

Add circle stamps (Seth Apter) in darker blue ink. Stamp some numbers (Rubber Dance) in white gesso.

Use black gesso and a stencil brush to cover the box with circles (this is a Donna Downey Studios stencil).

When dry hand draw hearts with permanent marker. Stamp some inspirational words here and there. Colour the hearts with pink paint created by mixing Pyrrole Red with Tinting Base. I also sponged more blue paint to the edges to define them. Finish the box with a coat of varnish (I went for Soft Touch which has a satin finish).

Thanks for popping by!
Katy x

Products used:
DecoArt Media: Gesso - White, Gesso - Black, Tinting Base, Soft Touch Varnish
DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics: Cobalt Teal Hue, Green Gold, Pyrrole Red
DecoArt Chalky Finish: Everlasting
DecoArt Decou-page: Matte
DecoArt Andy Skinner Stencils: Halftone, Creativity
Donna Downey Stencil: Dandelion Pods
Tissue paper
Various stamps
Permanent inkpads in blue and green

Dreamer

Today I'm sharing a project I created a while ago for That's Crafty (it was on the TV don't you know!!!). I don't have a full step out but I do have some 'in progress' shots which help to show how a project like this develops from ugly to lovely, by using plenty of layering. It's also a good demo of how easy mixed media can really be. The paints I used are of course from DecoArt Media.

1) After applying a layer of white gesso to prime, I used a piece of kitchen sponge cut into a rectangle shape to pounce two colours of paint onto all the pieces. I didn't try to be precise but I made sure that the paint only mixed in some places, so I got three colour tones distributed randomly. This requires a skill level of about age 3! But it's totally fun to do!

2) I built over the painty background with lots of mark making. I used white and black gesso through the That's Crafty stencils. I loaded my brush really lightly on purpose to get that faded out effect. I mixed the green paint with white Tinting Base to make a tint and also added that through a stencil. The rings are made with the lid off a deodorant bottle.

3) The piece is simply finished with stamping. Some of the images (like the hearts on this side panel) are stamped directly onto the background - use Archival or StazOn as these will dry on paint.

4) The other images are fussy cut out and layered up. I stuck to two colours of ink and used red as my accent colour to directly contrast with the green. 

Thanks for stopping by, see you soon.
Katy x

MATERIALS:
That's Crafty MDF Triptych - House

That's Crafty Stencils: 006, 029, 076

Dina Wakley Media Cling Mount Stamp Sets - All The Gals, Silhouetted Women, Collaged Hearts

Carabelle Studio Stamp Sets - Le Coeur et L'oiseau by Zorrotte SA60182, Reach For The Stars by Birgit Koopsen SA60119

DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics – Green Gold, Cobalt Teal Hue

DecoArt Media - Tinting Base, Black Gesso

Archival Ink – Red Geranium, Jet Black

Book rings