Cardinal Keepsake Box

Inspiration

One of the requirements for being on the Heartfelt Creations design team is to make at least one altered item a month. This is a real challenge for me! I'm a card-maker through and through, and creating other items - even scrapbook pages - are a stretch. SO, dear blog readers, you will be witnessing my experiments first-hand!

My first altered project featured on the HC Blog is a decorated paper mache box using images from April's Spring Cardinal release, and some others. I'd love to hear what you think!

 

Ingredients

Paper

Fleur Des Jardines patterned paper - Cranberry (CTMH)

Stamper's Select White (Paper Trey Ink)

Inks

Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)

Stamps

HCPC3384Cardinal Posy Wreath PreCut Set

HCPC3353 Cardinal Family PreCut Set

HCPC3303 Posy Patch Flowers PreCut Set

Accessories

HCD706 Cardinal Family Dies (Heartfelt Creations)

Grand Calibur (Spellbinders)

I-Rock Heat setter & Jewels (Imaginesce)

Masking Magic (ThermoWeb)

Colored Pencils (Prisma Color)

Gamsol

Paper Stubs

Foam Tape

Paper Mache Box

ModPodge

Foam Brush

Scissors

Instructions

Image for Top of Box

Stamp the cardinal wreath in black ink on white paper. Color the image with colored pencils and blend with paper stubs and Gamsol, then carefully trim the entire image. Stamp two individual cardinal images, and color. Use the dies to cut out the individual cardinals.

 

Images for Sides of Box

Create masks for the three posy images by stamping the images on the masking paper, or a post-it note, then cutting them out. To create the group of posies for the box sides, stamp the largest image first, then cover it with the matching mask. Then stamp the smaller two images on each side of the larger image, overlapping one or two petals. Remove the mask, and you have a grouping of three posies. Color with pencils and Gamsol, then trim the grouping closely. Repeat this technique to create a group of flowers for each side of the box.

Cover the Box

To cover the box in the red paper, start with the lid. Use the lid as a pattern, trace around the lid on the backside of your paper. Cut out the paper to cover the lid, leaving a wide margin around the traced pattern. Using a foam brush, cover the top of the lid with ModPodge. Apply more ModPodge to the backside of the paper. Place the lid top side down on the paper, and press to smooth it carefully. Fold the excess down over the sides of the lid, trimming at the corners to make the paper cover the edges entirely. Once you have it trimmed to fit, use your foam brush again, to cover the box lid sides and the paper, and smooth paper over the sides of the lid. Now, cover the whole lid with another coat of ModPodge and let it dry. Follow the same procedure for the box itself. If you're feeling ambitious, try covering the inside of the box, too!

Decorate the Box

Use ModPodge to adhere the images to the box - adhere the wreath to the top of the box and a group of flowers to each side of the box. Add more layers of ModPodge, letting each layer dry before adding another.

When the box with images is completely dry, heat set yellow jewels in the center of the flowers in the wreath, and in the groups of posies. Using foam tape, add the single cardinal images on top of the wreath.

Thanks for stopping by!