Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Pretty Spring Flower Treasure Chest

Hi folks, Lora here today with a pretty Spring Flower Box. A friend of mine asked me for a little box that she could store things in on her desk at work....something springy and girly that would cheer her up on long days spent at her desk. Her favorite color is pink, so I went with that, and here is what I came up with!
She is a rather elegant person, so I worked under the premise that 'Less is more' and didn't get too fussy, but hopefully, I achieved the necessary girlyness.
 I began with the Treasure Chest....
I glued the basic box together and then glued that on base.
While the glue was still wet, I used a Q-Tip to wipe off any excess glue inside and out. Everything fits better when I do this and you'd be surprised at how a lump of glue shows up after you paint over it!
I gave the structure a good coat of gesso and set it aside to dry.
I wanted to use the pretty flower images I found on some napkins, so I peeled the napkin apart. Usually napkins are three-ply, so make sure you get them all apart or your image will not be glued on properly and will peel off.
I used matte medium, first on the box, attaching the napkin and making sure there were no air bubbles, and then put a coat on the napkin. Then I let it dry without fussing with it. Otherwise, it can tear orslide off the box and you'll be smooshing it back into place or having to start over.
Not that I have ever done that.
After it dries, tear away the excess napkin toward the inside of the box. Then using a piece of sandpaper, and the same 'inside' technique, sand of the rough edges.
While I was waiting for things to dry, I gave the rest of the treasure chest pieces a coat of gesso, let that dry and after sanding the napkins, gave the whole piece a nice coat of white acrylic paint, including the inside and the bottom of the chest.
I have some pretty little beads I found rummaging around in a second hand shop that I have been slowly using up. I got scads of them and they are great because they are a little flat and easy to glue. Pearls would work as well and if you want to get really snazzy you could use flat back crystals or beads. I glued these around parts of the chest, making a pretty borders.
I added a cute little knob on the top and at the last minute, glued a flower on it. I like how pretty and whimsical it looks! A couple of brass findings in the top corners of the lid and a few of those little beads glued around around the base of the knob and I think I'm done.
An elegant and feminine box for an elegant and pretty gal!

Supplies:
Treasure Chest

Additional supplies:
Gesso
Acrylic Paint
Beads
Knob
Silk Flower
Brass findings (little flowers)
Don't forget the napkins!

Thank you for visiting!

1 comment:

Connie said...

Just gorgeous!