Thursday, April 16, 2015

Shabby Dressed Papier Mache' Heart Keepsake Box

Hello sweet friends.
It's another day to CeLeBrAtE life's
goodness and beauty. 
It just has to be a choice sometimes.

And, today, I wish for you the strength
to look beyond those bumps in your road
and find the exquisite in the everyday.
*********
In the following photos,
I'd like to share with you a papier mache' 
heartbox that I found at a Goodwill 
several years ago.

As you will see, it's
all dressed up Shabby. 
This is one of my favorite things to do!
Find something with so much
potential and just let my heart and
hands go while trusting the process.

Sometimes it can be a little scarey because
I don't know where I'm going but
that's all part of the journey and learning!
 I always forget my before photos and so I 
cheated and found this one online.

So... TaDa!
This is before her makeover.
I don't have photos of the entire process
because it was very involved.
But I will share the basics and I
would be glad to answer any questions.

The first thing I did was to Gesso 
the box. This covers and 
water-resists the paper 
for painting or glueing, inking, or 
whatever wet medium 
you may want to use.

 I also gessoed some old sheet music.
It gives it a washed sort of look that I love.
There are many places online where you
can learn how and where to use 
this very versatile product. 


I then dry-brush painted the box with 
Vintage White acrylic, craft paint. 
The little texturing that you see here
was done with a gesso 
and Vintage White paint mixture.
Gesso is white and I wanted 
the creamy look and so I
 just mixed some of the paint with it!
Another wonderful thing about gesso (love it)
Is that you can tint it any color you want!

I spread a little on and then I took 
my french script rubber stamp 
and stamped the image on it.
After it dried, I rubbed 
a little Victorian Velvet Distress Ink and
 Frayed Burlap over it
to give it that color.
This tearing back of the paper
was a look that I had seen all around online 
in mixed-media projects and in 
card making. It's very simple.
I just dampened the paper and very carefully
 tore the size opening that I wanted. 
The gesso makes the paper a bit stiff
when the water dries which helps
it to hold it's shape. I then, 
with my finger, just carefully
rubbed some Frayed Burlap 
Distress Ink on it.

I also distressed the edges of the box 
and the sheet music 
 with a mix of dark and pink inks.

I really like to mix 
tattered and grungy with
 sparkle and elegance. To me,
they just seem to compliment 
each other so beautifully.

Do you like the grayish-green leaves?
I wasn't sure at first but the fabric
matched the color hues and so I went
 with it. Do you think it blends well?


 (I am not good at color blending! 
I have learned a lot from
others but I still have to  
ask my family for their input at times :)

To get the the pink splattered look,
I used the Perfect Pearls Forever Violet
spray from Ranger. It can be messy!
I hold my piece over 
my large trash basket and spray carefully. 
It takes some experimenting. 
You can add a little or a lot and 
the shimmer of the pearl 
is very subtle.
The embellishments were 
just what I had on hand.
 Fabric yo-yos...
shabby flowers... rhinestones... tulle...

I just love the mauve flower.
It's made from a thrifted, silk shirt. 
That's where I come by most of my 
fabrics for my crafting.
I wanted the inside to be somewhat finished
so it could be used for special keepsakes
but I really didn't want to line it. And so 
 I decided to paint/gessso it and then I made this
little lacey pillow to lay in the bottom.
It's up-cycled from a thrifted curtain.
The sweet bear came home with me from
a thrifting adventure as well. This post 
wasn't supposed to be about thrifting
but you can sure see how many ways
to save on your crafting supplies!
Well, I hope that you've 
enjoyed the project
and that I've shared some tips 
that have been helpful.

This project was a lot of fun but it
did take a while in the thinking of
the design. I'd love to hear about any projects
that you've been working on. 
Or just say hello!

Have a wonderful day and thank you so
much for stopping by.

Tamara xo

I'm joining the party at
Share Your Cup Thursday!
The Enchanting Rose

(oh my! I just noticed that the corners of some of my pictures are
edited differently. And it would take a lot of effort to fix them all,
including re-doing this entire post!  I'm sorry.. It seems that no matter how I try,
my "fine details" are a bit quirky.. I guess that's partly who I am.
Thanks  for understandin'!)



16 comments:

Christine said...

So so lovely, Tamera! It has a dreamlike romantic air that is so beautiful! And than you for the tips along the way!
Hope you are enjoying your day!

Tamara said...

Thank you Christine..

And you’re welcome! I’ve learned so much from others. If I can help my friends even in a small way, I am very happy to do it! Your words and visits are always so encouraging..Thank you for coming by. I hope your weekend is filled with peace and blessings.

Tamara <3

Astrid Maclean said...

Wow, such an amazing box! Love the shabby chic feel of it and of of the flowers are so pretty, - just gorgeous!!

Tamara said...

Dear Astrid,
I appreciate your comment very much. It means a lot coming from an artist such as yourself. Your work is stunning and I’ve been an admirer for quite some time.. Thank you for your visit and kind, encouraging words.
Best wishes for your weekend.

Tamara <3

Kezzie said...

Oh Tamara, you are clever! This is absolutely wonderful- you could pay a lot of money for something this in a gift shop. I hope you gained much joy from crafting. I always gain joy from crafting.x

Tamara said...

Thank you so much, Kezzie. Yes, crafting brings me very much joy as well as being therapy at times. I'm glad that it brings you happiness as well! It was sweet of you to stop by and be so encouraging, Sincere wishes for a happy weekend!

Tamara <3

Stephanie said...

My dear Tamara, I simply love your heart creation and of course I adore the lace and shabby chic look :) And how delightful to open the heart box and find more beauty inside - you are so clever, my friend.

Thank you so much for sharing with us. I always enjoy seeing what you make. Hugs and blessings to you!

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

Tamara, I love your sweet hear box! I too love creating pretty things. I have not heard of the Ranger spray before. Will have to check it out. You added so many pretty things and I do like the color of the leaves. I always check out the craft isle at our thrift and have found lots of good stuff. Always hit Hobby Lobby clearance as well. Helps me keep my craft room supplied for when the urge to create hits. lol! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann

Tamara said...

Jann, I really appreciate your visit and kind thoughts. Thank you! If you like paper crafting, you might like those products.. I will have to check out the Hobby Lobby clearance area. I dont get there very often. Happy crafting and have a wonderful weekend.
Hugs,
Tamara <3

Fil said...

That is beautiful Tamara - I love the effect of the gesso on the sheet music .. really nice.
Have a lovely weekend
Fil

Stephanie said...

My sweet friend, I am so glad you shared this lovely post with Roses of Inspiration. Thank you, dear Tamara, for joining the party :)

Love and hugs to you!

Tamara said...

It's always fun to join in and to see what lovely projects or nuggets of wisdom that the ladies have to share. Thank you for hosting!

Hugs,
Tamara :)

Stephanie said...

Hello, my friend! I just wanted to let you know that this beautiful post will be featured tomorrow at Roses of Inspiration. Thanks for joining the party. Happy hugs!

Tamara said...

Hi Stephanie,
Thank you so much! I'm honored and blessed to be featured on your lovely blog! Have a wonderful week :)

Hugs,
Tamara <3

JES said...

Your box came out beautiful! Also, taking a peak about your blog, I noticed your Lamplighter link. We also love their books and probably own 2/3 of their titles!!! That is where our lunch money goes :) I found you via Roses of Inspiration and look forward to following along :)

Tamara said...

Thank you so much Jes. It was enjoyable to make. And yes our family has enjoyed the Lamplighter books for many years. They have such interesting stories and good messages. It will be wonderful to get to know you and thank for following along :)
I look forward to visiting your blog as well.
Have a wonderful week!

Blessings,
Tamara <3