Beautiful Decoupaged Boxes made Easy!

What do you do with inexpensive wooden boxes and some coordinating memory papers?  You create beautiful gift boxes with the help of Plaid's Mod Podge® medium!  Stick around for a minute and I will show you how I made them!  Pictured below are several boxes I created using the papers from one 12 x 12" paper pad.  I cut shapes out from the papers to embellish my box with.  I made my own paper spiral flowers; but you may choose to purchase flowers at the craft store instead!  That is OK!

You will need:

Plaid®:  Mod Podge® Hard Coat water based sealer

Plaid®:  Decoupage Brushes

wooden boxes:  4"; 4-3/4"; 5-1/2" (or your choice of size!)

memory papers:  12 x 12" coordinating pad of papers (or papers of your choice!)

ink pads & applicator sponges

flowers:  paper roses or mulberry blossoms purchased from the craft store

pearlstring:  faux pearls; 1/8" (cut apart)

glue

Tools:

paper trimmer

scissors

pencil

glue gun

water bucket

paper plates

paper towels

Instructions:

**  Before you start:  A tip I learned long ago is to NOT dip your brush in the jar.  Be sure to pour out small amounts on a paper plate as you use it.  This is to prevent contamination of your product.  Now, onward and forward!

1.  Choose papers for your project.  The Mod Podge® special brushes work great as there is no waste of product and they are easy to clean after use.

2.  Box top and box bottom:  Lay one flat surface of the box on the wrong side of  paper.  Trace around the box and cut out one piece for the lid and repeat for the bottom. Apply product to the wrong side of the cut paper and apply to the box.  Smooth out any air bubbles.  

3.  Measure the width and circumference of the sides of the lid.  Cut out strips of paper, matching patterns. Cut any notches where needed to fit the mechanics of the handle and hinges.  Apply Mod Podge® to the paper and adhere to the box following the manufacturer's directions.  Smooth out any air bubbles.  Once it has dried; apply top coats as needed. Your box will have a smooth, hard finish that you can easily keep the dust off of!

3.  Chalk the edges of the box using the ink pad and sponge applicator.

4.  Finish:  Arrange and apply the paper cut-outs to decorate the box.  Finish with another top coat.  Allow to dry; adhere flowers and pearls to the box as shown in the photo given.

Below is a gift I made for myself.  I used the coordinating papers as a background for my photo and placed them in a clear acrylic frame by deflecto®.  The box is a cute container just waiting for a stash of candy or other favorite thing I like nearby.

Designer Tip:  Use the coordinating papers and create some greeting cards that will fit in the box. This makes a wonderful little gift for any occasion.

I hope you got some inspiration here today.  Make sure to enjoy the small blessings along the way and;

Live life with a Flourish!

Marilyn

I receive complimentary product in 

exchange for my creativity on this blog.

Alter some Ball jars with Mod Podge(R) Colors and some fancy knobs!

Hi and thanks for stopping by the blog today!  Fix your attention on the far right of the photo at the top of the page and you will see the products that I used on my  jars to create a unique and colorful project.  I followed the manufacturer's instruction to apply the Mod Podge(R) in sheer colors to my jars.

You will need:

Mod Podge(R) Sheer Colors:  Pink, Purple, Green, Blue, Yellow
Ball jars
Ball plastic jar lids
Knobs with short screws
Washers (same size as screws)
Drill with drill bit to match the screw in the knob
Screw driver
Butcher Paper or plastic mat working surface
Paper Towels

First:  Pour just enough product into one jar to cover the inside with color.  Roll the jar around a bit to spread the medium to cover any bare patches.  Invert the jar onto a protected surface and let them drain.
Repeat for each jar and color.

I moved my jars around quite a bit.  Once the excess was drained off; I let them sit overnight.  The weather was nice the following day, so I laid them on their sides on the deck to let them get some air and dry faster.  I continued to roll them over periodically so that the color would dry evenly.  The whole process actually took several days.  You can't rush a good thing!

Next up....you will need some plastic ball jar lids and a drill with a drill bit to match the size of the knob screws.  I looked for knobs that had a short screw and bought washers to take up the slack if the knob wasn't fitting tightly on the lid.

Here are all of the jars complete with their lid and designated knobs!  Aren't they pretty?  They would be great for decor or as a container for a gift; but I have another purpose for these lovely jars.  They are going to be lights on my deck this Summer!  I will be adding some battery operated tea lights.........the end result will be in another blog post!

Hope you got inspired here today!  The photo below is a lead-in to my next project.  I am going to transform the tray with some more of my favorite Plaid(R) products.  Stay tuned for the next chapter!

Thank you for stopping by the blog today.  Be sure to take time to enjoy the small blessings along the way and;

Live Life with a Flourish!

Marilyn

I receive free product in exchange for

sharing my creativity on this blog.

Corner Shelf Make-over!

Hi everyone!  I just finished a fixer-upper project that I have been procrastinating on for several years.  My corner shelf was plain and served it's purpose; but it was not pretty!  Here is a picture after I cleaned it up and before I got my paints out.

See?  It is a cute shelf, but very blah!

Here is what I did to transform my shelf!

Supplies:

Waverly Inspirations Chalk Acrylic Paint:  Agave #60685E; Ivory #            ; Matte Varnish or Wax

Waverly Inspirations laser stencil 6" x 6":  Damask #60530E

Waverly Inspirations stencil brush:  5/8"

FolkArt Milk Paint Brush by Plaid:  1-1/4"

Painter's Tape

Paper plates

Paper towels

Water container

Instructions:

1.  Sand and wipe clean all wooden surfaces.

2.  Base paint the entire shelf and allow to dry.

3.  Position and tape down the sides of the stencil.

4.  Apply the Ivory paint with a pouncing (up and down) motion to apply pattern to the top shelf.

Repeat with the remaining shelves; lining up the pattern.  Allow to dry.

5.  Seal with Varnish or Wax.

Enjoy your "new" piece of furniture!  If you have comments or questions; please leave them below!

I hope you got some inspiration on the blog today.  If you would like to try out the new Waverly Inspirations Chalk paints; they are available at your local Walmart store.

Make sure to take time to enjoy the small blessings along the way; and

Live Life with a Flourish!

Marilyn

I received free product in exchange for

my creativity on this post.  There was no 

financial gain.