When I visited Nancy (stiz2003) last summer, I was intrigued by a gorgeous altered box she had made. When she visited me last month, she brought all the supplies for us to do boxes while she was here. The wooden boxes are made by her DH John.
The letters were adhered to the top of the box. For my box, I made the (unwise) decision to crumple the aluminum before embossing it. This was not a chore for sissies! It required heavy duty gloves and quite a bit of strength. We even tried stepping on it, but it was really difficult to flatten back out!
After the metal was crumpled and flattened, I used different embossing folders for the front, sides and top. The front and top are docraft Xcut A5 folders Cherry Blossom Stripe and Honeycomb, respectively. The side is Darice 5x7 Stripes. I had to piece the top to completely cover it.
After embossing, I used alcohol inks to color the aluminum and applied black acrylic paint, wiping most of it away to bring out more of the detail. The aluminum panels were backed with wide Sookwang tape and adhered to the box, using a stylus around the letters to bring out the detail.
I took the easy way out and used aluminum tape for the edges, corners, and trim.It was embossed with a Sizzix ef; I don't know the name of it.
At this point, the hardware was added and the studs attached with Art Glitter adhesive. I used alcohol and a Q-tip to remove most of the color from the letters, and added the butterflies (the die cut butterflies are backed with heavy weight cs for added stability). The butterfly trail is made up of small nailheads. I adhered studs to the butterfly bodies to tie them in with the box design.
This was a fun project, I learned how to do something new, and I love how it turned out. I'm sure I'll do another in the future - but I definitely won't crumple the aluminum!
As always, thanks for looking!
Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2016 GMT Views: 979
Favorited:4
Registered: March 31, 2008 Location: Eastlake, OH Posts: 22598
Wed, Mar 23, 2016 @ 2:47 PM
The top is beautiful! Love the feminine touch you added with the butterfly and trail! I also love how the lettering shows up so well by removing some color! Fabulous!
Registered: February 22, 2012 Location: Cape Cod Posts: 43340
Wed, Mar 23, 2016 @ 4:52 PM
WOW! This is AMAZING! It looks like it was bought in a high end boutique. How nice of John to make the box for you to decorate. This is such a treasure - hope you found a prominent spot in your home to show it off.
------------------------------ Priscilla (aka - PJ)
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Registered: September 12, 2007 Location: Wake Forest, NC Posts: 61357
Wed, Mar 23, 2016 @ 5:37 PM
You and Nancy make quite the pair, I must say. I love how you placed your name on top. I would see this as a very special box for very important things you want to pass along. Beautiful work.
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Registered: May 23, 2009 Location: sunny california Posts: 9825
Fri, Mar 25, 2016 @ 9:13 AM
This is just amazing, Jody...I am speechless ( that rarely happens). This looks like a very expensive antuque that no one could afford to buy. I hope yoy have a very visible place to display this amazing creation. Faved.
Registered: February 5, 2007 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 92456
Sat, Mar 26, 2016 @ 8:18 AM
INCREDIBLE!! A lovely project that includes you, Nancy and her husband. He's obviously a wonderful woodcrafter. Your box is extraordinary and I love the designs and accents that you have used in your embellishment. A beautiful memento of your talent and time shared with friends, Jody.
Registered: September 21, 2006 Location: In the beautiful Sequatchie Valley, Home of the Paper Clip Project - The National Cornbread Festival Posts: 26563
Registered: September 21, 2006 Location: In the beautiful Sequatchie Valley, Home of the Paper Clip Project - The National Cornbread Festival Posts: 26563
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Registered: April 18, 2011 Location: Melbourne, Aus Posts: 51844
Sun, Mar 27, 2016 @ 7:59 PM
Absolutley incredible from every angle. I love every inch of this...it was so worth the pain!! Not only is this a wonderful, useable work of art, it is a lovely keepsake of Nancy's visit.
------------------------------ Susie
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