Upcycled Cigar Box with PaperArtsy Products

Greetings! It's Tuesday so it's time to share a project created for Topflight Stamps. This week the team is focusing on paints! I decided to use Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Paints and Printed Tissue Paper by Tracy Scott to upcycle a treasured/hoarded wooden cigar box.

The Top of the Box

The Front of the Box

The Side of the Box

The Inside of the Top of the Box

The Inside of the Bottom of the Box

Topflight Stamps Products Used:

Printed Tissue Paper by Tracy Scott for PaperArtsy

TS054 Rubber Cling Mounted Stamp Set by Tracy Scott for PaperArtsy

Stencil PS322 by Tracy Scott for PaperArtsy

Haystack, Banana, Yellow Submarine, Peach Nectar, Tango, Tangerine Twist, Blood Orange, London Bus, Prawn, Vintage Lace, Haze, Snowflake, and China Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Paints

Nocturne, Bali Blue, and Monarch VersaFine Clair Inks by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Other

Cigar Box

Sand Paper

Inkssentials Cut 'N' Dry Foam Stamp Pad by Ranger Ink*

Rough Stippling Tool formerly known as the Pouncy Tool

Paint Brushes

Blush, French Roast, Chocolate Pudding, Caribbean Sea, and Purple Rain Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Paints

140 lb. Mixed Media Paper

Gold Metallic Cardstock by Recollections

Raven Texured Cardstock by Bazzill Basics

Media Matte Medium by DecoArt

Yellow, Bright Yellow, Butterscotch, Pumpkin. Orange, Persimmon, and Black Le Plume II Markers by Marvy Uchida

White Gelly Roll Gel Pen by Sakura of America

Flat Back Pearls from Ye Olde Stash

Precision Craft Glue by Bearly Art

Tiny Text Remnant Rubs by Tim Holtz for Idea-ology/Advantus

Specimen Thinlits Die Set by Tim Holtz for Sizzix

Low-tack Tape

STAY-tion by Wendy Vecchi for Ranger Ink

Stamping Platform

Instructions:

1. Sand the cigar box until it's relatively smooth.
2. Add two drops each of China and Caribbean Sea Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Paints to the foam side of a piece of Inkssentials Cut 'N' Dry Foam. 
3. Smoosh the inked side of the foam onto a craft mat to spread the paint drops.
4. Pounce the painty foam onto the top of the cigar box, turning the foam between pounces to vary the pattern.
5. Repeat Steps #2 through 4 until the top of the cigar box is painted. 
6. Repeat Steps #2 through 4 along the sides and back of the cigar box. 
7. Add a few drops of Purple Rain Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Paint to the craft mat.
8. Pounce the Rough Stippling Tool into the paint, then pounce the tool onto the top and sides of the cigar box.
9. Use China Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Paint to paint the sides of inside bottom and top of the box. 
10. Sand the paint off of the box's brass latch and hinges. 
11. Roughly cut out the areas of the Printed Tissue Paper 4 by Tracy Scott that you'd like to use. I cut the Calavera Catrina, a flower, a bee, and sugar skulls.
12. Place the cut Printed Tissue Paper onto a hard surface, dip a paint brush into water, then brush the water around part of the outside outline of the image.Use a stylus or other sharp utensil and pull the wet tissue paper away from the outline.
13. Continue Steps #10 and 11 until the desired Printed Tissue Paper images are done.
14. Flip the Sugar Skull Printed Tissue Paper image over to reveal the reverse. Note that you will still be able to see the outlines of printed image, but they're paler.
15. Add a few drops of Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Paint to your craft mat.
16. Use paint brushes to paint small areas of the sugar skull on the back of the tissue paper, keeping only the face area and the whites of the eyes clear of paint! 
17. Use Snowflake Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Paint to paint over the face of the Sugar Skull.
18. Flip the tissue paper Calavera Catrina, the bee, the flower, and the sugar skulls over and paint the reverse of the images.
19. Set all the tissue papers aside to dry.
20. Use Nocturne VersaFine Clair Inks to stamp the two smallest triangles from the TS054 Rubber Cling Mounted Stamp Set by Tracy Scott three times each onto mixed media cardstock so you have a total of six small triangles. Heat set.
21. Use Le Plume markers to color the triangles, fussy-cut them, then edge them with the black marker.
22. Cut Mixed Media paper to two 6.25" x 6" panels to fit the interior of the box.
23. Use Bali Blue VersaFine Clair Ink  to ink both pieces. Heat Set.
24. Use low-tack tape to secure one of the inked panels to the back of the Stencil PS322 by Tracy Scott.
25. Place the stencil and panel onto the STAY-tion and secure with magnets.
26. Sponge or Brush Monarch VersaFine Clair Ink over the stencil onto the panel.
27. Remove the stencil. 
28. Edge the panel with Monarch VersaFine Clair Ink and heat set the entire panel. Set aside.
29. Brush a layer of Matte Medium* onto the other Bali Blue inked panel. While the medium is wet, place the painted tissue paper flower on the top left as shown. Try to smooth out the flower as much as possible. I actually missed a corner. Oops.
30. Brush another layer of Matte Medium over the flower and the rest of the Bali Blue panel. Place the bee so that its front legs/antenna are overlapping the flower.
31. Smooth it out as much as possible.
32. Brush another layer of Matte Medium over the tissue paper images and the entire panel. Set aside to air dry.
33. When dry, use Monarch VersaFine Clair Ink to edge the panel.
34. Use glue to adhere the stenciled panel into the bottom of the box and the flower/bee panel to the inside of box top being sure to smooth out both panels as much as possible.
35. Close the box.
36. Brush a layer of Matte Medium to the top of the box. Smooth the painted tissue Calavera Catrina onto the wet Matte Medium to adhere it to the top of the box. Let air dry.
37. Brush a layer of Matte Medium over the painted tissue Calavera Catrina to seal it. * 
38. Let it air dry for a bit, then use a heat gun from a distance to hasten the drying process.
39. Brush Matte Medium over the bottom part of the front of the box. Smooth the five painted tiny sugar skulls onto the wet Matte Medium. Let air dry thoroughly before brushing the sealing layer of Matte Medium over the skulls.
40. Use Matte Medium to adhere three painted triangles per side as shown. Let dry.
41. Use the White Tiny Text Remnant Rubs to add sentiments to the front of the box as shown.
42. Use the nameplate dies from the Specimen Thinlits Die Set to cut black and gold cardstock.
43. Use the White Tiny Text Remnant Rubs to add "Memories" to the black die-cut.
44. Adhere the two parts of the nameplate together.
45. Use glue to adhere two black half pearls to cover the holes in the nameplate.
46. Use glue to adhere two different sizes of white, black, gold, and silver flat back pearls to the top of the box.

Notes:

• Whilst painting on the reverse of printed tissue paper, don't worry about staying in the lines! In fact, it's beneficial to go over the lines to avoid any white area peeking through to the other side!
• Feel free to use a paint brush to mix small drops of Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Paint to create alternate colors. 
• Blush, French Roast, Chocolate Pudding, Caribbean Sea, and Purple Rain Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Paints are not available at Topflight Stamps. However, BoraBora or Beach Hut are a decent substitute for Caribbean Sea.  Eggplant is a good substitute for Purple Rain and Vintage Lace will work in place of Blush.
• Matte Medium: I got lucky that I had an unopened jar of this discontinued medium as I wanted a clear and matte medium to adhere the painted tissue paper images to all surfaces. Otherwise I would have been happy to use PaperArtsy's Mattints.
• I probably should have waited a bit after adhering the tissue paper images to the surfaces with Matte Medium to let them air dry fully before adding the sealing coats.
• My dad smoked cigars for years, preferring a brand called Te Amo that was packaged in wooden cigar boxes. When he was done smoking the cigars, he kept the boxes and put miscellaneous stuff in them. When he passed, I inherited his collection of cigar boxes.

Three Cheers for Autumn, October, and Me!

Guess what! I was selected to be the October Guest Designer at Topflight Stamps. I was so over-the-top excited that I made two fall themed cards that both feature Lavinia Stamps to start my reign as Miss October!

Here's my Green Man card!

Products Used:
Topflight Stamps Products Used:
Small Green Man Stamp by Lavinia Stamps

Other Products Used:
Watercolor Paper by Strathmore®
Acorn and Pinecone Versa Fine Clair™ by Tsukineko®
Tea Dye, Frayed Burlap, Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs, Bundled Sage, Crushed Olive, and Forest Moss Tim Holtz® Distress® Inks by Ranger Industries
Brown and Olive Green Le Plume II™ Markers by Marvy® Uchida
Brick/Wood Embossabilities™ Set by Spellbinders®
Autumn from the Fall Words Die Set by Frantic Stamper
Green and brown cardstock by Bazzill Basics Paper®
Blender Pen
Stamp Platform

Instructions:

1. Cut brown cardstock to 6.25" x 9", score, and fold to form an A6 card.
2. Cut a piece of watercolor paper to 5.75" x 4".
3. Position the Green Man onto the Stamping platform, secure the watercolor paper, ink the stamp with Acorn VersaFine ink, and stamp. Re-ink the stamp with Pinecone VersaFine ink, and stamp again. Repeat if needed. Heat set.
4. Brush Distress inks, in the order listed above (mostly light to dark), to both sides of the watercolor panel, concentrating the darkest colors at the edges. Heat set.
5. Use Marvy markers (or other watercolor markers) to color the face of the Green Man image. 
6. Place the image panel into the embossing folder and let it take a ride through the die-cut machine. Wheeee! 
7. Position the "Autumn" die as desired. I used a magnetic platform, but you can always secure the die  in place with repositionable tape. Run it through the machine. 
8. Die-cut the word again with brown cardstock.
9. Edge the image panel with the darkest ink, then adhere it to green cardstock cut to 6" x 4.25".
10. Inlay the brown Autumn word into the image panel, then glue the inked watercolor paper over it.
11. Adhere the matted image panel onto the brown A6 card.

Here's my second card with the Oak Leaf Branch and Oak Leaf Branch stamps.

Products Used:

Topflight Products Used:

Hop Skip Jump Stamp by Lavinia Stamps

Oak Leaf Branch by Lavinia Stamps

Other Products Used:

Solar White Classic Crest® Cardstock by Neenah Papers

Brown Cardstock by Bazzill Basics®

Eclipse Tape by Judikins

Copic® Markers:

  Skin:  E000, E11, E21, E50, BV000, R20

  Hair: W1, W2, Y00, Y11, Y13

  Boots/Hat: E33, E35, E47

  Dress: BG70, BG72, BG90

  Stockings and Wings: BG70, B72, BG90, BV000, BV00

  Buckle: Y21, Y26, Y28

  Mushroom: R24, R37, E40, E42, E40

  Tree Branch: 374, E77

  Leaves: Y15, YR12, YR, 14, YR16, YR18, YR24, YR27, R24, YG01, YG03

  Grass: YG03, YG11, YG13

Summer Sky, Angel Pink, New Sprout, and Tuxedo Black Memento™ Ink by Tsukineko®

White Deco Marker by Pébéo

White Gelly Roll® Gel Pen by Sakura

Brown Triplus® Fineliner by Staedtler

Scalloped Stitched Rectangles Dies by Gina Marie Designs

Instructions:

1. Cut a sheet of brown cardstock to 5.5" x 8.5", then score and fold to form an A2 card.
2. Die-cut the other half of the cardstock with the larger Scalloped Stitched Rectangles die. Set aside.
3. Using Tuxedo Black Memento ink, stamp Hop Skip Jump Stamp  onto white cardstock and onto Eclipse Tape.
4. Fussy-cut the Eclipse tape version, then adhere it over top of the image stamped onto white cardstock. 
5. Tear a piece of paper and sponge or brush Sky Blue ink horizontally over the image to create a cloudy sky.
6. Repeat this step with Angel Pink ink.
7. Flip the torn paper and sponge or brush New Sprout ink to create the grass around the mushroom.
8. Using New Sprout ink, stamp the Oak Leaf Branch onto the upper right hand corner.
9. Lift the mask and color the branch, leaves, fairy, and mushroom with Copic markers.
10. Use the green Copic marker to add grass over top of the sponged green background.
11. Use Copic markers to add some leaves into the grass.
12. Use the White Deco Marker to add white spots to the mushroom if needed. I needed as my reds bled a bit lot and turned my white dots pink.
13. Then discover that the red Copic markers bleed through the acrylic paint in the White Deco Marker. Get irritated. 
14. Use the White Gelly Roll Gel Pen to rescue the pink dots and make them white again. Say "Yahoo!" really loudly.
15. Trim the image panel so that it will fit behind the brown die-cut scalloped frame.
16. Adhere the scalloped frame over the image panel, then adhere the whole shebang to the brown A2 card.

BTW, Some links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! If you shop at Topflight Stamps, please use my coupon code, KATHIREREK855, for 10% off your order.

Thanks for visiting today!