PASS THE CIGARS..

Altering cigar boxes is one of my fave things to do, and I hadn't done one for ages, but I've just hosted an altering swap, so of course, I had to get one of my boxes out again.


I started by painting the whole box with a coat of gesso.


Knowing that I was going to cover the box with paper, and choosing a burgundy red colour paint, I only painted around the edges.


I cut my chosen papers to size, but they were too pale for what I wanted, so I got my distress ink pads out and inked the paper until it was much darker.


Then, I stuck all the paper on the box. I used a matte gel medium to stick it all down as I think it sticks better than other glue for this type of thing.
When the inside was done, I glazed it all over with a gloss gel medium and let it dry before doing the outside. This is nearly the finished inside, the only difference is that once I'd added the fastener, I put a strip of lace across the top of the lid to cover the brads.


I decided that I wanted to collage the lid so I rooted through my stash to find bits that I thought might go. There's some text pieces I tore out of an old book and inked, some Tim Holtz adage tickets and the rosettes are made from the Tim Holtz die. The heart and large bottom right image, I got from ebay some time ago and this is the first time I could bring myself to actually use them lol, and the key and corners are from my fairly large collection of both. The postage frank is chipboard that I painted. I also found a couple of rolls of 7gypsies tape at the bottom of my box, and as it was a deep red, I thought a bit of that would go rather well too. Once everything was stuck in place, I glazed all over the outside with my gloss gel medium to enhance the colours and add some protection. Finally, to finish it off, I added some cream lace all around the edge.



I hope you like it. Pity that I had to part with it, lol but it now resides, happily I'm told, in Yorkshire. :o)

Entering into:
JACKSON'S DIGITAL EXPRESSIONS #20 - Anything goes. TOP 3
SHOPPING OUR STASH #66 - Use your fave things.
SCRAPALICIOUS - Anything goes.
LEJ DESIGNS #18 - Anything goes.
PARTY TIME TUESDAYS #83 - Anything goes.
THROUGH THE CRAFTROOM DOOR #33 - Anything goes.
MAKE IT MONDAY #104 - Anything goes
CRAFT MY LIFE - Not a card.. FEATURED & WINNER
AMUSING CHALLENGES - Anything goes.
CATERED CROP - Distress it.