Super Secret Squirrel-ly Sister Cigar Box Swap

I thought I would walk you through the my process of creating my SS Cigar Box. This month's theme was 'Oh la la Paris'. The challenge was to use black and to create a hanging sign.

This is what I started with. I created this piece months ago. I used the measurements from an old cigar box I had. There are 2 or 3 layers of chipboard for each panel. This made it very sturdy! I used tiny brad nails and then cardstock to put it all together.

The next step was to plan the hinge for my lid.

I decided to use some lovely fabric that I had. There is an accent of gold in the outlines and I thought this was beautiful. I added the fabric to my chipboard lid with modpodge. This work nicely. I also cut the edges of the fabric about an inch larger than the lid so I could fray the edges.

 Here you can see how the hinge mechanism will work.

I like to cover altered projects with this Kraft Paper on a roll. I buy this at walmart in the shipping section. It makes a great seamless base for painting. It also makes the box even sturdier.

I finished covering the box with the Kraft Paper and started with a base coat of this nutmeg brown paint. When I covered the box with the paper I wasn't very neat. I left wrinkles and crinkles. I was going for a vintage look and I thought that would be a nice effect.

I continued to paint over the brown with black.

Then I painted over the black with this Antique Gold and Sequin Black.

This is what it looked like after all those layers of paint. I also adhered the fabric to the box as it was shown before. Then frayed the edges. I continued to paint around the edges of the fabric to give it somewhat of a boarder. At this point I was satisfied with the gold look, but you will see that I changed my mind.

Below I decided to crackle the box and use white paint to tone down the gold. I decided that I didn't like it very much. You can also see the I originally thought to hang extra beads along the trim. That didn't work out very well.

 Here I began to decorate the front of the box.

 Then I decided to change it again and add some more. By the time this last picture was taken I was near done, but I still wanted more!

After so many hours of sweat and tears (LOL - not exactly) I created a piece of art that I was 100% satisfied with!

Check out this video to see the finial outcome. 

I really hope you liked it Jamie! Like I said 'It comes from the heart!'

Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to leave a comment!