Tim Holtz File Tabs

 Filofaxing
Mar 292016
 

I’ve had some Tim Holtz Metal File Tabs for ages but not found anywhere to use them….until now.

My VDS has been the same for ages, except for new diary inserts, so I decided it was time for a change.  They’re not perfectly straight and they have dents where I had to hammer them closed, but I think that adds to their charm 🙂

tim holtz file tabs

 

Painted Mini Chest of Drawers

 Craft Projects
Mar 262016
 

Prettying up an unpainted mini chest

painted mini chest of drawers

Paint colours used

painted mini chest of drawers

This is very similar to Ikea’s “Moppe” chest but there are slight differences.  The Moppe chest has solid back panels on the drawers, whereas this one has circular holes (as shown in the top middle where I turned it around).  I wasn’t too happy when I found out, but that’s what happens when you buy from Ebay and they don’t show everything.

painted mini chest of drawers

Holes drilled for the knobs and the outer case painted in Antique White.

 

painted mini chest of drawers

Painting finished

The 2 lighter drawers have had some antique white added to the blue.  These will be decoupaged with paper napkins.

painted mini chest of drawers

Newly glued and waiting to dry before sealing.

painted mini chest

Well, this is great!!  I used an acrylic sealer over the decoupaged napkins, and after a couple of hours drying I applied the Antiquax that I used on the rest of the drawers.  Look what happened!!   A subtle Crackle effect without using my crackle glaze.  LOVE IT!

painted mini chest

The finished project

The last 2 things I did before waxing was to apply a floral waterslide transfer to one of the smaller drawers, and then dry brushed a darker blue onto the middle drawer, then sanded back to distress.

 

Upcycled Jewellery Box

 Craft Projects
Mar 182016
 

Firstly, I apologise for not thinking to take “before” photos, as I started this before posting about it on Facebook, and hadn’t anticipated the interest shown.  I will remember to take before shots on future projects.

OK, I bought this jewellery box….ooh, at least 20 years ago from Argos.  There was nothing wrong with it other than being boring brown wood, so looking for a small project, I set about changing it.  The process was simple and straightforward.

WOODWORK

  • Disassemble box, removing hinges and brackets that hold the glass in the lid.
  • Sand lightly to give a key, then wipe over with white vinegar to remove any traces of grease or polish.
  • Apply chalk paint and leave to dry.
  • When dry, sand back lightly to leave small worn patches.
  • Apply hot fix decals and leave 24 hours.
  • Lightly rub the decals with fine wire wool to distress slightly, then apply a coat of Antique Wax.  Leave overnight.
  • Buff to get a satin sheen on the paint.
  • Apply a small amount of copper gilt cream to the inside edge of the lid, leave 24 hours, then buff.

GLASS

  • Clean glass well to remove any dust and grease.
  • Apply gilding size and leave a few minutes to go tacky.
  • Carefully apply copper leaf, and rub down lightly with a soft cloth.  Leave 24 hours.
  • To take the shine off the underside of the leaf, I haphazardly rubbed over it with a mix of bronze and copper gilt cream.
  • Leave 24 hours then buff.

There was no closure on the box, so I also added a hasp as a finishing touch.

The flower motif on the glass was already there.

Painted jewellery box

Painted jewellery box

Copper leaf on the underside of the glass

Painted jewellery box

Floral decals

Painted jewellery box

The copper leaf on the inside of the lid has been given an aged look