Dream Big Altered Shadowbox

Submitted by Stacy Brunner

Yard sales and thrift stores look different to the crafter than they do to other people.  As they say, one person's junk…  On a particularly creatively inspired day, every sale looks like a smorgasboard of possibilities.  With enough time and paint, I feel like every item could be turned into a treasure.

One of my recent finds was a rustic-looking shadowbox that contained a three dimensional paper wine bottle.  It was a dull and sad piece of artwork.  But it had potential, especially for fifty cents.

To turn it into a bright and vibrant piece for my son's room, I painted the frame turquoise.  The back popped off easily and the design inside peeled off.  I sketched out a design on paper before starting.  I wanted to make something simple that would really pop in the small frame (it measures about 6×12 inches).  I chose the hot air balloon to match some other items in the room.

 

I made a pattern for the hot air balloon.  I cut up the pattern to make the strips of colored cardstock that make up the balloon.  After gluing the pieces of the balloon together, I coated them with Mod Podge to provide some shine and to make a protective coating on the paper. 

The background is adhesive fabric in a pattern of clouds from the Love, Elsie collection.  The basket on the balloon is cut from textured paper that has a woven pattern.  The basket attaches to the balloon with twine through eyelets on both the basket and the balloon.  The balloon and basket are then mounted to the background with layers of cardboard to raise the image from the background, adding depth.  To add more depth, I glued the chipboard letters directly to the glass on the outside of the box. 

Now, instead of a piece of junk, I have an inspiring piece of art for my son's room.  Let's hope it serves as a reminder to him that with a little imagination, he can make anything happen.

[tag-ice]altered craft projects[/tag-ice], [tag-tec]altered craft projects[/tag-tec], [tag-self]altered craft projects[/tag-self], [tag-tec]arts and crafts[/tag-tec]

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Altered Craft Projects, Arts and Crafts, Craft-Cycling