Good Morning… I am here to share a beautiful custom made Wedding Keepsake Box I created for a special groom to give his bride to be! Since the bridal party was going to wear navy blue, I immediately thought to use Prima’s “Georgia Blues” collection of design papers purchased at Reneabouquets online shop. I blurred the image of the couple and their full names for their privacy (see pic below)
The box was purchased unfinished. First I removed the gold hinges and clasp (they seem cheaply made to me) and the box top and bottom were separated making it super easy to work with. Then after sanding with super fine sandpaper, I sponged the box with Finnabair’s Art Basics Gesso and then when dry, I painted both top and bottom, inside and out with two coats of Finnabair’s Acrylic Paints in Snow White and Linen. They are thick and creamy delicious paints and I diluted with a tiny bit of water to cover the box once the gesso dried. Next, I applied the papers using the absolute BEST glue for adhering design paper to wood which I also discovered at Reneabouquets shop here – Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue. Now I have used Mod Podge and a ton of other glues but as you can see from the pics, it looks like the papers are embedded in the wood- to lumps, folds tears… amazing. I did dilute it with a bit of water in a little cup and applied to the wood ONLY with a paintbrush. Once I placed the precut papers on top, I used a rubber tool (could use a credit card) to smooth over and voila!
I gessoed a gold (yup gold) resin frame and painted in white with Finnabairs gesso and paint (above) and added the printed photo behind it. This time I first laminated the photo, then die cut and adhered to back of frame. The lamination prevents the photo from being damaged by handling or added glitter and embellishments.
The inside of the box was decorated with another sheet from the “Georgia Blues” 12×12 collection (I know hard to find ). On top I added a gorgeous resin bride and groom just purchased from a new shop in the UK called The Resin Embellishment Shop (you order from Facebook shop). Sarah Wright sells the most amazing resin embellishments and they arrived to my home in NY in super fast time.
I also bought new antique style hinges and clasps on Amazon (here) and using an ordinary phillips head screwdriver, once all was painted and papers applied, I reassembled using the new clasps and hinges.
To embellish the top, I added beautiful mulberry flowers, pearls and lace around the entire box.
The “Beautiful Beads, also from Reneabouquets shop are called Midnight Magic. I sprinkled them amid the flowers.
Last, as I lined the bottom inside of the box with faux suede. Velvet is my next choice when I can find it in the colors I need! I wrapped a piece over a sturdy piece of chipboard cut to the inside size of the box, glued onto the chipboard and then placed inside the box. This way, any beautiful jewelry or keepsake is protected.
