Alyice on April 28th, 2009

Altered Blank Board Boxes

Two weeks ago I received four blank board boxes from the Ready-to-Go! line at C&T Publishing. My goal was to paint them, decorate them, and apply a crackle finish. However, the weather here in South Dakota has been less than favorable and every attempt I made to apply a crackle finish failed. After several attempts, my beautiful artwork simply disintegrated.

Had these boxes been the flimsy kind I’ve purchased in the past, I would have had to throw them out. Thankfully, these three inch board blocks are very durable! I simply painted gesso over the disasters and started over. The outcome isn’t quite what I had envisioned, but I like the results nevertheless.

The first box is my favorite. It’s simple and elegant. And if you look closely, you can see a little bit of the crackle I managed to salvage. The single heart, engulfed in a sea of green and gold, with waves of texture, reminds me of long ago memories that were never forgotten.

The second box is one I created for a friend who longs to move back to Hawaii. She was stationed here a few years ago and misses the beauty and simplicity of the Hawaiian Islands; not to mention the close-knit community.

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The third box is my biggest salvage. Originally, I had intentions of creating a 3-D flower on two sides of the box, with handwritten words about gardening on the remaining two sides and the top. Unfortunately, it’s also the first box I attempted to create and “crackle”. I had tried so desperately to get the crackle finish to work, that after five attempts, the floral design on one side was a complete and utter mess and the blank sides were a bit too lumpy to actually write on. So I did the only thing I could think of, I covered them up with broken sea shells. What makes this box special is that the sea shells are from my home state of California. I have carried them with me through five state moves and ten years and kept them in a box in my office. It’s actually nice to see the shells out in the open—as a reminder of where I came from.

Now, I know that you’ve seen box art before. Some are covered with a dash of paint, scrapbook paper, and photographs. Some are stacked next to each other with single letters that form a name or a word with a special meaning. And some are a bit more elaborate with trinkets and embellishments that resemble a different time and era. And I bet you’ve even thought of creating a few mementos of your own. But, like me, you put the idea out of your head after experiencing a fiasco or two of your own.

If that’s the case, I’d like to encourage you to pick up a package of these boxes and try again. You are going to be amazed at how sturdy and thick they are! Just be careful if you choose to cut holes in the boxes—that’s how I screwed up, and was unable to salvage, my fourth box.

Order your own Ready-to-Go! 2.25″ Blank Board Blocks or Ready-to-Go! 3″ Blank Board Blocks today!

Disclosure: I was given this item to review from C&T Publishing as part of their Creative Troupe. This is “my opinion” of the product. I was not paid to give a positive review.

2010 Update: My photos above just don’t do the artwork justice. Check out the photos taken of the same altered boxes, by a professional photographer of C&T Publishing. Click here.

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AlyiceEdrich.com
I'm a freelance writer, mixed media artist, SMVA, and the owner of The Dabbling Mum.

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