Beach Themed Altered Jewelry Box

If you have a beach destination this summer, be sure to pick up some seashells to use in your craft projects. Priscilla Lim shows us how she used her shoreline treasures to give some personality to a plain wooden jewelry box.

We love going away to the beach for holidays or even just spending a simple weekend hanging out at the beach. I guess it’s because we are blessed to reside in Singapore, and it just takes a short flight to beautiful islands like Bali in Indonesia, Phuket in Thailand, Cebu in Philippines along with many other places.

When on a beach holiday, one of my favorite activities is to pick up pretty seashells. Are you wondering what I do with those seashells? Well I use them on my craft projects!

Here’s one I’m sharing with you today….an altered jewelry box with a beach theme.

Tools Used:

Paint Brushes
Plastic Spatula
Small bowl for mixing mediums
Beacon 3-in-1 glue
Acrylic Stamp Block
Scissors
Heating Tool

Step 1 – Lightly paint the whole jewelry box (inside and out) with 2 layers of Tattered Angels Decor & DIY Paint in Ivory, then let dry.

 

Step 2 – Next, prepare a paste with a sand texture to layer on the top of the box. Use a small bowl and mix these 3 items, 1) Art Anthology Stone Effects Dimension Medium in Sandstone, 2) Winsor & Newton Glass Beads Texture Gel and 3) Liquitex Resin Sand. You don’t need much, just about 1.5 teaspoons of each medium. Once you have mixed them well with a spatula, just spread it over the top of the box. It doesn’t have to be a nice flat spread, layers and bumps are fine, that gives it a natural sand effect. Let it dry naturally or if you are running out of time, start using the heating tool only when it’s semi-dry.

 

Step 3 – Create some fish net effects by using a simple piece of medical gauze. If you have any that has expired, this would be a good time to use it. We are after all scrapping, correct? Before adhering the medical gauze, I pull and stretch it a little to get a messy look. It’s a bit tricky to use glue on medical gauze, so I lay the gauze onto the sand texture and stick it on with Prima Marketing 3D Gloss Gel.

 

Step 4 – When the gloss gel has dried, it’s time to stain the whole box with some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Patina and Aquamarine. Note that I have used the word “stain” because we are not going to spray the mists onto the box. Instead, I used a paint brush to dip into the bottle as I wanted to lightly stain the whole box and not have any sprayed patches.  Alternate both mists to give depth to the colors.

 

Step 5 – So now it’s time to beautify the box. I laid on some seashells and added a layer of premixed medium for more texture. I love textures! The premixed medium consist of Prima 3D Gloss Gel, Winsor and Newton Glass Beads Gel and Prima Micro Beads. You just need about 1.5 teaspoons of 3D gloss gel, 1.5 teaspoons of glass bead gel and a dash of micro beads. Mix it well and cover up the empty spaces in between the seashells. Spread a little on the side and on top of the seashells if you wish. No harm showing more textures 🙂

 

Step 6 – While waiting for the mediums to dry, you can prepare the other embellishments. I have made a tag on a scrap piece of paper. The stamp is a Canvas Corp cling stamp from the Be Beautiful collection. I have also cut some natural Jute Cord to make a simple bow. Once the medium is dry I start decorating with mulberry flowers then add the cord and adhere the tag to the bow.

 

Step 7 – Now that we are happy with the top of the box, let’s work on the overall effect. I always like a worn look. To achieve this effect I have used the Tattered Angels Decor & DIY Paint in Mankato. I simply use one of my fingers to lightly dab into the paint and brush the paint on with inward strokes from the corners of the box. Use this same trick all around the box. How much to paint is up to your discretion. In case you are not confident about this, check out the close up photo. I just used random strokes.

 

Step 8 – Final step! After the paint dried, I added some vintage metal legs which I picked up from Daiso, a Japanese store that sells everything for $2 in SGD which is only about $1.50 in USD!! I hope you have liked what I have shared today. I would really like to see your jewelry box. Remember to share with us on our Facebook Group, Canvas Corp Brands Collective or if you are on Instagram, remember to hashtag #tatteredangels, #canvascorp and of course me #growingwithgabriel. Have fun!

Check out Priscilla Lim’s Blog and Instagram page for more ideas and inspiration for new projects!

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