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Monday, August 4, 2014

Deja-Vu Doo for Macabre Monday

Happy Monday? No. 
Maybe not an especially happy Monday, but it is Macabre Monday, 
and that means the second week of the theme 
Deja-Vu Doo has begun.
The challenge is to revisit a relatively recent project or supply
and use it again, but in an entirely new way.

I decided to try my hand at another altered box.
I made this one a few weeks ago, in case you missed it. 
This time I went with a hinged coffin box made of wood.

I sealed the blank wood box with Americana sealer from DecoArt
before doing anything else. I've learned that this is beneficial to the overall
effects I am trying to achieve here. 

Next, I painted the box with a black acrylic paint. I applied two coats of the black
paint and let it dry completely (with the help of a heat gun), before applying the
Weather Wood medium. I used this project once before but didn't get good results.
Now I realize I misread the directions the first time, but I got it right this time.
The key is to apply a nice, even coat of the WW medium, ending up with a nice,
glossy finish. Let that dry completely. Try to be patient and let it dry by itself to avoid
burning the paint or the medium. Ask me how I know this....  

Once the Weathered Wood medium has dried completely, I chose a highly
contrasting color of acrylic paint. The key to getting a good crackled finish
is to apply a thin coat, quickly. And try not to go over the areas you have already
painted, as it decreases the crackled effect. Work fast, and in the same direction
as the wood grain. 

As a side note: I have had this paint for 17 years....

Once it was all dry, I was thrilled with the weathered effect, but that paint
color was just too garish, and bright for this coffin box.

So I made a wash of watered down brown paint,
and applied it, and wiped it off almost immediately, leaving it in the
recesses of the coffin for an aged effect. I think it toned that purple
down nicely. 

I still felt it was lacking a bit, so I added some
Inka Gold Metallic Rub in green yellow to all of the edges.
This really made it all pop.

I glued a bat I made (using polymer clay and a Martha Stewart mold)
onto the front of the coffin. I like the simplistic look of it. Since there is
so much going on with all the textures and layers, this felt right. 

I glued some wooden balls to the bottom of the box for feet.
I think this makes it feel a bit more special than just a box that sits on it's bottom.

I decorated the inside of the box using various collage cuts from
Itkupilli and random stuff from my stash. 

It felt like something was missing, so I added some Tim Holtz Halloween rub-ons
to the edges of the box.  

Yup, that's what was missing. I like it. 



More rub-ons, and green metallic rub.

That's it for me. 
Thanks for stopping by today.

I'd like to enter this box in the following challenges:
Allsorts Challenges - Favorite Things
Halloween is my favorite thing in the entire world.
I bleed orange and black, 24/7.





11 comments:

  1. Love it, Glo! Fab crackle and the colors ROCK! So unexpected. Nicely done inside as well. The little rub-ons are the perfect finishing touch. xxD

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  2. Wow awesome love this thanks for joining in at Punk You Girl xx

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  3. Fab make, love the texture and colour.

    Thanks for joining us at Rhedd's Creative Spirit.

    Moira DT.

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  4. ooohhh I like it very much! such an awesome piece!

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  5. Sooo Scary!! Many thanks for joining the Rosie’s Creative Spirit challenge and good luck!!! Melissa (DT)

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  6. Lovely project - so very different.
    Thank you for sharing at Allsorts 'Favourite Things' challenge and good luck x Susan x

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  7. What a fun box! I love the words "bone dust".

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  8. Thanks for joining Allsorts challenge with this great entry, good luck.
    Happy crafting
    Tracy x

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  9. Such an awesome project, just love it.

    Thank you for coming over and joining in with us at Rhedd's Creative Spirit.

    Great Big Huge Hugs

    Becca xx (DT Member)

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  10. So totally nifty! what a process to get the wood looking so completely cool. thanks for the tutorial - i love that. just fantastic. thanks for coming to PYG and best of luck. Hugz, Samara DT. x

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  11. Fabulous work. TFS over at Altered Eclectics this month - hope to see you again in future challenges. Hugz Ellapu x

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