Sarah’s first blog post!

Hi, I am Sarah and I am so excited to do my first ever blog post! Ellen, my sister, has graciously asked me to guest post here on her blog. Ellen inspires me with her creativeness and keeps me motivated just by seeing all the awesome things she has made!
I am a crafter and a sew-er. I have probably tried just about every craft or needlework at least once. I love to repurpose and redo. Fabric, wood, and wool are some of my favorite things to work with. I have a HUGE fetish for wooden and metal boxes and baskets.
Here is my crafty work area in the garage thanks to my handyman hubby…


You can see many of my unfinished projects. You may see a few of these things in a future guest post, that is, if Ellen invites me back. :c)
Today, I thought I would share a project that I have been working on. Thanks to a local new Goodwill store (Ellen, we must go the next time you visit!), I brought this box home, thinking it might be wood. And it’s a box. So it was begging me to take it home.

It’s very cute, but I was thinking it would be even cuter as a rustic-looking box. So I removed the wooden letters on both sides and started sanding.

And… I think it’s fake wood. Actually, I know it is. So distressing the wood is not an option. Oh well, still determined to make this work. I sanded the corners to look more worn and then primed the entire box.
Next, I painted the box. It’s a good time to use up those paint samples (I have a gazillion since I am somewhat indecisive when choosing a paint color) and leftover wall paint if you have any. I have even been known to mix a few paint colors on occasion, such as the color below. I used a stiff bristled brush so the brush strokes would show when dry because I wanted to stain it to give it more of the real wood look.

On went the stain…


I decided to use scrapbook paper to fill the recessed area. I actually did not glue the paper in the area. I decided to use heavier scrapbook paper, make it a bit larger so it fits snugly and will stay on its own. That way I can change the paper to match the season or holiday. Or another thought would be to paint the recessed area with chalkboard paint. Or use mosaic tile. Or decoupage a child’s artwork. A recessed area on a box is a blank canvas just waiting for something creative to fill its space. I also gave it some new handles.


Here is the box Christmas-fied!  Pretty with greenery and Christmas paper on the side!



 
Done!
Thanks, Ellen, for allowing me to share a bit of my craftiness! Love ya!

Linking up to these great parties!