Ideas – April Kit Project Ideas

Treasure Box: Altered Art Project Idea for April's Vintage Sunshine Kit

This one is a bit self explanatory once you’ve seen the pictures.  But here are some general instructions! Start off by finding yourself a box with a latch. We found this one at a thrift store for fifty cents.

Once you’ve got your box take off the latch and any hinges. Then you paint it black. Get a flat spray paint and go to town. Once it’s dry you start by putting paper on the box. Don’t try to cover the entire box. Just work with big chunks of paper covering most of each side. We covered the entire top (using sandpaper to sand the extra paper off the edges so it matches the top of the lid exactly).

We used Pink Paislee Front Porch, but you can use any of the fabulous papers in the kit. We used the green side of Pink Paislee Front Porch for most of the box, but we switched it around and used the black/white side for a bit just to mix it up!

Treasure Box: Altered Art Project for April's Vintage Sunshine Kit

Start the left side of the box by placing the Fragile Handle With Care sticker. Make sure it goes on crooked and that part of it wraps around to the front of the treasure box. Take your yellow tulle circle and fold it in half over and over until you have a triangle of several layers of tulle. Glue it on the bottom left corner of the left side of your box. Then you will take your favorite button/embellishment and glue it on top with one of your Jenni Bowlin pins sticking out of the right, top side of the embellishment.

Altered Art Treasure Box: Project Idea for April's Vintage Sunshine Kit

On the front of your box you will start by adding a large portion of your Pink Paislee rubon on the bottom left corner. Create a paper flower out of three different papers (varying circle sizes, crinkle the paper and then straighten it back out again). Behind the three paper layers you’ll place teal tulle. On top as your center use your mirror. As your “stem” use a chunk of your GCD Studies chipboard. We inked ours first with a Rangers Dabber (lettuce color).

Altered Art Project Idea for April: Treasure Box, Right side

The right side of your treasure box should have a row of several “borders” on your Pink Paislee rubons at the top of the right side. Make a flower using your sequin strip, Pink Paislee Front Porch black/white side (or another paper if you have opted for a different paper combo), the yellow flower from Prima’s alpha set, and a brad from Making Memories. Make sure to ink your edges. And then create a messed up line of buttons trailing towards the back from your flower.

The Treasure Box: Altered Art Project Idea for Vintage Sunshine Kit, the TOP!

Start the top of your Treasure Box with the graphic novel page on the left side. Stretch your tape measure across diagonally and stretch your red scallop trim across the top of that. Use your Jenni Bowlin Bingo Alpha tiles to spell out “Treasure Box” across the top. Use a piece of your GCD Studios chipboard for your centerpiece. Before you adhere it stamp it with so it’s got some color. We used teal and then a distress stamp in black to make it interesting.

Then create a paper flower out of your dictionary page, your graphic novel page and your Jenni Bowline Bingo Alpha page. Ink your edges. Finish it off with teal tulle and a button (we used a clear one). Tuck a strip of Pink Paislee Front Porch under your centerpiece. Fold it so that you have an accordion effect and then put a Making Memories brad on each end. Glue your brad ends to the top of the lid so that it’s attached and the accordion effect is evident.

Stick another Jenni Bowlin pin into your centerpiece. The most stable place to insert it is straight into the side of your chipboard. Make a couple leaves out of chipboard, ink them green and insert them partway under your flower on the centerpiece. Cut out a section of your vintage dictionary page and glue it on the right hand side of your lid near the top.

Altered Art Project Idea for April: Treasure Box

I had fun with this project! I pulled the idea from a magazine that I picked  up for my daughter to look at while she was sick on vacation (too sad, right?) It was thrown in with a bunch of Easter decorating ideas, but this one is quite versatile and doesn’t strike me as restrictive in any way. I’ve got mine set up in my front room.

April Flowers: Little Black Dress April Kit Project Idea

Of course I couldn’t find the magazine when I needed it so I’m sure mine turned out quite differently than originally intended. But that often happens anyway!

First I found a twiggy branch to work with. Take your time and find one that will accommodate your vase (I used an antique milk bucket) and your space. 

Next you you need to cut out your flowers. I cut out 4-5″ squares in two different papers from the April Kit. I used the yellow Basic Grey Origins paper and the blue paper (you choose what works for you and your area’s color schemes).

Fold each square in half and then in half again. Unfold it and fold the squares diagonally from corner to corner both directions. Then fold the square back up by folding it in half and in half again. Now you’re going to cut a fat heart shape with the point being the point of the folds. When you unfold it you should have your floral shape. If you snip off the very tip of your point after cutting it in a heart shape it’s easier to work with.

Ink your edges and stamp your flower’s center with any circular stamp (or a pencil eraser if you don’t have anything that works).

Take your Pink Paislee Front Porch and cut leaf shapes that are the right size for your flowers and your branch. I inked all the edges of my leaves.

Then you glue your flowers and your leaves on the tips of your branch. I used hot glue because I was nowhere near patient enough for any other adhesive method for this project.

Have fun. Here’s a few more pics!

April Flowers Closeup: April Kit Project Idea

April Flowers Closeup: April Kit Project Idea

April Flowers: April Kit Project Idea