I love taking photos and I love making crafts, so why not combine the two, I say! Here’s a project that is a lot of fun to make and garners me compliments everytime I show it to people. And it’s fairly easy to make! Here’s how…
Photo Box Purse
Supplies
– Cigar box purse (mine was about 6.5″ side x 6.5″ wide and purchased at Michaels)
– Computer with Adobe Photoshop or other Photo Processing Software
– Laserjet printer
– High res image of your choice
– red and black paint
– Staining/Antiquing Medium by DecoArt
– 1″ and 2″ foam brushes
– Paper towels or soft cloth
– White card stock
– Spray Adhesive like Aleene’s Tacky Spray
– Black Ink Pad
– Scissors/Exacto Knife with Cutting Blade/Ruler/Mat
– Envirotex Resin kit
– mask for ventilation
– wax paper
– masking tape
– chopsticks
Instructions
1. Open your image in Adobe Photoshop or other image editing software. Crop your image to be 6.25″ x 6.25″ and print your image onto cardstock according to printer specifications.
2. Using scissors or paper cutter, cut out image and set aside.
3. Mix one part red acrylic paint with one part Staining/Antiquing medium. Using paint mixture, paint entire box with foam brush, being careful not to get paint on handle (only unless you want you handle painted the same color too). Paint the handle black and let dry. Paint inside of purse if desired and also let dry.
4. Spray back of photo lightly according to directions with Tacky Spray (in a well-ventilated area). Adhere image to front of purse, pressing firmly to release any air bubbles. Use stamp pad to go around adhered image to get ride of white edge. Let dry.
5. Use fine-grit sandpaper to sand the wooden purse (except for the lid) and handle in the direction of the grain to create a distressed appearance. Wipe with a damp paper towel to remove dust.
6. Ink all edges of the purse (including the lid) with the black ink pad to age. You can even distress areas of the photo with the ink pad if you are brave. Let dry thoroughly.
7. Seal off all sides around photo edge with masking tape. This will help prevent resin runoff on the sides of your purse.
8. Now here comes the fun resin part! Go outdoors or in a well ventilated area and Mix up the two part Envirotex resin. Place the box flat with the photo side up on a piece of wax paper. Pour in small amounts a little at a time and use a chopstick to spread out to the edges to get even coverage. Believe me, a little resin goes a long way. It flattens out and can run down the edges if you use too much, so use sparingly! Blow out any air bubbles with a straw (Thanks Crafty Chica for the straw and chopstick tip!). Let cure over night. It will take a couple days to fully dry, so let it cure and dry in an area free from dust and debris.
9. Once resin is dry, remove masking tape from around box and touch up any needed areas.
Here’s another one of these purses I made for my friend using Photoshopped images of her cats on each side. I also made her a custom beaded handle. She loved it!
Enjoy and show off your new purse!
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa
