Configuration box part 1

I am agog sometimes at the sheer amount of things that people are able to create in such a short space of time. I am not one of those super-productive people unfortunately. This week, I had a little conundrum. I have been working on my configuration box but am nowhere near finished, so what to post on here?

Then I thought, I have been posting my progress on my cross stitches all this time so why not do the same for any big project?

So here are my finished components so far. As there are twelve boxes, I decided to allocate each box to a month, and the front cover to the seasons. The first thing to do is to cover the box.

This is the finish on the cover. I didn't want to cover it with paper, and I have very limited paint so I improvised. I used salem blue paint, then coated it with rock candy crackle paint. Once this had dried I used pumice stone and peeled paint distress pads into the cracks. Finally I sprayed some interference green mica powder onto it.

One thing that is very important; if you are going to paint the edges of each box do it BEFORE you put the papers in! 

This is the winter portion of the cover. I am trying to experiment with different techniques that I have never tried before. I used an embossing folder on Ranger foil, then lightly inked it with blue alcohol ink. I then put a circle of gold mica powder on the top right hand corner. I inked a lamppost with black ink, sanded it a little and then added gathered twigs, then I glued it onto the foil, so that the gold powder became the glow from the lamppost. Then I added vintage christmas flowersoft in a spiral on the lamppost, and polar white flower soft along the bottom.

The snowman is painted with picket fence crackle paint. The twigs are coated with gathered twigs, the carrot with rusty hinge and the hat and eyes just black. There is polar white flower soft along the bottom and distress glitter along the left hand edge.

This is the March box. There is a wooden spool covered with measuring tape ribbon, and butterfly stickers and buttons. The butterflies symbolise the first day of Spring (21st March), and the spool symbolises my mum, whose birthday is in March and is an avid sewer. (I mean she sews not she is somewhere waste ends up!)

This is going to be the centrepiece for the cover. It is a Tim Holtz ornate plate with a chip board back which is inked with broken china and sparkle mica powder. The word time is from quotable notables. In retrospect I should have let it completely dry before I put the glossy accents in as it has wrinkled slightly, but it looks nice.

Aside from these (and there are various little pieces I have also completed but I'd like to show each season and month separately), I have also been working on the photo stitch. Here is the progress so far:

Three and a half pages to go!

I'm actually enjoying doing the configuration box now. I had the idea a while ago but was afraid to start, so it has sat and gathered dust for the last six months. It shows that, while we buy things because they are pretty or because we see what other people can do with them, and then leave them up on a shelf, everything will get used eventually! I've now got some good ideas for the rest of the box so, time allowing, part 2 of the box will be up next week.

Happy crafting everyone!

Emma x