Graphic 45 Communique Collection - Altered Wooden Cigar Box

This started with a wooden Cigar Box ( 6" x 10") living in our attic for years. This handmade sigarbox, given to my husband during his work travel in the Philippines many years ago, had his name engraved in it. When I found it while we were clearing out our loft,  I immidiately confiscated it to alter and re-use it.

After using sandpaper to ruff up the surface I painted the hole box with white gesso (mistake, I should have used black gesso), on top of that I added black acrylic paint. I then modpodged the Graphic 45 Communique Collection Papers (which I had been hording for ages) on top of that. I finished it with another layer of modpodge on top to seal and protect it.

Last but not least a finishing touch by adding a trim on the edge, red felt on the outside and inside bottom of the box. I like things simple and clean - speaking for itself, that is why I decided to leave it without any more embelishments because the paper is too beautiful to mess it up ~smile~.

I envision using it as a correspondance box... filling it with love letters tied together with a lovely ribbon. I'm still working on the love letter part :)

Materials I used are

Wooden Sigar Box

Sandpaper... and lots of elbow greace

White Gesso

Reeves Acrylic paint - Black

Plaid Mod Podge - Mat

Graphic 45 paper - Communique Collection

Tim Holtz Distress ink - Vintage Photo

Felt - red

Vintage Trim

 You can find some of the materials here:

- Ranger & Tim Holtz products from The Stampman