Have Adventures: A Mixed Media Altered Box with Fairy Lights

As an environmentally conscious scrapper, I look for ways to make less waste and recycle everything that I can. I've started hoarding away boxes, jars, bottle caps and more for altering or to use in mixed media projects. I even have two trash cans in my scrap loft: one for recycling and one for things that cannot be recycled. I'm happy to say that I put much more in the recycling bin that I do the trash bin.

This isn't my first foray into altered items. I previously altered a tall canister with Echo Park's Alice in Wonderland collection. It's also not my first time using fairy lights (micro LEDs) in my project either. This time, I've altered a balsa wood box that held Turkish delight that we purchased around Christmastime.

I knew that I needed to keep the interior box colors light so that it wouldn't be too dark inside the box. I also knew that if I lit it up with the micro LEDs, that all that light would reflect off of the lighter colors in the box, giving the piece an airy feeling.

So I chose to use a medium pink impasto paint toned down with a white crackle paste and touches of mint impasto paint. I started by prepping my box. I cut out a shape on my Silhouette that would nest inside of the box and used that to trace and cut that shape out on some chipboard. I also took the label off the back of the box and gave it a light sand. Next I chose a jar lid that would pop the chipboard shape up off the back of the interior of the box. I traced the jar lid and shape onto the box in order to determine where to drill a hole in the box.

Using my Dremel tool and a drill bit, I drilled a hole in the box that was large enough to allow the micro LEDs to be threaded through. Next, I coated my box, embellishments and chipboard in a layer of gesso. After it all dried, I then glued the jar lid in place and then painted the box and chipboard piece with the pink impasto paint. I also added the crackle paste to the box and then threaded in the fairy lights and glued them in place.

After that, I glued on the chipboard piece and then added crackle past to it. Then I added embellishments and painted them or used wax on them. I topped everything off with a Renea Bouquets bee embellishment and some pretty iridescent druzy stones.

When it was all dried, I attached the batter pack to the back of the box with a small amount of hot glue, turned on my lights and enjoyed my altered art project!  For a complete step-by-step process, check out my process video below.

Products Used
Prima: Art Basics - heavy body gel, soft gloss gel; Art Alchemy Impasto - boudoir pink, mint; Art Alchemy Wax - vintage gold; Art Ingredients - art stones; Mechanicals -rustic washers | Dina Wakley: Media - white gesso | Ranger: Texture Paste - opaque crackle | Martha Stewart Crafts: Acrylic Satin - beetle black | Tim Holtz: Idea-ology - nature, quote tokens | KaiserCraft: Paper Blooms - dusty pink, Mini Paper Blooms - dusty pink | Momenta: Metal -royal | Queen & Co: Quartz Stones - iridescent | Renea Bouquets: Bee | Other: balsa wood box, metal findings, pop dots, hot glue, micro LEDs, Dremel tool and bit, sand paper, protective eye wear, chipboard

I hope you enjoyed this fun altered mixed media project! For more inspiration like this, be sure to subscribe to my blog and YouTube channel!

Happy Crafting,
Adrienne