Hey y'all, it's Shannan here! I hope you're enjoying the Project Parade so far...I know I am! I have to admit, when Jen announced this month's theme, I was a little scared! If you don't know why, just check out the name of my blog. *grin* I don't "do" boy things very often...it's wayyyy out of my comfort zone! But I was brave and gave it a shot, and I'm excited that I did!
When I was at my LSS last week, I stumbled upon this cool stuff called Sophisticated Finishes. It's a two-part process that involves painting a surface with a Metallic Surface finish (I used Copper), and then applying an Antiquing Solution (I used Patina Green) to areas to create a cool finish. Off to the store I went to look for something to antique! I happened upon this unfinished wood cube with inserts for photos, and it is on a little turntable so it spins. I thought it would be a perfect addition to my dad's desk.
After the antiquing process (which I have the urge to do on all non-moving objects at this point), I went to work on the inserts for the cube. They measure just over 3 1/4" square, so I cut some Classic Cream cardstock to size and then decorated them with my stamps. For the first square, I stamped the second generation image of the background from the
Protector set in Distress Tea Dye ink. I repeated that image until the entire square was covered. Then I stamped
Whimsy Tree in Distress Walnut Stain (stamped off once), and added the sentiment from
Dare to Be You in Walnut Stain full strength.The edges were then sponged with Tea Dye and then Walnut Stain.
The next square was stamped with the "another name for love" stamp from
World's Best. I then stamped the frame from
Dad's Day in Tea Dye ink, and the sentiment in Walnut Stain, and finished by sponging the edges.
For the third square, I inked up the "DAD" image from
Protector in Tea Dye, and then created a pattern from the strip of dots from
Father Figure in second generation Tea Dye. The sentiment is also from
Father Figure, and I stamped it in Walnut Stain before sponging the edges.
The last square is probably my favorite. I stamped the Dad image from
Protector repeatedly in second generation Tea Dye to create a background. Then I added the sentiment (my favorite!!) from
Dad's Day in Walnut Stain before sponging the edges.
Once I finished all four of the inserts, I glued some Natural Jute along the bottom of the box, along the trim. I also covered the top with the same jute, wrapped in a square pattern working from the edges to the inside.
All in all, a very manly, rustic gift that took me about an hour and cost less than $10 to create! I'm pretty proud, if I do say so myself. *wink*
So, are you ready to play along yet? Everyone is welcome! Just make a project or card that fits your style and celebrates a man in your life. Verve Stamps are not required, but if you've got 'em we love to see 'em! Then just add a link to your creation to the Mr. Linky form in
--->{THIS}<--- post before 8PM Mountain on Saturday, June 20th. Two lucky participants will win a stamp set of their choice from the
Verve Store. We've also hidden another $25 gift certificate somewhere along the parade for a random commenter. So if you like what you see, don't forget to leave a little love in the comments of each post! Have fun and good luck!
