One Lucky Day

Forgotten Repository 

 (the inside)

7gypsies products used
Paper 12 x 12
2 sheets - Mesofauna- 2 postcard cutouts and book paper for outside of the box
1 sheet of each -
Feather - script paper for front and back of roof
Butterfly - vegetable botanical print (under fork) and green print inside the box
Magpie - green paper used to cover the roof peak
Aviary - Ledger sheet background

Refer to pictures of the roof and back of the box on the 7gypises blog here.

Additional elements
Roma book cover
Paddington tags
Industrial gears
Gem gears

Cut out the postcard on both sheets of Mesofauna paper. 
The book paper on the backside was used to cover the body of the box.

Cut out the vegetable print.
The green print on the backside was used for the inside edges of the box.

Cut out a piece of matching chipboard for the vegetable print and ONE of the postcards.

Use a glue stick (I like ThermOWeb's Super Stick) to adhere paper to chipboard pieces.  It is important that the glue extends to the edges.  Use a bone folder or brayer to secure paper to chipboard.  Repeat process for the postcard.

Use Ranger Distress ink to age the piece.  I like Frayed Burlap or Vintage Photo but you can really use any of the Distress colors.

Clip off the corners (just a bit)...nothing old still has it's corners in tact.

Use a Tonic edges distress tool to rough up the edges.  This is a great little tool!  Super simple to use and such a cool effect in the aging process.

Go all the way around the card till the edges look like they are curled and worn.  At this point you can decide if you want to add more ink to the edges or leave the bit of white showing.  Now repeat the steps for the postcard.  Once you are done with both pieces set aside until you are ready to place in the shadowbox.  NOTE: I used foam tape to raise things up off the back of the box as well as hold up the right edge of the postcard since it is slipped in between the book cover and vegetable print.

Moving on to the branch...  
I pick up sticks all the time and keep them in a bin just for this kind of thing.  I find that if I am in need of a stick or branch in a project I never have the time to go looking for one or I can't seem to find the right shape or size, hence the gathering when I see one on the ground. 

For this piece I decided to use some dyed cheese cloth.  Super cheap, I always keep some on hand.  Boil about 4 cups of water and put in a couple tea bags.  Let them steep.  Remove the tea bags and add the cheesecloth (the water is HOT so use a wooden spoon to submerse the cheesecloth).  Let the cheesecloth sit in the tea for 3 - 5 minutes.  Keep in mind, it always looks darker when it's wet. Ring out and hang outside to dry.  I just throw mine over the back of the patio chair and it comes out fine.

So this is what the cheesecloth looks like when it's dry.  The large piece is cut from the main piece I dyed.  The second piece is a strip cut from the first, then opened up to one layer.  The third piece is the other half of the second piece that I have stretched into a strip to use as a tie.  I love how you can manipulate the cheesecloth to what you need it to be.  Same fabric, yet 3 distinct looks.

I took the cheesecloth (the second thin piece from the picture above) and wrapped it around the stick.  Then I took the piece I stretched and used it to secure the first piece.  I added some vintage leaves and an old hat pin.

Now the bottle... 
Using the second postcard you cut out (not the chipboard one!), cut out the return address part of the postcard. 

Use distress ink to age the label and then adhere it to the bottle.  Looks like it was ment to be there doesn't it?  

Just a word on bottles... 
I usually find bottles in antique stores, but old or new they rarely have a cork top which I love.  I found that Michael's sells cork stoppers in a little bag (usually by the jingle bells and the googly eyes).  If the cork doesn't fit the bottle I just add a bit of cheesecloth...problem solved.