Pastel Christmas Box

Hello friends,

I'm happy to be sharing my Pastel Christmas Box with you today. I made this project as part of the Tim Holtz idea-ology Christmas LIVE but just sharing the how-to's now that December has rolled around. I didn't take too many step-out photos of the project because when I'm making for a LIVE, I just keep pushing forward to get as many projects done as possible. Not much time for picture taking!

I started the box with the outside so I could let it dry while I worked on all the inside pieces. Honestly, you could just add paper or paint and be done, but I wanted to take it further by adding snowflakes to the outside. So first I painted the entire out side of the box with Distress Paint in Picket Fence. Next, I used the snowflake from the Vault Winter Wishes pack, cutting about 9 snowflakes from Distress Watercolor Cardstock. Once the paint was dry, I used Collage Medium to add the snowflakes to the box. This took some time to add the snowflake and make sure each little piece was adhered well.

I also matched the snowflakes on the sides so they appear to wrap around the box. 

And just to "gild the lily", I decided to paint over the entire outside of the box with Texture Paste Sparkle. It is hard to see in the photo but in person it looks like old fashion glitter has been added. Once the Sparkle Paste was dry, I sprayed a small amount of Distress Spritz Weathered Wood for more silvery shine. 

NOTE: I left the box overnight to completely cure before starting on the inside.

The next day I drilled a hole in the bottom corner to add the Tiny Lights.

Woodland Tree:

I used a hot glue gun to add a Woodland Tree to an idea-ology Barrel. The Barrel is the perfect size for the tree and once I add some "snow" (paint) it will fit right in.
Next I colored Baubles for the Woodland Tree using Alcohol Inks in Juniper, Cosmopolitan and Dandelion. I also added a bit pf Smudge over each color to make them look vintage. Again, hot glue was used to add the Baubles into the tree.

I wiped Collage Medium over the tree with my index finger, then sprinkled Mica Flakes over the top so they fall into place, rather than tamping them down with your hand.

Bottom Compartment:

For the inside of the Divided Drawer, I used light colored paper from the Christmas 2024 Backdrops pack in keeping with the pastel theme. 

Once the paper was in place, I took a large window transparency from the Christmas 2024 Baseboard Pack and added 1/4" Scor-Tape to the long sides (where the green line is below). I placed the transparency into the box so the transparency is flush to the back wall, but then wraps up the sides, so there are no hard edges. Once you have the right placement, you can press on the Scor-Tape to adhere to the sides of the box. I loved the way the window looked but I wanted to mask some of the print from the Backdrop paper. I decided to paint a thin layer of Collage Medium directly on the transparency then sprinkle with Rock Candy. Once dry, you can dump out the excess (I let mine dry naturally since using a heat tool may warp the transparency). You will never see the bottom third of the compartment so the Rock Candy does not have to reach the bottom of the box.

As for the other pieces in the compartment, I used 3 small wood blocks that I covered with ephemera or painted and stamped with my favorite Stampers Anonymous Polka Dot stamp. These and the small Baubles helped to disguise the Tiny Light wire running behind the tree and lamp post.

Once the wood boxes are secure, add the Snowflake Figure Stand and the small Baubles.

NOTE: I did add a small wood block to the back of the lamp post to keep it steady.

Top Compartment:

Add pastel paper to the compartment with Collage Medium. I also used Distress Crayon to aged the pink paper.

The large Salvaged Deer was covered with Silver Mixative (you could also use Foundry Wax). Then I rubbed a bit of Mushroom Alcohol Ink over the top (you could also use Walnut Stain Crayon if you don't have Mushroom AI).

I cut a piece of Woodland Garland to fit around the neck of the deer. Once I had the right length, I cut off the back bristles so the garland would lay nicely around the deer's neck. I wrapped the garland around the neck, then hot glued the ends together before adding a pink bow.

The ephemera in the background and foreground are from the Christmas 2024 Ephemera pack. The back piece (postcard), I aged with ink then crumpled when wet. Once dry, I painted both sides with Collage Medium (for stability)...the CM will really help the postcard keep its shape over time. The sentiment in the front was just painted with Collage Medium on both sides (again for stability). The Rock Candy was added only to the front side then added to the structure.

I hope you like my pastel Christmas Box. I know it is different than the traditional Christmas colors but it still seems like it could fit in some homes at Christmastime. I really love the way the Tiny Lights hit the Rock Candy and make the entire background glow! That part is just perfection to me!

Now carry on,

paula