Christmas Composition Box by Gloria

Good morning! It's Gloria with you today! I am sharing my FIRST EVER configuration/composition box! I have created trays and shadow boxes before, but this is my first compo box!

I used the Composition Box - 25, which is 9 1/4" x 6 3/4". The kit comes with three smaller boxes which fit inside the main box, plus a key and the number "25." I created a Christmas scene with lots of bits and bobs from my stash!

As you can see, the box pieces are all notched for easy assembly! I started out by wiping each piece with a baby wipe to remove any dust. I then painted the edges with white acrylic paint.

I painted the "25" and the key with Ranger Gold ink to give the pieces an aged appearance. I painted the metal feet with white paint and then dabbed them with the gold ink. (Please forgive my messy craft mat! I was in a hurry and forgot to use a white background!)

I labeled each box piece with the size of paper I needed, just to save time with measuring. I sponged all the paper edges with Frayed Burlap Distress  Ink.

All the paper is attached to the box with a multi medium. I simply "painted" the paper with the medium and attached it to the box pieces BEFORE assembly. 

I used Ranger Glossy Accents to assemble the boxes, and to attach the small boxes, the metal feet, and the tree to the large box. The boxes are very sturdy and fit together beautifully. Those of you who know me, understand that I do not care for 3-D projects because they are often a pain to put together. I am here to tell you, that THIS project went together so quickly and easily! I was stunned! 

I made sure to cover the back of the box as well. I had thought to use washi tape to cover the edges, but decided I liked the white box showing through, almost as if it was an old crate! 

I covered the sides of the box with contrasting paper. Each small box is covered with coordinating paper as well. 

Once I had the boxes assembled, it was time to decorate! I used some snowflakes from the Snowflake Shape Set to add accents to the top corners of the large box. I sprayed the large snowflakes with gold mist and the smaller snowflakes with silver. I added a gem for extra sparkle!

I went through my holiday hoard, looking for fun embellishments to use for my project. This was a great way to use leftover bits of this and that! Each item is glued to the box with either Glossy Accents or hot glue. I filled some glass bottles with glitter and tiny bells to give some Christmas glitz to the box!

I sprayed the tree with mist and then added some splatters of white paint prior to adding the gems. I sprayed "Joy" from the Words and Phrases I Set with mist and glued it to the tree. 

 I created lots of little vignettes to give the boxes interest and texture. I tried to make everything gold, silver, or white, along with the traditional Christmas colors of red and green.

I hope that you enjoyed my project today! I cannot wait to display this on a table in my living room! 

~ Gloria Stengel: Scraps of Life

Gina's Designs Laser Cut Chipboard:

Composition Box - 25

Snowflake Shape Set

Words and Phrases I Set 

Other Products:

Paint:Plaid Folk Art Wicker White, Ranger Adirondack Mixatives Gold 

Ink: Ranger Distress Frayed Burlap

Multi medium: Liquitex

Glimmer mist: Tattered Angels Gold, Tattered Angels Chalkboard Chalk, Deco Art Shimmer White, Lindy's Stamp Gang Cape Cod Coral, Twinkling Tinsel, Frozen Jack Frost

Paper: Graphic 45 A Christmas Carol, Twelve Days of Christmas, Nutcracker Sweet, Christmas Past

Metal feet, charm, star, large tree, glass bottles, flash card: Tim Holtz

Small tree: hobby shop

Metal hook, mini clothes pin: Canvas Corp

Floral: Petaloo, Wild Orchid Crafts, misc. floral sprays

Gems, bells, ornaments, clips, dove: stash

Glitter: German Glass Glitter

Adhesive: Ranger Glossy Accents, hot glue