But on holiday in France this year, my friend took an interest in those small balsa wood boxes in the craft section of a supermarket (how I just love those French Supermarkets - Auchan, LeClerk, HyperU - the food, the chocolates, the stuff......) as it was just the right size for one of her treasures. So I said something along the lines of I could decorate it if she wanted, even do it and give it to her as a birthday present - think I may have even said something along the lines of, 'these boxes are always being decorated - it will be pretty easy with all the stamps and stuff I have.....'
Well, that landed me right in it - especially when the day of her birthday arrived as the box remained undecorated as I didn't have a clue how to go about it! So to work, without any planning or research (all those wasted crafting and stamping magazine articles....) I stippled all over the outside of the box with Pearlescent Coral Brilliance ink (using a stencil/stipple brush) until the wood had a nice pink-coral sheen to it. The using a Versafine Vintage Sepia inkpad (black would have given too harsh an image) I stamped various images and words over the box - my acrylic stamps (by inkadinkado) came in very handy as I could see where I was placing them on the small box. I then heat set the whole thing (I had coral hands by then!) over a toaster (couldn't find my heat gun LOL!) And would you believe - it really looked pretty good - especially as it was my first attempt, only having the one box. I wrapped a gift voucher in tissue paper and placed in the box. Hey presto - a brilliant and pretty gift - take a look yourselves:
Box Top/Front of Box
Inside Box/Side View
Back of Box/Underneath-Bottom of Box
Well - I think it looked nicer in the flesh than these photos! But it has opened up the possibilities of decorative stamping for me and no doubt when I am next in France (which is pretty soon - Calais for Christmas shopping) I'll see if I can cut back on the hoards of Rochers (french chocolate 'bombs' - completely different to the gold wrapped chocolates we get in the UK) I shall be throwing into my trolley and make a bit of room for a balsa wood box or two.
I have seen those Rochers on eBay - someone actually ships them over to the US. It's a strange thing that they are not even sold here in the UK. I always get lots of strange looks from both French and British people as they notice me put three-hundred-weight of the things into my trolley whenever we go (well I do have to stock up!) I'll post a couple of photos of them sometime, so you know what I mean. Pity Google haven't come up with a click and sniff invention for the Internet yet!
