The shape of this book holder was captivating to me! Are you drawn to items that have a great shape, even when you have no idea what they are or how you'll use them?
I definitely am!
Just like this handmade thrift that I found at Goodwill recently:
It took me back to my childhood with visions of singing on stage at my tiny little church while my mother played the piano. I always felt so "big girl" when I got to set the hymnal down on the preacher's podium.
The memory felt good, so I bought it!
It sat in my garage for weeks before I finally began to work on it, and I still had no idea what I'd do with it.
One night while on LIVE broadcast, I realized it was the perfect prop-up and support for my laptop! I could see the screen so much better at this angle, so this will likely be its purpose in my home.
https://youtu.be/KMynNcBOprM
Because it is so simply designed I chose to add two of my favorite WoodUBend molds: the floral swags!
I applied (using heat and wood glue) the large floral swag to the back side and the two smaller swags side-by-side to the top of the sloped side.
I originally painted the entire box (I'm going to call it a box because I really don't know what else to call it) in Burlap, but I quickly knew that was a mistake! LOL!
So I painted a new coat of black using Terra Clay paint in Onyx.
Once dry, I applied a hefty layer of crackly medium and let it dry.
I followed this with a single coat of Prairie Dawn (off-white in Terra line) and was instantly in love with the crackle effect!!!!
It happens immediately and is so mesmerizing! You can actually watch it crack! You just need to make sure that you paint in one direction and do NOT go over paint that you've already laid down. The crackle starts immediately, and you will disrupt that process if you go back over your paint with your brush again!
Once it was fully cracked and dry, I taped off the front and back for stripes.
I used Gold Gilding Wax for the stripes, which is nice and easy since it is a paste texture, meaning NO leaking under the tape, and your stripes stay crisp!
I then chose the Harlequin stencil for my side panels, again using the Gold gilding wax. Stenciling is really easy with the gilding wax as well! You just need to use a brush that has a wide and flat surface area.
I used the Dixie Belle Round medium brush, but I often use my Best Dang Wax brush.
Apply using a stippling motion straight up and down, or, since it is wax, you can also move in a circular motion.
Let us all take note that I made a goof and my harlequin on each side is applied in a different direction! LOL! Oops! One is horizontal, and one is vertical, but at least you now know you can use it either way!
Once my wax was dry, I began wet distressing with a baby wipe. I used the baby wipe to remove paint from the florals and to expose the black paint from underneath. This gives it that shabby cottage feel I was after, really playing into the rose garlands and the crackle!
The gilding wax areas seal themselves, so I did not put a top coat over those stripes or diamond shapes. I didn't want to dull the shine.
Instead, I used Terra Matte sealer and an artist brush and just sealed over the white stripes and white diamonds only!
I am in LOVE with this adorable "whatever it is" box!!
I am currently using it to display photo books of my daughter Zadie and my grandchildren.
It's the perfect size to hold them and it allows me to share my cherished photo books with others!
Watch closely, though. You will likely see it holding my laptop in future live broadcasts!
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