Christmas Shadow Box by Nikki Acton

We're very sad to be saying goodbye to Nikki today. Its been fantastic having you as part of the team Nikki and we wish you well in your new job. Thank you for all your fantastic projects over the last year.

Hello, Nikki here with my final post here on the That’s Crafty! blog. I am so sad to be leaving the design team but I recently started a new job and unfortunately I need to focus on that for a while. It has been a pleasure and an honour to work with Laura and Graham at That’s Crafty! and the rest of the DT. One of the highlights has been using That’s Crafty! own range of surfaces, paints and stencils and creating samples for the Hochanda shows. So I thought I would leave with the large shadow box I created for the August Christmas shows.

I would be lying if I said this project was quick! I made it over several days – so I am not quite sure how long in total. Here is a quick summary of what I did:

MDF Shadow Box Background

Coat with white gesso

Painted with Dylusion Blue paint (After Midnight)

Once dry add matt medium and scrunched tissue paper – adding additional matt medium on top

Allow to dry and dry brush with That’s Crafty! Metallic Silver paint

MDF insides and outside

Coat with white gesso

Sponge That’s Crafty! Blue Shimmer paint

Sponge That’s Crafty! Pearl Shimmer Paint

Trees

Add white gesso

Sponge  with That’s Crafty! Multi Surface Green paint

Add a little dark blue to the green paint (I used DecoArt Prussian Blue) and sponge a little more for darker highlights

Continue adding colour – I used a little That’s Crafty! Multi Surfacee Yellow and finally some white gesso for snowy effects

Reindeer

Add white gesso

Sponge That’s Crafty! Multi Surface paints in Yellow and Brown – drying between colours

Sponge a little white gesso

Edge with Cut and Dry Foam and brown ink

Snowflakes

Add white gesso

Add That’s Crafty! Metallic Silver paint

Add a little brown ink to the edges

Snow

To create the effect of depth in the shadow box I took some thick greyboard, cut to fit and scored to enable me to create little stands for the reindeer and trees to be secured to. I covered in white gesso before adding That’s Crafty! Metallic paint – Pearl to create the look of glistening snow! (The front piece is made from the scrap card from the trees bits and pieces greyboard sheet).

Sign

I took a little bit of greyboard and added vertical brush strokes of white and brown paint. I added a remnant rub – Happy Christmas, but any stamp would be fine. I used my finger to add a little gesso to the top for snow and once dry secured to the top of the shadow box using clear wire.

Once again, thanks to That’s Crafty! for having me here over the last year.

Nikki

Addicted to Art.

Supplies 

That’s Crafty! Surfaces – Set of two MDF Shadow Boxes (large used here)

That’s Crafty! Metallic Paint – Silver

That’s Crafty! Shimmer Paint – Dark Blue and Pearl

That’s Crafty! Multi Surface Paint – Green, Yellow and Brown

That’s Crafty! Surfaces Bits and Pieces Greyboard – Small Snowflakes

That’s Crafty! Surfaces Bits and Pieces Greyboard - Pine Trees

That’s Crafty! Surfaces Bits and Pieces Greyboard - Reindeer

That’s Crafty! White Gesso

Dylusions Paint - After Midnight

DecoArt Matte Medium

DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics – Prussian Blue

Cut and Dry Foam

Ranger Archival Ink – Potting Soil