Photo box altered project

I had to say good-bye to my boys' daycare provider last week. She has been taking care of them for 3 years and has been absolutely exceptional. She is a stay-at-home Mom with two girls of similar ages to my boys and although she could have been just a babysitter, she chose to operate like an official daycare. She took the kids through the preschool curriculem, took them on educational fieldtrips and taught them valuable social skills. And she did this with a calm, loving attitude that I absolutely respect.Unfortunately (for us) she is going back to school to pursue her doctorate in early childhood education.

I wanted to make her something to show her how valued she is, and also to act as sort of a remembrance and finally decided on this wooden box that I bought at Michaels. I like the idea of including pictures of the kids (aren't they cute?) as well as providing a spot for keepsakes.

To alter the box, I painted and distressed the top to give a worn shabby-chic appearance. The bottom and sides are covered in Basic Grey patterned paper from the "Indian Summer" collection. In the photos it doesn't look like the paint goes with the paper but in reality the purplish colour is carried subtly throughout the paper.  I also added a scalloped edge (really hard to see in the picture) along the top to finish the edge. The entire outside is sprayed with a matte finish so that it is durable and washable.

Inside the box I continued with the same paint along with a flourish from the "Indian Summer" cardstock sticker pack. I selected an "October Afternoon" paper to line the inside. Looking at the photo, I realize that I should have painted or covered the backs of the photo inserts but at least the brown matches (LOL).

I'm not sure if I'm pleased with the finished box or not. I should have printed the photos in black & white and I also should have made the lid more elaborate. Of course, her decor leans to clean lines and rich colours so hopefully this works. I so rarely make altered items that this was quite a challenge.

I also want to share the birdhouses that the boys made for her. They used almost every colour of paint available to them! Luke, in particular, went for lots of sparkle on the roof of his because hummingbirds like shine and he wanted to attract them.

Challenges:

• Crafty Catz - distressing (the box is sanded & inked for a distressed/aged look)
• One Stop Craft Challenge - distressing