Paper Mosaic Decoupage Toy Box

Materials and Tools:

wooden toy chest (unfinished), approximately 12" x 12" x 18"
medium-grit flexible sanding block
tack cloth
dust mask
3 colors of latex or acrylic paint
large, small paint brushes
painters tape
drop cloth
2 plastic bowls
warm water
soft cloth
decoupage medium
assorted scrapbook papers and card stock in red, black, tan, gray, silver
pinking shears (or other decorative-edge scissors)
star-shaped paper punch (or star stickers)
pencil
scrap paper for sketching design
unfinished wooden 3-D star appliques
water-based antiquing medium
tin of brown wax shoe polish

Steps:

1. Sand all surfaces of box and remove dust with tack cloth.

2. Tape off edges and paint lid of box with a cream-colored latex paint, edges of lid with a black acrylic, and sides of box with a red acrylic.

3. Paint each star applique with a cream color and set aside to dry. Brush each wooden star with antiquing medium; wipe off with soft cloth, then affix stars to box using decoupage medium.

4. Sketch design on scrap paper. Draw each element on the wrong side of desired color of scrapbook paper or card stock (i.e., jersey on red paper, helmet, puck and skates on black paper, stick on tan paper, blades on silver paper, etc.).

5. Cut out with pinking shears. Further cut jersey, helmet and stick into smaller pieces.

6. Using star-shaped paper punch, punch five silver stars and one red star from scrapbook paper or card stock (or use stickers).

7. Lay out the design elements on the lid, and use a small soft brush to affix pieces one at a time, smoothing out air bubbles with fingertips.

8. To make the border: Cut three or four long strips of black paper, approximately 1/2-inch wide; then cut each strip into smaller pieces (rectangles and trapezoids), laying down each piece adjacently to form a border around the top edge of the lid, Use decoupage medium to affix to lid and remove air bubbles.

9. For the background: Cut out and use decoupage medium to affix small pieces of red paper to fill in background.

10. Apply decoupage medium to all surfaces using continuous brush strokes from edge to edge. Use a small brush to fill in and prevent pooling or dripping around stars.

11. Smooth out any air bubbles from mosaic area with wet fingertips and re-brush if necessary.

12. Apply second coat of decoupage medium to all surfaces.

13. Using a soft cloth and small, circular motion, apply shoe polish to a small area and immediately wipe off; repeat until entire chest is antiqued.

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