Making my "BELIEVE" Box- a fun repurposing tutorial with a box and painted canvas!

When I choose my word each year I like to somehow turn it into art, either a painting, a quilt, a something special that I can have in my studio to remind me of my intention for the year. This year, as you all know, my word is "BELIEVE"!  As I was pondering what to put my word on I was straightening up from the holidays and was putting all the tea away from a gift I received. It was a gift box of different teas and when the boxes were put away I still had a wooden box that just couldn't be thrown away!!

I have been creating these wonderful pieces of painted canvas. I buy rolls of primed canvas and then I paint them with friends, with my grandkids, as classes and then they sit in an almost finished state, rolled up until I decide to use them to create something magical. I love them so much that half of the battle is cutting them up. I think I would like to wall paper my studio in them because they make me feel happy! They are bold, bright and wildly designed. All intuitive and nothing ever planned. This seemed like the perfect project for one of my pieces. I choose one that my grandkids helped me paint!

I set the box onto the fabric piece and marked it, my plan was to wrap it from the bottom up the sides and then piece the inside. 

Never having done this before it seemed to make sense but the fact that I was going to cut this up was a bit nerve racking. None the less, nothing ventured nothing gained and I pushed through and made my marks and cut out the corner sections and trimmed off the excess canvas. 

I used Mod Podge to attach to box, painting both canvas and box with it

Next I set the box onto my marked square and began to roll the sides up the sides of the box. I rubbed and burnished all the canvas to make sure there were no air bubbles and that my canvas was tight to the surface. 

I then started to audition pieces or the inside, saving one for the bottom of the inside that was my favorite. I also had to add other strips from other canvases to make the sides work without piecing them. 

After I wrapped the sides and burnished them down I took a razor knife and trimmed off the excess on top of the sides. Being careful to keep my fingers out of the way so as to avoid all injuries and blood on my project!

I next added some of the inside wall pieces and then added the one inside bottom piece that I would have also wrap up two of the inside walls as well as the bottom. Carefully trimming again.

Next I painted the Mod Podge over the corners and edges to make sure everything stays down. Next I spent some time with Acrylic paint pens and gel pens finishing up the details and writing things on my canvas that makes it personal to me. This part of the project is so special and also adds so much detail to the painted shapes which gives it a finished feeling. I also painted the top edge black. After I was done I then sealed it with Mod Podge over the entire box.

The inside of my box before sealing

** Word of Wisdom, sadly I didn't give my gel pens time to cure, I think they probably needed a few days and so the white smeared and had to be reapplied when the Mod Podge was dry. I still love it but suggest some drying time before sealing or use a spray sealer. Enjoy!

I love my box and I will use it to hold things I believe in for the New Year, I can also set it on my book shelves as inspiration.