MFT June Creative Challenge–Frame It!

Hi, everyone! It’s time for MFT’s June Creative Challenge! Wondering what the Creative Challenge is?

Our Design Team Creative Challenge is a monthly feature, where we challenge our design team to explore their creative side using a specific theme, product or technique. This month, we've been asked to Frame It! Be sure to check the MFT Blog for a list of all the designers who have put their MFT stamps and/or Die-namics dies to work to create a framed piece of art for you.

If you’ve visited my blog very often, you know I’ve done frames before. So, I got my thinking cap on and was tossing a few ideas around in my head. Then, I was walking around Michaels looking for an unfinished frame and wondering what I could do different when I happened upon this shadow box. The games in the center picture gave me a forehead-slapping moment! A checker board--definitely an "out-of-the-box" idea and totally doable with MFT dies!

I decided to make this to go in my living room, which is Shabby/Cottage Chic. Sort of, LOL. The first thing I did was to paint it white, two coats, inside and out, with white craft paint. Then I painted on some Ranger Crackle Paint in Picket Fence, then distressed it with Antique Linen and Weathered Wood Distress Stain, sanded the corners, and distress stained some more. Here’s what it looked like when I finished. Totally Shabby Chic, don’t you think? Love it!

Then I proceeded to cut out my die cuts: 32 each of Fossil and sage green card stock with my Die-namics Square STAX (the board size is 12 inches, so I used the 1 1/2” square which was perfect!), 12 each of two colors of pink with my Die-namics Royal Rose die, 24 circles with my Die-namics Circle STAX, and 48 Die-namics Royal Leaves die cuts.

Here’s a close up of the squares, all in place. I sponged all the edges with Antique Linen Distress Ink before adhering them down. To make things a little easier, I adhered them to a 12 x 12 piece of card stock and simply slipped that into the “well” of the shadow box frame.

I decorated two corners of the frame with more Die-namics Royal Roses, more Die-namics Royal Leaves, some Die-namics Mini Royal Roses, and some Die-namics Leafy Flourish die cuts.

Here’s the board with all the pieces in place, ready for a game :)

To contain the pieces, I altered a little round papier-mâché box that I had on hand. I did the same thing with it that I did with the frame: paint, crackle paint, distress stain, sand, more distress stain. Then I decorated the top with a Die-namics Decorative Doily Duo doily and more roses and leaves.

All of the pieces fit in the box perfectly!!


After I hot glued the leaves on, I added a Die-namics Circle STAX die cut to the bottom for stability…


…and to make it easier to “king” :)
 

Here are the Die-namics dies I used on this project:

Thanks SO much for stopping by! I just love how this project turned out and I hope it will inspire YOU to think outside the box with your MFT Die-namics dies!

 

 

 

 

 

 

~Supplies~
Stamps: None
Paper: Fossil, Pink Lemonade (MFT); Sage Shadow, Pretty In Pink (SU!)
Ink: Antique Linen Distress Ink, Antique Linen and Weathered Wood Distress Stain (Ranger)
Accessories/tools: Vagabond; Royal Rose, Mini Royal Roses, Royal Leaves, Circle STAX, Square STAX, Leafy Flourish, Decorative Doily Duo Die-namics dies (MFT); Picket Fence Crackle Paint (Ranger), white craft paint, hot glue/gun, unfinished shadow box frame, sanding block