Sigh...always something

[cosmic grammie]

I am putting this here as I may as well...been upcycling a cigar box...fortunately this was an experiment, but i am really upset with myself...

I made a really nice iris folding design that I was very happy with. Put a mulberry paper leaf in the center. But the white mat didn't look great against the dark wood of the box, so I decoupaged on some "handmade" lotka paper from some obscure Nepalese village....

I liked it. Needs perfecting.


The back of the iris folding is extremely lumpy - that, apparently, is the way iris folding is, unless I am missing something. So, I glued on a piece of paper backing to help hold it all down, b/c sometimes the scotch tape pops loose, although on this one I used MILES of tape....but anyway, the glued on backing dried for 36 hours just to be safe.

So far so good...

But it's still a tad lumpy, so I used adhesive pads about a quarter of an inch thick, to attach it to the lid of the box....


It looks great as long as you look DOWN at it...sniff, sniff, beginning to tear up a little - but if you see it from the side, the blasted adhesive pads show!!!!!! It looks awful!!!! HALP!!!!

Okay, obviously I put them too close to the outer edge, but that was where the "lift" was needed...darn it all...HOW can I cover up the bright white pads????


In the pics - the glue has not completely dried on the red lotka edgings....so that looks a little funny....and from now on, I will cover the little frames FIRST before doing the iris folding, so that lesson learned....but it'll still be lumpy....

I could scream!!!! Go outside and listen - I bet you can hear me!!!!

2435624357

p.s. That's a yellow ribbon loop "handle" on the right - to make it easier to open the box. I always find ribbon inside the empty cigar boxes when I buy some...and it's nice ribbon, too!

[julesie]

Maybe take a strip of the red round the outside to cover the tabs? Put the red paper on some more backing board and then glue it onto the sides?

[cosmic grammie]

That has possibilities....I wonder if I could just roll some up and stuff in there, lengthwise...so it runs the length and is small enough to fit under the red lotka paper....like a straw, i reckon....is that basically what you mean? Only without backing paper. I could just tuck it in there with some glue. It would make a little "wall." Is that basically what you're saying? This is encouraging sounding. THANKS for giving me some ideas! I have been totally stymied and depressed! =(

[beadsbydesign]

stuff some rolled paper under the edges. to add support.
1.Measure the depth from the box lid to the top of the iris design add a mm or two.
2.also measure the sides of the box.
take a strip of card and cut to twice the width of 1. and the length of the sum of the sides.
use right angles folded strip to form a frame around the whole box lid. angle cut the corners and score where they need to bend.
flue in place.

sorry if this sounds complicated. it's very hard to explain.

[julesie]

Take a strip of paper that is as wide and long to cover up the part that you don't want to see. Make marks where the corners are on the paper, to match up with the corners on the paper above it. Score these marks on the front of the strip and bend them. This will make the paper strip into the box shape.

Cover the strip of paper with the red lotka and leave to dry. Run a line of non yellowing 2 part epoxy glue onto the bottom of the strip of paper, the box itself and the top of the design. Place the strip around the design and leave to dry. This creates a wall i n the shape of a box. Finally, cover the join with small strips of lotka.

Any help?

[cosmic grammie]

Karen and Julsie - this is SMART - framing the iris folding, so the frame is raised up, yes, SMART....I am going to work on this today....listen for the occasional screaming....
I am printing out both your instructions.....THANK YOU LADIES!!!!!!!

[cosmic grammie]

Pics by the end of the day tomorrow - I have started another one that has an origami doll as part of the iris folded picture, and this time my husband is making thin strips of wood to Frame it with, on top of the box.

Whew - folding the doll was tricky!

[cosmic grammie]

Good grief, I am so muddled...go read what I did to cover the adhesive pads in the Paper Crafts room...I don't know where I am!

[indri]

Right-o off to paper crafts now as I'm intrigued!