Feature and styling
Sophie Tarrant
Photos
Lizzie Orme
Before
1
Prepare your wooden box. Depending on
the condition of it, you may need to sand
it or strip old paint or varnish away. As ours
was brand new, all we needed to do was give it
a quick wipe all over with a cloth to ensure the
surface was clean.2
Cut the inner dividers. We used thin sheets of
A4 plywood to create ours, as they are strong
yet easy to cut. Measure the height and depth
of the inside of your box and cut two pieces to
this size.3
Use a clean piece of cloth and a small
amount of Annie Sloan dark furniture wax
to colour and seal the box. Work the wax
into the grain of the wood, both inside and out,
then buff it to seal it in. Repeat to apply wax to
both of the inner dividers.4
Position the two dividers inside the box,
spacing them out to create three equal-sized
sections. Mark the position of each one, then
use balsa cement to glue them into place.5
Measure the width of each section and
cut another divider for each one to this size,
then apply wax as before. Finally, stick these
along the centre of the box, to divide it into six
equal-sized sections.6
Découpage the outside of the box.
Pull apart the layers of a patterned paper
napkin and discard all but the top printed
layer. Use scissors to cut out specific designs- for example, flowers, leaves, or birds – then use
a 50:50 mixture of PVA glue and water to paste
them into place on the outside of the box.
7
Once you’re happy with your découpage
design, apply two coats of clear varnish to the
outside of the box, to seal in the paper and
protect it. Leave to dry thoroughly after each coat.8
Make a set of seed packet dividers. We cut up
pieces of patterned Kraft paper and used an
alphabet stamp set to add the name of our
seeds to the top of each. Pop these into the various
sections of the box and add your seeds, to finish.(^23)
6
8
Create a gorgeous botanical
chest to keep your seeds
safe and organised
Recycle
repair,
revamp,
You will need
3 30cm x 20cm x 13cm wooden box,
£8, Hobbycraft^3 sand paper^3 cloth
3 A4 plywood sheets, £9.99 for three,
Amazon^3 pencil^3 ruler^3 saw
3 Soft Dark Wax, £4.95 per 120ml, Annie
Sloan 3 balsa cement, £3.49 per 24ml,
Amazon^3 napkins, £3.50 per pack, Pipii
3 scissors^3 PVA glue^3 paint brush^3 clear
varnish 3 Kraft paper^3 alphabet ink
stamp set and pad
W
ith the summertime upon us, it’s
time to head out into the garden.
Staying on top of all those bits
and bobs can be tricky, especially in packed
potting sheds. We took a plain wooden box
and gave it a new look and a fresh purpose,
converting it into pretty seed storage with
a colourful découpage design.