Recycling Wooden Cigar Boxes

Kathi F. Rerek is a mixed media artist and has been crafting for almost fourteen years. Her father used to smoke cigars that were packaged in wooden cigar boxes which he re – used to store various items like nails, screws, keys, and batteries. Kathi claimed many of those boxes after her father passed away and she has since used those boxes to feature colored stamped images, a painted surface, and seashells from her collection of art. Here is how she does it:

• Smoothening the wooden surface with sandpaper so that there are no splinters or jagged bits. Thereafter sealing the wood and providing some tooth for the acrylic paint. This is done by coating the exterior with a layer of gesso.
• Painting the box surface with Mermaid, Bora Bora, Sky, and Beach Hut Fresco Finish acrylic paints - Top and sides
• Gel medium was sponged over the die-cut, image panel, and the top of the box, excluding the “sand area”. Shells and pearls were adhered to the sand area and the oval respectively.
• Painting inside the box with black acrylic paint.
• Patterned paper from my stash is cut to fit the interior of the box while gluing more shells from various collections

At the end of the whole exercise, Kathi says she is usually so spirited to go on and on using these boxes. Her blog kathstales.blogspot.com can tell the rest of the story. She has also been lucky to have served on several design teams.