Watermelon Box with Tonic Studios

Tonic Studios has sent me the Toy Box Bonanza die set to make some sample tutorials. After creating a patriotic spaceship, I decided to break out some shimmer powders and my sewing machine to let my imagination play. The results were not only fun, but a vibrant and textured juicy palette of colors! Today I will focus on the coloring process, and my video will give you more details. (The assembly of the actual box is the same as the spaceship, so I won't repeat that here, instead, I will refer you to the original tutorial for assembly.)

This is what I love most about paper crafting; the opportunity to have some fun without worrying so much about results, and just enjoying the process.

For this project, I used mixed media papers for the colorful layers, and just added a generous amount of shimmer powders in different colors to achieve stunning results. Shimmer powders react wonderfully to a good spritz of water, but did you know, that using a dry watercolor brush will help you add texture? I began by using Falling leaves shimmer powder and a Nuvo light Mist spray bottle, I gave the paper a generous spray of water after adding the powder, then used a soft watercolor brush to drag the wet medium across the entire paper with straight and squiggly lines, resulting in striated strokes that would resemble a watermelon rind. (In my video tutorial you will see how I did this, but I did repeat this more than once for the final results.)

For the inner portion I used Catherine Wheel Nuvo Shimmer powder, and this was quite intense! The color is so vibrant, and it will get onto your hands. You may want to use gloves if getting messy is not your thing. Because I used the papers with the Toy Box Bonanza dies, I had quite some cleanup to do! This was easy as it is a water soluble medium, but don't say I didn't warn you!

Once all of my papers were cut, I used my sewing machine to stitch green lines and borders onto the green papers to further resemble the striated lines one sees on a watermelon rind. For the inner portions, I also ensured to cut the papers to fit into the box, as these colored papers were merely for outer and inner layers. For the seeds. I used Meteorite Shower powder onto black cardstock, and dried it with my Heat It tool. 

To further decorate this box, I used Little Birdie flowers, and not only cut these to create the look I wanted, but also managed to color the centers of a few using the same red shimmer powder. The trick to do this is to only use as much water as necessary so as to not destroy the delicate blooms. Once these were added, I also added highlights with a white Nuvo gel pen, sequins, clear gems, and a stunningly crinkled double bow made with seam binding. I used hot glue, Nuvo deluxe adhesive, and Nuvo Crystal glaze as my adhesives. I truly hope you have enjoyed today's crafty tutorial, and that you consider trying these products in your next crafy project. Affiliate links will allow you to shop for mentioned items, and also help me keep a cup of coffee nearby as I craft.

Thank you for your support! 

Video Tutorial: