Tarot Cards

Botanical Cameo Glass Storage Box

Method: Decoupage

Practice mindfulness as you handle delicate botanicals and goldleaf to create a one of a kind chic cameo storage box. Learn about the timeless cameo design pattern.

Click through the cards to learn about the project

STEP 01

PROJECT OVERVIEW

STEP 02

PLAN YOUR DESIGN

STEP 03

GOLDLEAF

STEP 04

ATTACH

STEP 05

FINALIZE

Project Overview

Materials/components:

Box with blank cameo
Goldleaf
Botanicals
Felt inset
Brush, cup, nontoxic adhesive
Plastic tweezer
Napkin for cleaning around adhesive.

Handling warning

Both the goldleaf and botanicals are very delicate. Plan to practice being gentle with this project.

Process summary

The process is iterative! I am sharing this process in steps below but it may work well to iterate working back and forth between the back and front side of the panel.

Project Steps

Plan design
Add goldleaf to cameo
Add background (on inside glass panel)
Blend cameo with background (on the front glass panel)
Press and refine goldleaf
Iterate

Visual overview 0-1

Plan your design

Things to consider:

The glass box is roughly marked for an oval background around the cameo. You can create contrast along that line if you choose to.
Flat petals adhere better although you can use some slightly raised pieces as well as layer for a bold effect.
Deconstruct into petals to get them to the flattest state.
Avoid very raised parts of the botanical structures.
Think about grouping dark and light tones together to get a contrasting effect.
Some clear space on the piece will work and can work well with the inset background. The adhesive dries clear but the glass does lose some integrity. I recommend leaving some space but not huge patches of space.

Design

Arrange botanicals beside your working space roughly as you imagine they will go on the material.
You may want to organize them by color or section or create your own system.
The plan might change as you work and that is fine.
Once complete put the palette to one side.

Goldleaf

On the other side of the workspace prepare organize your materials for this step. Of note: The material is incredibly light — even the slightest movement of air can lift it away, so every action has to be slow and controlled. The good news is a "messy" application of goldleaf creates interesting and varied textures.

Materials needed:

Goldleaf
Brush
Adhesive
Tweezers

Directions to adhere

Paint a light to medium layer of adhesive on the paper cameo. Make sure you cover the edges completely. (Try to avoid getting adhesive on the glass but it's okay if you do.)
Cover the cameo with a goldleaf sheet and tap and press it in place.
Walk away and let dry for 15 minutes.
Brush the goldleaf away with your hands or a brush.
Use the tweezers to create clean edges around the cameo.
Mold and crunch the material to get different effects.

Attach

Attach Botanicals and additional goldleaf.

Once you feel confident in the organization of materials, start to work. Position the box so that it is open like a book, with the inside panel facing up. You will be painting adhesive and placing botanicals on the inside so the top side acts as frame. It can create an interesting effect to keep some areas clear but the adhesive will add a slight blur to the glass. I recommend not leaving huge patches of space.

Attach bbackground

Paint a light coat of adhesive to the area where you plan to place a botanical.
Give it 30 sec to a minute to get tacky.
Place petal or petals down, and paint a light coat over the top to set in place.
Repeat to execute your design
Do not over apply adhesive.
Push the petals in place and try to get out any notable air that is being trapped.

Attach botanicals to outside top to blend cameo.

Add botanicals along the bottom ridge of the cameo.

Finalize

Refine and seal goldleaf application with a layer of adhesive.

Continue to work back and forth between the sides and refine the design and application.

Dry

The Adhesive takes 24 hours to set completely.

Clean

Once the adhesive is completely dry, clean the piece with a towel and water or windex.
Make sure the container is clean and empty.

Inset

Place inset

Enjoy

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