Pop! Goes the Mixed Media Box by Betsy Skagen

I recently broke free of a life-long soda pop addiction. Apparently I was hooked on soda pop before I was two years old. While my parents were good parents, I wondered why they would give their baby unhealthy soda, or "pop" as we call it in Minnesota.

When I began seeing all sorts of ads in vintage magazines proclaiming it was a health benefit to give young children sugar-laden pop, I better understood my parents actions.

Seeing the vintage ads inspired me to make a fun mixed media box with pop tops, vintage advertising and milk bottle caps.

Tutorial How to Make the Mixed Media Pop Box

Begin by sanding and scratching some pop bottle tops.

Apply alcohol ink and repeat layers of acrylic paint to the pop tops until you achieve a faux rust look.

Measure the top bottom and sides of the box. 

 Cut cardstock to fit the inside base and adhere to the box.  Add an additional strip of paper across on top of this.

 Mix gesso with water and dry brush over the surface. Dry with heat gun.

 Use black ink and a stamp to randomly stamp partial marks over the surface.

 Adhere vintage soda ad and milk bottle cap to this surface.

 Next adhere numerical cardstock to the interior sides.

Adhere two of the bottle caps with a strong adhesive such as Beacon Fabri-Tac and assemble the interior of the box.

Spray matte sealer over the interior of the box and let dry.

While the sealer is drying, cut strips of decorative cardstock to fit the exterior sides. Trace the top of the box onto another piece of decorative cardstock and cut to fit. Adhere all to the exterior of the box and line the edges with washi tape.

Rub embossing ink or a glue stick around the oval and cover wtih Deep Sea Baked Texture. Activate with heat gun.  

Adhere a third pop bottle top over the oval. 

Spray matte sealer of the exterior of the box. When dry, you can put the top and bottom together and our project is complete.

I hope this inspires yo to make your own fun vintage box.
Have a wonderful week. -Betsy

Great stuff

Fold Up Box Oval Coming Soon to Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts!
Emerald Creek Deep Sea Baked Texture by Seth Apter
Vintage ad
Pop bottle tops
Milk bottle cap
Tim Holtz cardstock
Rubber stamp for mark making
Washi tape
Black ink
Gesso
Alcohol Ink
Acrylic paint
Beacon Fabri-Tac