Make Art Every Day, ATB Storage - by Julie Ann

Hello Everyone. I hope you've been enjoying the summer. I've been very busy since we last met, having lots of fun and getting organised with Calico Cube Storage Box Kits.

I'd wanted to create more storage boxes for some time and once I started with these kits, I found that I just couldn't stop! They became not only a way to organise my stash, but also an opportunity for self-expression because each cube can be used like an Artist's Trading Block - a miniature art world to play in and on!

Because this project rather took flight, I've decided to divide it into 2 halves and to look at the top boxes this week and the 2 lower boxes in 2 weeks' time. You can probably see that I combined the smallest storage cube with one of the mini Block Style Cube houses. By not fixing the roof in place, I was able to use this as storage too, as the roof became a removable lid.

I like to keep Calico off-cuts from between doors and windows and so on, to add dimension when fixing figures into dioramas: now I will always know just where to find them!

It's a good idea to have a 'dry run', slotting kits together so that you can have a muse about arrangements, colours, collage elements and embellishment. I put the units together without glue to begin with to see how the drawers looked when they were fitted into the outer cube and that gave me lots of ideas as to how my ATB storage would look and the story it might tell - and where I might add extra Calico Craft Parts without affecting how the drawers opened.

I gave everything a thin coat of Gesso, on the outside only - I didn't want the sides of the drawers to be too tight a fit.

The torn tissue text scraps worked really well against the Gesso background and I used Washi tape around the edges. I kept to this same method for the fronts of each of the cube drawers. Although I didn't really need Gesso on the outer cubes, it provided a nice foundation for my collages

.
Then it was just a matter of going through my stash of collage materials and devising cube panels that inspire me to open those drawers and create! Stepping through the door of my studio always makes me happy so this panel reminds me that my creative space is my 'Happy Place'. I love the little Calico Bee who tells me to 'Bee Happy'. The Calico sheet of Mini Label Holders are perfect for this project too!

I created miniature tiles using the Calico Scrabble tiles turned upside down and covered with map paper. That way I recall that every project is a voyage of discovery. The Queen of Hearts on this panel is my muse who reminds me that when I put my heart into what I create I feel like a Queen.

Do you sing while you create, or do you have favourite music to work to? I usually have a song that comes into my mind and then I just have to find it on disc and have it playing to inspire me. I love the natural wood look of the Calico Craft Parts and this project allowed me to use them effectively in their natural state as well as painted and gilded. It was such a major project there was room for both.

As we fly away from the project for now, you can see that the roof has a thin layer of gilding wax, a little stamping of medieval script and some Washi tape. In a fortnight's time I will return with the 2 lower storage cubes in more detail. Until then, have a wonderful creative time.
Calico Craft Parts Used in this Project
Block Style Cube House, Mini
Sheet of Tiny MDF Windows and Door
Sheet of Bees and Beehives
MDF Cube Storage Box, Small
Mini Angel Wings Wood Shapes, Style 4
Sheet of MDF Engraved Scrabble Tiles
Sheet of Mini Label Holders
Sheet of Mini Seagulls Wood Bird Shapes