Altered Cigar box

A Fantastic Find---Elmers Glue Crackle Formula
Added Buttons and Pearls.... To alter/renew a cigar box that was once my loved ones trinket box and old.

Which brings me to a point, looks can be deceiving to the eye and some people would see it as used and trash.  All it took was a sweet loving touch of a new masters hand to see the potential.


before plain



painted & crackled



This project became interesting since it had sentimental value. Then more so as I saw the metaphor on how God renews and continually restores me producing joy & comfort allowing me to shine His light with delight and honor.

 I am thankful, I received a touch from the 'Master Hand my Lord God and Savior'. He took what others thought  was dorkie and weak and renewed my heart and spirit.  I longed to find wholeness & found 'He was there all along' waiting for me to open the door..NOW knowing that, How can I say no to He who continually encourages, strengthens and pours his Joy into my heart as I receive his unconditional love and kindness making ways where there seem none.

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 Altered Cigar Box With Crackled Look:
I found a cheap Elmers Glue crackle formula on Ann's blog. She has it specifically down to different materials she has tried it on. I read it a couple months ago and did it from memory. I highly suggest you check her blog out for better details..Because not sure about you but I wind up tweaking and changing things up.

The steps were simple.

• paint the project with acrylic paint color you want base to be, let dry
• then pour/brush on a layer/coat of Elmers Glue
• do not let glue dry just settle for a minute
• then paint 2nd top acrylic color that will crackle to show 1st color.
• You will see the crackle begin after 3 minutes(or less)

Personal tips:

Once I did the steps..I continually checked every few minutes on the processing since it was my first time trying. Glad I did because I forgot on one section to make sure the box was level while drying the crackle was off and looked marble on one end. Notice on the front where the pearl button is but came out looking good anyway. Also, my Elmer's glue(not fresh/2 yrs old or so) tended to puddle off in sections and so I slowly poured more glue from the bottle spout in those areas and then more acrylic paint.  I think because I put such a thick layer of glue(reason for puddling and not smooth). Once I saw the crackling was as I wanted I let dry over night before doing another section.

 I enjoyed the process and would do again. Next time I will try with just a thin layer of glue and see how it comes out since I did not check or remember what the Blogger  said how thin or thick.  Besides I bought a few cigar boxes for only 35cents each at my local liquor store for more projects.

This is the side I did not make sure was level. Turned out perfect anyway for being the front section. (Wheww)







I did not crackle the sides of the box. I used Martha Stewarts new Embroidery hand punch as paper lace and embellished with buttons, pearls and rhinestones.
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I hope you were encouraged by my personal story.
 Let our words be encouraging and help build others.

We can... have more sincere smiles and laughs.
I leave you with these words of encouragement:

Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweights them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 

 2Corinthians 4: 16 18