Knock Off: Z Gallerie Ming Box

Januari 13, 2015

Hey, hey! I'm really proud of my latest knock off. Z Gallerie's Ming Boxes were just the thing I needed to corral all of the chargers on our nightstand, but I didn't want to pay $59.95 for a set of them. Besides, I only needed one. So with a few craft supplies and some patience, I made my own decorative storage box and it looks very similar to the ones I coveted. What do you think?

Theirs $59.95

Mine $12

Here's how I made it:

Z Gallerie Ming Box Knock Off
Nap Rating = 2 naps (not including dry-time)

Tools & Materials

Unfinished, hinged wooden box
Painter's tape
Spray primer and paint in color of your choice
Printer
Cardboard
Craft knife
Gold leaf paint pen
Glue
Small paintbrush

Steps

Tape off the hinges using painter's tape. I tore off a piece of tape and pressed it firmly all along the hinge's edges so I could see where to score the tape with my knife. Then I peeled away the excess.
Prime the box with spray primer. Let dry.
Spray the box with 2 coats of your color. Let dry overnight.
Meanwhile, use Word on your computer to make a fretwork design. I simply added rectangles and played around with the weight of the lines and the size of the whole image until it looked right. Print out the image.
Color the entire back of the image with a pencil, then place it right-side-up on a piece of thin, yet sturdy cardboard. Trace the design so that the image transfers to the cardboard.
Use your knife to carefully cut out the negative spaces of your motif.
Once you've completely cut out the shape and cleaned up the images as best you can, color the entire thing with a gold leaf paint pen. Let dry.
Center the design on your box and lightly mark where it needs to be cut so that the box can open.
Now that your design is in two pieces, use a small paint brush to completely coat the back of it with glue, then adhere it to the box. Let dry.
Spray the entire thing with clear lacquer to seal it and prevent scratches.