Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Toonies in a little purple box.

Remember that papier mache box I gessoed a while back?

A little purple boxWell, it sat on my desk for the longest time while I decided what to do with it.  Finally I decided it would be the home of my Toonie Project.

A little explanation is necessary for the non-Canadian readers:  First of all, the Canadian one-dollar coin features a picture of a native bird called a loon.  Over time, the coin was given the nickname of "loonie."  Well, when the two-dollar coin came out, there was much speculation on what sort of name it would be given (it features a polar bear, in case you're curious).  Eventually it became known as a "toonie", which is short for "two loonies."  (Yeah, I know -- it sounds like we're all "loonie" up here.)

Anyway, around the dawn of 2010 I decided that I wanted to make a rule for myself this year.  I would not spend my toonies.  Instead, I would put them in a sealed container that I could not just randomly dip into, and then when I thought I'd amassed a nice little amount, I would take the toonies and go buy rughooking supplies with them.

So I was sitting at my desk looking at the little papier mache box with its rough white surface just begging to be decorated and all at once I knew its destiny.  I asked Hubby to cut a coin slot in the lid (because he had a sharp knife handy and I didn't), and then I covered it in purple Lumiere paint.  (I love the unexpected coppery sheen when the light hits it just right.)  I was pleased with how it was coming along, but after I'd glued it shut, I decided it needed a little something more.  So I put some aqua Lumiere on a dictionary page and then took a folk heart paper punch and made some cute little shapes.  A few coats of Diamond Glaze, and TA DA!  A Toonie Project Box!

Yikes!  I'm at the university and it's nearly time to pack up and go to class.  Catch you later! :)

2 comments:

Sarah @ OneStarryNight said...

Firstly that is just an awesome craft to do! Also... I have to admit, I am jealous that you have coins like that lol.

Rebekah said...

That is such a cool idea ... the box is beautiful.
I did the same thing back home in Sweden. Our money is 'crowns' 1 krona, 2 kronor. At some point they decided to issue 10-crown coins, and I did the same thing -- I put them away in a pig. One of those 10-crowns equals approx. $ 1:50. It's pretty neat, because it's not really noticable ... you just put them there and it adds up quickly. I had an agreement with myself; to buy something really unnecessary, but something I wanted badly. Most of the times it was a purse. I have a little obsession with nice purses.