Reine des Abeilles Shadow Box

Hello everyone.  So glad you stopped by, because I have another really cute project from Gina's Designs Lasercuts.  I got this gorgeous bee themed shadowbox  that I could hardly wait to decorate.  The ideas were going round and round.  I decided to call it Reine des Abeilles, which is French for Queen Bee.  

Print French Florals Overlays collage sheet onto cream card stock.  Trim to size to fit the back of the shadow box, but do not cover the dovetails that will be glued together.

Cover the sides with damask paper, again leaving the dovetail sections untouched.  I like to lay out the pieces so I can glue them together correctly.

Before putting the box together, cut out a frame piece from print paper to cover the front of the frame after it is glued together.  Set frame and paper aside, but glue the box together.  Save the center piece of the paper to adhere to the back of the box.

Paint the back of the frame with Burnt Orange chalk paint, as well as the outside of the box.  Add a wash of Vintage Mustard over the orange color to tone it down bit.

Print Queen Bee collage image, cut out, and layer onto a slightly larger scalloped circle from brown card stock.  Adhere to center of box with foam dots.

Paint both bees with black and orange paint pens.  Cover the thorax (upper body) of the bee with glue and add black Flower Soft®, and the abdomen (lower body) of the be with glue and yellow Flower Soft®.  I just love how my bees have fuzzy bodies, like in real life.  

Paint Stargazer Radiant Gels dimensional paint over the wings.  Add a coat of clear crackle paint to the wings.  Aren't those wings awesome?

Paint the bee skip with Vintage Mustard chalk paint.  Glue to a piece of scrap chipboard.

Glue pieces of natural sisal inside the openings.

Trim a piece of the bumble bee paper to 2-1/2" high by about 6-1/2" inches long.  Tear a piece away from the middle, inking and rolling the edges back, as shown.  

Paint a piece of the honeycomb chipboard with the Vintage Mustard chalk paint, and distress with brown chalk ink.

Turn paper over, glue a strip of heavy chip board or mat board (1" x 5-3/4") to the lower portion of the bumble bee paper, turning the ends to the back, as shown.  Add the piece of honeycomb.

Glue two bottle caps inside the box, as shown.  Yep, I save everything, but sometimes there is a method to my madness!

Adhere this piece to the inside of the box, onto the bottle caps for support, as shown.

Add a couple of pieces of scrap mat board to the back of the skip to lift it up for dimension, and adhere to the right side of the box.

Paint another small piece of the honeycomb, and the knockout pieces, with Vintage Mustard, adhere inside box, as shown.  

Add the bees to the box, as shown.  The bee in the lower left corner is lifted with foam dots for dimension.

Glue the chipboard frame piece to the box, then cover the frame with the cutout print paper.  

Paint the "Bee Yourself" chipboard with Oatmeal chalk paint, adding brown chalk ink to give it depth.  Adhere to frame, along with a crown inked with Delicata Gold and Silver ink.

A few closeups of the inside of the box.

Supplies Used:

Gina's Designs:  7x7 Themed Shadowbox Bee
ColourArte:  Radiant Gels: Stargazer
Burnt Orange and Oatmeal Chalky Paint (Plaid)
Flower Soft® Black and Sunshine Yellow
Collage Sheets:  Bees; French Floral Overlays (AlphaStamps)
Liquitex paint pens (black, orange)
Buzz & Bumble Paper Collection (Close to My Heart)
White gesso
Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue
Clear Distress crackle paint
Delicata Gold and Silverink
Natural sisal rope

I really love how this turned out, and I find that I am always experimenting with different ways to use Gina's chipboard.  It is so much fun, and I just know you will enjoy working with it, too!  So pop on over and see what other chipboard shapes tickle your fancy!

Have a wonderful and creative week!

Barbara