Secret Garden Altoids Tin

We're still sheltering at home and only going out for essentials; my great escape is working in my yard. Consequently, my yard is probably looking better than it has in years. Which leads me to my next project: A secret garden within an Altoids tin. For this project I used Stamperia's Oriental Garden Paper, plus some other fun supplies from Alpha Stamps. I am in love with this paper!

At the outside, only a door. Welcome to the garden.

I mounted the welcome sign and the stones around the door onto thin cardboard to give them a little depth. The door itself is attached to the surface of the tin. These Stamperia papers mix and match so beautifully. I'm such a fan of turquoise and red.

When opened, you can see the beautiful garden scene. It's spring, so buds are beginning to open and the leaves are starting to appear on the trees. The paper on the lid (left) was actually a cream color; I used a combination of Copic Markers, ink, and a white colored pencil to match the background color of the paper on the right. The butterflies wings were folded and only the bodies are glued down, which makes them 3D.

 

The Gothic Tree insert fits just under the lip of the tin, so the tree and fence make a beautiful frame around the scene. 

That paper! Even the back of the tin is gorgeous.

A few notes on construction: After the tin was covered in paper, the decorating began. The tree insert (top) was painted around the border to match the background paper, while the iron fence was painted black and given "highlights" with a white colored pencil. I glazed the fence to make it shiny. The tree was left the chipboard color, and details were added with colored pencils. Laser Cut Miniature Ivy was painted green and glued onto the fence. Tiny plastic plants were cut apart and glued to the back of the tree branches.

Above, the image of the woman was adhered to the back of the tin with foam tape. Rose buds, moss, and a couple of small bushes were then glued into place.

To attach the rosebuds, I used pliers to bend the wire stem into a little base. That base was just dipped into white glue and attached to the bottom of the tin.

Once the flowers were all set, the insert was put into place. I trimmed a hair off the top and bottom of the insert, because I kept putting it in the tin and pulling it out to check the position of the foliage. Having it be just a little smaller made it easier to manipulate, and it still fits snugly inside.

I hope you enjoy my secret garden. For a complete list of Alpha Stamps supplies, click here.