miy-miycreations-magazine-decor-crafts

Miycreations Project article and photographs
by Madeleine M Langlois

Floral Magazine File Box: floral designs are applied with stain
markers.

Getting organized is a great way to start the New Year, and you can start with
your files and magazines. This wooden file box organizer has been stained
with water-based stains that are odorless - and therefore perfect to use
indoors this time of year - with easy cleanup afterward. Two different tones of
green water-based stains were applied to give the unpainted wooden
magazine box a creative tone-on-tone wash-type of finish.

Hands-on time: Less than 2 hours.
Total time: Plus drying time for the pre-stain (5 minutes),
the water-based stains (2 hours), and the water-based varnish
(2 hours for each coat).
Skill: Easy.
Project cost: Under $25.00 for the supplies, including the wooden
magazine box.

Materials & tools:
• Unpainted wooden magazine file box
• Sandpaper and a tack cloth
• Minwax Water-Based Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner
• Minwax Water-Based Wood Stain (colors used Baltic Green and Green
Bayou)
• Stir sticks
• Sponge brushes (5 cm)
• Lint-free cloths to wipe the stain
• Minwax Polycrylic clear gloss protective finish & foam brush
• Design of your choice on paper
• Graphite paper
• A pencil or a ballpoint pen
• Painter’s tape
• Minwax Wood Finish Stain Markers ( I used Early American 230, Dark
Walnut 2716, Red Mahogany 225, and Red Oak 215)
• Latex gloves (optional)

(Materials for this project are available at hardware stores).

Fashionable floral designs were added using wood stain markers. This extra
touch will add interest to the magazine holder to suit your style and decor.
Place it on a bookshelf, on your desk or on a table and start displaying your
magazines without giving up a lot of space.

To ensure an even and smooth surface before staining, prepare the
magazine file holder by sanding it all over. Wipe away the sanding dust with a
tack cloth. To achieve stain color uniformity, apply a pre-stain wood
conditioner all over the magazine file holder with a foam brush. The wood
conditioner will dry within three to five minutes.

Choose two similar shades of water-based stains. Be sure to mix each stain
color well before using.

Start by applying the darker of the two colors you selected. Wear latex gloves
if you prefer, but hands and paintbrushes wash up easily after application.
Use a foam brush (or cloth) to apply one even coat of the first stain color to
the entire box. Allow the stain to permeate the surface for about three
minutes. Leave it on longer if you want to achieve a darker result. Then, wipe
it off with a clean cloth, moving in the direction of the grain of the wood. Let it
dry.

For the wash effect, apply the second stain color all over the box, but this time
wipe it off almost immediately using a clean cloth. You will see the base color
come through just enough to create a sleek looking finish.

Let the stain dry at least two hours before applying a light coat of water-based
Minwax Polycrylic clear gloss protective finish all over the magazine box.
Doing this step before adding the stain markers will prevent the markers from
bleeding since the magazine box is made with a very thin wood. Let dry for a
couple of hours, and then lightly sand the box with fine sandpaper. Wipe with
a tack cloth.

Make a photocopy or a printout of your chosen design in the appropriate size
needed to use as your template. (I used florals from a wallpaper design.) Cut
the design around the edges. Cut a piece of graphite paper in the same size.
Place the graphite paper under the design and use painter's tape to attach
them to the surface around the magazine box. Use a pencil or pen to trace the
design onto the wood. Remove paper and tape.

Shake the Minwax Wood Finish Stain Markers well. Remove cap and depress
tip gently a few times on scrap paper or wood to start stain flowing. Color in
floral design. Wipe excess with a cloth if needed. Once dry, use a cloth to
wipe any excess graphite line contours around your design.

Apply a second finishing coat, and then allow the magazine box to dry
overnight before regular use.

Variations: To achieve a multi layered stain wash finish, simply apply more
than two stain colours, just keep layering them. Try your hand at doing
various items to jazz up plain wooden office and home accessories such as
unpainted mirrors, frames, pencil holder containers, shelves even a CD rack
holder.

Miy Decor Project
Getting organized with style
C r e a t i o n s & I n s p i r a t i o n s
"f o r t h e p u r e j o y o f m a k i n g t h i n g s"

Stylish floral designs;
Fashionable floral designs
were added using wood
stain markers. This extra
touch will add interest to the
magazine holder to suit
your style and decor..

• using stain markers
to create various designs
on wooden surfaces;
mirrors, frames, pencil
holder containers, shelves