Krylon Mystery Box: Americana Fun

Friends, I’m so excited!  I’ve been invited to participate in this year’s Krylon Mystery Box challenges!  That means between now and December, I’ll be receiving several shipments, each containing a surprise assortment of items and Krylon products with the challenge of creating something fabulous with them.

Here’s a peek at what came in this month’s box!  My assignment was to create something Americana themed using at least four of the items as well as the paint.  This worked perfectly, because I had also signed up to participate in an Ultimate Red, White, and Blue Round-Up featuring a whopping 110 bloggers, all sharing Patriotic projects today!  {Check out the bottom of the post for more R,W, and B inspiration from them}!

– Krylon ColorMaster: Cherry Red Gloss & Pewter Gray Gloss
– Krylon Shimmer Metallic: Blue Shimmer
– 1 pack small wooden stars
– 1 unfinished 5×7 wood frame
– 1 unfinished tabletop sign
– 1 string red, white, and blue lights
– 1 pack dowels
– 3 small clear mason jars

When I saw all the items, I immediately knew I wanted to do something with the photo frame and those cute wooden stars.  So, my first step was to spray the unfinished frame with some white Krylon ColorMaster I had on hand.  Then I sprayed the stars; some Cherry Gloss, some Blue Shimmer Metallic, and some with Silver Glitter Blast.

When everything was dry, I chose three stars, one of each color, and glued them to the bottom corner of my frame.

The finishing touch was to add this printable I created.  I’d be thrilled for you to download it and use it in your own summer decor too; all you have to do is right click on the image below and save it to your computer.  It’s sized to 5×7.

Once my frame was finished, I moved on to another of the items in the box; a cute little glass jar.  I removed the lid, turned it upside down, gave it a  coat of Blue Shimmer Metallic spray paint and let it dry completely.

 After the jar dried, I wrapped a long piece of twine around the top several times and tied it, then finished it off by gluing a red star on top of the knot.

I loved the way my projects looked next to each other, but I wasn’t finished yet…I had only used three of pieces from my Mystery Box; the frame, the stars, and the jar.  My challenge stipulated that I needed to make use of four things, so I had to come up with a way to incorporate either the lights, the tabletop sign, or the dowels into what I’d already created.  After thinking about it for a day or two, it occurred to me that the sign didn’t have to be used as a sign!  Instead, I could flip it over and use it as a shelf to hold my frame and jar.

I spray painted it with my Color Master Cherry Gloss paint, and voila!  I love how the red brings out the color of the stars in the other two pieces and ties everything together with a perfectly patriotic feel!

What do you think?  Did I meet the challenge?  I love Americana themed summer decor, and I bet many of you do too!  If so, be sure to take a look at some of the other red, white, and blue projects featured in the #ultimateredwhiteandblue roundup!