I created this shrine for a birthday RAK. I used a standard 1-1/2″ x 2″ matchbox for this shrine. To begin, I painted the box interior light blue. I used a palm tree punch on very heavy cardstock to cut out my palm tree shapes.

Using scissors I cut a little island shape from the heavy cardstock and glued the palm trees to the island. Next I painted the island and trees using acrylic paints.

I then painted the water blue and added a bit of painted white foam to create waves. The sandy beach was also painted with acrylic paints. I creased the painted scene in the middle to create a dimensional image

Clouds were created by gluing bits of fiberfill to the sky. I then glued the painted scene into the match box. The top edge (trees) stand out from the background, with the creased center edge attached to the bottom/back edge of the matchbox. The foreground (beach) slopes towards you and is attached to the lip of the matchbox.

I used Diamond Glaze to topcoat the water and give a shiny appearance. I added tiny seashell buttons (with the shanks removed) to dress up the beach.

The exterior of the box was covered with scrapbook paper, a sun image, and colorful fibers.

Products used: