Concrete Jewelry Box With Raised Flowers

I made a lot of jewelry last time, so I needed a box to store them. Of course, I also wanted to make the jewelry box myself. I really like porcelain or clay boxes with flowers on the top. Therefore, I wanted to make such a box myself. But I only had cement at hand, so I thought, why not try to make jewelry box out of concrete. I already have experience with concrete, and therefore I know that making small flowers with thin petals out of concrete is not so easy. But I found a way to do it. I really like my concrete jewelry box with raised flowers. To make this box, you will not need any special molds, no natural or artificial flowers, no sculptor skills. All you need is patience. So I'm sure anyone can do it.

Step 1: Gathering the Necessary Materials and Tools

You need:

cement,
fine sand,
pure water,
primer for concrete,
varnish for concrete,
acrylic paints,
a piece of denim from old jeans,
two cardboard yarn cores,
cardboard,
duct tape,
a palette knife,
scissors,
a pen,
a spoon,
a bowl for making concrete,
spray,
a ruler,
threads,
a needle,
a toothpick,
a brushes,
PVA glue,
steel wire,
wire cutters,
fabric for inner,
varnish.

Step 2: Cardboard Stands

Trace around the yarn core on the cardboard and cut out this circle. Cut another circle out of the cardboard in the same way.

Use PVA glue to glue one circle to each yarn core. Let the glue dry well.

Cover the glued circles and the sides of the yarn cores with duct tape.

Step 3: Denim Boxes

Cut two circles out of the denim that are 1 cm smaller than the cardboard cores. Cut two strips of jeans, 6.5 cm and 3 cm wide.

Sew the edges of the circles and one side of the stripes using blanket stitch. Then sew one strip to each circle, passing the thread through the ties. Join the edges of the strips in the same way.

As a result, you will end up with two round denim boxes of a single diameter. The small box is for the top of the jewelry box and the large box is for the bottom of the jewelry box.

Make two circles out of the wire, the same diameter as the denim boxes.

Sew these circles to the edges of the denim boxes to keep the boxes from warping.

Step 4: Templates for Flowers and Leaves

Cut out templates for petals and leaves from cardboard.

Trace around the templates on denim and cut out without allowances. Each template has a digit written on it. These digits represent the number of denim copies required.

Step 5: Denim Roses

There will be a large rose in the center of the top of the jewelry box - flower type #1. It consists of four types of denim petals: 4 smallest, 5 larger, 6 medium and 6 biggest. Sew a rose from these denim petals.

Twist the first smallest denim petal and fix it by stitching at the base. Then wrap it with a second small denim petal and sew again at the base. Continue to add and sew on the rest of the small denim petals, then sew on the larger, then the middle petals, then the biggest petals. Distribute the petals evenly.

Sew another small rose-bud from the 2 smallest and 4 larger petals in the same way.

Step 6: Denim Flowers and Leaves

Flowers type #2. Make four more denim flowers: sew their centers.

Flower type #3. Make another denim flower by stitching its petals together at one end.

Fold the leaves in half lengthwise and make a blanket stitch.

Step 7: Distribution of the Flowers and the Leaves

Now you need to plan the placement of the flowers and leaves on the top of the jewelry box. Place the large rose in the center. Then spread the rest of the flowers and leaves around the central rose. Remember this location - sketch or photograph. This step is important, because you need to do everything further as quickly as possible.

Step 8: Central Concrete Rose

Sew the large rose on the top in the center of the small denim box.

Make concrete: mix the cement and sand well in a one-to-one ratio; add a little water to make a little slurry.

Set this denim box on one of the cardboard stands.

Using a palette knife, spread the concrete under the largest rose. Spray the denim periodically with water.

Then coat the last biggest petal with concrete: first the back side, then the top side. Use a toothpick to give the petal a semicircular shape.

Then, one by one, in the same way, coat all subsequent rose petals, moving towards the center. Try to do it carefully but quickly. Remember to mix the concrete in the bowl all the time. Convert the denim rose into a concrete rose in this way.

Step 9: More Concrete Flowers

Sew the rest of the flowers around the large concrete rose in the desired location. Do this very carefully so as not to damage the large concrete rose.

Then, turn these denim flowers into concrete flowers in the same way as the center rose.

Step 10: Top of the Jewelry Box: Finishing the Transformation

Now coat the first leaf with concrete, coat the place of the box where this leaf should be located. Then, very carefully and helping yourself with a toothpick, insert the leaf in the right place - under the last petals of the central large rose.

Do the same for the rest of the leaves.

Make sure the entire top surface of the denim box is covered with concrete.

Do not splash too much water on the jeans, or the concrete will run down. Place back on the stand. Don't worry if some of the concrete does run off the sides. After final drying, you can level the inner surface with concrete.

Coat the sides of the box. For a nice texture, crumple up the foil and stamp on the sides.

Leave the concrete top of the box until it dries well. If drying occurs at high temperatures, sprinkle the concrete with water periodically.

Step 11: Concrete Bottom of the Box

Cover with concrete the entire inside of the second box. Then place it on the second stand and coat the entire outer surface with concrete. Make the same texture using crumpled foil.

Leave the second part of the box to dry in the same way as the top.

Step 12: Final Details

Sand the edges if necessary. Rinse the box and let it dry again.

Prime the surface and let it dry well. Paint the flowers and let them dry well. Varnish it.

If necessary, level the inner surface of the box with concrete and let it dry well again.

For convenient storage of jewelry, I sewed and glued a fabric insert inside. Cut out a circle equal to the inner diameter of the box and a strip with a width equal to the inner height of the box. Sew a strip around the perimeter of the circle, wrap the edges and glue using instant glue inside the box.