Thinking inside the box

If you want to start a collection of compacts then you need to have a think about how to store them. They need to be protected from potential scratching and from bright sunlight which may cause fading.

There are some lovely vintage boxes around but I decided to make my own box to store them in as I love to make things and try out new crafts. I started with a plank of wood and ended up with this:

The box measurements are:

Height: 22 cm              Width: 27 cm          Depth :22 cm

I used wood from a local DIY shop where they sell off cuts from kitchen installations, felt lining from E bay, napkins for the decoupaged lid and some wood dye, varnish, and handles from Wilko. The materials used cost approximately £10.00 to make plus a good few hours. Here's how it came together:

After carefully measuring the pieces, I clamped the plank down and used a mitre saw to cut them, I also clamped a guide on top to make sure I end up with straight lines. My cheeky cat tried to help. I’d advise to do any woodwork outside to save the mess but unfortunately for me it happened to be a rainy day.

  

I never realised the amount of preparation needed to make a box square with straight lines and no gaps. I lined up the pieces to find the best fit and shaved off some tiny slithers of wood to make sure I had straight lines. Then I measured out and marked where I needed to drill to screw the pieces together, bearing in mind the thickness of the wood. I drilled and screwed, then spent a good two hours sanding the box shape down with an electric sander.

Then it was time to stain the wood using a wood dye, I applied 3 coats of dye allowing 4 hours to dry in between each coat. After 24 hours, I then applied the varnish and had to apply four coats as the new wood was quite thirsty. Before doing this, it’s worth trying out the dye and varnish of a test piece to make sure you’re happy with the colour before you cover the box with it.

In-between coats, I also spray painted the wood lid an off white colour as i didn’t want the colour of the wood to show through my decoupage. I then decoupaged the lid using paper napkins and decoupage glue.

I used a stand so I could stain all sides without getting the dye on anything it shouldn’t.

The decoupage took over 24 hours to dry and remained tacky for another 48 hours

Once I was happy with the finish, I trimmed all the edges and patched up any rough areas. I then added handles to the sides of the box for carrying.

I lined the box interior with felt to prevent any scratching and to give a softer appearance

Then I screwed the hinges to fix the lid and viola!!

Rookie mistake

I was cleaning my compacts a couple of days ago and it seems I have a confession to make. It turns out that the rose design compact I discussed in my first buy post wasn't actually my first buy, I can't believe I'd forgotten one! So to make up for it, here is my actual first buy:

This is a Musica or Musical compact, the name changed from Musica to Musical in-between the 1950's to 1960's. If anyone can help me identify a more specific date please don't hesitate to contact me. Its not much to look at from the outside and this example is showing its age however the inside is another story.

A wind up mechanism situated to the left and the small pin next to this allows the beholder to listen to music while applying their face powder from the compartment which is held behind the inner lid on the right hand side.

It reminds me of a musical ballerina jewellery box I once had when I was little. It saddens me how much stuff we throw away (myself included) which could have been passed on or held onto. Who knows, it could become a collectable one day! 

I have a challenge for you; is anyone able to identify the song?

Why Papilio?

You may be wondering why this blog is called Papilio compacts…. well.... I have an obsession for butterflies and the most precious Stratton compact I own is.. you guessed it.. a butterfly design! I’ll be showing you this along with my other little treasures later. Papilio is Latin for the noun, butterfly, and after much deliberation I decided to go with it.

Coming soon, you can also expect to see a ‘how to’ tutorial on cleaning up your compacts where I’ll give you some tips and tricks on keeping your compacts looking sparkly new.

One day I also hope to have a go at designing my own compacts, inspired by a fellow Stratton compact collector, Vanroe, who makes and sells charming luxury compacts. Vanroe also has a very  informative blog here: https://powdercompacts.wordpress.com/ where you can learn more about compact collecting and the Vanroe range. Vanroe’s success story was a huge inspiration to me in starting my collection and to start a blog with my own brand name.

The British compact collectors society (http://www.compactcollectors.co.uk) is also a good place to start if you’re looking for information about specific compacts. There is a Q&A section available for non-members but to get the juicy stuff, you would need to join. The membership comes with a logon to their website where members can ask and help answer fellow members questions. You’ll also receive a membership pack and quarterly newsletters containing facts about vintage compacts. I have recently joined and I’m eagerly awaiting the membership pack!

There are also several books out there about compacts and vintage beauty which I’ll be posting my own reviews of soon.

Watch this space!