Spooky Slide Mailer

This is an altered slide mailer that I've been working on over the last couple of weeks. It was originally going to be my replacement entry for October's UK Art Raffle (link on the right) after Matt nicked the first one, but unfortunately I didn't get it finished in time so couldn't enter.

The front cover is stamped into UTEE over black acrylic paint with metallic rub-ons over the top, with heated and embossed copper layered 0n top which I've painted with black acrylic and sanded, a Grungeboard skull painted with acrylic and covered with metallic rub-on and a plastic lizard painted in acrylic with metallic rub-on.

This picture shows a close-up of the detail on the front. (I love my new camera!)

I covered the inside left with tissue paper and painted with acrylic and added metallic rub-on over the top. The letters are stamped into clay and painted with copper acrylic with a black acrylic/PVA wash, and the skeleton is stamped and cut out. The inside right is painted in black acrylic and heated for texture, again with metallic rub-ons over the top. I painted the slide slots in copper acrylic and added a stamped on slide in the right one and some grungy mesh, micro beads, a plastic spider and a Grungeboard skull in the left one.

The back is a thick later of UTEE over black acrylic, which I've stamped into and covered with metallic rub-ons.

To finish it off I added fibres down the middle with a few beads.

This picture is a close-up of the detail on the back.

Stamped Tag

This tag was made for Bobs' challenge on the DoCrafts forum. Bobs provided the tag, a piece of book page, a star and the printed word "imagination", and specified that everything had to be a different colour than how it started off. I decided to go for the seaside theme partly because I wanted to be reminded of summer and partly because I had some stamps I hadn't got around to using yet!

Look What I Got from the Pound Shop!

It's a hanging bird table which I thought would be great for altering. I rarely find these bargains so I'm feeling pleased with myself. I'm hoping to get started on it tonight, so I thought I'd post the "Before" picture.

I have something else to do first though. My six-year-old son Alex is getting really into reading at the moment, and this afternoon he said he really needs a bookmark, so I've volunteered to make him one. I'm not quite sure where to start but I'm sure I'll think of something!

Altered CD

This is my entry for this month's UK Art Raffle, which is kindly organised by Sarah.
This month's theme is "Take Flight". I'm sure there will be plenty of birds and butterflies, but I like to be different so I've made a witch on her broomstick.
The background is an altered CD which I've covered with card, ink, tissue paper and Mod Podge with a few stamped bits. I've punched holes in it for the loop at the top and the dangly bits at the bottom and added eyelets. The witch is made from a moulded clay face, fabric, lace and printed images, with a broomstick made from a cocktail stick, wire and cotton. I've added beaded wire at the top to hang it from and fibres and beads at the bottom.
I've put two photos on as the detail didn't show up very well on the photo of the whole thing.

Altered Wall Light

The folks at Paperartsy have been running a competition to see what people can do using Paperartsy stamps and lightshades. I decided to enter as I thought it was a fun idea, (although I don't really think I stand much chance of winning.) I spent hours looking for a light shade I could actually stamp on and finally found this wall light for £1.50 in the Ikea sale! It has interchangeable shades so I'll probably have a go at doing some more when I have a bit more time.

I decorated the shade on the back using alcohol inks so that the light would shine through and show up the pattern, then stamped various Paperartsy images on the front and coloured bits of them with Sharpie pens. (The shade is made from a kind of plasticy stuff, so I was a bit limited in what I could do). I also drew rough lines around the edges with a Sharpie pen. Finally I added eyelets, wire, beads and some shrink plastic Paperartsy stamped people at the bottom for the light to shine through.

Unfortunately my photography skills (or complete lack of them) have really let me down with this one and the light looks much better in real life. I have come to the conclusion that taking a photo of a light is virtually impossible. Above you can see one photo with the flash and one without and also a close up of the detail at the bottom. These were the best ones I could get despite taking hundreds of photos with various different camera settings and different lighting!

I've been busy over the weekend working on various other projects but can't post piccies at the moment, firstly because I want some of the bits and pieces to reach their destinations first and secondly because Matt's pinched the camera and taken it to work with him!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICKS!!!

It's Nicks' birthday today. (Check out her blog as she's way more talented than I am). Anyway, that means I can now post piccies of the bits and pieces I made for her birthday. The top one I have called an ATC, but I use the term loosely as it's about half an inch thick. I've called it "Captured Angel" and the photos show it closed, with just the door open and completely open. I won't go into how I made it, but needless to say it took HOURS (so I hope you like it Nicks!)

I also made an altered mint tin. (Strange as it may seem, I've never done one of these before). I started by sanding all the paint off - err, I think I'll just paint over it next time - and then coloured the bare metal using alcohol inks. I've added a sun moulded from Friendly Plastic and some accent beads. I wanted to keep the inside simple so it could be used, so I've painted the bottom and added some mesh coloured with a Sharpie pen and some seed beads, which I've embedded in a layer of UTEE. I originally painted the inside of the top as well, but then it wouldn't shut so I had to scrap that idea. I settled on colouring it with alcohol ink and Sharpie pens.

An Altered Microscope Slide, Alcohol Inks and Stamping into UTEE

First flowers, now pink! I'm not sure what's going on here. Anyway, to make this one, I made an alcohol inked background and stuck it onto mountboard. I then stamped the image onto a microscope slide, alcohol inked the back of it and wrapped it in aluminium mesh. I added three layers of UTEE over the alcohol inked background, dropped the mesh-wrapped slide into it and then stamped the writing at the side into the UTEE. The writing has a slightly faded appearance because I used Stazon ink and had to ink up the stamp before I heated the UTEE due to the time constraints of having to drop the slide into the UTEE AND stamp into it before it cooled. I was originally planning to drop the accent beads into the UTEE as well, but didn't have time to do this before it cooled (and my stamp was in the way), and I didn't want to risk reheating before I stamped in case I cracked the slide (although in retrospect that might have given a nice effect in itself). I added the accent beads when it had cooled using PVA glue and then added the paper flowers (yes, I'm still at it), and attached them with brads. This is another possible contender for the mesh swap.

Think Monday Think ATC - Round

This week's theme on Think Monday Think ATC is round - there must be something round on the ATC, so I've decided

to make an ATC for a swap I'm hosting on the theme of holes, where the idea is that there must be at least one hole all the way through the ATC which is incorporated into the design. I've named him Junkyard Jim and have made all of him apart from his head from bits of scrap metal that I've found in the street. (Yes, I'm that strange woman you see that walks down the street picking up bits of other people's rubbish!) His body is made from what I think might be an old pipe joint and I've cut a hole behind it so you can see right through him. I've photographed him on my keyboard so you can see the effect but I had to use the flash and there was a lot of glare so I've also taken a separate photo on white paper with better light.

Wednesday Stamper: Altered Playing Cards

I've never participated in Wednesday Stamper before. This week's challenge is altered playing cards and I couldn't resist having a go. I've made a set of two ATCs. Despite having been making ATCs for over a year and a half now, these are this first ones I've made using playing cards. I started by bending the cards a bit to crack the coating on them, then applied alcohol inks for the background. I filed around the edges with an emery board to make them look a bit distressed. I stamped the background stright onto the cards, then stamped the images onto white card and coloured them using distress inks. I then inked a piece of textured paper and layered it onto the card with the stamped image over the top, and finally added the words. The club and heart I've used for hats are cut from the centre of the cards.

Mr Sunshine

This is a another possible entry for Nicks' ABSA swap. It's an altered lip balm tin lid on a stamped leather background. I've painted the lid using bronze acrylic paint, attached a moulded Friendly Plastic face in the middle and Friendly Plastic rays around the outside. I've also added a few accent beads around the face.

Altered Matchbox

This is an altered matchbox for a swap I'm doing on the DoCrafts Forum. I've been working on it over the last two weeks, as I've had to keep waiting for things to dry, (something I'm not very good at!)

I've painted the matchbox with metallic green and champagne gold acrylic paints. On the outside I've added mesh, craft moss, a few natural fibres, and a leaf which I've made by stamping into clay. I've also added some beads which I've attached with wire. The inside is painted gold and I've added bark, a skeleton leaf, more mesh (I have to get over this obsession with the stuff), more craft moss, a paper flower, a dried pine needle and a frog moulded from clay. I've also added some gloss finish around the frog to resemble water and a few droplets in various places inside the box.

Lucky Jim

Firstly, I will say in his defence, that that is his FOREFINGER he's holding up!

This is an altered poker chip on an aluminium mesh background edged with copper tape (a necessity because the mesh has very sharp edges), and is another possible entry for Nicks' ABSA (alternative background, something altered) swap. I still need to make a couple more before I decide which ones I'm putting in. I think this is a great swap and Nicks is very mean for only letting us do two!

I have distressed the poker chip using a PVA/acrylic wash which I've rubbed hard to make it peel a bit, and then a metallic rub-on over the top. I've added legs and the left arm made from beads and wire. The right arm is an old pen nib with copper wire wrapped around it, and the head is moulded Makin's clay painted with copper acrylic paint and a black PVA/acrylic wash.

Only the poker chip is attached, so the other bits move around - he just decided to cross his legs while I was taking his picture. I've decided to call him Lucky Jim.

Key Fairy

The finder of lost keys, or the person responsible for losing them in the first place? I'm not sure.

This is an altered key on a copper mesh background. I've used wire, beads and fibres with Makin's clay wings painted with gold acrylic paint. She's holding a little tag with my details on, as there was nowhere to put them on the back.

I might put this one in Nicks' ABSA (Alternative Background, Something Altered) swap, but I haven't decided yet. I need to do a few more and see which ones I like best. If I decide not to put it in it will be available for swap.

Domino Pendant

This is a domino pendant I've made for a swap. I've used alcohol inks, Anita's Clear Gloss Finish, wire and beads.

Jigsaw Jam Swap

I've recently been involved in a jigsaw jam swap and got my final piece back this morning.

Thank you very much to Angie, Jinny, Wendy, Sherry and Trudy for some fantastic jiggy bits. I'm really pleased with how it's turned out.

I photographed it on black mountboard but intend to do a canvas for it over the next few weeks. I can't decide what colour background it needs at the moment, although I'm swinging towards black with bits of copper and gold.

I'll put a piccy up once I've finished it.