Altered Paint Brush

I hosted round 4 of the Short and Sweet on the CMB for the month of April.  Our challenge of the month was to alter a paint brush.  I was partnered with a fellow grunge lover and friend. I felt it kind of liberating that I could just create and not hold back.  My style isn't for everyone and that is okay :)
I went to town on this brush using all kinds of materials and techniques.  I absolutely love how it came out.

I started off by opening up the side of the metal on the brush where it is crimped. I pulled out the bristle block and re-crimped the metal.  I painted the handle and metal part with two coats of gesso.  Once dry, I painted with two coats of iron paint followed by two coats of rust activator.  Once fully dry, I stamped with a  script stamp and fine black embossing powder.  I punched holes on the sides and one in  the front.  I mixed teal paint with water and dripped down the side.

Quick Project

I had worked on a project for a couple of weeks (pictures coming), and wanted to do a quick little project for myself.  I ended up doing three. They were extremely fast to do.  I didn't really embellish as I was making things for my desk to be handled and used quite a bit.  I really like how they turned out. 

The first project was a box to hold my score tape:

 

1.  Took the lid and hardware off of a wooden recipe box.
2. Painted inside, top edges, side edges,  and bottom of box with black paint.
3. Cut and inked panels for the four sides of the box. 
4.  Used Multi Matte and adhered panels.  Dries quickly.
5.  Added butterfly image.
6. Sealed with the multi matte medium.


Next up I made two trays that were identical. Found them in the kitchen isle of the Dollar Store.  I wanted one to hold some loose items on my desk to keep items together and another as a working tray to use when doing projects.  I keep inks, embellies, etc. so they don't work area.

 

 

1, Paint with gesso
2, Paint with black paint
3. Cut and Ink Paper
4, Adhere with multi medium matte
5. Add butterfly image
6 Seal with Multi medium matte
7 Apply rub-n-buff

I really liked doing the trays.  I think I will do one as a wall hanging and make it more elaborate.  On the crafty list of things to do.

New Challenge Blog

I just joined a new challenge blog over at Rose Blosssom Garden at http://roseblossomgarden.blogspot.com/

Their challenges are based around using Close to My Heart Cricut cartridges.  Check them out and have some fun.

Kel

Altered Silverware Swap

I hosted an altered silverware swap over on the CMB.  Again I am blown away by everyone's creations.  Here is the one I made:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started off with a wooden plaque I had in my stash.  I had given it a coat of course texture medium mixed with paint to thin so it had texture but not so intense.  Then I had painted it black.  It was too dark for theme I was going for and my partner likes lighter colors.  So I rethought my plan.  I used white paint spritzed with Lindy's stamp gan mist to give it the light blue texutre. I used a KaiserKraft paper line for the back ground.  I used adhered  a few die cuts from the paperline with pop dots to give dimension: Bottle and two butterflies.    I used ribbon and bling trim to finish around thte edges.  I used Tim Hotz screw  eyes and Snug Hug that had been tinted with Lindy's and Patina to finish off the top.

On the right I added a Melissa Frances frame and some more Recollection metals that I painted.  I finished off  with a few half-back pearls in the corners.  Hope my partner likes it.
Bottom left is a Recollections birds nest that I highlighted with gesso in places to tie it in.  The frame above it is from Prima.  It wash shabby chic and had the hints of black.  To brighten it up, I painted it with white paint, add just touches of Rub-In-Buff Patina and added an IAmRoses two twoned white and blue flower.  Above that I used a Recollections metal piece that I painted with gesso then several coats of white paint.  I add highlights of the Patina and finished off with a matching half-back pearl.

Center: I used a Prima bird cage that I gave the same treament to as the frame.  The little metal bird, I touched up with some paint and Patina to have it tie in.   I added a resin flower with the edges inked in Patina and adhered it to some cheese cloth before adding it to the plaque.  I added a white tiny clothes pin that I highlighted with Patina;  I also added another metal recollections piece that I did the same treatment to as before but added a white flower pearl that I had painted with Patina first.


The spoon section:  At the top I added a Melissa Francis embellishment.  It was shabby so I added white paint and Patina.  Gesso, spritzed, and painted the spoon.  I added some pearl sprays, some resin flowers, a TH birdhouse and rested it all on cheese cloth and a pair of Melissa Frances wings that I painted bright white and Patina. 

Tattered Floral Challenge

Ok....be prepared to faint!  Lol....I actually did girly - well girly for me.  I did put my own spin on it though.  What exactly am I talking about?  Well I decided that this year I wanted to challenge myself and enter more contests, participate in more challenges, and experiment with different styles.  When given a choice I have a tendency  to gravitate to steampunk and grunge.

The contest I am entering is for Tim Holtz's Tattered Floral contest.  I decided to make a
configuration box as I have never done one before.  Here is the finished project:

 I started off painting visible areas purple.  Then I embossed Ranger Metal sheets and the HVAC metal tape and burnished it onto the box.  I painted with white paint, wiped off some and then let dry.  Scrupped off some more paint then Added purple and did the same thing.    I made a shelf for the top of the configuration box.  I made it out of chipboard, created sides, cut the top with an on the edge die, and then wrapped the whole thing in embossed metal and gave it the same treatment.
The flowers in the picture below this one, I used as the main pieces on the top.  I made two large and two small ones out of canvas.  I painted a ton of metal white, with touches of purple, I took an enamel piece I made and painted it as well. 

 Did I mention I am not girly.  I was going to make sweet little flowers to put on top.  That didn't happen.  My inner grunge voice came screaming through and before you know it I was inking and painting the canvas like crazy.  I used Dylusions and Glimmermists.  I also used tons of paint.  Prior to coloring I had treated it with modge podge.  Using the TH Tattered floral die I cut out many many layers for the flowers.  I hot glued them together.  The fabric was stiff and I had a hard time getting the freyed rumpled and tattered look I wanted.  So I got my hands wet and kept squishing and working the flower until I got the desired look.    I used different centers for each.  The flowers are actually a little bit lighter purple than in the picture.  For some reason they almost look blue in some of the pictures.

 Acloseup of the top

 Bottom Right Cube:  I added a stamp from the G45 place in time collection.  I pained a K & Company frame white and smudged purple onto it.  To all of the papers I added white paint.  I made little spools using the paperline as well.  Also tucked in there is some TH trim, an altered button, a bling key, and a flower that had been dipped in Utee, and then painted purple, highlighted in white paint.

To the front, I took a hinge I had, painted it white and hightlighted in purple.
Left cube:  Really the paper is the same color purple as the Bonne Fete paper from the collection - need to learn how to use the features on my camera.   I used paper from the collection, a Jolees gem, a Recollections birds nest highlighted with white, and a bird.

 To the inside top, I removed the configuration boxes and left it open.  I papered the whole thing using the same collection.  Added lace, flowers, birds nest, pearls, bird cages, etc.

Fingers crossed.  Please please.....those prize packages look awesome.  Fingers crossed.

Circle Card

I am hosting a circle card swap on the CMB.  Once I saw them on the G45 and the IamRoses challenge blogs I new I had to make one.  I challenged myself to use only my stash. This was difficult since I didn't have the exact matches of solid card stock and I only had one stack of the Place in Time.  I went through my stach and found some word brads that I had in there for ever, 3 little green half back pearls, some card stock that was close enough to the colors I wanted.  I cut down the cut apart sheet and used all of the St. Patty's day theme from that sheet.  I have a spring project coming that I am going to use the remainder of the sheet on.

Altered Mouse Traps

What won't a crafter alter?  On the CMB, I hosted another round of the Short and Sweet swap.  This month it was to alter a mouse trap.  My goodness, all the creations that were created were absolutely amazing.

My partner loves Paris and wanted a a holder for "honey do" lists on the fridge.  I made the attached holder using G45 Curtain Call paper.  I used a Tim Holtz die for the base using black med-wt chipboard. Layered with G45 polka dot paper in the black and tan.  I used Spanish Copper Rub-N-Buff and created streaks.  I added layers with a strip of the stamps from the paper collection, a doily cut from coordinating paper from the collection as well, and black tulle.  I spritzed the whole thing down with Lindy's Stamp Gang MoonShadow mist.  I then altered the trap by painting it black and spritzing it with the MoonShadow mist as well.  I added distressed papers from that collection, along with altered flowers, and a resin flourish.  Before adhering the trap, I punched a whole using the Crop-O-Dile and added an eylet so that the garment pin could go through the whole.  I adhered the trap to the base, put on the charm, and added 5 magnets to the back.

Hope she loves it.