Art on a budget - Tags

Following on the theme of making art from recycled 'material' that was featured in Craft Stamper - I thought I would show you some things I have been doing with 'stuff' from a charity shop. Once a week I spend a morning at college so go early to get a parking spot - which gives me just enough time to walk into the town centre to a charity shop.

This week I bought some children's dominoes - 50p for a box of 26. Really thick chipboard - what a bargain. So I decided to make a couple of tags - just experimenting with different things before trying them out on something 'precious'.


This is an 'image' on painted a tag painted black with some 'colouring' and then varnished. It has come up really well - I have not done the other side yet - apart from painting it - but I am really pleased with the result - and it was easy to punch a hole through too.




I wanted to make a large tag for the keys to my studio. Somehow they always manage to get 'lost' in out pot of keys - so this tag is now a key ring.

I painted both sides with Gesso to hide the pictures on it, added the black and white image of a Geisha and gave her a coat of Gesso so make her look misty and mysterious. I then highlighted some areas with a black pen, painted it with two coats of varnish (I want it to be strong and waterproof) then gave her a little tinge of pink here and there. The calligraphy are Spring, Summer, Autumn, (couldn't get one for winter) so the last is 'Art'.


I know this is bright and 'in your face' but that is how I wanted it to be so that it is easy to see, if I gets put down somewhere! Again - white Gesso, stamped image, varnished twice, then swiped over with alcohol ink which was an experiment- so I now know that I can varnish something and add colours to it afterwards. And it even coloured the metal eyelet.

This now has a keyring and a couple of very heavy keys attached and it works a treat.



Here is the before photo - they are quite large - 3" x 2" approx





I think 50 for 26 chipboard tags is a bargain - don't you?

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Oriental Book Covers - Finished!

I spent the morning finishing off my book covers. I had already varnished them - and they felt like leather - and I could bend them back wards and forwards without them cracking. (I was actually trying to see of the varnish would crack to add to the aged look!



I very gingerly added red to the Japanese image - bit by bit as I had varnished the cover as I mentioned so it made it a bit difficult. But I think it looks better with the red. It is so hard to photograph because of the gold work I did.




The covers I mounted on thick card (recycled cardboard box) so its really thick and strong, and then I covered the insides with Basic Grey paper, then edged it and the sides in black to give it a nice finished edge - which is hard to see as they are photographed on black velvet.


It is meant to have that 'grungey' look - took me ages - to make it look old. The gold paint on both covers is lovely and golden - but I had to tone this down to stop the glare so it looks rather dull. This too has a wonderful varnished sheen with embossed TH red mask in the middle.

I was going to add an image but thought it might be a bit OTT but depending on what I decided to fill the book with - I might got for a Japanese proverb or a saying of leave it be.

I usually give all my 'stuff' away - and just have any photos of here to remind me - but as this has turned out well - and is so much better in real life - and I just love the textures - I might just keep it for myself - well for a while anyway.

Thank you for all your lovely comments they are so very much appreciated

Book Cover

Over on TGIF the challenge is to make a book - so I think I have done this by the 'skin of my teeth'

Oh and there is one on the Objet Dart Challenge too!

I have made the covers of a book - but not made the book yet. This is the front.





I can't decide whether I need to add some colour here and there to the lady.





Please click on the images to get a closer look.

Close up of top right corner




Bottom left corner




Using the Tim Holtz mask on Japanese newspaper - embossing and varnishing - gives it a nice texture but makes it hard to photograph




I have just got to mount it on even thicker card - ditto the back cover - and it will be ready for the inside pages.

Altered Match Box

This was primed with thick Gesso - so a nice rough texture. Swiped over with red brick ink pad, and on all the edges.

I coloured the image a bit, and triple embossed the flower to make it stand out and add more texture.

Altered Match Box

On the Lots to Do forum they are doing an altered matchbox swap - in the distressed style of Tim Holtz. The photo quality is not very good - as I couldn't take them in daylight.


I painted white Gesso all over the box in 'scratchy' texture using a hard dry brush and when dry I swiped a 'mustard' ink pad over it, then a brown pad to show up the textures.

Next, using a Tim Holtz grunge board skull and cross bones - I inked and Utee'd it several times to make it thick and shiny like a solid piece of metal.

Using sequin waste, I swiped over a darker brown ink pad over the box, then embossed it with 'Divine Gold' an embossing powder from MADJAK. Its got a nice 'antiquated' texture and colour to it - with dark grains. It looks good in daylight.


The gold 'ingot' little tag was coloured the same way as the Treasure Chest, stamped with 'Captured in time' and embossed.

The idea for the tag came from an article in this month's Craft Stamper by Jo Capper Sandon. Her's is nothing like this one, its a different shape, bigger dainty and attached with a key ring which is so much better, but I didn't have one. It was the idea I copied not the design.

Mine is attached with gold wire of course - pirates don't have key rings :-)

Of course a Treasure Chest wouldn't be one if it didn't have gold, pearls, diamonds and gems etc inside would it?

My Craft Studio/Shed

A number of years ago, I decided that I needed a shed to put all my 'junk' in. There is no storage space indoors, and the garage was getting full up too.

I had taken a NAFAS Floral Design course for one year - only one day a week - and it had resulted in lots of flower arranging 'stuff'. Which took up lots of room, such as containers, Oasis Foam, Tools.Course info and files etc. I had got rid of lots of it - but still had a fair amount and rummaging around every time I wanted to make an arrangement was a real chore.

I also had 'other stuff' from old hobbies of bygone years when my children were young - so that took up space - plus 'house hold' stuff that wasn't used a lot needed a home.

I tracked down a not-so-local wood yard who 'made to measure' so I took the plunge. My husband left it all to me whilst he had a walk around - foolish man - so I ended drawing a picture and ended up with a Summer Chalet looking shed - larger than he wanted of course (I needed space to 'grow' and this is the result - not the 8ft shed he had envisaged and suggested).

In my defence it was cheaper than a small purpose built one - and I/we did a lot of work to it ourselves. The base and the 'shed' was erected by the men, on the wettest day of an otherwise dry summer. I never expected the shed to ever dry out!

I got a local electrician to put in heat, light, and power, and with the help of my husband, I stuffed the walls and ceiling with thick insulation (boy does that stuff make you itch) then cut up the wall boards (yes I would have loved real wood cladding, but that's for when my husband wins more than £10 on the lottery). Quite a few tantrums,curses, sulking and moaning went on (from the labourer not me) but love and bribery conquered all and in a month it was finished! I still have one piece of wood to put up but need another pair of hands LOL, so it will lay there annoying me for another 8 years no doubt

I cut out and laid the floor single handed and sealed all the edged with sealant in case of spillages and to keep and draught out from the wooden floor underneath.

The curtains came later - some 1970/80's material from a charity shop. Basic - but work.

So here is the tour.


All the storage space is just others 'junk' so a mish mash of stuff.

On here there are 'other things' like my sausage making machine, a food dryer, speakers, an ancient stacking music centre complete with a record deck - in case we ever want to play my old records that haven't seen daylight for at least 36 years. There are two drills - one that works, my sons, and one that doesn't, mine. Hobby books, - oh too much stuff to mention




I also share it with a rocking horse without a tail, that I started restoring, but couldn't find a tail. Its for when my grandson gets bigger - he is too small at the moment and just says when he sees it 'Too big, too big' - he is only three.

The baskets contain some scraps of material, sugar craft stuff (I don't do that anymore), soap making and body cream making stuff, and various bits that 'might come in useful' one day.


Most of this wall contains flower arranging things, some art stuff (as in painting and drawing which I dabbled in badly and gave up in despair) There is a box of fibres for arty crafty stuff, and some hot foil - bought on a whim but not used as I don't know how - and other various oddments that 'might come in useful' LOL


On the left of the picture next to the heater you might just be able to see a tiny chair - it was reclaimed from a village infant school which closed down, and an artist near where I lived at the time, bought a number and painted them in 'canal boat' fashion with those lovely stylised roses. It was the first gift my husband bought for me - as a surprise. The grandchildren have each 'claimed it' when they visited and were tiny - and I just love and treasure it.




This is the view out of that window yesterday - a wild wet windy day - the rain never stopped.




The double doors - left wide open on warm days so I can see my chickens rummaging around the flower beds - and they sit and sunbath outside on the warm concrete preening themselves.


Ikea drawers put together by me - but not very successfully. Full of wrapping papers, envelopes, old Christmas cards - junk really which I ought to sort out and bin - but I get a bit sentimental over some things. On top are cards made from my arty friends which I treasure - and which inspire me. My 'treat' last year - a Bind it All and a Dreamcuts.





At the back, my very first bind it all book, containing tag swaps which I thought was brilliant - but now makes me cringe as it was rubbish - and - spot the (not deliberate mistake) I punched the holes and assembled it with the O wire at the bottom rather than the top! I display it because I love looking through all the tags - and it reminds me also that I have improved my BIA techniques since then!
The cork boards are my inspiration boards - which need updating - and a glitter picture my little grandson made for me for Christmas



Above my head a dried flower arrangement I made years ago - I hate dried flowers with a passion - but we had to do one - so that's how it ended up there. There is still a faint waft of lavender though.

On the other side of the beam are hooks for when I dry out my onion crop.


Well - this is the 'business' end. My desk with all my 'paper' craft supplies - all in one place. On the cross beam of the window is a little clock my friend LK (aka Kath) made me - its got a chicken on it - and its brilliant and right in front of me so I don't even have to move to check the time.

If you look to the left there is a pink shoe box (which has my paintbrushes and bits in it) on the front to the right, you might just make out my 'walkie talkie'. My younger son bought it for me a number of Christmasses ago so that I can contact my husband and he me - it comes in very useful, especially in the bad weather - I can summon him with a brolly!




Quite compact isn't it. So although the room is big my actual crafting space isn't. The bottle of water is for washing my brushes - no sink - or loo - sadly LOL





Nor do I have or can get 'on line' in here - not even 'wireless'. This old computer is very finicky and only works when it wants too. Its a weird fault that can't seem to be fixed. When it does work, I can use it just to print out any pictures - but that's all. It should be binned really - but it does come in useful sometimes - if it works LOL

My husband insists on calling here the 'Studio' which embarrasses me, as a studio conjures up a space where great works of art are produced - and looks far more professional than mine.

So that's it. Next week the floor at the other end in front of my flower arranging stuff will have trays of potatoes 'chitting', and in spring if I decide to hatch out quails again - they will be up that end too - so it can get a bit cramped in here!

This is used as a 'Wendy House', a theatre, and art and craft classroom, a 'get away from the grown ups' room by our grandchildren too.

The only downside is that it is at the (side) end of our garden - the furthest distance from the back door - so not much fun in winter or at night - but when my husband wins the lottery........................