I blame Craft Stamper Magazine for this.

Last month I was living blissfully unaware of lots of 'things'. I recycle everything I possibly can - and have done before it was 'fashionable'. I grow my own food, keep chickens and quail, and potter about trying to do some arty crafty stuff.

Cardboard tubes were saved for seed planting, cardboard for composting. But not now!

Cereal, tissue, in fact any boxes are now cut up to use for art work - covered in paper or painted for book covers - and now this!

The Craft Stamper magazine full of art work using recycled 'waste'.



I found these at the back of a drawer. They would normally have just gone in the recycle bin. But never again. I tried to throw them away, I really did, but kept retrieving them - feeling totally guilty that I wasn't doing some thing arty crafty with them.

So if the weather is bad and I can't do anything productive - then you will know where I will be and what I will be doing.

In my garden 'studio shed' trying to do something with these boxes - or one of them.

Oh dear - life is never going to be the same again methinks.

Altered Match Box

This is my first attempt at altering a little match box - this one is using Tim Holtz techniques.

It took three hours to alter this morning between phone calls.




I inked a piece of paper with a sponge dabber, in a soft lime colour, then with pale brown.

Cut out a piece of it to cover the match box, and then using an ink pad, brushed all the edges with brown ink to give it a bit of character and to emphasize all the straight edges.

I cut a long piece of the inked paper to make into a mini - book for the top of the matchbox.

One side I stamped the TH stamp 'Believe' in brown and embossed it with clear powder.

Then stamped scrolls in gold and embossed with gold to make it rich looking.





The other side of the 'book' has TH quote stamped in brown and again embossed with clear. More scrolls, and gold embossing around



I cut some more of the paper for each end of the 'drawer' and stamped scroll patterns and embossed with gold. Inside the 'drawer' is lined with gold paper - and bubbled up slightly to make it look like gold material


Then to finish it off - it is tied up with gold cord.

Vintage Lotto

I go to college once a week and whilst in the town usually take advantage of wandering around the charity shops - and today - in my opinion - I struck lucky



I was thrilled to find this little box - tatty, brown with age - but I loved it. I don't know how old it is - but I am guessing maybe in the 1950's and can picture a little family, mum, dad, children, playing this on a Sunday afternoon in winter.






The lady in the charity shop seemed amazed at my being so enthralled at such tatty old junk. They had had it valued, and if the box had been intact and in good condition i.e. as new - it would have been worth something - but as it was - it was just junk.

Look at all the little cardboard numbers - dozens of them - and the lotto playing cards - I think they are brilliant - and those tiny circles for covering up the numbers you have called out!




These are destined to be used in my art work.

Genuinely old - not printed or tinted - but wonderfully aged - a bit like me really LOL

Bamboo Dominoes for friends

One side of the book mark - varnished and edged with gold - with a bit of highlighting

Another bookmark for another friend - these have all been received, so I can blog them now.



The reverse side - a cute little vintage image, varnished several times, edged with gold.



Finished off with beads to match the colour of the little girl's Rose on her coat, and shells, I superglued on to the cord to weight the thong. The 'loose' beads slide down to the seashells.



The back of a little bag charm/keyring. Painted with Lumiere paints. Stamped and varnished

It a pretty pearlised charm, with white pearly beads and the pink one matches exactly. Not very good photos.




Front




This is a lovely little image of Venice - Hmmm nice memories of Venice - my husband proposed to me at the stroke of midnight one New Year many years ago.


Painted with metallic Lumiere paint. Varnished and edged with Krylon Gold pen.

Its a bookmark.

Lulu's blog candy alert

Lulu's had a birthday and is generously giving away some blog candy - you have to be in it to win it!

BIA Note Book - for Vallen

At last my friend in the USA has received her parcel of my little creations so I can post this on here - without fear of spoiling her surprise.


I took inspiration from a tag book which was featured in Craft Stamper this month, which was created by the very clever artist Jo Capper-Sandon. I am a relative beginner so do not aspire to emulate her - just to get inspiration from her.

I wanted to make a note book - so here's what I did.
This is the back cover.




This is the 'undressed' front of the assembled book.

I inked the card, and shaded it with Ecoline inks - then gradually added more shading to get the depth of colour I wanted. Brushed over some colour through sequin waste at the top. I didn't have the lovely stamps JSC used so had to improvise.





I stamped my interpretation of a 'grass' background in grey so that it was not too bold.

The little flowers were a stamp by Crafty Individuals - which had a block frame around it - so I stamped out the flowers on Japanese newspaper which had tiny calligraphy - then cut them out of the frames. The centres I painted with the same ink which I used at the top of the cover page - and added several layers of embossing powders. I then shaded the petals with the same colour used on the cover too.

The butterfly was improvised with another tiny stamp in a frame - so I cut out the butterfly, painted it the same yellow as above,inked on 'feelers' and embossed its body.

Not having the lovely velvet ribbons shown in the magazine page - I used what I had and found a toning little purple one .



Then I had to punch the holes of the covers and inner note book pages, add the wires - chunkier than I usually do as it is a fat book - and add a few things more.

The final touches were ribbons and threads in co-ordinating colours and a silver charm and a Japanese vintage silver bead above the key.

It took me a few days to make in stages - but I feel it is the very best one I have made - and my friend was very happy to receive it.

This Thursday Challenge - Whiskers.

It's great to see the This Thursday Challenge up and running again.

Here is my entry to this weeks theme of 'Whiskers'


It is slightly lighter than this photo shows - more like a crushed velvet deep wine colour. I wanted it to look very vintagey and old and it does n natural light.


I inked the background, stamped and embossed a page of prose.



I used my flash for this photo - so you can see the details better, but it is nowhere near this bright in daylight, but just a shade lighter than the darker photo above

I decided that the page looked a bit 'plain' so used a T.H. clock mask to add a bit more interest.

I painted a vintage image and tore it and adhered it to the background - then darkened it with re-inker black until I got it the shades I liked.

I feel a bit foolish now - as the other entrants I have looked at are cute animals with whiskers.

Never mind - I love this very whiskery Victorian man - he looks very serious - and needs his moustache to tickle his nose and make him smile - don't you think?