Alter it monthly - December Theme - CELESTIAL

So this is it, the last ever Alter it Monthly challenge. It's very sad to see the blog go, I used to enjoy taking part in the challenges myself until I then became a DT member to create monthly inspiration for all our readers. This month the theme is CELESTIAL.

I remembered these German paper stars we used to make when I was little. You start with 4 strips of paper and then it's a bit like origami, just fold til it looks like a star. It was fun getting back into it, so I made these 3 which are all made from 1cm wide strips, just in case you wanna have a go yourself (google FROEBELSTERN or GERMAN PAPER STAR). I dipped them in wax and decorated the frame with wax and stamped images too. The writing at the top is made from wire. It kinda just happened, I was sitting at the dining table with some wire and was wondering f I'd be able to "write" a word from wire. I asked my housemate to read it when it was done and it did pass the reading test. Phew.

Here is a closeup of the little bottles, one is filled with sand the other with glitter. In their own right they are both stardust. In fact I think everything is made from stardust.

Butterfly Wax Canvas

The inspiration for this canvas came from a You Tube Video by Stampington.
I haven't played with my meltpot in a while so this inspiration was just in time to get waxy.

I am entering this into the first ARTSpecially Challenge, although the website is in Dutch, thank heavens for Google Translate.
I love their magazine, I bought some back issues from a shop in Germany last time I was home and although I didn't know what the articles were about, the pictures and projects were still amazing and very inspiring!

Busy bees(wax)......

First of all I d apologize for the severe lack of posts and crafted things, I have been a very busy bee. My parents visited a week ago and then I wasn't well for 2 days and also I am concentrating on some magazine work at the moment so I didn't get a chance to show anything on here.

But I had a very busy craft monday yesterday.

For now I'd like to share this mirror with you. I am still making more things to sell at my craft fair in June so I created this beeswax mirror. I painted it and stuck some book pages on it, swiped it with some ink and then got waxing. I stamp my images on a layer of tissue as it's so much thinner than tissue paper.

This is being entered into the Craft Barn Beeswax Challenge as well as the Charisma Cardz Challenge - No Cards Allowed. And of course Simon says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes.

Beeswax Music Frame

Just a little something I'd like to share today. I am actually in Germany at the moment, taking over my dad's computer, much to his joy (ahem). So I'm sharing with you a frame I made last week. A friend asked me for a music inspired frame for her sister so this is one of the 2 I came up with and definitely my favourite of the 2. I used beeswax on this and a music background stamped onto tissue. The treble clef is from the Maya Road set and simply painted brown and covered in glossy accents. Very simply but effective and makes a lovely christmas present I think.

Christmas Tealight Holders - For The Altered Element

Today I'd like to share with you a really quick little project.

I had these plain wooden tealight holders sitting here for ages and they didn't look much, so I thought I give them a makeover for christmas.

I painted them in a neutral colour, traditional tan in this case.

I then stamped the images I wanted to use on 1 ply of tissue using staz on.

I then covered the wood block in a thin layer of beeswax and melted the tissue images into it with a heatgun. It's very quick and easy and beeswax is a fab product to work with.

This technique would also work on any other wooden onjects, maybe you have some old picture frames lying around that could do with a makeover? Or a wooden box? Just give it a go, it's great fun.

Picture frames and my folksy venture

I had this idea in my head for a while now. Saw the stamps and thought they'd perfectly fit the ikea frames. So I stocked up on frames and got the beeswax out again. Works really nicely.

I am making more things to try and sell now as I've just started putting things on folksy. Anyone got experience with all the different craft selling sites? I have been looking at folksy as you can sell in GBP, my 2nd choice is dawanda I think, but a little put off listing in Euros. And same with etsy. Let me know what your experiences are. That be much appreciated!

This frame I covered in various layers of UTEE and the coloured cosmic shimmer powder. Makes a bit of a mess on our dining table when working with UTEE but I do like the result.

Check out my Folksy Shop.

Simon says stamp and show #1 - Things with wings

Things with wings is the theme at the brandnew Simon says stamp and show challenge and as I've recently stocked up on Ikea mirrors I just had to get the beeswax out again for this one.

I painted the mirror with traditional tan and then used a staz on ink pad to highlight the woodgrain, just swiped it across, gives a nice effect. I then stamped a music background stamp all over it and added another thin layer of trad tan. I then added loads of little bits with beeswax.
The birds are painted with crackle paint and spritzed with glimmer mists. And the tree branches are covered in 3 layers of UTEE and then stamped into with a script stamp. It was the first time I tried that technique and I think I'm now addicted. Gives such a cool effect. Although the script stamp may have been the wrong choice for the branches, it needs a more defined stamp for the thin branches I think, but next time I know better. And there we go, things with wings.

I am also entering this into the Alter it monthly challenge where the theme is music, hence my little singing birds and the music notes.

Honey, I got beeswax all over the dining table.....

So I got the beeswax out again, on the dining table. Maybe not such a good idea.
Anyway.
Had this triangular box sitting here for ages and just got some Cherry Pie Arts stamps through the door and thought they'd be the perfect match. I stamped the skyline 3 times onto tissue and fixed it down with beeswax. Pretty much like the beeswax mirror (see previous post). I love playing with this stuff, though I think I used too much again on one side. Practise makes perfect I guess.










Since it's an England themed stamp set there was also this picture of the queen with it so it had to be used. Stamped, framed and glossy accented. Done.

I've been decorating so many boxes I'm running out of things to put in them.

Beeswax mirror.....

So I gotten myself a melting pot recently and then I was just looking through some old Craft Stamper magazines and discovered a beeswax project. So I got making.

I painted the mirror in traditional tan (getting on much better with it now than I did), then added some book pages with glossy medium and did another layer of paint over the top so that the pages came through. Then quickly swiped some timber staz on on the edges. Stamped some script and other things in black staz on in random places.

It's the first time I used beeswax so it's a bit of a learning curve. I used too much in places but next time I'll know better. Just painted it on, positioned some stamped images (on 1 ply of tissue) and got the heatgun on it. They just melt into it. I also added some torn bits of the book but it didn't wanna stick to well, maybe the pages are a bit too thick, compared to the tissue anyway.

The flowers are just cut from card and then dipped in beeswax. Very easy really. For a first time beeswax project I think it turned out fab.

I am entering this into the competition at The Stampman, the first theme is a free theme so anything goes.

Til next time!

Anika xxx