Girls wanna have fun!

Hello crafty friends..

Welcome to my page today. Its getting warmer by the day here but I had great joy in doing this project as always... its a trash to treasure one, (do I know anything else at all!!!).

Off late I have been doing a lot of masculine project and so this time decided to pamper myself! Its vacation time here and I plan to travel soon and isn’t that a time to flaunt too...and so I made myself a little suitcase to carry all those “strictly womanly stuff”...you will see in the end, lol!

This time I looked around my store room and spotted this DIY craft packaging box, quite sturdy and ready to take on what I had in mind and so it reached my craft table along with an old Mills and Boon!

And after some time became this.....

Here is how it went...

Step1- It was a vertical closure box and I had to play around a bit and make if a horizontal one with the flap opening like a suitcase. Once that was done, I gave a generous quote of gesso and planed my next course of action. 

I had this lovely vintage wrapping paper in soft pastel shades which I thought would be perfect. I wanted something subtle and not too flashy! I inked the paper with tea dye and painted the box with chalky finish

Step 2- I cut out the wrapping paper with the images of the bird, lovely blooms and the vintage gramophone and a perfume bottle...It felt like a dream already!

Once that was decoupaged, I worked with my new stencil from Deco art and my homemade texture paste. The stenciled flowers start from where the decoupage ends and I carried it to the sides of the box too. Once that dried, I spritzed some walnut stain DS and dried it with a heat gun. It found the crevices easily and added a lovely vintage look to the box.

Step 3- I fixed the metal closures for the box and worked on the handle. I ran a thick CS thru an embossing folder and then gessoed and painted and it and then gave a few coats of varnish to make it sturdy like leather and then rubbed it with de co art metallic lustre in fushia and gold! Fixed it with a brad and lo!  Some metal charms..a pair of heels, a comb and wings...and I was ready to fly with this!

Step 4- As part of embellishments, I made the corner strips for the box using CS and did the faux leather technique in dull grey colors and attached it to the box with some faux stitching too! The top of the box is an altered key using TH alterations die and I aged it up with crackle paste and DS, fixed a metal flower and then a shabby resin rose and some 2 toned paper twine along with a pearl, phew! The label says it all and that gave me the mojo to work on the inside!

So let’s open the Pandora’s box!

Here we go....

Step5- The inside lid is lined with pages from an old Mills and boon and I altered a little envelope...got my new credit card, lol...more shopping! I covered the envelope with the same wrapping paper and covered the flap with a doily and attached it to the box. 

This can hold my secret bills! A lace flower sprit zed with milled lavender and a velcro closure seals it. One more label for the lady and  a few tiny wooden pegs on the lid to hold some paper slips and girlie pics...just made me smile actually!

Step6- The inside of the box was lined with wrapping paper too and inked it with tea dye DI. The crochet lace on the rim just added to the womanly factor and I placed a text doily in the center and sealed the base with an sheet so that it doesn’t get soiled inside. The edges of the entire box were rubbed with metallic lustre gold and some fuchsia here and there.

That’s the pretty suitcase all set to be loaded...let’s see the “strictly womanly stuff” ,lol!

There you go...one more time...

There is room for all of this and more!

Ta ta...My new companion for the vacation! I will see you soon.

I wish to enter this suitcase in the following challenges...

Stamps and Stencils- Trash to Treasure (you bet, my new buddy now!)

A Vintage Journey- Spring is in the air ( with all the pastel shaded and the flowers all around! )

Things to alter – Ag,Add a bird ( can you hear it sing near the gramaphone,l ol)

Craft Stampers magazine – Spring flowers ( loads of them)

Lessology- snail mail revolution( gosh, if not for that credit card! )

Thank you so much for stopping by and

Until my next creative journey,

Happy crafting and recycling,

Cheers.

Deco Art products used-

Deco art decoupage glue

Chalky finish paint- Vintage

Deco art matte varnish

Deco Art metallic lustre- Radiant red and fab Fuchsia

Deco art stencil- re usable stick on stencil, Arabian tile

Wonderful Cozy Moments...

Hello Crafters..

Welcome to my page today ! Its sunny and bright here in Bangalore and yes, the nature is showing signs of new life! I love the fresh green leaves popping out and especially the smell of jasmine in our garden! It’s a delight so sip my morning cuppa with this to watch and smell, lol!

 Schools here have shut down for the annual vacation and that means trouble at home with the little one bored and behind my back! But yes, we love to craft  and so you will still get to see very little from my side for the next 2 months!

This month at Rhedd’s Creative Spirit we have “Anything Goes” as always but only mixed media or altered art. Please do remember that. I have an altered spool for you this month…a spring/ summer creation with the lovely papers from Graphic 45 French Country Collection!

The papers are so warm and cozy in itself and so I decided to do a scene to go with that! A lovely garden with flowers and birds and a window to look out too.

I chose some co ordinated papers in bright sunny colors from the pack to wrap the spool and then applied some crackle texture paste thru the bricks stencil. Heat embossed the window, shutters and the little trough in white and had them in place. Of course they had the slight worn out look with scrapping here and there!

The window dressing is using some marble hand made paper on which I have used my new stamps from KaiserCraft and the sentiment was perfect for the scene! You agree…

The planter is bursting with greenery and made some tiny bright flowers using TH tattered florals. The final dressing however is the polka dot Georgette ribbon bow which adds that “ ooo so pretty” look…what say?

Coming to the top of the spool, I made a scalloped square photo frame in chipboard and covered it with the lovely PP and inside there is a rusted copper lining if you see closely. I made that with some foil paper, ran it thru an embossing folder and colored it with acrylics and perfect pearls in copper! A perfect spot for a family picture..

The half wooden spool from Paper Artsy is also aged with some texture paste and distress stain in picket fence and walnut stain. It however holds some lovely white rose buds and also a cute little butterfly waiting to reach up there!

The sunflower is using CLD (DL 121) and CLD cutie fringe. I placed on a bed of coconut coir for dimension along side some green leaves. The vintage copper lamp post too is using CLD(B130) and it has a cute little bird house. It is a stamp and die set from Marianne Designs and I so so love it! It had to house a few birds and so came those two little love birds using IO dies!

I also made a cute coir nest hanging from the birdhouse but looks like the birds want to enjoy the outside world, lol!

The grass border is using IO dies and the fence…any guesses??? Those are remnants of the TH bird cage die…can you believe it, tied together with some copper wire! They have been aged too with some crackle paste and distress stains and the birdie seems to love perching on it!

That’s the story of my altered spool but wait wait….don’t leave. There is more to it than what you see here.

Do you really think I had a big wooden spool to alter…I wish I had, But who was giving up? I made my own spool using some empty brown tape rings and some old CD”s !!!

 Here we go.. so the spool actually opens up and the lid can be a separate decorative piece! Ta da…

And the  body of the spool can be a lovely pen stand or even hold some Easter goodies…yay! The ribbon looks lovely here...

 I would love to receive something like this, loaded with lots of surprise and that is how I satisfy my self, by making these things for myself, lol!

I am sure you can now a make a spool too at home and go ahead surprise your loved ones with these and don’t forget to take part in the challenge this month at Rhedd’s Creative Spirit. I leave you on that note ..phew! But just more to tell you that I love reading your comments and am so thankful that you decided to stop here today to take that little time off to share some love…

I would like to have my “faux spool” enter the following challenges!

Frillie and Funkie – add a ribbon

Cheery Lynn Designsblog- Back to nature

 Sentimental Sundays – Spring flowers plus a sentiment

 613 Avenue Create- Anything Goes

The CorrosiveChallenge Blog – Hop into Spring

That Craft Place – Easter/ Spring

ArtisticInspiration – AG with flowers
TIOT- They who have wings
SOS - No foolin ( faux spool here,hope that qualifies! and faux metal frame)
CCCB - polka dots
MMM- Recycle/ Upcycle with a twist of flowers
Our Creative Corner- color your world

Until my next Creative Journey,

Happy Crafting and Re Cycling

Hugs.

GREEN with Envy!

Hello crafters..

Welcome to my page today. I have my DT project with Anything But A Card to share with you today. The theme this month is “Green with Envy”. It is up to you to interpret the theme but yes, we would love to see the color green in your project too. Absolutely anything that your heart fancies except a card! Now that’s the easiest part as you all by now know that I can’t save myself to make a card, lol!

I have altered a little glass jar which for this theme. A plain clear jar on which I first created a “faux Frosted” effect and then dabbed some alcohol inks in green, blue and silver. As you can see, green is dominant here.

My favorite color is green and that is one reason I love all nature inspired projects. This is going to be no different but yes, green is going to be the highlight here. Is there anything as too much green?? No way…right now my garden is bright green with a couple of showers that we had last week and I see some fresh leaves sprouting and a few flowers too. That’s my take on this challenge…but  what about the envy? Let’s wait for that part…

Once the bottle was done, I wanted to do some heat embossing  on the bottle directly which flopped big time! The embossing powder for some reason was not melting…I dint want to experiment, so I went ahead heat embossing the flowers and the quotes on tissue. I did the embossing in white so that it shows against the green.

I love these 2 quotes from Paper Artsy and it was just apt for this project. The lid too has some left over alcohol inks dabbed on it and then I made the mini terrace garden here!

Loooots of green foliage and a focal flower in the center. Just that one flower is enough to brighten that garden. I used Arianna blooms die to layer up this flower and mildly inked it with worn lipstick DI.

A garden is incomplete without some winged beauties and so came the butterfly and the bee!

The butterfly is a Itsy Bitsy die and I shaded it using DI and then dipped in UTEE. Whereas the bee is a stamp which has been colored too with DI and covered with rock candy crackle paint. Which looks better??? Maybe the butterfly is envying the bee for more than one reason now..one maybe it looks better and two, cos its first and up close to the flower, lol!

So you get that “envy” thing now???

I couldn’t stop at that, and then lit a battery operated candle inside and was only surprised at the subtle beauty it radiated with the Buddha sitting next to it.

 I love this click... to me ,it was speaking a different language at that moment!

 The soft glow just grew brighter as the sun dipped.

Hope this inspires you to play along this month and do hop over to see what the teamies have created every week!

I would like to have my mini garden enter the following challenges.

GreatImpression – Go Green

ArtisticInspiration – AG with a twist of green

The MirrorCracked – Wings

Crafts 4Eternity – Anything But A Card.

LovesRubber stamps Challenge- AG

WowEmbossing – Spring (have done heat embossing in white and also UTEE)
Take It Make It Challenge- AG with stamping
All Sorts Challenge - Spring is in the air
Sweet Stampin Challenge - Green for St. Patrick's day

Until My next Creative Journey,

Happy Crafting and Re Cycling

Hugs.

Musical Tree !

Hello crafters..

I am back after a small break…just a little busy with my little one’s school admission. Now, relieved as I am done and have an admission into a good school close to home!

Today’s project involves my fav colors..are you guessing?? Yes, one is brown (not surprising) and the other yellow!

This combo just adds that “sunshine” to any project…and so am here with an altered wall plaque this time.

The base is an MDF cut out and I had a great time doing this for a “Family” who loves to entertain people and there are so many fond memories in that house for me! I made this for my Aunt and Uncle so that they have it on the door and think of me every time they enter their house! And for every visitor who rings their bell, I thought there will be something interesting to watch until they open the door, lol!

Have a look and tell me….

I have done my favorite tree bark technique using masking tape and homemade texture paste. I hand drew an oval and did the texture work only in the outer boundary and colored it with acrylics. Once satisfied with it, I made my own music sheet paper with archival ink and Bo bunny music notes stamp and inked it with vintage photo and walnut stain to antique it.

 I then inserted this page in the center of the bark and curled out the edges of the bark, so it looks a little dimensional. I love the combination of the vintage music sheet against the tree bark. A musical tree lol!

I was clear about having a spring/summer look…bright and inviting …so went with yellows, a little pink and red color flowers all using CLD sunflower die, Joy crafts, heart felt creations and the small flowers using a circle punch! . I inked them to my requirement and arranged them on the bark.

 The resin flourish is another of my fav and is quite long! I did it in green and then used PVA glue technique to create the crackle and applied yellow color. The yellow and green cracks make it really bright!

Flower clusters on 2 sides with some faux berries made with beads and dipped in blue alcohol inks give that little pop of colors from the flowers.The sunflower centers too have some shiny micro beads!

 The dragon fly too is a resin mold on which I applied rock candy Distress crackle and filled the cracks with brown acrylics.

The alphabets are made using TH marbling technique, I used yellows, oranges, blue and green DI . Applied them on the craft mat, sprit zed water and swooshed in a CS and got a lovely pattern!~ I then cut the alphabets and layered it with another card board alphabet for thickness. I wanted it glossy and so I dipped each one in hot melted UTEE to get a thick coating…just look at those glossy marbled alphabets…

I did the same treatment to the music note die cut with music notes stamped on it!

A little sentiment “May your day be filled with Sunshine” says it all! It is tucked under a sunflower and some coconut coir nest! I just get thet cozy feeling when I see that, do you??? And oh! That BEE…was a last minute addition, my latest buy! A stamp that I heat embossed, colored and dipped in UTEE…a perfect fit near the sun flower! It just had to be there, Lol!

I drilled holes on the top and bottom to have some antique metal chain for the hanging on the top and some antiqued bells ringing in the bottom!

Truly a musical tree…what say friends??

Waiting to hear from you on this...I love sunshine and I love music and this incorporates both of that...Actually it just happened that way and I am so happy it did!

I would like to have my musical tree enter the following challenges…

ArtisticInspiration – Anything Goes with a twist of sunshine

TIOT- Tic Tac Toe ( Beads, Punch, Flowers, flourish and a string of alphabets!)

WhimsyStamps Challenge – Use a sentiment

OCC - Tic tac Toe- (metal, die cuts, embossing powder,stamps, crackle paint)

Craftingfor all Seasons- Punches/ and Dies

InspirationDestination – Anything Goes

CityCrafter Challenge Blog – Love metal

LTSCB – Anything Goes

Make MyMonday – Favorite Colors (brown, yellow and green too!)

613 AvenueCreate – Anything Goes with the optional twist of RAK

Until my next creative Journey,
Happy Crafting and Re Cycling.

Big Hugs.