A.R.T. - Altered, Riveted, Taped

I've had this paper mache mannequin for years, and it has been on my never ending list of things to be altered.  Yesterday it finally made it off the list.  Thanks to Linda's Compendium of Curiosities 2 challenge.  We're working this week on Tim's riveted patchwork technique, which is not only on page 57 of his CofC2 book, but is also the featured technique on his September tag.  Linda said we could use our tag for this challenge, but I decided to try in on the mannequin instead.

As luck would have it, the challenge over at Simon Says Stamp and Show is.....tape.  Now, it says quite clearly on the label that the Ranger product I used is a foil TAPE sheet.  The caps are mine, but you get the point.  They say it's tape, who am I do disagree?  So, my piece will also be an entry there.

Before I show you my A.R.T. (Altered, Riveted, Taped....aren't I clever? LOL) let me just say that as a complete amateur at photography, taking a decent picture of  a shiny piece is just ridiculous.  And by the way, any pink you see is not in the piece, but a reflection of the blouse I'm wearing.  Ridiculous.

 

 

I enhanced (?) her lady parts with some of Tim's idea-ology pieces, and she is wearing a necklace (dangling off her back) I made some years back on a Tim cruise.  I think she'll look nice on my dresser showing off a favorite necklace (or two).

 

Why not join in the challenges?  At Linda's the possible reward is a gift certificate thanks to The Funkie Junkie.  And as always, the Simon Says site will be giving away one from their shop.



Getting Chunky

No, this is NOT a post about diet gone wrong.  It's about a chunky ATC.  If you don't know what that is, it's an ATC made of wood, and it is very dimensional and has not one, but SIX sides to decorate.  The "face" is the standard ATC size of 2 1/2" x 3 1/2", and the depth is 1 1/2", so there are many opportunities to embellish to your heart's content.

I completed mine a while back for a swap in my Kindred Souls group,  and just found out that I'm to send it to my great friend Elena, which is a relief, because the theme I chose, steampunk, is one I know she'll like.  So, Elena, you know the drill....if you'd like to be surprised, look no further!

I began by embossing two of Ranger's foil tape sheets with Tim's industrial look folders: diamond plate and riveted metal.  What's great about the tape is that it has a strong adhesive backing, so adhering it to the wood was easy.  Then I went crazy with the Ranger/Vintaj patinas I have come to love so much.  And then.....the real fun began.....finding just the right steampunkish elements to add to the piece.

Some gears and sprockets from Tim's idea-ology collection, including the newish mini gears, which I just love.  The focal image is from a stamp in his steampunk set.  I cut it and inserted it into whatever that doodad is (a 7 Gypsies doodad), filled the top with glossy accents, and surrounded it with some copper colored ball chain.  On the bottom, also cut from the foil sheet, a bit from Tim's washer border decorative strip.  The sentiment is also Tim...one of the word bands all patinaed (word???) up.

Here's a closer look of the main image:



On the flip side:

More gears, some from 7 Gypsies, and one I'm not sure of.  On the right edge, I used Tim's steampunk on the edge die to cut some real copper sheeting that my darling brother found and presented to me recently.  It's important to train all your non crafty friends and relatives so they know just what sort of junk will make your heart go pitter patter.  When I saw all the copper he'd found I definitely was on the verge of needing CPR.  It too, was altered a bit with the patinas.

Now, for the "sides" of the ATC:

The fellow with the camera is a Wendy Vecchi stamp, colored with distress markers, and enhanced with some glossy accents and a black glaze pen.  Behind him, some more of that washer border, and on top of that, a tiny lightbulb from my stash.  Here is a closer look of how I attached the bulb....wire and tiny copper nails (also courtesy of my bro).  Those nails appear all over this ATC!

Next side:

This side has a strip of metal, attached with more of those copper nails, and over top a piece of idea-ology with some scrap chain attached.

The top:

If you're wondering how I attached the watch key (so it would stay attached), this is what I did.  I first screwed it into the round piece of metal and then attached that metal to the top with a combination of strong glue and more copper nails.  I added the copper ball chain to finish it off.

No photo of the bottom.  Except for the metal it remains unadorned so that the piece will stand up nicely.  But I'm thinking of adding some little feet, if I can find just the right items to use for that purpose.

If you'd like to try your hand at a chunky ATC, all you need is a two by four from the lumber yard.  For some reason unknown to me (maybe it's a guy thing), the actual measurement of a two by four is

1 1/2 by 3 1/2".  So, all you need to do is make cuts on it every 2 1/2" and you have the exact right measurements for a chunky ATC!  Pretty cool, huh?















The 12 Tags of Christmas -- Day 6

The tag Tim did for today features embossed metal, painted and distressed and very vintage looking.  Tim used one embossing folder for his tag (one I don't have), and I used three folders.  I cut them into sections to create the collage look of the folder Tim used.

I used the holiday, snowflakes and sheet music folders.  This tag was not difficult to do, but it does
involve some drying time.  Also, as Tim states clearly, after painting the metal you will most likely think that your tag is a hot mess.  Don't be alarmed.  The following steps really do make it all work.  I think it's a wonderful look.

The embellishment (I don't have any of the Christmas charms) started life as a truly ugly overly bright piece of thin cheap metal.  Applying the paint and embossing it really transformed it.

By the way, Tim used Ranger's self adhesive foil.  I used metal from Ten Seconds Studio.  But......if you have neither, this is what I used to do before I had any metal sheets.  Adhere some heavy duty aluminum foil to your cardstock and then proceed as directed.  As long as you are a bit gentle with your sanding you won't tear the foil and it is a good substitute for the real thing.



Grungy Monday and Showin' Some Metal

Today's challenges:   Grungy Monday #12 refers back to a technique Tim demoed in April of 2008.  Click HERE to see it from the man himself.  Click HERE to see what Linda L. and her guest designers did for the challenge.   Over at Simon Says Stamp and Show.....the show part is metal.  Click HERE to go to that blog and see all the projects the team did.  The third challenge, a personal one, was to create something that strikes fear in the heart of most card makers.....a masculine card.  I think I've scored a threefer here:

The background, which is the technique from Tim's blog, was done on the vintage license plate paper from Lost and Found.  I used Wendy's houndstooth background stamp and Ranger's hazelnut paint dabber.  

Metal shows up in two places.  First Ten Seconds Studio rock star black metal was embossed with a Cuttlebug folder.....a houndstooth design to echo the background stamp.  It was then cut with Tim's Hanging Sign die.  You'll notice that I trimmed the hanger part to fit this somewhat smaller than standard card.  The metal was lightly sanded and then rubbed with archival ink in sepia.  Some leftover bits of chain connect the sign to the hanger.  The other metal comes from the brads in the four corners....they are actually very glittery, and come from Stampin' Up.

Speaking of SU, I used a punch of theirs that is a very similar shape to the hanging sign to cut the cardstock that the birthday greeting (also from SU) is on.

BTW, the background technique is one of my favorites.  Although I used a really nice looking paper to stamp on, what I love about this technique is how it can totally transform the appearance of patterned paper you don't much care for, turning it into something special.  Try it.



What Do Soap, Metal, and Shoulder Bags Have In Common?

Absolutely nothing, but you'll see some of each right here. (I told you last time, catchy titles aren't easy to come by).

First things, first.  Although I am going away early tomorrow (more on that in a bit), somehow in my mind, creating something for this week's CCC and SSSS challenges seemed like more of a priority than, oh, packing.

Today marks the end of the Compendium of Curiosities challenges.  We've done every technique in Tim's book.  Linda saved a really great one for last....design details.  As usual, I can't divulge the details, but much piercing was involved.  At the same time, Simon Says, show us metal.   No problem combining the two:

This is a very small piece, done on a 4x4" coaster.  The base is covered with TSS rock star black, which was first embossed with Tim's collage folder.  I then embossed some of their cabin red metal on the silver side as well as the red side, with Tim's patchwork folder.   I cut them up, arranged them on the coaster, did some sanding and inking with stazon, and then went on to the techniques.  Don't know if you can see the stitching I did....I probably should have used something other than black wire.

I thought the piece at that point looked a little empty, so I added the ideaology flower, the bottlecap and the Wendy Vecchi butterfly.  In the interest of full disclosure, the bottlecap with the shrink plastic bird was a leftover from last year's cruise charm swap.

On Saturday, I attended a spa workshop at my friend Heidi's place, with Corris as the teacher.  I don't know what was going on with me when this picture was taken, but apparently something was very funny:

That's Kahena on the left and Corris on the right, waiting for the soap to melt.

In addition to the soap, we made a wonderful body scrub and some perfume in a roller top bottle:

At this time tomorrow, barring any delays, I'll be in the Miami airport meeting up with a whole bunch of my art friends for Keys4Art2011.  From there we head to Key Largo and 6 wonderful days of creativity and friendship and great food and a few mojitos as well.  I decorated small canvas shoulder bags for everyone.  Each is a different color, hopefully the recipient's favorite, but I asked that question ages ago, and artists can be quite changeable when it comes to things like that.  They all have our retreat logo, but each is embellished differently.  Of course, I missed a great photo op when I packed up all 18 and shipped them down to Florida without taking any pictures.   But....I do have the one I made for myself, so this will give you an idea of what they look like:

I'll be back with a full report on Sunday.  Stay well, and make art!



Showing Some Love With Painted Metal

Wow, it's getting harder and harder to be clever combining the weekly challenges into a snappy blog title. 

So, the Compendium of Curiosities challenge is Tim's altered metal with paint technique, and over at Simon Says Stamp and Show, the topic is LOVE.  That's it.  Just  LOVE. 

If you read my pal Lori's blog (she's on the Simon Says design team) you know that she struggled with the topic.  We share the same aversion to things that are too pink, too girly, too lovey dovey.  But I think I managed to circumvent all that with my own interpretation of the theme.   But enough about that.  Here's my piece.....a mini magnet board with an altered metal with paint frame.  The purpose of this board, which sits on an easel, is to hold your love letters and other expressions of adoration.  See how I managed to make it fit the theme?  I'm not sure how Director Linda E. and Co. will feel about it, but I say it does.  That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.

The frame measures 5"x7" and I used Ten Seconds Studio rock star black metal to make it.  It was cut and embossed with a stunning Cuttlebug folder called Brocade Window.  I glued it onto a piece of magnet board, and then attached the whole thing to chipboard (covered with nice paper so the back looks finished).

Here's a bit of a close up so you can see how cool the paint looks on the metal:

                                                       
The paint I used for the technique is Lake Mist (an Adirondack paint dabber).  I also used the technique on the little binder clip, the word sticks, and the embossed heart (also TSS metal), though on those I used Snow Cap and Red Pepper dabbers.

Oh, and to answer your unasked question, yes, there is an actual love letter in that tiny envelope.  Yep.  Sure is.  Prove otherwise.

And, if you haven't already visited my OWOH blog post, please do, leave a comment and maybe win something.  And that does it for the self  promotion portion of this program.  LOL!  (If I have a mission in this stage of my life, it's a two-fold one.  First, to not take myself too seriously, and second, to encourage the same in everyone else).



Another Tag

First of all THANK YOU for the great comments both here and on FB about the bird tag.  I almost never actually go to FB, but really do appreciate your taking the time to leave a note.  I'm not ignoring anyone, but if I start hanging out there I'll never get anything done!

I got into another tag today, in between trips to the laundry room.  I HATE doing laundry.  Well, you probably don't need to know that, or come here to learn such things.

I recently bought a gorgeous new color (peacock) of Ten Seconds Studio metal, and covered the whole tag with it.  Look how yummy it is.

The metal was embossed with one of their plates (don't know the name, but it is a new one and full of clocks).  I have all the tools, but don't do the embossing manually, as I lack that kind of patience.  I just fiddled around with my Big Kick until I found the right sandwich to do it with the machine.  The embossed areas were lightly sanded and I went over the entire thing with some Stazon black ink (inked and rubbed off with a paper towel immediately) to tone the color down just a little.  It is VERY bright.

The clocks of course made me think of The Mad Hatter, and dug up an Alice in Wonderland sheet I'd bought (and never used) back in November at the stamp expo I attended.  It's from The Stamping Ground, and included this great image of the crazed rabbit.  I stamped it with black pigment ink and embossed it with black EP.  The coloring was done with plain old water based markers.  The large pocket watch he's holding is also a stamp from that company, and I covered it with Glossy Accents.  I blasted it a bit with my heat gun to make the GA bubble up a little, thinking (hoping) it would make it look more like older glass.

The other clock I added (on the top of the tag) is a Heidi Swapp ghost, and on top of it are some Tim Holtz sprockets and a spinner.

Brooches, Banners, and Birthdays

I think it finally stopped raining, but it was coming down forTHREE WHOLE DAYS!!  One good thing about that.....I stayed indoors and made a lot of stuff.
I worked on some fabric brooches for my blogoversary giveaway:

I made two birthday cards for the EWV birthday card club:

Both cards use Wendy Vecchi stamps (of course!), some SU stamps, punches and paper, and both SU and Distress inks.

A new banner swap was recently announced.  This time on the EWV group, and these are minis....only 3 1/2" across, and 5" long.  I had so much fun doing the larger banners for the ATT group, I immediately signed up and got busy:

Only one to show you, because this time I did them all the same. The background is in two parts, both WV stamps over Jenni Bowlin mini papers.  The flowers are on grungepaper, and the crown on the face stamp is Ten Seconds Studio metal, embossed, sanded and inked.  The stick pins coming out of the crown are from Maya Road, and the matching dangle on the bottom came from.....?????  Just found it in my stash, and thought it went well with the stick pins.

Not a bad way to spend the bulk of 72 hours of rain.

I Dream In Colors

About a year ago the I Dream In Colors collaborative art journal group began.  I've worked in many books with a wide range of color palettes.   This past week I've been creating pages for Sarah's (one of my friends from Australia) journal.  Her colors are red, black, and white.  These are the pages I came up with, and the book will be heading for Jacquie in Florida today:

The pages are 8x8".  I went through my stash, but primarily took elements from scraps.  The elaborate headdress I added to the figure was cut freehand from a scrap of embossed Ten Seconds Studio black metal.  The bird on the second page was punched from the same metal.  The birdcages are die cuts I received with an online order.  Most of the papers I used to create the collaged background were also from the scrap pile.

I did a bit of doodling with my black and white Sakura glaze pens.....love them!  They add instant shine and dimension and write over virtually every surface.  

The quote, of course, is from the Maya Angelou poem, "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings."

Pennant Swap Complete!

Yes, I've been a little obsessed with these pennants, and obsession has led to completion!  All ten done, and I'm pleased with them all.  You can click on any picture for a closer view.  Many techniques in these pennants....it's all about the details.

The "Dream" pennant is mostly dark browns with a few aqua touches:

"Wander" is all about purple:

"Believe" is black and white and silver:

"Inspire" is a favorite combo, pink and green:

And last, "Enjoy" is another all in green:

To summarize the techniques used on these and the previously posted five:  

• all backgrounds are sheet music paper, swiped with color, stamped with various stamps, covered with versamark and clear embossing powder, then heat embossed.  A distress tool scratched the surface in a few spots, and darker ink was rubbed into the scratches.
• all the letters are grungeboard, inked then sprayed with a mixture of water, rusty hinge distress reinker, and sunflower sparkle perfect pearls.  Some of the letters (depending on the color palette of the pennant) were re-inked afterwards.
• all of the pennants have some embossed metal in the center.  Some were double embossed, sanded, and more color added with stazon inks.
• all of the grungeboard and chipboard embellishments were given the drunken scotch treatment.  

This was a lot of fun for me, and I really like the idea of sticking with one basic design and using the same materials on each pennant, but making them unique by varying the colors, words, and embellishments.

Pennant Swap

Recently, on Linda Van Vliet's blog, we saw some interesting and creative pennants that had been done as a kind of welcoming to Tim Holtz, who visited a scrapbook store in Linda's home, the Netherlands.  One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I'd signed up for a pennant swap at ATT.
I will be making 10; one to keep and 9 to swap.  They're not due until May, but I have been playing around with design ideas.  This is the one I'm going to keep for myself.  The ones I do for the swap will be similar, but the words and color palettes will change.....just to keep it interesting for me!

I cut the pennant from heavy cardboard and covered it with a music sheet.  Added some distress inks, stamped it with several background stamps, and then covered the whole thing with versamark and clear embossing powder.  Then I used a scratch tool to rough up the surface and swiped brown stazon all over.  It stayed inside the scratch marks and wiped off easily from the rest.

The letters are grungeboard, sprayed with a mist made of rusty hinge reinker, water and sunflower sparkle perfect pearls.  Then they were edged with vintage photo distress ink.

The butterfly is grungepaper, cut with a sizzix die.  The finish is Kat's wonderful "drunken scotch" technique, but instead of using alcohol ink colors to simulate rust (Kat uses ginger and rust), I used lettuce, stream, and juniper.  Pretty cool, huh?

Under the butterfly and the letter L you can see a bit of metal from Ten Seconds Studio, which I double embossed and inked with brown stazon and cut with a sizzix die.

OK, 1 down, 9 to go!

Some New Art and A Palm Tree or Two.....

I'm still getting used to being back in the northeast, and all that implies, weather-wise.  I actually love being home, but can't say I don't miss those swaying palms and days spent by the pool.  Anyway....a few projects, and a few shots of Paradise.

 

While I was gone, PID had a "doodle me" challenge, which I completed last night.  We were to alter, with doodling one of their images, and I went to town with my gel pens!

 

Not sure what I was thinking, but it was very therapeutic.  Now, back to Paradise.

This is what the entrance to the dining room looked like:

 

This nice man cut open a coconut for me:

 

And I enjoyed it!

 

Ahhhh, well, back to art.  At ArtHaven, we have a monthly lottery.  This month's theme is "happiness," and we were to enter anything that made us happy.  I've been enjoying altering mini notebooks with both real and faux metal, so this is what I did:

 

As you can see, we had  a very relaxing vacation:

 

We enjoyed Hokkaido, the Japanese restaurant at the resort:

 

  

When I returned home there was a package waiting for me.  It contained a very timely gift from my secret sister (something my SU! team does each quarter).....a picture frame already decorated to hold a vacation photo.  So, I did a little photo collage and popped it in the frame:

 

The new challenge theme at PID is "green or clover."  Yes, it really is almost March, though someone needs to inform the weather people of that fact.  They seem to think we're still solidly in winter.  But, I digress..... I found this cute little guy in my PID stash, and did a St. Patrick's Day card:

 

And I'll end this with a few more random shots from the gorgeous Melia Caribe Tropical Resort in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic: