Craft Project- The Secret Box

I made a secret box for my 4 year old grand daughter....and who would have known that it was "the best thing EVER", lol. Those were her words.

It is made with a cigar box. First I took a square piece of felt and glued it on the top of the box, covered that with a quilt square of her favorite material, (I did not want buy a whole yard and have leftover), then I trimmed it out with lace. I put the nob on the top (more on that later) and glued an already finished piece of wood from JoAnn's or Michael's craft store...I can't remember which and then I lined the bottom of the inside with felt. BOOM, best secret box ever!!!

Well, the 2 year old loves it, too. She keeps getting into it, lol. Then the family went to Disney World last week and the girls came home with lots of trinkets.  Now the 2 year old wants her own. So yesterday I made another box.

Remember I told you I would get back to the knob. This time I drilled a small whole in the top first, then I used a tap with a sharp point to make a small hole in the material. Then took the whole punch to the felt and material and glued the felt and material on the box. Now you can screw the nob on. Take it from me this is easier and way smarter then trying to do it without the whole. Duh!!!

I decorated the second box with pink duck tape so she can finish it herself with stickers.

Let's see if she likes it!

Halloween cat

A few people have asked how I made this picture. They feel it and can 't figure what it is made from because it is so bendable like leather. So here is the receipt: The secret is old paper and Golden Soft Gel Medium. I took a very old page from a torn up book and I put soft gel the back side to protect paper. I painted the front side with acrylics and to make it a little more layered I painted the cat on some acrylic paper then cute it out and used soft gel to glue it on. After I painted the front I also put soft gel on the front side to protect it and antiqued the sides with ink. Then I punched holes in the top and hung wire and ribbons from it.  I am planing to make more and sell them in a garage sell coming up soon since I have had such a great response on them. Maybe I will do some witches next! Happy crafting!

Happy Halloween

           HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!
Another project on wood. I used color pencil, acrylic paint, collage and ribbon.

New Art Workshop

Class is Petit Dolls by Suzie Blu

1. We are learning how to draw dolls, petite style! Yes, I feel like I am young again and playing with paper dolls. We first learn how to draw the face, different looks and different actions or positions. Suzie critiques you as you go and the feed back is great. She explains the little tricks and gives you encouragement too. Shading and then coloring is the next step with color pencils.

So this is doll one. I have drawn quite a few dolls and they just keep getting better. But since this is my first one, I thought I would show the process that we are going to do in this class. My next step is to cut her out and decide on background colors.  Just to let you know, besides learning how to draw the dolls, we are going to collage for the background, paint and finally a wax coating.

2.  Here is the background for this doll.  It is on a wood board, then I used ink, old paper and scrap paper, then paint it very lightly with a cream color.
Since this doll is such a Diva, I decided to put a label at the bottom to let everyone know she is an Italian, cold as ice, Diva. There is also some text that is showing and the title is "Lady Grace's Mistake".  I am trying to build a story also.  But with the little bit that is showing it is up to you to use your imagination...what was Lady Grace's Mistake? Cold as Ice?

3.  Then I glued her on...what do you think so far? Stay tune for more!

4. The finished product! I put more paint, stamps, collage, stars, more paint and then wax over it all.  It looks so cool in person because of all the layers and the wax gives it such a nice finish.

Fun with Tins

Since my Art and Soul Retreat, I have been playing around with tins. I have used spray paint, and "Sophisticated Finishes" which ages the tin to look antique. I have finished 2 tins so far and the 3rd should be done in a couple of days. Sophisticated finishes are so much fun. You can take a tourch and burn off any paint or paper that might be on the tin. Then all you do is put the finish on with a sponge or paint brush and watch it age right in front of you. There are different colors, gold, patina green bronze and blue. The 2 pictures I am showing now I used both brown and gold. I found a card, yes...I save all my cards that are given to me, that looks like my sister and me when we were small. I glued it on after the finishes were to my liking. I used distress ink to age the picture and put a a clear sealer on the can and picture. I added ribbon and lace and lined the inside with fun foam. I also added a latch so it will be easier to open. This was a fun project that is a present for my sister. A late birthday gift.

The next tin is more "Steampunk". It is aged but also has copper on top for a handle and nickle star washers for the steampunk look. I also lined the inside with foam and I use it to keep my change in for my purse. Everyone comments on it when I pull it out and that is when I tell them I am an artist. This is great way to start a conversation about art and give them a business card!!! Advertise yourself!! Promote, Promote!! I will be posting more tin on Etsy.com