Do you Remember?

Good morning everyone
The beginning of a new month and time for a new challenge over at Things To Alter's challenge blog.
The theme is Anything Goes - as long as it's either an altered item or a card using at least one product from the shop. My project this month is made using an ATC shrine and ornate circle frame.  I used some of the pieces from a grab bag of offcuts to give it some feet - making this now freestanding. A vintage look to it all using prima papers, plenty of brushed corduroy distress ink and some embellies from stash. Of course after gluing the shrine together, the whole thing was given a coat of paint to seal it all, I used a mixture of decoart white and burnt umber americana acrylic paints to give a more chocolate brown.

 The frame was given a rub down with gold wax, a face cut from a scrap of paper and the centre given a dose of glossy accents to give it it's glassed look. The white tulle was given a dose of that distress ink as well for an aged look.
Please dont't forget to come visit us on facebook, we'd love to see all your altered items posted there, not just the piece you're going to make for this challenge
Enjoy the rest of the month
Thanks for looking

Have You Got The Time?

Well, have you?
Got the time to come and join us in Things To Alter's Monthly challenge, that is.
Some gorgeous goodies available from the shop if you win. A real prize! Not a digital one! Now that can't be bad.
My teamies on the DT have come up with some beautiful inspirational pieces that show the different ways that the MDF pieces can be used. From scrapbooking and cards to 3-D objects and lots inbetween. Please pop along to the blog or the facebook group and check them out.

My project was made using one of the Roman clockfaces.
I don't often do pretty but this time I made an exception. (Well I think it is)

The clock face and the backing greyboard octogon were both given a coat of decoart paint in white to seal and allow for other decoart mediums to be used, namely weathered wood and green gold media fluid acrylic paint and a touch of raw umber antiquing cream  Then added Prima paper from the Epiphany pad with teadye distress ink for that aged look, A piece of cream lace was attached before putting the two layers together and attaching the clock mechanism. Some prima flowers glued in place with silicon and a few pearls in cream and chocolate to finish.

Thanks for looking,

Nature Only Needs Time

June already!! How the time flies by! Big question........ is it going to be "Flaming June"? I do hope so. We've had our fair share of cold and damp, in this corner of Scotland at least.

Talking about time .........
I love it when you come across old ruins/objects that people have forgotten about and just abandoned. Then, with time, nature reclaims that space. Wildlife and plant-life make a new home for themselves.
It's with this in mind that my next project came into being.
Using the Telephone Box from Things to Alter and loads of Decoart Media fluid Acrylic paints (PaynesGrey, EnglishRedOxide, PyrroleRed, Quin.Gold)/products, (incl texture sand paste and gold interference paint) I daubed and painted after constructing to give that "rusting away look".

                 

Then added the flora and fauna. Some die cut leaves/flowers, some little toadstools from the shop, a few flowers, a couple of leafy flourishes and some butterflies, all painted, again with Decoart paints.

         

The butterflies were attached with acetate strips to (hopefully) give the illusion of flying.

This little project is just one of the projects made as a member of the "Things to Alter" DT team. The new challenge on the blog starts today and it's an "Anything Goes" as normal and we'd love to see your creations.
We have a lovely facebook group as well and there're a few challenges ongoing in there as well to win a little goody bag from Jac.

Thanks for looking

I'd like to enter this into the challenge at
Andy Skinner's Time Challenge

The Evil Returns with HDH

Last October saw the last challenge from Haunted Design House, oh what a sad day that was!!
The Minions have kept in contact though because us weirdos have to stick together. Other people of the same mind set will understand what I mean. We decided to have a little fling and show you all we are still alive and kicking and that the chains can be loosened from time to time and that we can come up for air once in a while.
What better theme than "The Evil Returns". I made an ATC - yes all this is on a small MDF piece 2.5" x 3.5" The MDF blank and the little 1" reaper in the bottom right hand corner are from "Things to Alter" The technique is as taught by Andy Skinner.

The central figure emerging from the rock, into which he had been entombed, is just a metal charm painted different colours.

Please pop along to the blogs of my fellow minions - the links are all on the HDH blog - and show them some bloggy love. You can always join us on facebook as well you know!!

I'd like to enter this into the challenge at
The Dark Attic - Anything Goes

"Go Dotty" was the Brief

"Things to Alter" has the new blog challenge up and running as of yesterday and I'm playing catch-up. Sorry guys.
The challenges are now "Anything Goes" but we, on the DT, had been working to a schedule and so - DOTS were to be used in our projects. I had something else in my head and this is what actually emerged. One day that image will emerge in tact.
I used a number of different things from the shop. First the base - A plain rectangular plaque was given an Andy Skinner treatment using Decoart paints. Then the balloons and the heart with wings with more Decoart paints giving them colour. The lustre was supplied by gold and purple interferance paints - again Decoart. Then came the white gel pen (signo). A few dots later and some glue to attach it all this emerged

The chain hanging it all had a bit of chain maille for added detail

I hope you like this
Thanks for visiting
Now get those altered things of yours linked up and don't forget to come and say "Hi" on the Facebook Group where there are plenty of other little challenges ongoing

It's All About The Birds

Good morning everyone.
April the first - April Fools' Day - Any good pranks pulled yet? I must be getting old because I haven't pranked anyone this year.
Today I have a "little" keepsake featuring my newest granddaughter. She is just SOOOOOO cute!! My usual style had to go on hold for this!
It also fits in very nicely as my DT piece for the new challenge over at Things To Alter.

This month the theme is Anything Goes with a Twist - Birds

I have used a number of different elements from the shop

The love birds come in a variety of sizes

1" Alphabet

mini Frame

Bird Cage

sun/cloud from the Weather pack

plus some other bits from stash

All the pieces were painted with Decoart paints. The main bird cage and heart frame have a crackle finish using Decoart weathered wood. The cloud had some texture added using Decoart Gesso

That little lace butterfly has been sitting in my stash for years waiting for the right moment to fly free. Some hand made lace flowers with a few pearls added and a piece of ribbon to hang it up.

All done

Thanks for looking. I hope you like looking at this as much as I enjoyed making it for my daughter.

Things To Alter - SteamPunk - Time Captured

A very good morning to you all and a bit of special news from me.

If you look back to my last post you'll see me "wax lyrical" about a new crafty company on the block

"Things To Alter"

Well, I am a lucky girl, I have been asked to join the DT and am amid the company of many very talented ladies. A trip over to the challenge blog to see their work will prove my word.
My first project was made before I found out what the theme was this month. Maybe I ought to put "psychic" in my C.V. as it just happened to fit. - STEAMPUNK.

I used a number of different items....

just one of the birdcages available

Roman clock face

two of the clock hands

some of the cogs

3 of the Steampunk Dragonflies

front view

back view

Everything was painted first on the inside with Decoart Americana Burnt Orange paint.

The roof pieces were secured together with a bit of wire wrapping after being covered with a green crackled effect paper (got to use those scraps up)

The rest got paints applied to them (Decoart)

also a touch of gold wax on the numbers and some mica dusted onto the dragonflies

The clock fit just right into the birdcage (of course I tested it before all the work painting)

There you have it - 

Time Captured

I'd like to enter my project into the challenge over at
SanDee & Amelie's Steampunk Challenges - Steampunk/Industrial

Happy New Year

Well I know that the start of 2016 was a while ago now but, as I said on my last post, I have been in the middle of a house move and all my crafty stash was the first lot to get packed away in boxes. That move is now completed and I have some of my stash out of storage. Just need to get our temp home sorted enough to see what I can retrieve and still move around in this smaller flat. I am having to share my craft room with hubs and his office, so will be having to leave some bits unloved for a while. Oh well, it won't be forever. I have been going a tad "stir crazy" with crafting withdrawal and I think more than a few people will understand what I mean. Before the boxes are all unpacked I took some "me time" over a couple of evenings. I have my box of paper scraps, I have some alterable bits, I have inks and stamps. Time to lock my self away for a while.
I have been introduced to a lovely lady by the name of Jac Desordre who has set up her own workshop, drawing and cutting MDF shapes and opened her shop, ThingstoAlter, to the public.  There is also a challenge blog that has been started up with some real prizes. Who can resist? The first challenge is "Anything Goes, not cute!" Well cute is not my scene - that box is ticked as far as I'm concerned.

I started with a couple of old dominoes and one of the little detailed skull with roses. I actually nabbed the last of the tiny ones (happy me) but there are larger available.

One side was destined to be a dark side and the other more "shabby chic".
The dark domino covered with a paper from Crafty Chaos (sadly no longer trading) the lighter side came from (I think) a prima paper pad. This is, after all, my scrap box and all papers are mixed. Glossy accents both sealed the papers and allowed for a few bits to be stuck on. The roses on the skull were coloured with red promarkers and I have some tiny metal flowers at hand.

While that dries, the inside........
A piece of core-dinations. Black on one side and pink on the other, scored and folded.
Each page then to be decorated. I couldn't get the song "You don't bring me flowers anymore" out of my head. This then had to be the theme.
Mainly De Stempelwinkel stamps were used, plates 52 and 119, with a few from Sheena Douglass and Crafters' Companion to name but two.

the double-sided music score paper - black on white and white on black is again, I think, prima. The rest I can only hazard a guess but they fit the theme.

the other side

Some scraps of red ribbon to tie it all together after giving the domino sides a rub over with gilding wax.

Thank you for taking this journey with me and I hope I haven't sent you to sleep.

I'd like to enter my domino book into the challenges at
More Mixed Media Challenges - Use Red
Things to Alter - Anything Goes, not cute
Creative Artiste Challenge - Mixed Media
Dream In Darkness - Anything Goes, not cute
A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes
Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes