Faux palette and Faux leather mini album!

Hellooo...
It's the beginning of a new month and am ready to share my DT project for Rhedd's Creative Spirit for March! The theme as always is anything goes Mixed media or altered art!

I have an upcycled project for you. I have worked an empty watch box this time combining techniques of faux palette, decoupage and faux leather...ALL IN ONE!!!

Here is what I have recycled

I started off by first coating  it with gesso.

Then comes the play with Chalk paints to give the faux palette look!
I love the rustic, vintage look!!!

A closer look at the palette and distressed finish!

I have then decoupaged a floral tissue on to the faux palette! A rose looks lovely against the brown wood...what say???

 

A look at the completed box!

I have a die cut little heart on the closure!

That's not all! To know what's on the inside, I have a small video. Click to view and am sure you will like it!

Do let me know your views and hope to see you play along this month.

Do visit the blog to see what the team has in store for you.

Until my next creative journey,

Happy crafting and recycling!

Cheers,

Rupa

Leather play with PLAID!

Good morning!
Its Thursday again and am so so excited today for two things...one, its a masculine project that I am sharing with you today and two, I have a detailed video tutorial about the FAUX LEATHER TEXTURE . I hope you will take the time to see the entire video and try your hands on this technique.

Here are products that I have used for this...

The PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT for this week is The Folkart BLENDING GEL and ofcourse I have used a whole lot of PLAID products, their chalk paints, Liquid leaf, Modge podge Dimensional magic and also the Satin Varnish.

I have altered a packaging box as always and here a few pictures of the completed project.

Here is the you tube link for the tutorial.

I am eagerly awaiting your feedback to this tutorial and I hope you do try this simple technique using the blending gel! Now, no more worries for making masculine gifts, lol!

Until my next Thursday,

Happy crafting and recycling,

Cheers.

Ring of Friendship

Good morning!

Welcome to my page!

I am in love, love, love...yes with my sewing machine and making vintage junk journal! Here is my second one in a week. To see my previous one with Graphic 45 papers, click here.

This one is made for a dear friend who loves coffee and butterflies and pretty much anything with wings and of course, VINTAGE!

I have kept all of her likes in mind, and managed to make this one of her. I couldn’t bring myself to end this project as I had so many ideas and I wanted all of it here!

So bear with me for a picture heavy post, I promise to keep the write up small, lol!

I have used a brown cover envelope as the base and have made a chipboard spine as I wanted to make a journal with twine binding. 

This way the pages can be removed and added to her convenience!

She loves oranges and browns and have sort of used those colors here. I created a faux leather spine cover Kraft paper, Deco art mists and crackle glaze,. The rusty ring that you see is an empty red tacky tape ring!

I did some mixed media on an old wedding invite. Have used stencils and modelling paste, crackle paste and mists from Deco Art. 

Once I was happy with the layering and textures, I fixed the rusty ring and in went some coconut coir and I stamped a lovely sentiment about friendship. I tore the edges and inked with walnut stain and placed it on the coir bed.

2 little bugs and an ornate butterfly seem happy out there. The butterfly is from text paper and I have stiffened it with UTEE.

Some linen chord for closure and the best part it I had a great time stitching this entire journal cover and the closure. It was so much fun!

Time to open the book...here we go.

Page 1 is a flap over from the brown cover and have used it as a tuck spot and also you see an adult coloring page.

This journal has coffee stained papers, lots of pockets, tuck spots, journaling tags, check list pages and adult coloring pages too! I have also attached some text pages, which she can gesso and even make art journals here. This is one handy book which she can carry when she is travelling, keep bills, color pages, journal and what not!

All the pockets and tuck spots are made from text page, This time an old Nancy Drew book!

Here is a vintage lady peeking thru a zip lock cover!

I have some tiny yearly notes stitched into a mini accordion!

Some tuck spots using the picture pages.

An envelope from the novel!

A checklist on the move!

More adult coloring pages.

The last page, you can see the flap of the brown cover, a secret compartment to keep all that you treasure!

The back cover is equally vintage and has my friends initial! What a co incidence!

Here is look at all the journaling tags, post cards and tickets from the journal.

Lots of winged beauties here for her to admire.

I could just go on and I know a pictorial is no justice to the efforts that has gone into making this journal! But I am technically challenged to take videos lol!

That’s pretty much the story of this journal and I will be handing it over to my friend soon!

I forgot to ask...can you smell the COFFEE here!

I would love to take this journal along to the following challenges....

Stamps and Stencils- Colors of Autumn

Country View Ch- Travel

Creative Artist Ch- AG mixed media

Frilly and Funkie- Things with wings

A Vintage Journey-create within a frame

Anything But Cute-Friendship
Scrapki- wyzwaniovo- Stars

Until my next creative journey,

Happy crafting and recycling.

Cheers.

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

Grungy Suitcase

Hello crafty friends..

Welcome to my page today. I am sooo relieved and done with my house painting! It started at the beginning of the year and ended on valentine’s say....cool eh??? Great timing and so decided to make something for Mr. Hubby! A kind of “thank you” gift...no no not valentines!

As always I love masculine projects, I love recycling, I love grunge, I love browns and tan, I love metal, I love leather, and I love denim too and wait...I love wood too!

With all my “loves” in mind, here is what I recycled...

And here is what I made of it...

Lets jump start to the procedure...

Step1- I went about making some alterations to the box to suit my needs, like the opening and the closure. I wanted the leather and denim look...my fav when it comes to men, lol! (wink, wink)...

So, for the lid, I covered it with tissue and modge and when dry did the “faux leather” using DP rusty hinge, vintage photo and walnut stain and when dry, applied archival black on the raised areas( creases from the tissue) and inked the edges  with archival potting soil.

Step2- I used a few metal embellies for the corner. Stamped images of these grungy macho men on Kraft CS and heat embossed in black and gave it the leathery feel too! 

Just so to soften their looks, I have used a metal charm that says ”hand made with love” hanging from the pocket and for the other gentle men, have use heart buttons for his vest! LOVE it.... A faux leather label with a TH sentiment and faux stitching finds itself in another corner!

Step3- For the base of the box...I just ripped an old jean to my hearts content and covered the base and for the rim, I dint spare the waist band too! And what a co incidence my waist size was a perfect fit to cover the box all around! Now is that a compliment...keep guessing my waist size now...wink, wink!

I also attached metal brads as legs for the box and used metal clasp closures and a little handle so that it can be carried around too!

Time to open up the box!!! Remember, I said, I love wood....

Step 4- Voila, the box opens up....and you see a mini suit case inside!

 I have lined the inside base with wood grains paper from our very own Indian brand, Papericious. I love the earthy macho looks it adds to the interior of the box!

For the top lid, I spent a whole day working on it! I wanted a typical functioning suitcase? Keepsake box and so continuing the faux leather created an accordion panel to stack up papers and important documents!

I also created the ribs for holding the pen/pencil and yes...a little “message” scrolled inside the bottle too!

A few motivating quotes from TH and my little suitcase is ready to travel where ever hubby dear wants to take it!

Well that’s brings to the end and I had a great time working on this project with all the “loves” of my life, lol! With so much love wrapped around, this is one sturdy box now!

I would like to enter the following challenges ...

Simon Monday Challenge- Recycle

Scrapski wyzwaniowo- masculine

Things to alter- AG not cute

Emerald Creek dares- Bloggers scramble

The ABC Challenge- B for box

Creative Artist- AG with mixed media

Loves 2 create- AG mixed media

Sparkles monthly challenge- for males

Thank you so much for stopping by today.

Until my next creative journey,

Happy crafting and recycling.

Cheers.

Ready To Travel???

Hello crafty friends..

Welcome to my page today. I wish you all very happy, colorful, Creative and content 2016.

For me, I took the opportunity to thank the 2 men in my life! Are you guessing wild!!! Before you do that...let me tell you, it’s my Husband and Brother!

My bro visited me from London this year end as always to spend the New Years with us and guess what...he pampered me with WHOLE lot of crafty goodies and I decided to give a piece of my hand crafted creativity that can sit on his work table!

As for my husband, the New Year at work meant clearing the old and starting afresh and I thought I will help him be a little organized at work and so a little handmade goody for that!

Here is what I made for both of them!

 Any guesses...You will see it as we progress.

Two contrasting styles but the same functionality!

The blue mini stroller is made with papers from the Papericious pack and the lid is using canvas cloth and embossed using basket weave folder. 

I have then inked it with Archival Ink corn flower blue. The handle is a linen twine and for charms...they are  some of my brothers childhood favs. I then stamped a Whimsy quote, and these hang casually from a Tim Holtz Ideology swivel clasp.

The formal leather mini stroller is using Tim Holts “lost and found” paper pack and I have teamed it with faux leather using Kraft CS and distress paints and Distress crackle.

Brushed metal feet using brads help the stroller balance itself! I have used Ideology ruler ribbon for the handle and a ticket using his stamps. The metal charm is a Sizzix thinlits die and have used the faux brushed metal technique. The key hole too is a Sizzix hardware findings die that has been heat embossed in gold.

Shall we open the stroller’s????

Here they are....

The stroller opens up to reveal 4 compartments that can accommodate visiting cards! Yes...it’s a visiting card holder...now don’t we have a loooot of that piled up at work and at home and it just becomes difficult to choose the right one at a glance.

Its just so boring to have a folder to hold them, so I decided o make some eye candy for the men and subtly drive the message of being organized too, lol! This is not just going to sit pretty on the table for sure cos I got a big NOD and HUG from both the men!

In fact, the compartments have been labeled to categorize the cards...the casual one has them stamped on the sides!

The formal one has red tabs (Sizzix Tabs &Tags die)stamped with alphabets to break the monotony of leather!

Here is a look with the cards in...

I bet this will be a conversation piece on their work table and yes, let the visitors flow!

Do let me know your feedback on this project...and one last secret ingredient here....

Both the strollers have their outer case made with empty cereal cartons! 

 I would like to drag my strollers to the following challenges...

A Vintage Journey- Vintage travel and luggage

Artistic Stamper- AG

That Craft Place – AG

Stamping Sensations – Ag with a die

Loves to Scrap Challenge- New beginnings.
City Crafter Challenge Blog- new beginnings

Until my next creative journey,

Happy Crafting and recycling.

Cheers.