RECYCLING & UPCYCLING OLD TIN CANS

Inspired (for the nth time) by my ultimate crafting idol, the uber-talented Fiona Jennings, I attempted to make one of her mixed media altered bottles seen here in this vid:

You could watch how she did those and all her other stunning creations on her youtube channel (better yet, subscribe to her channel as well!)  

As I didn't have the awesome materials she used,  I just have to do with what I have and simply follow her tutorials as much as I can.

I don't have nicely-shaped bottles but we have lots of tin cans which I don't throw away.  I tried her method of covering the cans with modeling paste but the old aluminum foiling method proved easier and faster.

What I came up with:

I used crumpled aluminum foil here before I added the embellishments which ranged from clay charms, chipboard and paper die cuts, clay and paper flowers, beads and trims.  Painted everything black then dabbed with silver acrylic paint.  I used plain construction varnish as sealant.

The tall ones can alter between a container with lid or as pen holders.  I highlighted this one with bronze metallic acrylic paint.

Altered soda can.  Used sinamay (hemp) fiber sheet as base, and added some fibers along with the usual embellishments.

These tuna tin cans are the ones we have loads of at home (my son really like canned tuna nyahahahhaha). Here are some of them altered:

Instead of foil or texture paste, I used hemp (?) sheets as base.

I added styrofoam beads to my DIY modeling paste for added texture.

I tried a brick stencil given to me by a crafting friend and it turned out okay :)

I also made them in black and silver :)

Each is one of a kind as I really hate doing the same things over and over.  The fun and challenge for me is actually deciding which embellishment to use and where to place them.  The rest is mechanical once I got the hang of it. 

Exploring our kitchen, I saw some deformed and really bad-looking llaneras (custard plates) and off they went to be altered nyahahahahaha!

As for the lids, I simply traced each container's rim on a thick chipboard, cut and covered with foil or texture paste then embellished.  I have to glue some chipboard strip on the inside as a sort of "lock mechanism" for the lid.

It's quite satisfying to alter ordinary looking things other people take for granted and turning them into something new.

Thanks for dropping by!

The Things I Did With My Tim Holtz Caged Bird Die

I've always craved to have the Tim Holtz Caged Bird Sizzix die.  Seeing those projects and layouts using the shape left me totally awed and I can't wait to try them out myself!

When I finally got one last year, using it to make embellishments for a scrapbook page is far from my mind.  I was all into this altered art, my creative juices was going into 3D mode until last July 2012 when I started making scrapbook layouts again :D 

These are my first projects (jennings644-inspired projects again :D)

I used plain chipboards, painted them with ordinary house acrylic paint then dabbed with Rub & Buff or Folk Art Metallic Acrylic paints.  Glued the cages together, put some chain thingamajig to hang the bird inside the cage as well as serve as hanging chain.  I haven't embellish them before I gave them to crafting friends so hopefully they get to embellish the cages themselves.

When I ran out of space to hang all of them, it was time to shift to other projects.   

But first I attempted to create a base to hang the candle holders and I came up with this crescent shape thingy made from layers of chipboards held together as I don't have anything sturdier like wood.  I did the foiling technique then I took one of the unused lids for my oval boxes and put some tile/wall putty on it to hold the crescent.  So I made myself a free-standing crescent moon to hang my candle holder. 

When it was finished, I realized this reminded me so much of that Dreamworks image with that kid with a fishing pole sitting on a crescent moon!

I gave that one as a present.  Still haven't gotten around to doing another, but I mean to as I still have quite a few of those candle holders.

I also did 4-sided bird cages which I used as pen-holders.  

My son requested a container of sorts for candies when he saw some of my creations but he specified something bigger and with cover so I made him this: 

I was browsing altered art project images and came across this fairy house thing that really, really looks amazing! I wanted to make one but I don't have the materials.  Then my altered art persona thought it looks like a gazebo, so hey, maybe I could make a gazebo using the cages!  It has been months since I made this one and it's still bare:

It's not something I would do again in the near future.  But I'm not abandoning it, I'm simply storing it away and when I get those teeny flowers and vines I would embellish my gazebo.  But for now, she may have to gather some dust while I get into something new.

{ Fast forward to one year after I made this draft:  I finally got around to embellishing my gazebo as a token of gratitude to a crafting friend in Miami (Qoolayful Invites) for choosing my daughter's doodle artwork as the grand prize winner for her Fan Sign contest (she won a cricut mini yay!)

I also made these caged bird hooks where I hang my cellphone chargers & flash disks.  I pinned them to the side of my stash cabinet right beside my worktable.

I remember I made bag tags of sort to some of my daughter's friends last March.  I glued two cages together to make it thicker & sturdier.  Apologies as I can't find any existing photos.

I'm still thinking of other ways of making use of my cutting dies other than as mere scrapbook layout embellishments.  Hopefully I could make more.

Thanks for dropping by!

MY PIXIELATED HOBBYNESS

I don't actually believe in fairies but I'm forever fascinated with the fairy houses I find in the web.  I'm awed and kept thinking "How did they do that?"  

So I tried making one and when I got the hang of it, ended up making more than 10!  I just used materials I find in my stash and in the garden -- chipboards, tile grout/putty (as I didn't have commercial modeling paste then), real pebbles, my DIY alcohol inks and dried anything I picked in the garden (and neighbors' gardens nyahahahaha!)

Presenting my pixie houses:

I used various materials for these houses -- chipboard for the house and base, real pinecones and pebbles, dried moss, air dry clay creations usually for the doors, dried flowers, branches and whatnots, popsicle sticks for the picket fences.  For coloring, I used my DIY alcohol inks (from coloring pens) and some acrylics.  For sealing, I alternate between Jo Sonjas waterbased sealer and plain varnish.  I used Stikwel construction glue and hot glue to adhere pieces.  The base is 5" in diameter, the actual house (excluding the roof span) is 2.5" x 2.5" x 4".  

Most of these houses have been sold for fund-raising causes sponsored by my local facebook crafting group, Philippine Crafters Association, or given as gifts to relatives and friends.  Sadly, I forgot to leave at least one pixie house for myself :(

I'v also created other fairy-scapes which I find more fun to do.  I just create from scratch using a 5" diameter chipboard as base, depending on what dried whatnots I have on hand, I created these: 

I used a cardboard tube to make this pixie tower.  

I also made little wishing wells like this using air dry clay, wooden sticks, embossed chipboards, mulberry paper flowers and dried pine cones & leaves :)  They're really cute :)

I saw a very nice pixie gazebo and tried to make one using wooden sticks, air dry clay, paper & fabric flowers and stamens.  I free-formed the roof with air dry clay, put some dried moss, then embellished.

I also made a smaller template for my pixie house, then grabbed a wine glass and made myself a candleholder.  I've given this to another crafting friend who hosted a very exciting and fun-filled crafting contest in June from which my online crafting buddy/partner won (we both won a Sizzix Big Shot machine in blue and teal color yay!).  

When I ran out pinecones for the roofs, I changed tactics and made twinkling pixie houses instead.  I used those fabric-like specialty papers I have.  Here's a short video I made:

My Twinkling Pixie Houses

I used a twinkling tea light candle which I painted with various materials, cut a hole at the base so the switch will stick out.  

I haven't gotten around to making these pixie creations these days and I hope I'd get the urge to do them again.

Thanks for dropping by!