tofa: May 2015

Sunday, 10 May 2015

An evening with "Mom" ..

Hello Friends…

Welcome to my page today..Thanks to my new followers and hope to keep your interest in here with my projects.

I have been waiting to share today’s project with you all…it’s a mix of elements and emotions, A mixed media project…something different from me...but first, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY. It's a great co incidence that this project happened on THIS day!

At AnythingBut A Card this month we have the theme ”Inspired By The Master” . I have been fascinated by tribal art and simplistic paintings and my love for Warli, Madhubani and paintings by the noted artist Jamini Roy….I have no words. There is something about his paintings that I wanted to replicate it “my style” and I have done many of his paintings and gifted them too. One such painting is that of “mother and child” which I did about 6 yrs back and today I took a print of it and altered it!

A simplistic painting fused in a mixed media back ground…let’s see how it goes!

Yes, of course not to disappoint the altered artists, lol…I have altered a shoe box today! The last time I did so, it was liked by many of you and you can see it here. It was a small one then …but this is HUGE…some one’s big feet lol! The box measures 14X10 inches! That’s a BIG canvas to play.

I got so carried away by the project, I have not taken any step by step but don’t worry this will still continue to be a looooong post!

I started by covering the lid with tissue paper to give is a base for painting and then gave a coat of gesso. I placed the fussy cut of the painting and drew it so that I know where that will sit and worked on the background.

For that I took out Tim Holtz stencils gothic and hearts and also TCW art is and used different types of texture pastes.

I have used crackle texture paste from paper Artsy, home made texture paste and transparent texture paste from Ranger. It’s a fusion after all…

I love how each one dried and gave different looks…I also cut a few flowers from a lace trim and adhered it in placed and gessoed it. Some subtle stamping and the background was ready to take the inking and spritzing.

There is a raw natural beauty in this painting and I dint want the bg to take way that! I wanted colors that would compliment it. A mother and child bond is so special and my early memories are that of my mom and me in the garden, where she would point at the sky, trees, flowers, birds and everything around which would keep me engrossed.

This is such a special moment and I remember spending the same time with my daughter too…the early years of motherhood too have very fond memories to me and which is why I chose to alter this painting.

I decided to give an evening look to the bg and so choose the yellow, orange, blue, green and deep pink inks and started to spritz..drying in between and working on the colors till I was satisfied.

I loved how the colors seeped thru the cracked hearts…my fav spot in the bg and then I applied dull gold Inka gold on the raised portions of the transparent texture paste.

I some places I rubbed the ink off with a baby wipe to revel the white and then egged the lid with Prima chalkers, Blossom bud and Teak Wall. I dry brushed some Picket fence Distress paint on the lace flowers and also highlighted the white portions in the painting. Before adhere ring the painting on the lid, I did some random color splats in black and white. I kept the edges dark to give the look of a “an evening in the garden after rains” …does it look all cloudy and fresh??? I also like the natural crinkled texture of the tissue paper se. You really have to touch it to feel it…It is no longer a shoe box now!

I gave 2 coats of multi medium to seal the colors and to give the lid a bit of gloss. The chip board flourish is from Creative Embellishments and was perfect for my tree branch. I colored it with DP and gave some color splats too. The little pink blooms on it are using CLD cuties die and rolled up,. The birdies have a coat of picket fence Distress crackle paint and then I colored them yellow. There is a bit of coconut coir beneath the nest to make it look “real” !!!

I created a bit of a shadow around the image just to give it some depth and I think the lid was ready for the sentiment! 3 simple words that says everything…”Mom is everything”…I am sure you will agree on that.

I am really happy how my masters painting took so well to the current trend of mixed media…that’s the beauty of the mother and child!

Hope this inspires you to play along this month and do have a look at the amazing creations by the DT and how each one has taken to the theme. Honor your master and play along….

Once the lid was ready, I decided no fuss for the base. I took out papers from the DCWV paper stash and re collections paper pack. The outside has a vintage look with brown and colorful polka dots…it’s a co incidence that the spots are the same as the colors I have used!

A dull gold lace trim runs all around just to “dress up” the box and when the lid opens….

Now, dont have expectations, I really can’t make anything that big that fits into the box!

And so…I chose this paper from re collections which has these bold bright flowers in orange which was perfect for the inside. It compliments the painting outside, what say???

This box is :”special” and will go to my mother when she visits me next week. I think she will get the message….

I tale leave now and would like to tell you that I am off on a holiday till the 25^th and so you won’t be seeing much of me in the next 2 weeks. I can hear a sigh…

And so I will see you on the other side of the vacation with some interesting details.

Don’t forget to play along and do let me know how this inspired you and do share your memories with mom too!

I would like to have this mother and child enter the following challenges…

Country ViewChallenge – Scenic beauty ( mom and me in the garden)

InspirationJournal – Pasted

Anything ButCute – Vintage garden

Our CreativeCorner – April showers bring May flowers

Shopping OurStash – Bold and beautiful (big image and bold flowers on the inside of the box)

Fab n FunkyChallenge – may flowers

Frillie andFunkie Challenge – snap crackle crackle ( crackle texture paste and Distress crackle paint)

SimonWednesday Challenge – get sentimental

Frosted Designs - All about Mom
613 Avenue Create- AG with optional twist of let's celebrate ( mother's day)

Until my next Creative Journey,

Happy Crafting and Re cycling.

Hugs.

Monday, 4 May 2015

A retro mini....

Hello Friends…

Welcome to my page today..Thanks to my new followers and hope to keep your interest in here with my projects.

Today’s project is a girly re cycled project for my niece who just graduated from high school and I wanted to give her something “special” to record all the wonderful memories with her friends. It is s co incidence that she celebrated her birthday last week and it was just perfect timing!

You know how these teens are, especially girls…a bunch of them, giggling and talking and having fun and talking their minds…they are a lot different from what we were…do you agree???

I dint want to make it too girly and neither vintage and so I decided something in between like bright spring colors, lots of flowers and a keep sake every teen would secretly admire…

Yes, I made a TP roll mini album with a hinged binding so it’s all covered and clasped with all the secrets tightly locked, lol!

I want to start with the cover where I have used the negative of this ornate oval die and I applied crackle texture paste randomly with a spatula and let it dry. When it dried, I sprit zed my new TSUKINEKO inks in Eucalyptus…wow! A lovely green it turned out to be. I rubbed in some old gold Inka gold with my fingers on the top and edges. Some chit chat stickers from Ideology completes the scene here.

A perfect background for the bunch of retro girls peeking from the frame…. Just look at them…happy and all smiles!

The other side of the cover has a lovely resin flourish which I made in brown and then rubbed in Inka gold. The sentiment has the same treatment as the retro girls frame.

The cover flap has a crochet lace and a sentiment from KaiserCraft …a perfect reminder for the good times.

On the top I have hand dyed the seam binding with DI and followed Tammy Tutterow’s tutorial to make a shabby loopy bow. I made my first chunky charm with a teen girl in mind, high heels, comb, colored wooden beads, pearls, keys and more!

I dint want it too heavy...it is attached to the bow with an Ideology trinket pin which says “secrets”…I can almost visualize the girls whispering this in each one’s ears!

I have used papers from DCWV, as proud as a peacock paper line and some Graphic 45 French Country Paper Stack papers from my stash.

I have used 6 TP rolls to make the pocket pages…each page has a tag in the pocket and some stamped sentiments on the main page.

Handmade flowers using Sizziz and Joy Crafts die add color to the pages.

A mini wooden peg says “laugh” and floral paper clip for added interest are also used as embellishments.

I have taken scraps of PP from my stash for journaling and a bunch of ornate tags too using Joy crafts die.

Here is pic of all the little things inside the pockets…so much to giggle and write for the young lady! I can imagine the glee and joy she would have in journaling the interesting memories of her high school life…(wink) !!!

I have also used some funky border stamps from paper Artsy for the front and last page which has some additional papers slips for journaling or can be used as photo mats.

The closed hinge binding makes it a lovely mini book, which can hold a lot of interesting details, can be closed and sealed with Velcro and tucked inside almost anywhere so “mom” cannot see, lol! Have you done that…I have…mom, I hope you are not reading that!

This is going to my niece as a surprise and I hope it does that! Do let me know if you enjoyed this post.

I would like to have my retro girly mini enter the following challenges..

TIOT – retro 1960’s ( I love this challenge)

CraftyRibbons Challenge – AG with ribbon

Loves RubberStamps Challenge- use atlest 2 dies (flowers, ornate oval and ornate tags)

C.R.A.F.T.Challenge blog- Add a charm/metal

613 AvenueCreate – AG feminine
The Shabby Tea Room Challenge - Pretty in Pink

Until my next Creative Journey,

Happy Crafting and Re cycling,

Hugs.

Friday, 1 May 2015

Flowers..inside out

Hello Friends…

Welcome to my page today..I am here sharing with you an altered project with a twist as usual! Hope you enjoy another long post, goes without saying.

This is DT project for Rhedd’s Creative Spirit where the theme is Anything Goes but only mixed media or altered art, NO CARDS. So go ahead, wear your thinking cap and let the creative juices flow…

Here’s what I made…I altered a smoked almond tin. I have it bright and beautiful this time!

I gave the tin a shabby distressed look. For this, first I sponged gesso all over and then when it was dry, I sponged turquoise acrylic color. I used a sponge bcos I like the natural texture that it gives. Next I rubbed a wax candle in all the areas that I wanted the distress, followed by another coat of Picket fence DP. Once dry, a light rub with a sand paper and voila the top layers just peels off wherever I have applied the wax!

Just look at the lovely distressed tin now!

I an in love with making signature tissues now, lol! I stamped the big sunflower on tissue with Archival black and colored it with DI mustard seed, peacock feathers, worn lipstick and picked raspberry. I adhered the flower with gel medium and then gave a generous coat of it all over the tin.

Some pearly dots for the center with silver pearl pen and some stamped sentiments again on a tissue…I told you, I love it so!

I colored the metal butterfly with alcohol inks and glued in some tiny glass beads for its body.

The lower part of the tin, I wrapped a printed ribbon which had a floral print and butterfly on it, perfect match for the top! I inked the edges of the tin with picked raspberry and yes my tin is now ready…ready for what????

Have a look at the title of my post…flowers inside out! We talked about the outside…well for the inside, I have lined the tin with lovely floral PP from DCWV in complimenting colors…is that it???

Of course not, when the lid is opened, this is what comes out!

A signature hand made neck piece..ta da! Very very simple and very few things needed…shall we start.

I made the sunflower using air dry clay that you get in the hard ware store used to close up leaky pipes! Yes, you heard me right…I chose that cos it is black and solves the base coloring part for me, lol! And yes, maybe when I get wet in the rain, nothing will happen to it… Think about that!

Now, coming back to the flower…I rolled the clay into a big circle and stamped the same sunflower stamp that I used for the lid. I applied some baby cream on the stamp for easy release and pressed a bit hard. It left a lovely deep impression on the clay, and I randomly cut around the petals with a craft knife.

As the clay drying, I decided to color it using…..perfect pearls??? NO…I had a box of eye shadow for god know how long, maybe its even 15yrs old, lol! I thought it will look beautiful on this flower than on my eyes and so the makeover for the clay flower begins!

I applied the eye shadow in pink and grey and highlighted a bit with silver mica powder. For the center I squeezed out a blob of glossy accents and added some tiny glass beads. The clay was still soft and I pierced 2 holes on the top on bottom.

Once dry, I gave 2 coats of gel medium to seal the powders and to give it a light sheen too. I didn't want an ugly back and so I adhered a stamped flower with the back and sealed that too, lol!

Now to attach the jewelry findings, I chose lovely big baubles in turquoise and some pretty pink and turquoise micro meads along with some silver findings and used my amateur skills to make this piece.