CHEERS to LIFE.

Hello crafty friends..

Welcome to my page today. It’s beautiful in this part of the globe! I hope all of you are enjoying the sunshine and outdoors, we do have occasional rains and that makes it even more green and fresh!

On one such day, I decided to alter a fav coffee mug that had a few cracks and a chipped handle and I wasn’t willing to let go of it yet! I had stored my brushes in it for some time and then I decided I was actually bored of the plain colors it had!

I about making it as a gift for my husband, who shifted into a new cabin recently at work and I thought he needed some color on his table, lol!

So here it goes...the new look to the mug!

 

I prepped the cup by giving a mild coat of gesso and then decided to decoupage the image of this lovely couple. It is a tissue image and so it was pretty easy to get it on to the curved surface. 

A picture of a couple enjoying the outdoors over a cup of wine! O la la! I am sure this will break the monotony and give my husband to think beyond files and meetings whenever he gets a glance of this image!

I wanted more rugged textures on the mug and went about sticking a crumpled tissue and dry wall tape all around.

 The couple had to be highlighted, ofcourse for reasons more than one, lol!

I had a negative of an ornate oval die cut and decided to focus on the couple using this! I gave texture to that too and made a molded rose using air dry clay too.

All this stuck to the cup, I painted the whole mug with black gesso and then some dry brushing with Folk Art multi surface paints. I am falling in love with these paints for its smoothness on any surface! I just did dry brushing randomly with green and blue just hitting on the highs!

This gave an instant life to the mug. The bluish green hues with black in the crevices just added so much depth to this project. Just look at that mild, it looks so antique.

I am glad that in spite of the floral element, it still can pass off as a masculine project, what say????

I tied some rope to the handle to cover the chips and then did the sane technique there too!

The mug was ready except for this little stamped sentiment, a clear stamp form a local store I thought was apt for this “MUG” !

Cheers to life, Cheers to good times, Cheers to good health and Cheer to a bright Tomorrow...and more! 

This MUG is no ordinary one now....sure to make him think for a minute or bring a smile definitely!

Do you think he should keep his stationery in there or just a bunch of flowers???? Which is better? 

Thank you so much for stopping by today.

I would like to enter the following challenges...

Lessology- Mug shot

Stamps and Stencils- Tic Tac Toe (flowers, tissue, image)

All Sorts Challenge- Anything But a card.

Scrapping 4 Fun Challenge- AG

A Vintage Journey- Monochromatic

Until my next creative journey,

Happy crafting and recycling.

Cheers.

Some good news

Hello crafty friends,
Thanks for stopping by today and for your continuous visits and comments on my blog. I would like to share the good news that I am part of the design team of India's largest Online craft store, CRAFTERS CORNER!
I joined them this month and I am immensely proud and happy to be part of the talented design tea. Shalini has been generous with her DT kits and to kick off, I am starting my experiments with Folk Art multi surface paints.
My first post was these wonderful paints on wood.
My today's post is about using  these paints on plastic and glass.
Do drop by to see my experiments and would love to hear from you.
As always I will see you soon with another altered project.
Here is what I played around with....

To know what the end result is, do drop by at crafters corner.

Until my next Creative journey,
Happy crafting and Recycling.
Cheers.

Life in the Sea

Hello crafty friends..

Welcome to my page today. I have been wanting to do a project with animal and the undersea theme and there were just some challenges which inspired me to give it a try!

As always, I went about altering an empty packaging box lying around at home. The box was all black and so easy for me to start off.

I started by sticking all the beachy and sea stuff that I had in my stash including some sea shells collected probably 20 yrs back!

I first stuck the net and went about sticking the sea animals and shells with quick drying glue. 

Once they were secure, I gave the whole box a coat of black gesso.

As this was drying, I made some homemade texture paste with sand and smeared it all around the base of the box except where the lid would sit. I applied the same on the base of the lid too.

By this time the gesso was dry and I picked up a dry brush and some white acrylics and started to work on the lid. I just love the subtle yet dramatic look of dry brushing! It just hit randomly and I love the pattern created! The lid was coming to life with this look!

The texture paste too had dried; I went about doing the same dry brushing, this time with blue acrylics. The effect was that of waves on beach sand with the animal life above!

What a spot! Just inspired me stamp the quote...”IF I COULD LIVE HERE”.

Do you wish the same???

This was a quick and easy project. I sealed the box with a coat of ultra matte varnish and loved the porcelain look to the animals and shells!

I would like to take this box to the following challenges...

Things to alter- ag

Deco Art-Under the sea challenge

Anything but Cute- Summer time

MIXED MEDIA WORLD- Under the sea

Moo Mania- AG

The Corrosive Ch blog- Nature/ animals

Try It On Tuesday- Happy holidays
Simon Says Stamp Monday blog- Nautical/by the sea
A Vintage Journey- Monochromatic
Blog studio 75- No flowers
Berry71bleu-Fantasy It is

Until my next creative journey,

Happy crafting and recycling,

Cheers.

Books and Blooms!

Hello crafty friends..

Welcome to my page today.

Well another altered project for you today! This time I decided to give my 15 yr old wooden tray and some ceramic coasters a makeover...yes 15yrs! I wish I had taken a before pic!

It all started when a few crafty friends visited me last week and I happened to serve them tea and which is when I realized my poor little tray needs a new look, ...it just went unnoticed, lol!

I had this lovely vintage paper stack by Eno Greeting in my stash and had been wanted to use it in such a way that I get to see it every day ,lol...am I greedy here????

I also swished out an old mills and boon book as I love to have some text pages with my vintage projects!

I covered all the coasters with text pages and when dry water washed them with gesso to lighten the text.

Meanwhile, I prepped my old tray and painted it with chalky finish paints from deco art.

First gave a coat of yellow(Delicate) and then dry brushed in green(New life) to give a distressed look, will I have it any other way?

This lovely pattern pattern with vintage blooms and oooo! The circles, just stole my heart. I was so happy I could use the entire 12X12 paper except an inch gone!

 I inked the edges and then did some more script stamping on the pattern paper before adhering it.

Once modge podged, I gave it 4 coats of ultra matte varnish...no way was I going to spoil this, lol!

Next I took some stencils and worked my way on the sides of the tray, both inside and outside. 

This time I used the lovely peach color (smitten)from deco art to compliment the flowers! More circles here! I was done with the tray and pretty happy with it.

THIS TIME IT IS SURE TO GRAB ATTENTION, what say???

Coming back to the coasters...There were some bloom cutouts in the paper pad and I had them modge podged on all the coasters. I inked the edges of the coasters with the chalky finish paints and then gave 4 coats of the ultra matte varnish. I was done and happy again!

 

 Anyone for some tea....WELCOME home!

I would like to link this entire set to the following challenges...

Creative carte Blanche- book pages and blossoms

City Crafter Challenge blog- Book of love

Things to Alter- AG

A Bit more time to Craft- AG

Country view Challenges- Have fun with circles

Catch The Bug Challenge- AG

Until my next creative journey,

Happy crating and recycling.

Cheers.

Deco Art products used

Chalky finish paints- Delicate, Smitten and New life

Deco art modge podge

Deco art media Ultra matte varnish

Twin beauties!

Hello crafty friends..

Welcome to my page today. Beginning of another month and that means we start with our challenge at Rhedd’s Creative Spirit where it is always “anything goes”, altered art or mixed media. So do play along.

It’s a beautiful weather here and I have been doing quite some stuff from my studio! Today I would like to share 2 little beauties with you...well, they were nowhere close to being beautiful in their previous birth...not getting me???

Here, have a look...

Am talking about these plastic pill bottles! 

These were  given to me by a crafty friend who trusted me to do something with them and so they reached my studio and this is what they became!

Very simple procedures and I made them into functional salt and tea shakers!

Firstly sanded them to give a tooth for the gesso application I then stuck some lovely prints on to them with modge podge and blended the back ground with co coordinating acrylic colors. 

A bit of stamping in the background and then some color splats to tone down the vibrancy! I also edged the bottle with acrylic paints...one a little vintage look and the other, a bit shabby.

Once dry, gave 2 coats of varnish and ensured their longevity, lol! I then drilled some holes on the lid and they officially became “shakers”!

They now sit bright and beautiful in my kitchen urging me to cook and I am actually having a good time and enjoying my cooking sessions!

I hope this inspires you to play along this month and do drop by to see what’s in store as inspiration for you there.

Until my next creative journey,

Happy crating and recycling.

Cheers.