Art Raffle January- Shiny

This is the first Art Raffle of the year, and how could I resist this theme! My husband jokes that I am a magpie, as I love shiny things (I love rusty things, too, so that makes me one contradictory lady!) and naturally I wanted to play with techniques too. This is a tiny mint tin, the ones that you see at till points, pink, with a mirror inside. I have altered it to be a bag charm. I really had to make myself post this to Sarah, as I was actually very happy with how it turned out.

Colour: Plasticote enamel paint, Stazon, Stickles
Stamps: Paperartsy (swirls), Studio G (Alpha- it says 'yourself')
Other: Fusible film in various colours, 'love' phone charm, black velvet ribbon, clasp.

To create the effect, I painted the tin black (2 coats) and then used gel medium to stick torn pieces of fusible film down in a random pattern. Then I used first the heat-gun, then an iron to smooth and fuse the film so that it became shiny again. I trimmed it around the tin, then used the iron to round the corner. It reminds me of abalone shell!

Art Raffle October- Dark

I'm afraid you're going to have to use your imagination with this one, but this is a gorgeous sparkly altered matchbox. It looks more speckley than sparkly in these photos, but this is Glimmer Mist over black gloss card with clear embossed CD pieces, so you can picture how lovely it is when you hold it in your hand and tilt it into the light. It is also my Art Raffle piece for this month, where the theme was 'Dark'. When I Googled dark, Googling being the main way I try to clarify my thoughts on a theme, it came up with images of dark matter, and being a bit of a science geek, I was really inspired! If you don't know what I'm on about, try it yourself! Select images, put in 'Dark', and prepare to admire :D

Colour: Glimmer mist, black ep, silver detail ep, clear ep, Ice Stickles, Sakura Stardust pen, Stazon, black paint
Stamps: Cherry Pie
Other: Matchbox, black gloss card, PVA glue, old junk CD.

I cut the old CD with my dear husband's kitchen scissors, and although the corners were sharp, the edges weren't. The coating did flake off a little, just at the edge. The heat embossing was a bit of experiment, as I wasn't sure if the CD would melt or not- especially as I use the UK's version of the white Ranger heatgun, which is hot, hot, hot! It was fine, though, and stood up to two coats of the ep. This acts as a lens, and magnifies the rainbow effect. I think I may have to make some jewelry next...

UK Art Raffle September Entry- Wings

You know when you have one of those simple ideas that aren't simple at all... that happens to me all the time, and this project was an especially good example! This is my entry for this month's UK Art Raffle, where the theme is 'Take Flight'. I *love* my butterfly stamps, so I was more than delighted to make something this month, and I wanted to do something really original. My husband had received some computer bits and pieces, and they arrived wrapped in this silver, translucent, thin plastic, and I immediately hid it in my altering drawer, as I knew it would be great to stamp on. This project seemed like the perfect chance to try it, so I coloured it with a Sharpie and stamped on it, then glued it to a thick piece of acetate which came from my dishwasher tablets box. It was then I decided to add some Glossy Accents, in fact a *lot* of Glossy Accents, and each bit took a day to dry! So finally, after a week, it's finished, and I will actually be sad to see it go. I just wish I could take a better photo (I have been trying all day!) because in real life, it looks as though the wings are made of liquid.

Colour: Stazon, Sharpie pen, Brilliance
Stamp: Cherry Pie
Other: Beads, letters cut from my old book pages, findings from a necklace, cocktail stirrer, acetate and silver foil from my household waste

Once it was finally finished, I felt a bit lost, but then I made some other things for swaps, so I'm back in business again!

UK Art Raffle August entry- Summer Sun

I seem to be blogging an awful lot at the moment, but I think that's because I am doing a lot! I haven't even blogged the cards, mostly because they are only really interesting to the recipients; I am not a natural card maker. I have nothing for tomorrow, though, as I have reached the point with the piece I am working on where I have to leave it alone for a while, so that I know where I am going with it. But I thought I would share this tonight, as I really want to wash my hair and do some housework before going out tomorrow morning, and spending time on the internet is not conducive to either!
Anyway, this piece is for Sarah's UK Art Raffle, a fabulous sort-of swap she is running where everybody sends in something, but only one person gets all of the art each month! It's such a great idea, and I can imagine how I would feel if a surprise box arrived, full of inspiring things. This is the first month, but even now a lot of people have put their name down. It's UK only, sadly, because of the expense of posting, but there will be a gallery each month after the parcel has been received.

Colour: Alcohol Inks, Gold embossing powder, Dee Greunig Blending Blox, Distress Inks
Stamps: Paperartsy, Studio g
Other: Gold card, Cuttlebug embossing folder, fusible film, photo of baby laughing (Dan at 4 months!)

This piece owes a lot to Linda B, who has started to do Youtube tutorials. I had never considered using the fusible film and just melting it onto a project, and it was great fun, if a little unpredictable. And it was also heavily inspired by a certain children's show- the one everyone loves to hate, but I just love!