something OLD to NEW!

I want to apologize before you read this post because the lighting was not good and the metal was reflective so I know the pics are not good.



 

 

 

This is My Treasure for the week!

 

Want to see where it started?

 

 

Who Remembers these? Old Mail sorters....everyone's parents or grandparents had these hanging on the wall at some point or another. 

 

Yes it's ugly and VERY dated.  I've looked over these several times while thrifting and then one day it came to me exactly what I would do with it.

 

So I started with Paint. Who doesn't right?

I painted the entire mail sorter a bronze color. (sorry I didn't snap a pic of this step)

 

Then I started adding my silver foil tape. (This is non other than aircondition duct tape from your local hardware store)

 

You cut it into random pieces, over lap them onto your project, and use different things to texturize it. Like pens for rivets, pencils for lines, etc.

 

 

You will get this. See the difference in the one below and the one above? Now that diamond shape pattern was part of the wood, but hey, it helped my overall design so I went with it.

 

 

Next I added some alcohol inks...

 

 

Then used steel wool to burnish it off. What you are left with is a "metal look" where the ink stays in the creases and cracks. 

 

Can you see the light spot? That is "after" the steel wool.

 

 

Next I added some grunge board hardware and inked it my desired color using alcohol inks.

 

 

Then lastly, I added all my personal touches. 

 

 

 

 

So here it is all finished.

 

And here it is all finished and housing all

my tags at arms reach for when I'm ready to create!

 

 

Love when something I envisioned doesn't turn out like I imagined......

....it turns out even better!

 

Can't wait to hang in my studio!

 

I hope this inspires you to turn something OLD into something NEW!

 

 

ALSO...check out my other blog HERE and join. I will show you some cool thrifty finds and places to go treasure hunting for all your goodies!

 

Linking with these blogs this week:

Sunny Simple Sunday - Sunny Simple Life

Sunday's Best Par-tay - My 1929 Charmer

Sunday Scoop Link Party - I Heart Naptime

Sunday Showcase Party - Under the Table and Dreaming

Sunday Link party - Petite Hermine

A Round Tuit - Creating My way to Success

More the Merrier Monday - DIY Home sweet home

Mop it Up Monday - I should be mopping the floor

Commercial Break Thursday - Suzys Artsy Crafty Sitcom

what's shaken Link Party - Shaken Together

Inspire Me Monday - Create with Joy Knick of Time Tuesdays - Knick of Time Terrific Tuesdays - Adventures of a DIY Mom

What do you see when you pick up a thrifty item?

Ok..so when you look at a spring form cake pan what do you see???

Since I'm not really a baker I see something totally differnt than most...

I snagged up the worn out spring form pans for a cool $4 at a yardsale knowing exactly what I was going to do.

I know some of you have seen these before...but I took mine a step further as I tend do. I not only painted the candlesticks but I gave the worn out pans a thrifty makeover using alcohol inks.

I first Painted the pans a black/silverish color with alcohol inks...but found it was too dark so I went back over with the reds, oranges, touch of black and copper metallic to give me a copper look.

I also painted the candlesticks a greenish/turquoise color (sorry I forgot to take pics of some of the painting steps, I was engrossed in the moment) Then dry brushed a copper glaze paint. LOVE!

On the spring latches I used the alcohol inks in the blue shades to create the same color as my candlesticks. And I aslo painted the inside of the pans the same as the latches for interest.

Use E6000 to glue the candlesticks to the pans...

Now it's ready for my paints...

Love the contrast between the copper look and the turquoise!

No it's not crooked...I tilted my camera on not the best angle...lol! (sorry for the shadows)

But I just love, love, love how it turned out and I can't wait to put it in my new art studio (hopefully that will be soon).

So just remember....when thrifting or browsing yardsales try to see things in a differnt way, they just may turn out to be useful!

 

Please visit these wonderful blogs I am Linking up with this week:

Metamorphosis Monday - Between Naps on the Porch

Make the scene Monday - Alderberry Hill

Homemaking Link Up - Hope in Every Season

Inspire me Monday - Create with Joy

Masterpiece Monday - Boogieboard Cottage

A Round Tuit - Creating My Way to Sucess

Monday Funday - C.R.A.F.T

Knick of Time Tuesday - Knick of Time

Terrific Tuesdays - Adventures of a DIY Mom

Wow Us Wednesdays - Savvy Southern Style

Whatever goes Wednesday - Someday Crafts

Whatch Work-up Wednesday - DIY Crafty Projects

Weekend Wrap Up Party - Tatertots and Jello

Time Travel Thursday - The Brambleberry Cottage

A Crafty Soiree - Katie's Nesting Spot

Transformation Thursday - The Shabby Creek Cottage

Hooking up with HOH - House of Hepworths

Link it up Thursday - Seven Alive

Thursdays are your Day - 52 Mantels

Blog hop Social - Made in a Day

Do you always know what Road to take?

So sometimes (no lots of times) I feel "artsy" but really don't have anything in particular in mind to work on.  So I just gather supplies and see where they lead me!

 

So this post is about just that!

 

This is where I started...With a blank canvas board!

 

Taking each color and spraying a good amount in a "pool" then lifting my canvas to watch it run down.  Then repeated with each color.

 

Then I spritzed with water and watched the color "move" or "wick out"

can I say ....loveeeee!

Then heat to dry.  Then I took a random map from an atlas and spritzed it with several colors as well and dryyyy.

Then tear your map in places to distress and use Distress inks with ink tool to cover entire map for that very vintage, worn look.  Notice you still see color!  Using glossy accents glue in place. (no I didn't cover top of map with glossy accents, just back)

Then after all that is dry spritz water in hand and "flick" onto background, you will see lots of movement in the inks.  DRY!

So I see a small piece of burlap and figure...why not? So to my inks I go, but the key here is to spritz one side with various colors, dry, but USE the other side.  That way some of the natural burlap shows too. Just tasty love!

So I find some embellies...but not the right color.  What's a girl to do? Ink it of course!

Alcohol inks work great on metal. So if its not the right color, change it!

So now for some plastic letter tiles I found while thrifting.  Not the right colors but you guessed it....alcohol inks to the rescue again.

 

Next, us Distress inks, with ink blending too with foam and ink your favorite colors.   Then stamp an image that you choose with black soot distress ink, now tear the top and bottom, then ink over the entire tag with one of the brown distress inks to "distress" the entire tag.  Then I covered the entire tag with Rock Candy Crackle Paint. Can you see the crackles....LOVEEEE!

Now start putting all of your components together the way you want.  As you can see I added some more embellishments and some random stamped background textures to mine for added dimension. Just go with it...there is no wrong or right way.

Here are some images of my finished product. 

NOTE;....Notice the "window" on my letter tiles, that is done using the ink blending solution after I inked it.  took a q-tip and lightly removed the ink to expose the letter.  Remember Ink blending solution is to alcohol inks like nail polish remover is to nail polish.

 

Take the Colorful Road (hard to see in pics)

 

So From the start to the finish my product looks totally different but I loved the way it came out.  I had no idea what direction I was going or where I was headed but I just worked until I felt it was done.  I love using different textures and products.  And I love how it's still colorful but plays on my grungie/vintage side.

 

 

so just remember....you can make color look vintage so TAKE THE COLORFUL ROAD!

 

Linking with:

Time Travel Thursday - The Brambleberry Cottage

A Crafty Soiree - Katie's Nesting Spot

Link up with Me - Liz Marie

Transformation Thursday - The Shabby Creek Cottage

Link It Up - Seven Alive

Hooking up with HOH - House of Hepworths

Thursdays are your Day - 52 Mantels

It's a Hodgepodge Friday - It's a Hodgepodge Life

Show off your stuff Party - Fireflies and jellybeans

Made you Look Party - Made in a Day

Catch a Glimpse Party - A Glimpse Inside

Shine on Friday - Happy Go Lucky

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Sunny Simple Sundy - Sunny Simple Life Nifty Thrifty Sunday - Nifty thrifty Things A Round Tuit - Creating my way to Success Make The Scene Monday - Alderberry Hill Inspire Me Monday - Create with Joy Masterpiece Monday - BoogieBoard Cottage  

Twitter Confused! Who? Yes, ME!! @ChristyBoug #reallyneedtoconquer

A little Twitter anyone?

 

Okay I'll be the first to admit that...

 

YES, I live on Facebook!

 

YES, I love Ebay!

 

YES, I love Etsy More!

 

YES, I am addicted to Pinterest!

 

YES, I am on twitter

 

 

#butireallydon'tgetorunderstandthistwitterthing

 

So my new goal is to not only keep up with "BOTH" of my blogs.....Maybe even start a third one....

AND to seriously "TWEET" a lot more often.

 

So this week I have made it a point to actually get on twitter and read peoples random thoughts, doings, etc.

 

But the whole @ thing and # thing really confuses me. (don't judge, I get confused easily!)

I understand what they are and why but I find twitter hard to navigate so I'm determined to figure this out and like Nike....JUST DO IT!

 

so if you are a "tweet peep" of mine, @ me and say hello and hopefully I can figure out how to "tweet" hello back!

 

#wishmeluck

Do you need a creative Jumpstart for the New Year?

Okay so I know I've been "creatively" MIA for several months.  But as a lot of you know I had a wedding to plan. MINE!! Yikes, that takes so much time.  But now it's over and I am married to a very supportive husband!

 

So I just taught a Ranger tag technique class at a local weekend scrapbook crop and it made me realize that it's really time for me to get "creative" and "inky"!

So to give me a jumpstart on inspiration, I went back to look at some of my past work, whether it be layouts or projects or tags.

Feel free to click on the pics for a closer look at the project!

 

Altered "Rat" traps! I know but it's so cool after it's altered for a photo/memo holder!

art journal pages and cover using various sprays and paints in the industry.

 

 

This is a metal art journal that I covered for my Bestie for her Birthday! This is created using foil paper by Ranger and various alcohol inks to create that industrial look! Lovely!!!

And these are some awesome tags that I created for "trades" with other artist that attended the Tim Holtz cruise in 2011.  I did these techniques using "Goose bumps" by Tsukineko Ink! LOVE how these turned out.

My configurations tray that I made on the Tim Holtz cruise in 2011! We had to gather little trinkets at each port of call, plus others that we traded with people in our class.  So it's a momento from the entire week long cruise.   Love, Love this idea! About to make a new one!!! Stay tuned for that!!

These were a couple of double page scrapbook layouts that I taught last year.  "Timeless Memories" was taught at a local weekend scrapbook retreat using stamping/inking technique and goosebumps texture spray to display lots of layering and texturing.  "Las Vegas" was a rather simple layout where I taught photo dimension technique. Great class!

And who could forget my "original" smash book that I created to keep all of my momentos from my Tim Holtz cruiz!  I created each page and the front and back covers using manilla folder, cut to size, inked the way I wanted and bound them using my WR Memory Keepers Cinch binding machine!

 

So I hope if you need a creative jumpstart that some of these projects from memory lane might help you to get your creative motor running! I know it did just that for me so stay tunned in the next few days for some creative newness coming your way!!!

 

Don't forget to leave me a comment and tell me what you like and what you are working on! And I'd love for you to join my blog so that I can keep up with my bloggy friends.  I also have another blog about my honeybear and I's vintage/thrifty pickin' if you are into that. The link is on my sidebar. Stop by there for a visit as well!

 

Linking with:

Made you Look Linky - Made in a Day

Time Travel Thursday - Brambleberry Cottage

A Crafty Soiree - Katie's Nesting Spot

Link up with Me - Liz Marie Blog

Transformation Thursday - The Shabby Creek Cottage

Link it up Thursday - Seven Alive

Hooking up with HOH - House of Hepworths

Thursdays are your Days - 52 Mantels

Catch a Glimpse Party - A Glimpse Inside

Show off your Stuff - Fireflies and Jellybeans

Chic and Crafty Party - The Frugal Girls

 It's a Hodgepodge Friday - It's a Hodgepodge Life

Show & Tell Saturday - Be different act Normal