Tins and Lids ...Magnets?

A few months back my sister came to visit mom, and as always, we decided to do a little art while she was here.  This trip was no different.  The day came to play and she took out of her carpet bag, tin lids from glass jars, tea tins, bits of paper, buttons, 2 part epoxy and other embellishments. Ok, this has my attention.   I have always been an instant gratification kind of gal.  I am intrigued.  We lightly glued paper on the bottom of the lids, added buttons (we shaved off the shanks) and words from a book for typed it from the computer.  I found that to be the easiest. As you can see from the photo above the words from the book didn't turn out as well as I would have liked it to.  You can see the words from the other side of the page.  So, in the future I think I will just type out the words I need.  (Squirrel...much easier to read)  After placing all the do-dads you want in your lid, you mix up the epoxy according to the instructions and pour in the lids. Be sure and cover all your treasures. Sister has us take a straw and gently blow the bubbles out of the epoxy.  Let them dry over night and we slapped a magnet on the back and called it good.  All of our lids turned out so different. The sky is the limit, so have fun!

Good fun, good times and great laughs!

Canvas Journal

A few months ago my sister was in town and she had this fabulous canvas journal. As I loved on it, I had to know more about how it was made. She sent me the information about how the artist had made this cover.

Canvas, gesso, acrylic paint, pens, leather strap and a fun button!

We (mom and I) set out to find just the right canvas for this project. We found a nice heavy weight fabric at our local fabric store, Plaza Sewing & Quilting Center in Grants Pass. We also found the button we used on the front.

We cut the canvas the size we wanted with an extra length for the flap. With gesso, we painted the front and let it dry. It gave it a nice base for the colors we wanted to add. Then came the fun part. Paint! We chose our paint and began to spread the colors. At first it was a little scary, but had to remember to layer the colors. We used all sorts of tools to cover the surface. One of my favorite tools to use is an old credit card. It helps move the paint around. I also found a old fingernail cleaning brush. That really helped blend the colors and get the paint into the cloth. After we painted we let the book cover dry over night. The next day we put a coat of Golden's Gloss Medium. It gave the book cover a nice shine. If you like a matt look omitt the gloss finish. Next came the sewing of the signatures. We both did 3 signatures with about 3-4 pages each. Sewing was basic, we did the running stitch. Added the button to the front for the closure. Mom added beads to the ends of her leather strip, it really finished it off. Mom's book in the one on top and mine is the on the bottom. After finishing the book I thought of all sorts of ideas we could do. Cat and I just got back from visiting family and friends in Southern California. I think I will make a cover to reflect where we have been. Write a little about our trip. I did save some mementos from the vacation. Maybe the word Hollywood or SO CAL on the front cover.....hhmmm, will give that some thought.

Mini Me

Meet Mini Me....one of the projects mom and I wanted to do was an Altoid Doll. Mom knew right away that she wanted to use her stickers off of fruits and veggies she had been collecting. It took me a little longer to decide what I wanted my doll to be...then it hit me. I will make ME! A self study of myself. I started collecting small items that represented me. The house we (my partner Cat) were in the middle of building, a heart with a 4, for my quad by-pass, music staff for the love of music and the group Sweet Adelines that I was in. Puzzle pieces and a strip from a Simplicity pattern. I even carved a toothpick to look like a crochet hook and made a little skein of yarn for my love of crocheting. Crazy blonde hair that sticks up...yep, that's me! It was interesting to see what I thought about myself and what I collected for this mini me. This project took us about 8 weeks or so and about 16 hours.