Altered Coffin and Halloween Finery... and I'm probably going to sewing hell for this project!!

A week or so ago I stumbled across a cool channel on YouTube that someone I subscribe to had watched so now I have subscribed to follow myself. The channel is Serena Bee and you can find her on YouTube here.
The first video I watched was her Halloween Challenge and Giveaway for 2013. The prize Serena is offering is totally cool and packed full of Halloween goodies, but it was the challenge itself that attracted me. Either alter a miniature coffin or make a Halloween inspired ATC. I love making ATC's but the idea of altering a mini coffin was just too cool to resist so I set my mind to participating in the challenge.
And here was where I encountered my first hurdle...
Over in the US of A (where Serena Bee is based) mini coffins are available on just about every street corner... well at least in every Michael's store and at a measly USD$1.50. Here in New Zealand we don't have a Michael's (only the Michael Hill jewelry stores) so that option was out. I tried a couple of the larger craft stores to no avail either. I even checked the Amercian store here (Martha's Backyard) but not a mini coffin to be found.
What I did find and ultimately used, was a paper mache pencil case with straight sides and a flip up lid. It still does look like a coffin just not the generally accepted (and first to spring to mind when you think of a coffin) six-sided shape but the bonus was I could design it with a split lid which I could lift up for a viewing.

I painted the coffin (as I no longer think of it as a pencil case) inside and out with black acrylic paint. Then I sliced the lid in half to create the two independently open able lid portions. In hindsight, I should have done this before painting as the cutting process pulled off some of the paint, so a touch up job was required.

About now I pondered for a bit as to how I wanted to decorate the coffin. I bought some gorgeous green fabric and a spider and web pendant, neither of which I ultimately used. Instead I decided to add some flames along the bottom border of the coffin. (Although that sounds like a quick and easy decision it was actually more like a desperate clutching at straws as I didn't know what to do or where my mojo was hiding at the time.)
I checked out the flame related stencils I have but they weren't really designed as borders nor were they designed for such a small project. The height is only about 1.5" so I decided my only option if I wanted the flames was to design and create something myself.
I downloaded some stock images from the internet and used several images as inspiration for the design. I drew my design onto a strip of heavyweight plastic (cutting board or place mat from the $2 shop) then cut it out using my Tim Holtz Cushy Grip Scissors and Retractable Cutting Blade.

I placed the stencil along the edge of the painted coffin so that the base of the flames was the bottom edge of the coffin and pounced on some yellow acrylic paint using a cut up piece of makeup sponge. The design was quite detailed and some parts relatively intricate so I wanted a lot more control of what I was doing, hence the make-up sponge.

My conclusions on this step...
1. The image created by sponged on the paint was not as strong or as sharp as I imagined or wanted.
2. As the coffin was made from paper mache, the surface was actually that smooth, so achieving a crisp clear edge on the flames was not easy as the stencil did not always lie completely flat on the coffin.
3. Putting the yellow paint over the black was as you can imagine not a simple task and more than one coat would be needed in order to not end up with a "dirty" yellow look.
I thought about laying the stencil back in place and going over the image again with the sponge but decided this might just end up making a complete mess of things, so instead I decided to paint over the image by hand using a fine detail brush and using the stencil image as my pattern.
This turned out much better. Not only was the yellow paint completely opaque this time, but I was able to clean up the image and ensure that the outer edges of the flames were all much crisper and cleaner.

I repeated the paint job with orange and red acrylic paints ensuring that each subsequent layer of colour left some of the previous layer showing to give the flames a colourful and dimensional look. For the red in particular I made sure to use a "flicking" painting movement to give a softened edge to the image rather than a hard, unnatural look.

At this point in time I decided that I didn't want to cover up too much of the paint job having put so much effort into it and I also didn't want to just put a skeleton into the coffin. It was way too cool for that, but instead I thought the coffin would be more suited to a Vampire Doll who used the coffin as her hip and trendy "hidey hole".
I traipsed around Papakura and the surrounding area for the perfect doll. Ten or was it twelve shops later I still didn't have the perfect doll... though I did have a couple to choose from. I found there was a predominance of really tall "fashion" dolls and mermaids neither of which I wanted or really short dolls that would have just looked silly. The two dolls I did find were still both a little tall so some creative "plastic surgery" would be required to make them fit but at least the were a faux Monster High look so the doll I eventually chose was already a "Vampire" (all be it a pink one).
After some delicate plastic surgery my Vampire girl was about an inch shorter (just don't look under the clothes to see what I did in order to make her shorter... it wasn't pretty!!) and she now fits inside the coffin, all be it still a tight fit.

(Above you can see how much I shortened her in order to get her to fit.)

While out doll shopping I had also picked up a cushion cover to cut apart and use as the fabric to line the coffin with. This is something I have done in the past and is a much cheaper alternative to buying fabric from a haberdashery store. The cushion cover was only $2.00 from the cheapo store, yet gave me two generous squares of silk fabric in two different styles (and a zip I can use for another project).
I cut the fabric to size then completely cheated. If you are a sewer you might want to skip this bit. If you don't know how to sew then read on...
Time was of the essence and I couldn't be bothered getting out my sewing machine and hand sewing was going to take forever... so I cheated. To provide a crisp edge on the coffin lining and to ensure the fabric didn't fray (as fabric usually does) I folded each edge over and stuck it to the back of the fabric (wrong side) with masking tape. (Yes I know I am probably going to sewing hell... but tough, if I can live with it then so can you). No I didn't take any pictures... I hid the evidence of my evil doing!!
I then adhered the fabric in place using Helmar's Fabric Tac glue. It is worth pointing out that I did the inside of the base in one piece but the lid was covered in two pieces so that the two portions of the lid could be opened independently of each other with a nice crisp edge along the centre split of the coffin lid.

The then hand sewed a coordinating outfit for the doll. She is dressed in a camisole style top made from black ribbon of two different widths and a orange and black skirt. Both the skirt and camisole are decorated with a frilled black lace to accent and provide a feminine touch. In addition the skirt is lined with a black tulle under petticoat though both layers of the skirt have been tacked together so that the skirt doesn't flare about too much preventing the coffin lid from closing properly.
The doll originally wore some red plastic filigree boots with slipped on her lower legs. I coloured these black with a permanent marker so they now are black with a red undertone which looks really good against the orange lining.
The final touch was some black ribbons in her hair before I laid her to rest in her new home.

I love the look of this project. I am so pleased with the way everything turned out especially the flames on the outside. It take a lot longer than I thought it would but that included sourcing the coffin, fabric and doll as well as all the hand sewing of her outfit, not originally included in my planning phase, but that said... I really didn't mind to get the end result.
Now I just need to keep it away from my 4 1/2 year old Granddaughter who has been eyeing up a new doll for her extensive collection!!

Sweet Station Swap

On the Artistic Creationz group I created a Sweet Station Swap for a little something different. It was a partner swap and I signed up to swap with two people - Lainie and Brenda.
We had to decorate a box no bigger than 6" x 6" and fill it with candy, lollies and/or scrappy goodies.
I made three boxes, one each for the two ladies and one to keep for myself as I like to keep a copy of everything I make for myself.
The box was made from scratch using chipboard which I adhered together with wet adhesive and then strengthened with structure strips inside and outside. I held the lid in place with two hinges on the inside of the box.
Before adding the lid I covered the box and the lid with torn up book pages... yes I'm still using the pile from the altered book project I'm part way through. I added the ribbons to tie the boxes closed at this stage so they would be held in place by the paper as it was decoupaged over the top. Once this had dried well, I coated the outside of the box with plain Iridescent Paint. (This is usually mixed with acrylic paint to add a shimmer to whatever colour you like but this time I didn't add it to paint).
On the lid I added some large flowers using The Crafter's Workshop "Flower Frenzy" stencil and some texture paste that I had coloured pink with Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals in Cotton Candy Pink. Once this had dried I also painted over the whole flowers (not some of the in between background bits) with some more of the Magicals which I had added to some gloss medium. The centres of each flower I coated with Liquid Pearls.
I added lace around the edge of the lid to add some femininity to the lid as it was looking a little harsh and stark despite the flowers
I made double layer bows from some millinery nylon ribbon I had picked up and tied a large flower around the bow to shape them and hold them in place. All the flowers had been coloured with various Lindy's Stamp Gang mists, Tattered Angels mists and the mist I had made from my Faber Castell Gelatos. The larger flowers I also edged with Kindy Glitz for a little sparkle.
I adhered the bow in place along the edge with the hinges then added the dimensional flowers around it together with a few leaves.
Around the edges I hand painted individual blades of grass using a variety of green paints from my stash.
Inside I included a variety of goodies including some tags and journal blocks I had printed, muslin, calico and burlap for some scrappy goodness. For the candy and chocolate goodness I went to the American Shop - Martha's Backyard - here in Auckland where I had bought a selection of candies that we can't get anywhere else. I included an Altoids tin of mints (so the ladies can alter a proper Altoids tin instead of the fake ones we usually have to alter here), some mint M&M's (not usually on our store shelves), wafer lollies, and a selection of mini Hershey's bars - sorry I didn't take any pictures of the candy's just the boxes...

 All three boxes... showing the finished results, inside and out.

 The three lids.

Close up of the lid. The shimmer look of the background is the iridescent paint. 

 Close up of the dimensional bow... I'm really pleased with the way these turned out. Love that millinery ribbon!

These flowers all started out white from I Am Roses. They were all coloured using Lindy's Stamp Gang and Tattered Angels mists and then many were accented with Kindy Glitz. 

From some angles the iridescent paint is very transparent so the words of the book pages can be clearly seen. 

From other angles (and with the camera flash) the iridescent paint appears quite opaque so the words are much harder to see. 

The ribbons to close the box and the lace border around the lid. 

 I really like the way the individually hand painted blades of grass turned out. It took a while but was very therapeutic at the time!

I kept the inside of the box plain, especially as I was going to put food items in here. This picture also shows the hidden hinges inside the box.

Swap Video - Artistic Creations - Mini File Folders

Quick share of a video I have recently posted on YouTube of a swap I hosted on Artistic Creationz.
For this swap we made Mini File Folders.

Recycled Storage for Mists

I'm slowly building up my selection of Lindy's Stamp Gang spray mists and up until now they have just been sitting in the original plastic bags that the sets came in. While functional they weren't exactly pretty... so I decided to do something about how I was storing them.
I had a box sitting around from some bulk baby wipes I bought at the supermarket. The box was the perfect height for the Lindy's bottles. It had a lift up lid so I removed this and cut the sides on an angle so it still retained the strength of the box while making the bottles easier to see. (It looks more like a display unit now).
The top edges were a bit rough after cutting the extra bits off, so I covered the upper edge on all sides with some leftover Kraft cardstock strips folded from the outside, over the top and then inside the box. I painted them with a mix of acrylic paints - KasierCraft Antique White, Plaid Champagne Metallic and Pebbles Inc Yellow.
I covered inside and outside the box with some old patterned paper from my stash. I distress inked the outside pages only with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Walnut Stain and Black Soot.
Around the bottom of the box, I adhered red buttons of various sizes with Helmar 450 liquid glue.
To finish the box off I adhered three flowers from I Am Roses to the top right hand corner which I had misted to add some shimmer.

Don't my Lindy's mists look great... and with them out on my desk where they are so easy to reach, they will definitely be getting plenty of use.

Mixed Media Canvas

At last I have been able to complete the video for the Mixed Media Canvas I created. You will have seen on my earlier post that I had a few issues.
Well I have finally been able to resolve all of my technological issues and the video (including my first ever voice over) has been successfully uploaded and is now available for viewing on YouTube.
Watch the video here or on YouTube for a very speedy version of how I created this awesome mixed media canvas. (Speedy as in I managed to cut down over 2 1/2 hours of video of my crafting to just under 14 minutes speedy - phewwwww.)

Be sure to subscribe to my blog and YouTube channel if you haven't already done so to make sure you don't miss out on any upcoming projects and creations... or just to hear me waffle again.

Mixed Media Canvas... and a technology fail (for now)

I slaved over this project for a few days... longer than I expected it to take.
Then I slaved over the video so I could post it on my YouTube channel and use it as my Design Team Application for Faber Castell Design Memory Craft but the technology in my life decided it was not going to cooperate so after three attempts at editing the video I missed the deadline... oh well there is always next year.
If anyone is willing to sponsor a completely new video recording system, then all donations will be gratefully accepted and used... just putting it out there to the universe LOL.

Anyway...
In lieu of a step by step video tutorial... for now I wanted to share some pictures of the finished project... my first but definitely not my last altered canvas. I will attempt to edit the video once more having downloaded an updated version of my software... so fingers crossed it works this time. If I'm successful (and you will probably hear the hoops and hollers of joy) then I will update you with the link... if not, then I guess I won't. (You all know that right about now it's personal... it's me or the software and I'm not giving up just yet!!)

The canvas is 6" x 12".

Background colouring done with Faber Castell Gelatos - Peach, Guava, Lavender, Bubble Gum and Earl Grey blended together into a random pattern.

Heat embossed over the top with VersaMark ink and Detail Black Embossing Powder from Stamp Effects using the KaiserCraft "Crackle" clear stamp.
Edges all inked with Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Walnut Stain and Black Soot.

Torn corrugated cardboard, lightly painted with Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber - Snow Cap.

The sentiment (my own creation) was stamped onto white cardstock scraps which I had coloured using the same colour combination of gelatos. It was stamped with Archival Ink - Jet Black using Hero Arts Basic Upper and Lower Case Peg Stamps.

The words were all cut out individually then edged with a Tombow dual tip pen using the brush end before being adhered in place with Glossy Accents.

The polymer clay torso from Kimi at Unique Scrappiness was washed with a mix of gelatos and water.

The flowers from I Am Roses were all coloured in one of the following techniques:

• Gelatos with water to create a water colour - painted
• Gelatos with water in a spritzer bottle - misted
• Lindy's Stamp Gang - misted

The twisted stems are chenille pipe cleaners covered with florists tape which was then rubbed with Faber Castell Gelato - Chocolate and misted with Lindy's Stamp Gang Mists - Cadbury Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Truffle.
The tag was a "Luggage Tag" from Jillibean Soup. This was scrunched up and distressed with Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Walnut Ink and Black Soot.

I included some Steampunk Metal Charms from Faith at Artistic Creationz. They were painted lightly with Faber Castell Gesso which was wiped off with a baby wipe before it had dried.

And finally close up of the two sides showing the embossing wrapping completely around the canvas... easier said than done, but well worth all the effort.

I really love the end result of this project. All the stress and technology EPIC FAILS... aside, it was well worth it and I can't wait to find the perfect spot to put it, so it can inspire me every time I look at it.

Swap - Altered Flowers

So carrying on from yesterday's post about the altered chipboard letters for the "My Favourite Things" embellishment swap on Artistic Creationz website... I've also added as one of my other embellishments some flowers I have altered/coloured to match the chipboard letters and ribbons included in each participant's bag of goodies.

Now I have to confess, I wasn't planning on sharing these... why, because you are probably sick of me extolling the virtues and raving about how much I love my Lindy's Stamp Gang mists... and I don't want everyone switching off because you are sick of my raving or just jealous because you want some too. And especially as I posted about some altered flowers earlier in the week as well. But these flowers just turned out so well that I just have to share them and also because I did something a little different this time... some more experimenting with some of my supplies.

I originally thought about misting the colours on for a change but let's be honest, two toned roses just look so much more natural. Yes the Lindy's Stamp Gang mists are two toned... but I wanted to kick it up another notch before I put them away for a few days. So I pulled out my Faber Castell Design Memory Craft Gelatos and my Portfolio Series Water Soluble Oil Pastels to see if they would play nicely with the Lindy's Stamp Gang mists.

And the answer is an emphatic YES!!

I just love these even more than I loved the last bunch of flowers I coloured... and I didn't think that was possible.

So here are the altered/coloured flowers for the swap. Once again I've taken with and without camera flash photographs so you can see the difference. The only other thing is that this time I used Ivory not White roses from I Am Roses.

Don't they just look stunning!! 

Left - Base colour was a light blue oil pastel with Lindy's Stamp Gang Tiffany Lou Blue dripped on the edge of each petal.

Right - Base colour was a dark blue oil pastel with Lindy's Stamp Gang Buccaneer Bay Blue highlights.

Left - Base colour was a Faber Castell Gelato in Guava with Lindy's Stamp Gang Witch's Brew Purple on the edge of each petal. This is definitely one of my favourite colours - I love the blue shimmer in there.

Right - Base colour was a mix of dark grey and black oil pastels with Lindy's Stamp Gang Screamin' Banshee Black which also has a deep blue shimmer to it. 

Left - Base colour was Faber Castell Gelato - Butterscotch with Lindy's Stamp Gang Golden Doubloons for accents. Without the flash it almost looks creamy... but with the flash you can definitely see the beautiful golden colour that it really is.

Right - Base colour was Faber Castell Gelato - Chocolate with Lindy's Stamp Gang Dark Chocolate Truffle on the tips of each petal. 

Left - Base colour was a mix of Faber Castell Gelatos - Lime and Green Tea with Lindy's Stamp Gang Freaky Franken-Lime for on the tips of the petals. This is also one of my favourites because that green is so luscious and intense.

Right - Base colour was mix of Faber Castell Gelatos - Guava and Bubble Gum with Lindy's Stamp Gang Cotton Candy Pink on the tips of each petal to accent. Unlike the altered letter yesterday, you can really see that gorgeous pink colour on the flower here.

Left - Base colour was Faber Castell Gelato - Blood Orange with Lindy's Stamp Gang Hag's Wart Orange for total yumminess. This would have to be my favourite colour combination of all of them. I really love this orange!!
Right - Base colour was a mix of Faber Castell Gelatos - Red Cherry and Chocolate with Lindy's Stamp Gang Cadbury Milk Chocolate on the tips of each petal as an accent.

I only have a few Faber Castell Gelatos at the moment which is why I had to use some of the Portfolio Series Oil Pastels, not that they didn't do the job equally as well. 

There are a number of lessons to be learnt from all of this experimenting - 

• Don't be afraid to mix up your products and tools to get the effect that you really want
• Don't be afraid to use scrapbooking, paper crafting and mixed media art products on other types of projects, rather than just their originally intended use
• Don't be afraid to drip your mists, or add water to your gelatos and oil pastels to turn them into a paint so you can colour or alter items for your projects
• And finally don't be afraid to do something different to what everyone else is doing... it's your art, so you can do whatever you want with whatever you want!