An Altered Box, part one

 I set a monthly challenge on UKStampers and this is my almost too late entry for the challenge. The challenge was to create a piece of art in any format, use an image transfer somewhere on the piece, use a favourite stamp in a new way no red or hearts as I am the grinch of Valentine's day.

The idea behind the challenge is to try out new techniques and I have had all sorts of problems experimenting with image transfers as you can see here. In the end I used large photocopies of feathers I found on Graphics Fairy. I added layers of Golden acrylic gel medium in different directions and then soaked the paper and rubbed off the back. It leaves a transparent flexible image.
I began with this box from Molton and Brown which I added three layers of gesso to.

I then used TH text stamps from the Shabby French collection and stamped them randomly over each other - blue side used broken china, evergreen bough and faded jeans, orange side was spiced marmalade, worn lipstick and fired brick. 

I promptly forgot that Distress inks react with water and applied the feather over the stamping with acrylic gel. Cue smudged inks and major swearing. I then decided I could use this even more distressed look. I added more stamps on top and an other layer of gel. I also added some stazon and versamark inks that would not smudge.

The butterflies and dragonflies were image transfer feathers onto double side paperartsy tape and metal. I stamped on the metal and then embossed with metal tools and cut out. I also added some more alcohol inks.

 This was using stamps in a new way but I wanted to try something else. I had read a post from Annepat on the forum who said you could use hot glue, versamark, vaseline and stamps. The dragonfly and square stamp that holds the ribbon come from those experiments.

 I will post separately about those experiments as there would be too many pictures. I lined the box with adhesive back blue and green felt and used turquoise seam binding to make the tab ribbon and edge the box.

Paper layouts from weekend

Left my camera at school so took some snaps with iphone but they are not ideal. The first layout is of Lens Guy, youngest daughter and sister in law. I used pink which is a bit of a first for me. The frame around the photo came free with a magazine but was too pink so I layered on some tissue paper I had. The decorative strip was cut out of a smaller piece of paper and I used a thickers glitter alphabet. The journaling was done in the right hand corner using a sakura gel pen.
The other layout is for the Birds cj. I was struggling with this one as had no pictures of birds. I drew a freehand bird and covered it in skeleton leads for feathers and then used images from the Graphic Fairy on the other page. The flowers were punched out from an old dictionary and inked and layered and then I glued small glass seed beads into the centres.