Four Tiers and A Tattered Rose

     A new month, a new challenge at Altered Eclectics, the home of altered art, mixed media and recycling.

      We needed a fake wedding cake for display in the shop so when somebody kindly donated a set of stacking boxes the ideas started to bake.
       All the bases were stuck to the lids of the boxes below each other with hot glue. I found some crochet lace in a bargain bin, the only problem was it was blue.

      I tried several types of paint but found the only one to really cover well was some cream emulsion, two coates later and the blue lace was cream.
      The flowers were die cut from music score and coloured with Distress Ink, then attached to the cake with more hot glue.
   

      The lids will come off but they're a tight fit, good thing it's just a display item. If you are working on a recycling project, altered art or mixed media please pop over to Altered Eclectics and show us.

I would like to enter this project in the following challenges:

Crafty Creations - Anything Goes #391

Fab 'n' Funky - Recycling #442

Little Red Wagon - Recycle #499

Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes 

Classic Design Team Challenge - Anything Goes
Not Just Cards - Anything Goes

Foam Rose Plaque

     Altered Eclectics returns after its Winter break with its usual mixed media, recycled artwork challenge, anything Goes with the exception of cards and ATC's.

     This project features a large rose created with some Stix2 mouldable foam covered with micro beads. The foam was die cut using the large Tattered Florals TH die, the inner petals have one section removed so they would curve more easily. Two leaves were also cut with the same die.
     The back and edges of the foam are coloured with an alcohol marker before adding the micro beads. As heat is required to shape the foam I wore the silicone finger protectors and used a silicone cake case. The hot glue used to hold the inner petals together did soften in the heat but the cake case helped hold it all in place.

     The background is a square of mountboard, which takes Distress Oxides very well, three shades of green blended over the cream board.
     Using a stencil and water to lift the ink I added a leaf pattern to the background.

     To get the speckles of green foil I sprinkled chunky white embossing powder sparingly over the board, covered it with foil, then parchment paper and ironed it. Where the powder melts it takes the foil and gives you gorgeous shiny speckles.
     Create and Art are two words stamped on the board and then embossed with Wow powders.
     There are two holes punched and set with eyelets at the top with a length of organza, coloured with an alcohol marker, threaded through for hanging.
     A small pool of hot glue was added to the centre of the rose and some gold glitter added to give the middle some sparkle. Hot glue was also used to secure the leaves to the rose and the rose to the board.
     Please come and join us at Altered Eclectics with your mixed media and recycled projects, there is no theme just no cards or ATC's.

I would like to enter this board in the following challenges:

Die Cuttin' Divas - Anything Goes    (W)

Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes   (W)

613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes   (M)

Recycled Metal Flower

     This metal flower brooch is made from recycled drinks cans. A standard size fizzy drink can will give enough metal to make this brooch.
     This is something I saw a friend make and I thought it was great. It is a hardship having to drink the contents just to get the can, but this is where the family can all help out!
    My colour choice was set by Inkspirational this week, shades of purple and green. Try it on Tuesday have challenged us to 'Show us your metal' and Creative Moments would like to see flowers. I have also used this as my Sunday DT blog over at J&C Creations as they are having a flower making workshop on Wednesday.

     Please be VERY careful when you cut open the aluminium can, wear gardening gloves and use old scissors. Once die cut the edges are not so sharp but please dispose of the scraps carefully too.
    The petals are cut using Tattered Florals Bigz die from Sizzix and the leaves are cut with Tattered Leaves, also Sizzix. I have cut two large petal sets and one thin petal set, plus two leaves. The metal is coloured using Alcohol Inks in Eggplant, Purple Twilight and Pesto. Once coloured the big petal sets and the leaves have been embossed. A detailed embossing folder may cut the metal so I would suggest using a broad pattern to avoid this happening.

    In the centre is a flower shaped brad which goes through all the layers of metal holding them firmly together. It's not easy finding an adhesive that will hold firm so a brad is great to use. Die cut a small petal set in felt and stitch the brooch back to it, then use red line double sided tape to stick the felt flower to the back of your brooch, this also hides the back of the brad and keeps the metal off your clothes.
    If you don't have Alcohol Inks try stamping a design in Stazon and colouring it in with Promarkers.

I would like to enter this brooch in the following challenges:

Inkspirational - Colours..Purple/Green

Try It On Tuesday - Show Us Your Metal

Creative Moments - Flowers

Steampunk Cinderella

     At last here is the steampunk shoe I promised before Easter. It has taken a little longer than anticipated but it's finally finished.
    It began last year as an idea to accompany The Boot but it took ages to find the right shoe. It couldn't be any old shoe, it had to have the right look to begin with and I finally found it a couple of months ago in a charity shop. There was only one shoe so I got it for a small donation rather than throw it in the recycle bin.

     The first thing to do was chop off some of the heel and replace it with a bolt. It already had a strap and buckle which was perfect.  I had a small musical movement in my stash so I punched a hole just below the buckle for the handle to poke through and stuck the movement in the toe  of the shoe. I had to add some packing to stop it from sliding forward and to make sure the handle cleared the buckle when it was turned.
    I covered the heel with aluminium tape to help keep the bolt on and hide the join.

    I have collected all sorts of bits from charity shops and junk shops over the last year just for this project. Not everything was suitable in the end but I have used a wing nut on the back held in place by wire threaded through a button and tied off inside the shoe.  The chain of charms is part of an old necklace secured at the top by a small bull clip and at the bottom by a screw top brad through one of the holes in the strap. Also on this side is a large gem stuck in the middle of a ridged washer.

     The metal toe piece is a decorative corner from Creative Expressions bent to fit. The crochet lace has been added to the back of the strap using double sided tape and the zipper rose was made from a new zip I chopped up. I found a really good tutorial on line showing how to make zip flowers, this one is no where near as good as the tutors!!
    The inside of the shoe had to be hidden after all the things that have been attached to it so I have chopped up some polystyrene and covered it with a dark red fabric that matches the stitching all around the shoe. This is not stuck in so if anything comes undone or the music stops working it can be sorted without destroying the shoe.
    The clock is made from a charm stuck on to card and covered with a Glass Glintz dome, stuck on with Glossy Accents. The wings are from a butterfly stamp cut out and stuck on the back. It is attached to the memo pin with a jump ring.

     The invitation is cut from black card using a Spellbinder die Decorative Labels Eight. I've run around the edge with a gold acrylic paint to jazz it up a little and spelt invitation in peel off letters.
     The light bulb paperclip is from a stationary shop but I can't remember which one ...sorry, that's what happens when you spend the best part of a year collecting bits and pieces, but it is fun.
    The right side of the shoe has been dabbed with silver acrylic paint and then I've stuck on some cogs I die cut out of an old pie dish. If you run the pie dish through the Bigshot without any dies it will squash it down nicely ready for you to select what you want to cut. They have been grunged a little with brown paint.

     The cogs have been stuck on with silicone glue and some have screw top brads through them as well. There is another gem washer on the toe and the fizzy drinks can flower that you saw last month has been attached to the heel.

    I hope Cinderella likes her shoe, the Prince could have The Boot. They would make quite a couple don't you think?

    I didn't have a particular challenge in mind when I started this as I didn't know how long it would take. Imagine my delight this morning when up pops Make My Monday's new challenge of anything but a card!!!  There are also a couple of steampunk challenges on the go at the moment so lucky me.

 

    I would like to enter this shoe in the following challenges:

SanDee & Amelie's Steampunk Challenge - Fairytale

Try It On Tuesday - Inventors, Inventions & Steampunk

Make My Monday - Anything BUT a card

Crafty Emblies - Anything goes

Tattered Floral challenge

    There is a challenge over on Tim Holtz blog for anything made using the Tattered Florals Die.
   This flower is made from a fizzy drinks can, cut open , cut out and coloured with alcohol inks. After colouring I have run it through a cogs embossing folder. There is also a fabric layer using the daisy like flower from the same die.
   The flower layers have been stacked up using a screw top brad wrapped with stamens to hold it all together. I have tried different types of glue and tape with mixed success but a brad is perfect as it goes right through it all.
   There are two leaves cut using the Tattered Leaves die, also a Tim Holtz die, coloured with greens and run through a bark embossing die.
   The flower is attached to something I am working on at the moment but am unable to finish by the end of the week. Please pop back soon to see the companion to 'The Old Boot' which can be seen in the background.

   The Old Boot was a project done at the end of last summer, I am now working on it's companion. If you would like to see the making of the boot then please click on this link here. Flowers were cut from card, fabric, metal and paper, Bigz dies will cut through almost anything, I love them.