I started two tins earlier last week, and finished this one yesterday:

I’ve learned to be patient with the rusting process, adding it in layers and wiping each one down before the next application. Here, I’ve used a combination of rust and blackened bronze (paint). I didn’t seal it, but I used spray fixative to help the rust endure, as it tends to turn to dust and peel away with time. The leather cord is removable, secured with blackened fishing swivels.

The shiny glass tiles are nice, but I found I like the simplicity on the backside better. The more I work with wire, especially plain old annealed (such as baling wire), the more I enjoy it. I’m reminded of ornate Victorian-era gates and wrought iron railings.

A decorative button fastened to a painted washer finishes off the top of the box nicely. However, I am discovering that some dimensional glues don’t self level, so this may need further work. I might have to replace the Diamond Glaze here with UTEE instead.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend. :)

I do want to share pictures of tins I altered recently. The first tin, Inspired by Melissa, is a salvage project. Melissa, a wonderful woman I met through the A-HAA program, generously made two altered tins for me so I could give them as gifts to my wedding attendants. Prior to this, she’d spent an entire afternoon taking me from store to store, not only looking for embellishments, but also giving me tips and pointers about what to use and how (which translated to use anything that catches your fancy).

For whatever reason, the rust did not take to the tins she made, and three days after I brought them home, they were sloughing away their pretty rust finishes in dime-sized flakes. Having altered only one tin before (also thanks to Melissa), I wasn’t sure if I should reuse the same tins to recreate the project. So, I rusted two new ones, sealed them, and waited a few days before transferring the embellishments. The rust held and, for added measure, I sprayed both tins liberally with a fixative.

So then, what to do with the left over tins? I tried cleaning and rusting them a second time (using craft store rusting solution). The rust flaked off again, but determined they wouldn’t be thrown away, I sanded them down, wiped them clean with alcohol and tried once more. This time it held and I was able to build up the tins. Here are the results:

This design isn’t far from Melissa’s original, thus the given title. With pre-drilled holes, at first I wasn’t confident I could incorporate or figure out how cover them. I used Adirondack alcohol ink (slate and meadow) and went hunting for hardware similar to what Melissa had used. Designing the insides of tins will take a little more practice:

Okay, I thought. She’s held my hand long enough. And so I jumped into a whole new realm with the second remake:

The face is also dabbed with Adirondack inks, this time in Cranberry, which gives it a mottled look that very much appeals to me. I was determined, though, to be a little fancier with the inside of this tin:

I just love the itty bitty pine cones I find downtown under the trees on Henderson Lawn. They are almost as cool as the Juniper berries.

I am soggy now, but the rain has passed. It is time to mosey out and bring the new dishwasher home. May the pleasant whispers of a thousand loved-ones echo in your hearts today.

Adios!