I sought to do something temporary, or relatively temporary, in case she wants to change it again at some later date. I took the idea from one of the budget decorating shows on HGTV, which often runs in the background while I’m working (the technique was applied to the edge of a thrift-bought coffee table to dress it up).
I can envision this technique applied to pillar candles or plain ceramic flower pots, too.

I measured the widest area around the frame and cut a chipboard frame to match. Then I cut a piece of copper foil (40 ga.; .003″ thick) to fit that, burned patches of color into the foil with a propane torch, and chased texture into it with the peen end of my hammer. The foil was then wrapped around the chipboard frame and secured to the plastic frame using Terrifically Tacky Tape (which really IS terrifically tacky, by the way).

The copper frame isn’t yet attached to the plastic in the above picture. This was the “does-this-work-for-you?” picture which went to her inbox for final approval before project completion. Normally, she’s more of a brushed nickel kinda gal.

Happy crafting!

P.S. I am sad to inform the public that International Cake Month has — as of today — officially passed. Long live CAKE!

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. :)

This notebook was pulled apart and altered from the ground up. There is great satisfaction in taking something bland and giving it new life. This project is also the last time I intend to use Best-Test paper cement in my projects. It works well as an adhesive but smells (uncomfortably) nasty, even after 2 weeks at rest on a finished project.

Still, I hope her new owner enjoys her.

She likes girlie pinks, butterflies, and light blue. She’s drawn to paisley prints and Mary Engelbreit patterns (the busier, the better) — a reflection of the perpetual locomotion she is? Where do the Zen minimalist and the flitting butterfly meet? I suppose … somewhere in between.

Happy day.

This pony was rather beat up when I found him in a box at one of my favorite thrift store haunts. Both his mane and tail (a bright fuchsia then) had been trimmed to nubs and it looked as if someone’s puppy might have cut a few teeth on him, leaving lasting scars. I didn’t fill in any of the gouges, but a little blue and some black acrylic paint disguises all but the deepest of scratches. We call those battle scars and bear them proudly. His alicorn is a spiral seashell reused from an old necklace.

Elan is a direct descendant of Aris, thrice removed from the old Patriarch, Orlen, of the Celestar clan. He is the fastest unicorn in his herd, holds the third highest record for jumping, and, imbued with Caretaker qualities like his ancestor, can strike a bridge (magic!) more than a mile long. His favorite snacks are buttercups and clover buds, and he thinks spring dragons are “cool.”

Marcus, pencil sketch - week 1

It wasn’t a completely unproductive day, today, though. I managed to practice a bit of pencil sketching. I’ve been following Jessica “Neon Dragon” Peffer’s instructions from DragonArt Fantasy Characters. The book’s focus is animated characters, rather than real life portraiture, but because she simplifies everything from full body to eyes, ears, and even noses, I find it an easy format to follow.

I’ve also noticed, just in the last few days, that I see the world around me quite differently from before. It’s a little disconcerting, like some mathematical problem that I must deconstruct and work through to solve. My mind breaks complex images down into basic shapes where they begin to make sense, and then it becomes easier to translate them to paper. 3D aspects are still very puzzling, eyes are difficult to duplicate with much precision, and ears remain a total mystery to me. But, hey, yanno, it looks like a human face. Good ’nuff.

For now anyhow.

I’m late for bed, but I wanted to share this: if there’s something you want to do (murder and mayhem most emphatically excluded here), you should go for it. At least try it for a while to learn whether or not it suits you and don’t EVER let anyone — good intentions or bad — try to stop you.

May there be pencil smudges in your dreams tonight.

Ta!