Odd Birds

Birds have been the theme running through the month of February over at Alpha Stamps. I've been playing with the new Bird Shadow Box Shrine Kit and having a lot of fun coming up with stuff.

Because I'm a bit of a fantasy fan, I thought it would be fun to make a couple of mechanical bird friends for these two little pixies. The wee things aren't grown up enough to fly on their own, but they have their independence with their bird pals. I bet they can get into a lot of mischief......

Odd Bird

Strange Bird

 SUPPLIES:
Shadow Box Shrine - Bird 
More Cab Card Cuties Collage Sheet 
Curiosity 'Intrigue' Scrapbook Paper 
Double Dot Vintage Island Mist Scrapbook Paper
Spanish Crowns Collage Sheet
An Odd Bird Collage Sheet
Velvet Ric Rac - Sweet Pea
Small Brass Gears
Sprocket Gears
Brilliance Pigment Ink Pad 'Galaxy Gold'
Diamond Stickles
Goldenrod Stickles
Brilliance Pigment Ink Pad - Pearlescent Olive


Additional Supplies:
Swarovski flat back crystals
White acrylic paint
4x4 artist block, but you can do the same thing with 8x8 Heavy Chipboard.
Small watch parts
Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe 'Butterfly Specifics' paper (for the pixie wings)
Brass flower filigree
Double Stick Foam tape
Matte Medium or Mod Podge


A few tips for making these wee ones........ 

                                

The first thing I did was cover my boards with paper. If you are using chipboard, cut it to size.

When my boards were covered and the matte medium was thoroughly dried, I sanded the edges of each piece, first with a slightly rough grit sanding block, then a finer one to smooth out the edges.

I used the Galaxy gold ink pad around the edges and then the Pearlescent Olive. I just played around with the inks until they looked right.

I did the same thing with the Shadow Box Bird Shrines - covered them, then sanded, then played with the ink pads, giving a little extra emphasis on the beaks, around the edge of the center hole and I rubbed a little around where I planned to put the eye.

Next, I turned the birds over and experimented with where I wanted to place the gears. After I was happy with where the big gears were placed, I glued them on the back side of the birds. After they dried, I turned the piece over so the I was looking at the front, and placed the smaller gears and watch parts where I wanted them, filling in any ugly gaps or placing a piece where it showed nicely.

After things are thoroughly dried, I turned the piece over and gently place double stick foam tape in places where it would support the piece and still remain hidden.

I added two layers to give the piece some depth and to accommodate the thickness of the gears.

I DID NOT remove the paper from both sides of the tape. Only the side touching the bird back. 

Next step, I cut out my images, gave the children just a hint of color, glittered up the crowns and attached them and the butterfly wings to the children.

While they were drying, I stuck a gear and a watch part on the bird where the eye should go, and glued on a flat back crystal to the center of the stack.

I positioned the pixies where I wanted them on the birds and glued them on.

After centering the bird on the board, I removed the remaining paper  from the foam tape and stuck the bird down, making sure I left room at the bottom for the little 'sign' under each piece.

I made little plaques and glued them on bits of cardboard and they got the same ink pad treatment as the boards and birds did.

I glued them on after carefully placing them where I liked them.

I glued the velvet ric rac around the edges of the board, but if you're using chipboard, inking the edges of the board is probably a sufficient finish, unless you have some dainty ribbon.

The brass filigree was cut and added as an afterthought and attached directly to the board behind the bird on 'Strange Bird' and the remaining scrap glued to the tail of 'Odd Bird'. 

I used some flat back crystals inside the birds on top of the watch gears just, ya know, because I like a little sparkle.

The last details were added with white acrylic paint, and I used a small paint brush to dot around the eyes and wherever I thought looked pretty!

I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about these little guys...feel free to e-mail me.

Thank you for hangin' out long enough to get this far!

:-)

Here's a little something extra I made with some bits I had on hand.

 

                                        

The Philosopher's Stone Reliquary...another ATB

Recently, I was in a swap with the extraordinary pottermouth who made this wonderful ATB for me.
I pondered what to make her....I knew she liked Harry Potter, but I didn't want to make something everybody else had, so I started to ask myself a lot of, 'what if?' questions about events and objects in the books.
The one that stuck with me was this one; what if shards of the Philosophers Stone survived and were saved by Dumbledore? What would he do with them?
I think he would honor the memory of his old friend Nicholas Flamel and put them in a beautiful box, a reliquary.
Not long ago, I visited the National gallery and was blown away by an exhibit of byzantine art. There were a couple things that I was particularly fascinated with - the Madonnas and the beautifully made reliquaries. (and oh, my gawd, the jewelry! But that's another post)
There's no doubt that the major influence on my making this one was that exhibit.

I used a chunk of butternut cut to ATB size. I cut the front off, cut that in half and hollowed out the inside of the remaining chunk. I hung the doors with hinges and proceeded to wood burn the heck out of the whole thing.
The idea behind all the Celtic knotwork sprouting branches and leaves was that the Philosopher's Stone was the main ingredient for the elixir of life, so the wood would be almost compelled to sprout and blossom.
 And of course Dumbledore would have the Hogwarts crest emblazoned on the front!

The wee bottle is filled with a bunch of Czech glass beads that I pulverized with a hammer. The bottle can be removed to reveal two larger shards of the stone inset in the wood.

The wood was finished with a mixture of beeswax and mineral oil.
A detailed view of the back:

Artist Trading Blocks

Remember these?

I wrote a post about these wonderful little chunks of 2x4's and all the possibilities they inspire and here are a couple of examples of what I've made and a special ATB made for me in a swap on Craftster. These are just the tip of the iceberg! I've got a few more in the works and if you want to see some great examples of ATB's, go to Craftster and see them Here.

I made this one whilst thinking about spring. It's been unusually cold here in southern Virginia this winter.

The flowers are raw brass findings that I enamel with fingernail polish.

Here's one that was inspired by a scrap piece of Graphic 45 paper from the Steampunk Debutante collection.
The bulb in the middle (on top of the block) is, I think, something from Tim Holtz, but the two on either side are flash bulbs used in old flash cameras way back in the 20th century. :-)

My husband gave me a bunch of rusty washers and I used a couple of them on top. I love rusty things!

And this fantastic ATB was made for me by pottermouth in the Artist Trading Block Swap on Craftster.

You can see more of this awesome ATB Here.  I'll be posting a couple more ATB's in the next week or so, so stay tuned!

Trying new things

2014 marks a time for trying new things. New places, new foods, new ways of seeing things and trying new crafts.
I've always been intimidated with the idea of quilting. You can erase a line on paper, but you can't fix fabric if you cut it in the wrong place.
Speaking from experience.
I'm such a perfectionist and so used to being successful at crafts, failing miserably (more than once) at quilting was a humbling experience. I am all for learning from my mistakes and I sure have made a bunch over the years, but that has never stopped me from trying and overcoming obstacles.
Quilting is/was one of the few things I've wistfully put aside and left to gather dust in the back of my mind.
I decided to try again this year and a friend and I signed up for a workshop at a local quilt shop called The Sewing Studio.
I was nervous, but the ladies who work there were great, very kind and patient and by lunch time I was wondering why I waited so long to give it a go again.
I had a blast!
My first successful quilting project: The Compass Pillowcase

I love it!

Madonna of the Birds and tutorials!

Yeah, we've all heard of 'Crazy Cat Ladies' but what about 'Eccentric Bird Ladies'?
No? Anybody?
Well, I personally know a couple eccentric bird ladies that are fabulous people and this piece was inspired by them, lots of wonderful supplies from Alpha Stamps and a recent trip to the  National Gallery of Art where I saw an exhibit called, Heaven and Earth: Byzantium Art from Greek Collections, it was amazing.
There were a lot of Madonnas and gold halos.
Just sayin'.

None of them had wings on their boots, though!

Supplies List:
Lady in Blue Collage Sheet
Victorian Fashions Collage Sheet
The Avenues, Home (paper used for skirt)
The Avenues, Treasure Scrapbook Paper
Monarch Brocade Varnished Paper
Monarch Cherish Varnished Paper
4 Inch Paper Doilies
Sheer Gold Organza Ribbon
Liquid Pearls-White Opal
Vintage Photo Distress Ink 
Brilliance Pigment Ink Pad - Galaxy Gold  
Copic Markers:
Madonna of the Birds Set
Mod podge
Aleenes Clear Gel Tacky Glue (great for sheer ribbon!)
Cardboard (used as the backing for the plaque)

TUTORIALS!
A little lesson in coloring the varnished papers used in the Bird Madonna.

The first thing I did was cut the paper to the size of the plaque/cardboard I used and glued both pieces down, back and front. I sanded the edges, rounding the corners a bit to make them look a bit worn.
I inked the edges, first using the Galaxy Gold and then Vintage Photo.  (Love these inks!)

I like the extra richness you get when you combine the two.
Then, using the Galaxy Gold, I inked generously around the area I want to have a little extra color.

I then applied the Vintage Photo over the gold. Keep in mind you are using a dark ink, so start with
a small area...you can always go bigger, but you can't go back if you cover too much!

It looks like a mess, I know! Quickly, before it has a chance to dry, take your old worn out gold pad (you can use any old gold pad for this) and rub the dark ink around.
The old pad will pick up the ink where it doesn't stick to the paper and you're left with a nice accentuated pattern.

Super easy and looks fabulous!

But wait, there's more!

How to do the doily halo. Those Madonnas at the museum were rockin' these things!
First, cover the doily back and front with a layer of mod podge. Do one side at a time, letting it dry before you do the flip side or it will stick to whatever you lay it on. A piece of wax paper works great for a work surface. Make sure it's completely dry before you move on.
Next, when you're sure of placement, coat the entire back side of the doily with mod podge, place it, press it down gently, making sure it's completely flat, and let it dry thoroughly.
Okay, this is the fun part!

A little bit about paint. I used Golden Acrylic paints because that's what I've got, but you can use any gold acrylic paint for this as long as it's relatively opaque. Like the one pictured on the upper left.

I used my finger for this (please excuse the strange gold finger in the picture)
but you can use a brush if you like. I just dabbed, rubbed and smeared until I covered
the doily pretty thoroughly. Try not to get gold paint on the background, but it's not tragic if you do.....it makes things  more interesting!
Let it dry. Or not.
Sometimes I'm a little impatient.

Okay, now here's the part where I say you have to have a certain kind of paint.
See that tube of paint on the right hand side of the picture? (above the picture with the gold finger, ha.)
That is called Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold. Oh, baby do I love this paint.
It's translucent and for that reason you can use this wonderful stuff as a second layer on top of any gold paint (and on lots of other paints, too) and it adds a richness and old world quality to whatever you put it on. I use it a lot. It's my secret ingredient in a lot of things I make.

I dab a little bit on the doily and kind of smudge it around. If it dries too fast for you, dip your finger (or your brush) in water -not too much- and it will spread a lot easier. You don't need a lot. A little goes a long way, and I didn't cover all the the gold paint with it. Just enough to make it look like it's aged in spots.
When you're satisfied with what it looks like, let it dry and carry on with your piece.
It's great stuff. Any time you want to add a little depth and richness to gold paint, this is the stuff to use. 
Did I say I really love this paint?
I really, really do.

Note: This is not a paint that you can go to WalMart and get. It's a bit expensive. You can order it online and I have seen it at Michaels.
Dick Blick sells it for about $9.27 for a 2oz. tube. It's worth it!

And one more thing.........

Let's have a wee chat about Copic Markers.

I use Copics for lots of things, but today I'm going to talk a bit about how I used them in the Madonna.
Copics are alcohol based, permanent markers with nips at both ends. Many of the colors are translucent and can be used to juice up color on collage sheets and other ephemera. They are also great for toning down the raw, cut edges on collage images without the harsh line of black in markers.
In the Madonna, I've used the skin white to enhance the color on her cheeks, give her a bit of a shadow by her left ear and pink up her lips a bit. (I thought she looked a little wan) While I was at it I gave her a little shadow in her decolletage. Because every girl should have a little cleavage.

I used the leather marker to outline the birds on her shoulder and sleeve as I wanted them to show up, but I wanted a softer look than black. I was a little anxious that her birdcage hat wasn't going to show well against all that glorious gold, so I used the leather marker for that as well.
I also used it to color the liquid pearl 'leash' on the bird she's taking a stroll with.
The same marker is used to outline most of her body.
All the flowers and other birds I used the Brick Beige marker on....I didn't need them to 'pop' but I didn't want those white edges showing. The Brick Beige blends in well.

I used the Pale Aqua to make strips on her tights and to pump up the color in the bow at her breast.
Here's a tip about edging fussy cutting.

This little girl is a good example of a few delicate pieces that can be problematic to edge. The dang things want to bend and create problems!
A simple solutions is this:
Turn the piece over, place it on piece of scrap paper and run the fine tip of the Copic marker around the whole thing.

 The ink is absorbed into the paper around the edge and eliminates the raw white bit. A word of caution; some papers are more absorbent than others and will soak up color beyond just the edge.
Test your paper before you begin to make sure the marker won't bleed into the image too much.
It helps to use a color that is close to what the front of the image has on it. I've been known to use four or five different markers on one image.
Experiment and find what suits you and have fun!

Happy New Year!

There is a big old world out there, full of possibilities and opportunities. Let's go get some!