Up-Cycling

A few weeks ago while chatting to other PATWITS I gave some of them a challenge..so Helen..Sam..Emma..Kirsten..Lesley..Jax..and Nicky all said they were up for it!! So I sent them all a little package containing all sorts of bits and bobs. I had a few small plastic folders that Sainsbury's used to sell with their little recipe cards so one of those went in. I also have some small cigar tins that an old gentlemen at work brings in for me (obviously smokes like a trooper but what a character!

So all the girls were sent a package and told not to open them yet! When I knew they had all arrived I sent them an email with a few do's and don'ts...

                                         This is what they got

There was also a piece of white kinda binding tape which was left out of the picture and unfortunately out of Nicky's package as she was a late joiner and I forgot it!! sorry Nicky..

 Their instructions were...

*There are not many rules..and I will keep it short Sam lol... your piece or pieces have to be monotone. I was going to do a lucky dip and give you colours but for fear of Sam getting pink I thought choose your own from these:
Blue
Green
Reds/pinks
Brown
Black
Orange
Yellow
There you go girls just choose one colour way..all tones of.. and you can have one accent colour..but can only use it once!! You can use your stuff anyway you want..cut it up do more that one project..add your own stash..but use all of it or a piece of all of it*

So after some deliberation again on twitter of the can's and cant's this is what they came up with..settle down with a cuppa and read on...



                                                  Lesley
 

                                                              Jax

                   

                                                         Helen

                                                     Nicky

                                                    Emma                  

                                                          Sam

                                                      

                                      Didn't they do a fantastic job!!!

      We will be adding Lesley's and Kirstens at a later date as they have been poorly :(

I made 3 pieces..One in blues..one in browns and one in greens..

For my first piece I cut the binder rings out of the yellow folder to make a home for my ever growing collection of stencils.. I used grey-board to make the folder used grunge paste to stencil some diamonds into the corner, I also used the piece of rusty colour trim to stencil around the bottom. I die cut "Stencils" from  word play using some of the original cover from the folder and embossed it.  I then painted it all in Pea coat..I added some crackle glaze randomly and painted the whole thing in sky.

I then cut some grunge paper to size for the spine and painted it in precious metal paint..pearl blue.

I used PA minis..61,62,72,22,23, randomly stamped in ultramarine archival. On the spine I stamped the script from the paper boy stamp set in cobalt. I painted the fob watch in sky and brushed it lightly with the pearl blue..stamped a watch face and inked it with broken china and triple embossed it. The tag was painted and stamped using the cobalt. I painted the zipper with the precious metal paint and stuck it to the spine..coloured a piece of chain with indigo TG and attached it with a ring. I laid the chain randomly down the cover and stuck it using glossy accents and stuck the watch and tag with silicone glue..
I flattened the bottle top out with my original sizzix machine (yes I still have it!!) and painted it pearl blue, painted a grunge board letter A and stamped art down the side..Lastly I swooshed over the whole piece with smoked paprika for a bit of contrast.


 The inside was done the same way but with no stamping.

















 For the inside I just stitched around a punched pocket and slipped the stencil inside...just got to stitch a lot more of these now!!








                                 
                                                         

                                          *************

For my second piece I attacked the tin. I took it apart and built up the depth using grey board. I wrapped masking tape around the top to even up the insides.

I slapped on some grunge paste to cover the grey board and when it was nearly dry scrped a bit of a pattern in it. Let it dry completely. I used a mixture of vintage lace, chocolate pudding and french roast to paint inside and out of the top and bottom.. I stuck the book pages inside the bottom and the inside of the lid.


I added the disc from  the fob watch and stuck a filigree square and mini cog and stuck them inside the tin.

I painted the bookplate and embossed it using walnut stain distress embossing powder.. I painted the filigree wrap with vintage lace and attatched it to the book plate with brads. I added a mini cog and a jewel in the middle and stuck it to the lid.







Lastly I stuck some small wooden beads to the bottom for feet and painted the to match... and lace around the edge of the box and brushed it all with onyxite TG....

                                        ***********************

Lastly my third piece. I used the cover from the original folder to make a hanging. I covered it in old book pages stenciled some grunge paste randomly and inked it with shabby shutters and peeled paint distress inks. Then I just added all the bits that was left

I  painted the stamp shaped brad green stamped ART and triple embossed it. I used the piece of the tape, scruffed  it up a bit..added part of a small wooden frame and a little metal bird.
I cut a key and a pediment from a t!mmy die and a an ampersand from a sizzix alphabet die set and painted and stamped SOUL onto one of the puzzle pieces which was triple embossed and attached to the bottom using the little pin.
Everything was painted in different shades of green using frescos and I used mini 72 in olive archival all over. I stuck the mini clock key on the side and a flower on top of that. I die cut a small heart from the primitive sizzix set from the left over bandage we use for France' PA project.
So I just kept adding different shades of green randomly over the piece..and on the bottom added the trim some ribbon and tiny pearls. Lastly I sprayed it with green patina glimmer mist..phew that was a marathon post!!!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have enjoyed our little challenge to up-cycle and thank you girls for taking part!!

You can hop over to all their blogs and read how they came up with their fantastic projects...