The Impatient Crafter : craft wars vets

Last week the Craft Wars contestants were asked to make a Keepsake Box using keys and locks. I don't have any locks handy...but I do have some lovely vintage skeleton keys and I got this nifty keepsake album from Faber Castell at CHA. You could use any scrapbook or photo album you have handy. Just start by covering it with off white scrapbook paper and either stamping or writing text to add some interest to your background. You may even be able to find some paper that works. I'd adhere it with an acid free glue and let it dry. Using dry adhesives might cause the paper to bubble up when adding paints and water.

I took out some Claudine Hellmuth paints, a Faber Castell watercolor marker, a variety of stamps and brushes and a piece of bubble wrap and made a mixed media background. (Tip: Add water to a paper towel to swipe the dots, wait until they've mostly dried so that you get that strong shape with some bleed. You can also use a small mister or add water to the paints to thin and give a watercolor appearance.)

I took a favorite photograph of my lovely family into Photoshop, played with some filters and turned it into grey scale, sized, printed and cut into a heart shape with my fabulous Fiskars cutting tools.

I cut some coordinating scrapbook and vintage book pages for a frame using the Fiskars circle cutters, added some plastic rhinestones, a few key printed words, the skeleton key and some Washi tape edges and attached it all to the album with foam stickers, tape runner and acid free Tacky Glue and that...was all she wrote. I love this so much, I want to make some similar canvases for our living room wall.

When I make art, I like to just dive in and do it. I don't think too much about what might happen or where I'm going. I let the muse take my hand and guide me. Don't get me wrong, I usually have some kind of a plan and a vision, but it's an organic, flexible one. If something gets 'screwed up', I roll with it. I am not afraid of color or layers or textures or not being perfectly perfect. My biggest challenge is knowing when to stop. Because it's often that last thing you add at the last minute that...well...is one thing too many. And you know what, it really doesn't matter what happens, because the point of making art isn't the thing you make, it's the making of the thing. If it turns out fabulous, even better, but even if it doesn't, as long as you enjoyed the journey that truly is all that matters!

Rules are for math equations and science experiments, art is about letting go of the intellectual, ordered, structured mind and letting the playful, emotional, non-judgmental side come out and have a party! As soon as we tell ourselves we aren't artists, well, we aren't. So make yourself an "I am an artist" pin and wear it proudly!

Don't forget to tune into Craft Wars at the new time for our episode, 8pm EST on TLC! And check out what the other Craft Wars Vets made inspired by last week's episode!

Pattye Duffner made a lovely wishing tree.
Cheryl Burchett made a clever blue jean bouquet.
Esther Hall guest posted for Nikki McGonigal sharing her divine candlestick lamps!
Angela Daniels made an awesome Krafty Coco t-shirt for Coco the Chicken!
Lisa Fulmer made a stunning keepsake box.
Andrea Currie whipped up a sparkly trophy.

Cheers,
Madge

Last week on TLC's new crafting competition show Craft Wars, contestants were asked to create a birdhouse that was functional and attractive using items from the Michael's craft closet and things one might find in a junk drawer. They only had one hour to get the job done, which is cra-zee. I, on the other hand, have the luxury of time and being a Monday morning quarterback, along with my other Craft Wars Vets. (Soon I too shall be risking craft fail on national TV and everyone else can second guess what they'd do if they were me!) I tried to stick with the theme, practical junk drawer birdhouse, using stuff you would find in my junk drawers, like bottle caps, dominoes and buttons combined with items you could easily find at a craft or hardware store. I had a blast turning a drabby ancient birdhouse into a fabby new home any Smoky Mountain bird might enjoy inhabiting.

If it were crafty...and slightly eccentric...that is.

I didn't put a bird on it, but I hope to put a bird in it!

Wah, wah.

So here's how I made my house and come back Wednesday to see the AWESOME house my daughter made for iLoveToCreate. Is this a craft fail or a crafty delight? Well, my fine friend, that's totally your call. Visit the links from some of the other Craft Wars Vets below!

Ingredients
One crappy old wood birdhouse
Dominoes
7-Up Bottle Caps (edges hammered flat with a rubber mallet)
Metal house numbers (I used Tim Holtz idealogy numerals)
Copper chain (cut three lengths to fit sides of house and edge of roof)
Old buttons
20 Gauge copper Artistic wire
Letter beads (to spell "put a bird in it")
Acrylic paints (bright green, teal blue, sage green, metallic copper-I used Ranger and Liquitex)
Alcohol inks and metallic mixative (lettuce, bottle, stream and pesto and copper mixative)
Large detailed stencil
Sealant (do not use spray sealer on alcohol inks...or you shall be sad...instead use a brush on sealant to protect from the elements)
Glue sticks

Utensils
Palette knife or butter knife
Stencil brush
Flush cutters
Round nose pliers
Chasing hammer
Bench block
Bench block pad
Hot glue gun
Ink applicator and felt pads

These old birdhouses required some brushing down to remove dirt and debris, now they're ready for a new lease on life! NOTE: No birds were relocated for the making of this project.

I used a butter knife like an artist's palette knife to scrape on chunky layers of paint. Starting with the darkest paint and moving to the lightest. Using the knife prevented them from mixing together like they would with a brush. I am now madly in love with this technique and looking for other things in our house to ~~attack~~ ~~disfigure~~ improve.

I used Ranger alcohol inks dabbed in the corners of a felt pad on their applicator to put layers of color on the front and sides of enough dominoes to cover the roof of my house.

I repeated the ink and paint process with some bottle caps, adding texture using blue metallic paint. I liked how that looked, so I added that to the drying dominoes.

Use a large detailed stencil, stencil brush and copper paint to add another layer to the house. Don't worry about being perfect, this is meant to be really organic and shabby in appeal. Or if being perfect is your thing, rock on with your bad self!

Use hot glue to attach the dominoes across roof of house. Try not to burn ~~the crap out of~~ your fingers whilst doing this...as I did. Because I always do. Yay, hot glue! Oh and remember the judges on Craft Wars HATE glue strings. I, however, overlook them because life is too short to worry about a few glue strings.

Use ink to add some color the the house numbers like you did with the dominoes and bottle caps, then attach them along with the chains and buttons to the front of the house.