Tuesday 15 September 2015

Purple Stuff

For the first time for ages, I felt well enough to spend a little while in my ARTHaven doing something creative! This morning I actually managed to tidy up in there, and it really needed it, as it had become a dumping ground again. After that I was too tired to do any more, and had a visitor this afternoon, but this evening I decided to make a start on a project I’d had in mind for a while.

Our neighbour had an accident a few weeks ago and when she first came home, I wasn’t well enough to make her a get-well card but decided better late than never! I wanted to make her one of my lavender sachets in a little box, as I did for my fellow chemo-ites when I first started my treatment. This is what I have made.

18 Completed Box Closed 2

As well as making her a get-well card, I also have a couple of other cards to make, and decided to do it all as one project. Ages ago I was given some stash by somebody, which included this rather uninteresting pink and purple paper with flowers and butterflies on it – it’s fairly heavy paper but not quite thick enough to be called card, and in my opinion extremely dull, which is why I haven’t yet used it! I thought now was the time to get it out of my stash and on the move, so with a bit of alteration I was sure it could be improved.

01 Patterned Papers

I sprayed the first sheet with Crushed Grape and Bubblegum Pink Dylusions spray inks.

02 First Spray with Dylusions

Blotting off with the second sheet.

03 Blotting Off onto Second Sheet

Both sheets blotted and dried.

04 First 2 Sheets Dried

Preparing to spray the third sheet, this time with Crushed Grape and London Blue Dylusions spray inks.

05 Third Sheet Ready to Spray

The sheet sprayed.

06 Third Sheet - 1st Spray

After spritzing and blotting off, it joined the first two sheets, dried and completed. The pale pink one (which had had flowers punched out of it) was also spattered with water droplets and blotted off.

07 Three Sheets Sprayed

I took the darker sheet with butterflies on it (which had been so covered up with ink that they were now extremely subtle! – i.e. virtually invisible!) and stuck it down onto a sheet of plain white card with spray adhesive to thicken it up a bit and make it substantial enough to make a box. I used my box template to draw around, and cut out the shape.

08 Box Piece Outside

Here is the reverse side ready for inking with distress inks.

09 Box Inside Ready for Inking

I used the two paler colours (Shaded Lilac and Salty Ocean) to go all over it first, using Inkylicious Ink Dusters. I wasn’t too bothered about getting a very smoothly blended finish because it would be covered up later.

10 Box Inside - First Inking

Preparing to stamp with Versamark and heat emboss with clear embossing powder to act as a resist.

11 Box Inside Ready for Stamping

After the butterflies were stamped, and preparing for the second inking.

12 Box Inside Stamped and Ready for 2nd Inking

After the second inking with the darker shades, and buffed to clean the ink off the embossed butterflies, which now revealed the lighter shades of the first inking.

13 Box Inside Complete

Preparing to gold-emboss the outside of the box. This stamp set is Tim Holtz’s Bitty Grunge set of background stamps – unfortunately the corner of the box is across the name of the set!

14 Box Outside Ready for Stamping

After gold embossing. I wanted a nice random, mottled effect.

15 Box Outside Gold Embossed

The final step was to go around the outline with my gold Uniball Signo pen.

16 Box Outside Outlined with Gold Marker

The completed box, closed.

17 Completed Box Closed 1

Partially open.

19 Completed Box Half Open

Unfortunately with all the heating involved during the embossing process front and back, the layers started to come apart a bit, which wasn’t helped by the flexing of the flaps to close up the box, and you can see a slight crease on the flap that is open in the above photograph. Before finally assembling the box I ran over it vigorously with my brayer again, and I hope it’s going to stay stuck together!

Here is the box fully opened.

20 Completed Box Fully Open

I shall use the rest of the paper to make some cards, which will be part of this ongoing “Purple Stuff” project. Watch this space!

2 comments:

  1. I am glad to hear you are feeling better! I know how good that is, to get back to doing what you love creatively. Only two more sessions to go, is that right? Or is it three?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely purpleness and butterflies! What a great idea for a gift box - I'm sure your neighbour will love it. I'm so glad you've found the strength and inspiration to be creating again, Shoshi!

    ReplyDelete

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