Altered Bottles and Notebooks

Been busy creating more altered bottles and other things. I've done a couple of craft shows so I have some experience in that now and will try some others in the future.

  

 Here's a Christmas bottle made with a tag I had from last year which I cut to decorate this bottle. The other has an air dry clay piece I stamped and painted.

  

This one has metal buttons and a piece of an old doily and the composition book below was covered in paper, ribbon and silk flower.

 Are you more than ever more inspired to create since Pinterest came on the scene? I sure am. I wish I had more time to devote to my crafts. I'm still trying to learn to draw, sew more, and want to start making soldered jewelry too and my darn full time job is in the way, arghhh!

Enjoy the rest of the week and I hope you find the time to create,

Collaged Mother Goose and Wax video

New collages and mixed media I worked on recently using images from an old Mother Goose child's book that was falling apart:

Love the crackle here

Finally tried wax on this one

 I "stamped" thick gesso with a recycled paper tube here

 

Scrunched dress pattern tissue here 

If you want to try beeswax on your pieces, here's a great video from Stampington.  This link takes you to their video.

Many other good videos at their video library as well.

Here's wishing you're enjoying your summer!

Books for Trade, Altered Notebook and Giveaways

Interested in trading for books you might have that you no longer want?  Here are a few that I have to offer up for trade. I've linked available titles to Amazon so you can take a look.

Books for trade

1. Making Scrapbooks: Complete Guide to Preserving Your Treasured Memories - Vanessa-Ann
2. Scrapbooking with Memory Makers - Gerbrandt and Arquette (mine is a hardback)
3. Treasured Memories: Over 35 Inspirational Ideas for Creating Heirloom-quality Memory Books - Mary Maguire
4. A Year of Scrapbooking - Debbie Janasak & Anna Swinney
5. Type Cast: Creative Page Design Using Words, Type and Letters - From The Editors of Memory Makers Books
6. Scrapbooking Projects - Bay Books
7. Out of Bounds: Scrapbooking without boundaries - Jodi Amieci and Torrey Scott 
8. Making Memories: Scrapbook Ideas for your Treasured Photographs and Keepsakes - Penny Boylan

I'd be interested in Mixed Media, Collage, Altered Art books. Also for Somerset Magazines: Life, Studio, Home, Apprentice or possibly others from Somerset.  Make me an offer and I might be interested in what you want to part with.

I found this notebook at the Dollar Tree.  I liked the cover as it was, so I just added the chipboard label holder thingie after glittering with this awesome blue color, a piece of vintage doily and the Spanish word for pages, paginas.  I thought it turned out pretty adorable.

Here are some beautiful giveaways from those generous bloggers we all love.  Let's celebrate with them!

Celebrating 300th Post

Life is a Beautiful Place to Be

 Celebrating a Blog Anniversary

Blue Creek Home

Another Blog Anniversary

Kandeland

Have a fun rest of the week and good luck on those giveaways.  I was lucky to win 2 awesome giveaways recently. I'll show you the goodies on a future post once I receive them.

Etsy Shop -- Special to all my Art and Craft Friends

Any order from a craft or art friend will get a free bagfull of awesome collage, mixed media goodies from my craft room.  Please check it out! Many good gift ideas. Click here or on the right hand side for:  Etsy Items

Freebies and Inspiration

Hi everyone -- Unfortunately I'm still without my computer and this one is not loaded with what I need to post photos and even for Blogger to give me all the features I usually have, it seems. I'm so tired of computer problems!!!

Anyhow enjoy some of the terrific goodies from my favorite company, Stampington.

Free vintage images here from Stampington: http://www.stampington.com/artisan_avenue/september/download.html

Wonderful project tutorial from Stampington's new publication GreenCraft Magazine:
http://www.stampington.com/artisan_avenue/september/flyaway_project.html
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I hope to upload some photos soon of a new Halloween banner I made to decorate my work cubicle and of some paper goodies I got from Freecycle. I'm also proposing a fun project at work that makes use of that all favorite "guess who this baby is" game. I'll be using coworkers' baby pictures to integrate into a Halloween mask that I'll embellish and people can wear throughout the day. Coworkers will wear someone else's photo. guess. Anyhow, don't know yet if they'll go for it but I'm hoping they decide soon, since there'll be a bit of work for me to assemble these.

I think it'll be a fun idea and would give us some sort of Halloween celebration since most people don't really want to wear customes but do enjoy the holiday.

Have any of you ever made use of your "art" skills at your place of work in some way? I'd love to hear.

Hope everyone had a great weekend and are happily creating something.

Nelly

Anniversary Frame and a Dozen Darlings

I'm still without my beloved PC, so it hasn't been easy to download photos. I'm quickly doing this on my daughter's PC which is not the ideal, but here goes.

This is an anniversary frame I made for a friend who needed an anniversary gift for a friend. I used a yard sale frame which I brushed with some white gesso on the edges to tone down the gold. I then made a ribbon bow to which I attached some tiny pearl trim, a silk Peony and bling from an earring. A true repurpose, recycle, upcycle project.
I'm hoping its well received.

This is a quick layout from a book page. I used a flower cutout from wallpaper which I gessoed a bit. At the top, an amazing handmade paper I got from a swap. See how it was glued in a square pattern (I know there's a better word to describe it, but it escapes me right now) leaving open squares. I love its color too. I used a smaller piece that was coming apart after I cut it at the bottom of the flower too. The sweet picture of the 12 children is from a vintage photo I picked up at an antique store. Pieces of pink vellum cut with wavy scissors. I decorated the bottom of it with rick rack and lace and stamped throughout the background. Click on the picure for a larger image and to see details.

Dozen Darlings - By Nelly aka Bella Nella

For those in the USA, I hope you're enjoying the summer everyone, I'm already stressing about how soon it'll be gone.

I have many more photos of my altered book from the internet class I've been taking and a fat book I worked on for my daughter's high school years for her graduation. I'll post those soon too.

Nelly

Cool Use for Magazines

In blogging around, I saw yet another cool use of paper.

At Craftstylish

Altered Rolodex

Here's the finished Rolodex I worked on to give to someone retiring at work. The cards were done by several employees in our department. I later put it all together. The single cards photographed here are my own design. A cool touch for wrapping, use old sewing patterns instead of tissue. That's what I used in the bag that had the gift. Something I know this person appreciates as she's a sewer and an advocate for the green movement.

Addicted to Eye Candy

Its almost paralyzing! I'm not creating as much as I am viewing other artist's work on the web. Thanks God for the internet, right? So much there to see, learn, be inspired by. Well, here's something I made a bit ago. Its a board book that I altered with all about my favorites in decorating my house, such as colors, styles, decorating ideas, fabrics, etc. I only have the front cover right now. Will post the rest soon.

Since Halloween is right around the corner, here's a couple of cool projects I saw published on Country Home Magazine's Oct. issue. Aren't they neat! Love that repurposing of the license plates.



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