Urgent! by france papillon

Hi all!

I thought i wouldn't be much of a guest, if i didn't play along with the current challenge, 

which is to alter something.

This little bag contained my hubby's latest Christmas gift 

(yep, that's how long i've had it around to do something with it).

And this is what i turned it into:

First i applied a layer of gesso over it and cut out fitting pieces of cardboard out of an empty packaging. These pieces of cardboard were used to reinforce the little bag so that it would keep a nice shape once glued inside. To make them look less 'packaging like', i applied Vintage Photo Distress Ink on the edges.

I made a drawer to put inside the bag: i cut the pieces out of the backcover of a watercolor paper block (which is 2mm cardboard).

I simply glued them together...

...and reinforced the structure with gommed kraft. I dressed up the inside with kraft cardstock.

I added some stamping using the Ephemera stamp set using Vintage Photo Distress Ink and Black Jet Archival Ink.

When i came back to my studio the next morning, i had a bit of a surprise: the gesso and the layer of paint i applied on the bag didn't adhere to it. Only thing left to do was to peel it off... and search for a solution: i needed color that would stick to this non poreous paper bag...

 Adirondack Alcohol ink!!! That did the trick!

I blended Cloudy Blue, Sailboat Blue, Eggplant, Ginger, Latte and Caramel.

I stamped some of the Ephemera and the Air Mail stamp set onto a BoBunny paper scrap (12"Midnight Frost Crystals) and on a strip of kraft cardstock with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and Black Jet Archival Ink. 

 And guess what: it's the perfect fit for atc's! 

Your turn now, go! Go alter something! 

xx

france

Mail Art envelope: by Zuzu

 

Yes, I am here with a postman's nightmare... highly decorated mail art.
its another quick simple project from me as I don't have full access to my craft supplies for quite a while yet. 
I know the postman needs to be able to see the address clearly so i am not sure how valid mail art really is but its fun making the envelope a wee bit more exciting than a plain simple colour.

I coloured my envelope with chalk inks and when it had dried completely I started stamping and sticking. I used the airmail look Washi tape to start with and stuck to the typical airmail colour scheme, blue and red.

i tried to add in some other post office type themes like brown wrapping paper, measuring tapes, post cards, luggage tags etc. I used the brown paper to help create a "ransom note" style on one of the quotes.

Supplies used:

Ephemera collage stamps HERE
Animal/ Bird collage elements HERE
Washi tape HERE
Journal tickets HERE
black and red stazon ink HERE

Air Mail box: By Zuzu

 

I decided to alter one of the oblong boxes on the theme of "air mail". I like the colour combination of the nice blue and red you get with airmail and the "postage" theme is a popular one.

I coloured the box in a pale sky blue colour wash and let it dry thoroughly before stamping on it. once it had dried I stamped various elements from the airmail "ephemera" sheet, using black, blue and red inkpads. the red and black are both Stazon inks. I added some "ink blots" using the ink blot background stamp too.

I used some of the fab airmail washi tape "washi tape narita"  around the top of the box (I glued it on as its quite low tack.) I also glued on some random bits of scrap metal, mostly from an old disassembled typewriter, and I used some salvage stickers to add interest.

To compliment it (and to give me something to put inside) I distressed some tim holtz journalling tickets, by using the paper distresser on the edges, gently blended some vintage photo ink around the edges and then stamped more Ephemera themed stamps on them.