Bye Bye Biplane

I am excited to bring you this project using an MDF biplane designed by the clever folks at Imagine If. I decided to make an altered tin incorporating some of the chipboard pieces and using a faux rust paint technique.

Here is the place before it was assembled.  I know it looks a lot of pieces but it is really easy to put together and due to the precision of the cutting everything slots together really easily.

I covered the wings with pieces of aluminium tape and ran over the joins with a fabric marker wheel to make the broken lines.

I painted the assembled place with black gesso.

I then found an old tin and painted it with black gesso. Then I used a combination of black, brown, orange and red paint to give a rusted appearance to the plane.

I added some circles and stars to the wings and tail of the plane.

I then found an old tin and painted it with black gesso.

I layered tissue paper on the tin, spread coarse texture paste randomly over the top of the tissue paper then added large gears from Imagine If and a diecut. I spread coarse texture paste over the gears and then I used coarse texture paste through a stencil to give more dimension.

I used the same combination of black, brown and orange acrylic paint on the tin to give a rusted, aged appearance.

I created a broken asphalt runway on the top of the tin using texure paste and black acrylic paint.  The grass poking through is from a piece of flower arrangement.  The effect I was gong for was a rusted, neglected plane left abandoned on a runway.

Anyway this was a great masculine piece to make and I hope it inspires you to try making a project with the gorgeous little biplane from Imagine If.

Imagine If Birdcage

My latest project uses a gorgeous chipboard bird cage from Imagine If. I got so carried away with making it I actually didn't take a lot of work in progress photographs. Here is the finished project.

I began with the bare birdcage which I painted with black gesso. Once the gesso was dry I drybrushed the cage with Rusty Paper paint and Lumiere brass paint. I then sprayed it with Lindy's Stamp Gang gold shimmer spray.

Once the cage was painted I draped the back and top of the cage with muslin dipped in Powertex which I then painted in the same manner I had painted the cage.

From there I added on a chipboard flourish and chipboard leaves and flowers and leaves from Imagine If until I was happy with the way it looked. I added a wooden piece to the top, (I think this came off an old wooden paper towel holder).

Then I had to find something to put inside the cage. So having no birds in my stash I decided to put a little fairy inside.  I altered a small plastic doll I had found at a garage sale. I made her a dress out of muslin, gave her some butterfly wings and placed her in the cage.

I then glued the cage to an altered candlestick and added some beads around the edge of the cage and the project was finished. I hope this project has given you some inspiration to create your own masterpiece and remember that all the materials can be obtained from Jo at Imagine If.

Large Fern Chipboard

Upright Swirl Flourish

Jacquard Lumiere Metallic Acrylic Paint Old Brass

Viva Rusty Paper Paint

Flowers and Leaves

Southern Girls Challenge - Altered Matchbox

I am totally in love with the Prima Rust Pastes so for the Anything Goes Challenge at Southern Girls I am posting an altered matchbox I made for a swap. These pastes are so easy to use and give such an amazing effect.  I glue two of the larger matchboxes together, then I covered I glued on various cardboard diecuts. for the top of the box I added a small plastic picture frame and a Prima cupid.  I then painted everything with black gesso and once that was dry I painted the whole piece with the three rust pastes. I used recycled earrings for the drawer pulls to finish it off.  I love the way it turned out and it was so effortless. Hope this inspires you to try these wonderful pastes out for yourself and check out Southern Girls to see what the other Design Team members have come up with and perhaps it may inspire you to join in the challenge. Remember anything goes and all types of projects are welcomed.