Folded Book: Faith Can Move Mountains

Posted on 26th October 2015 by perfectly4med

It’s taken two practice runs, but I think I now have book folding sussed. This is my own design, and I wanted to create the banner space below the main word to complete the sentiment. I’m also going to do a word cloud image using the chapters and verses that are applicable to the saying, which will go on the inside covers. Yet another item to price up and pop on my stall at the Church Fayre at the end of November!

UPDATE: I’ve added the word cloud image, based on a photo of K2. Here’s the finished piece – I think the darker background makes the rest zing and pulls it all together:

Continue reading →

It’s all the presentation: perfect packaging 2

Posted on 25th October 2015 by perfectly4med

I’m still in making mode ready for my church’s Christmas Fayre at the end of November. I’ve decorated these pre-made metal blanks and made them into brooches by using an epoxy glue to stick on the brooch clasp – details on the decoration are here.

I wanted create a bespoke presentation box to show them off at their best – it just so happened I could use the same size for the peacock and the dragonfly. Designing started with a 3×2″ base. I added ½” sides and tabs. For the lid, I enlarged it slightly, adding the thumb divots in the centre to aid taking the lid off. To raise the base (and create a hidey-hole for my business card), I designed a stage slightly smaller than the base, with ⅛” supports at the side to hold the item off the bottom and the holes with a slit between allows me to press the brooch back through and fix the item in place. Two boxes come from an A4 sheet of card, cut on my Silhouette Cameo. For placement of the holes/slit, I pressed the item down onto a piece of card, and was able to see a dent where the clasp and hinge of the brooch back were. A bit of triangulation later, and the hole placement was perfected. This was ideal as the brooch clasps were in roughly the same position on each item – it would have been much less practical for several different placements.

Continue reading →

The Art of Liquefaction

Posted on 8th October 2015 by perfectly4med

There’s always that moment when you see something on Facebook or Pinterest that you think – I could do that. This project was one of those – a link to a YouTube video that popped up on my timeline (sorry – haven’t found it since). It was in German, and seemed to be 20 minutes of the two presenters describing – but not actually doing – the process to make these cast concrete votives.

Continue reading →

Not all wax crayons are created equal

Posted on 6th October 2015 by perfectly4med

It’s amazing how much one can achieve when the computer isn’t accessible. Until after lunch yesterday, I was upgrading the operating system which meant Facebook wasn’t a constant presence, my current shopping list wasn’t visible, and the radio was off.

Instead, I painted six blackboards, tidied the studio after creating a bomb site making samples for Craftwork Cards, prepared for last night’s art journaling session, dealt with a duplicate order delivery, crocheted a sampler panel for a scarf, and had a go at some crayon art (pictured above). Now then – all the pictures of similar projects on the internet show nice long dribbles of shiny molten wax. My pound-shop crayons boiled and became an immobile gloopy mess more reminiscent of glutinous bread dough than freely flowing molten wax. The resultant solidified mass is actually quite brittle, and as it is on stretched canvas, is easy to crack. Polishing makes no difference. Which leads me to wonder – are they made of some strange plastic?

And it leaves another conundrum – do I leave the space empty at the bottom, or find suitable text or carefully place some oil paint as faux wax stalagmites underneath the drips?

Continue reading →

Crafted from Caravans: The Christmas Collection

Posted on 1st October 2015 by perfectly4med

The floor, tables and just about every other surface in the studio is currently covered with a fine layer of shredded wool polishing wheels and jeweller’s rouge… I’m also going to have to do a thorough wipe down of all the aluminium filings that didn’t hit the bin beneath…

I’ve been working in a production line over the last two days, making these hanging tree decorations. You may remember my ‘sit and be wind chime’ was made from the sidings of my grandfather’s old caravan – these are too. All are hand cut from the sheet aluminium, cleaned up with wire brush and wet’n’dry sandpaper, hand drilled and hand sawn, hammered, punched, filed and polished. Ok, I did use a Dremel for the polishing.

If you’d like a set, let me know – I will make them to order for £10 each including p&p to UK addresses (international orders extra), so if you’d like them in time for Christmas please order by the end of October.

Continue reading →

The Apothecary: Sign writing and Vignettes

Posted on 15th September 2015 by perfectly4med

I posted a week or so ago the start of an assemblage in a printer’s tray – The Apothecary. Over the last few days I have been making a sign for the top, building it from foamcore board, and coating it with several layers of paint to try and match the colour of the tray. Eventually, I ended up brushing on some tan wax shoe polish and buffing it back, and adding a small amount to the wood exterior of the tray. I think it warmed up the wood and helped make the both seem a whole. The inlay ‘brass’ line is Letraset metallic tape, and the lettering and logo are cut from 160gsm card, layered four deep and then painted with Treasure Gold Liquid Leaf Florentine and then a quick layer of Classic Gold.

I’ve also taken the photos into Photoshop and added vintage effects.

Now I’ve been looking at it from the photos, and getting a little distance on it, I’m wondering if the answer to making the bottles both accessible and not able to fall out is to make a glass door and change it into a cabinet?

Continue reading →

Altered Art: Book Folding

Posted on 31st August 2015 by perfectly4med

Regular readers of my blog will know that when I try something new, I tend to go straight for it, often not practicing first, and sometimes not really having any clue as to how the finished project will turn out. Well, I was recently asked by one of my Studio regulars if I had tried book folding… I haven’t, despite it being all the rage at the moment.
I thought it couldn’t be that hard, so decided to fold the Studio logo () into a spare hardback (The Tommmyknockers, if you’re wondering). I watched a quick video on YouTube, and got on with it. Two hours later I discovered that to avoid the art piece apparently advertising a Jackie Collins book title, I’m going to have to stick in a few more pages…

What I have learnt doing this: firstly, it takes time. A lot of time. Secondly, italics and swooshes need more pages. Thirdly, too many letters makes for poor resolution and difficult to read final result. And finally, I think this may be addictive, and I’m going to work on the method more so that I can be even more ambitious with the art form. Time to hit the charity shops methinks…

Continue reading →

A little upcycling: converting a cutlery canteen

Posted on 16th June 2015 by perfectly4med

I’m determined to have a clear out some of the things I’ve kept as ‘they’ll come in handy’ to make room for things I actually use. To that end, I’ve upcycled a shabby (empty) old cutlery canteen that was previously being kept in my grandfather’s old shed, and then languished in my outhouse/garage and shed for even more years. I stripped out the innards, sanded everything back and revarnished with a dark oak polyurethane varnish. I relined it with ‘antique red’ felt, and it now complements the lounge decor as a handy hidey-hole for the remotes and glasses I find necessary to have the TV in focus.

Continue reading →

Mixed media sketchbook cover

Posted on 28th April 2015 by perfectly4med

This is another sample for my ‘Finnabair-inspired Sketchbook Cover’ workshop in July (booking details here). It features moulded polyurethane pieces (crafting chemistry at its best), lots of black gesso, Viva Decor Inka Gold, Silks acrylic glazes and an awful lot of dry brushing over Dreamweaver texture paste through a stencil. Microbeads by Finnabair/Prima Marketing, adhered with matt multi-medium. There are still places available on the workshop if you’d like to come and get guidance on making your own.

Altered Art: My ‘Sit & Be’ Windchime

Posted on 20th April 2015 by perfectly4med

I was once asked by a therapist if I could just ‘sit and be’. Back then, it was a concept that made no more sense than someone speaking double dutch. Nowadays, I have come to learn that it is at least something I’d like to aspire to, and am beginning to understand how to. To that end, I have spent some of today in the ‘now’ of creativity, converting the side panels of an old caravan belonging to my grandfather into this decorative all-weather wind chime:

The aluminium came from the caravan panels, and was coated with tar on one side and a thick layer of oxidation and algae on the other.

I used tin snips to cut out my discs, and a piercing saw to cut out the middle sections as well as the individual hanging shapes. A rub back with steel wool and turps, then a beating with a ball pein hammer before punching the text in gives the texture. I used Silks Acrylic to fill the text and add a splash of colour.

The texts are various reminders about taking time out to be still – for me, the reminders are still very much needed!