Shirls Artwork

Archive for the ‘Boxes’ Category

Just For Fun Class Make

August 17th, 2015 by Shirl - Posted in Boxes, Class Makes, Vintage Stamping Challenges

My friend Maria (who has been coming to my class for a few years now) had some empty metal boxes which she wanted to know how to alter so this is what we made in the class on Saturday.

The before …

The after …

For the VSC Challenge which is an Anything Goes I altered another of the tins and turned it into a sewing box for Lauren.

The image, which you can find here, was stamped onto fabric with wadding placed behind so that it made a pin cushion.

I really hope that you can join us for this month’s challenge. To enter just click Mr Linky at the bottom of the VSC web page and maybe it could be you who wins the $20 from Flonz’s store.

Please visit the DT’s blogs for more inspiration and also it would be nice to leave them some love.

Shirl

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First Installment Of Breathing New Life Into Mr Key Box

May 11th, 2015 by Shirl - Posted in Boxes

Andrew has just painted the utility room (with boring ole Magnolia) but it looks clean and fresh once again. Thanks hunny bunny you’re my hero.

This room is home to Mr Key Box but no way was I going to put him back on the wall because he was looking so tired and worn (well he is 13 years old). Mr KB is a bog standard pine box with absolutely nothing going for him. Decided he really needed a new lease of life so this is how he is looking so far.

Sorry folks I forgot to take a photo of him when he was in his boring pine state.

#1 pic – is at the stage when I had painted him all over with Magnolia.

#2 pic – shows the inside which used to have a piece of orange corrugated cardboard stuck to it. That just had to go!!!

#3 pic – is where you can just see the crackle is starting to form.

Key Box 1 Key Box 2 Key Box 3

Onto the exciting part. Bought a new rusting product from C & C which Ali Reeve from Stamps Away demonstrated … just had to have it. First time of using and oh wow what can I say … fantabulous or what!!! No more using umpteen types of paint to get that rusted look this is so much quicker.

#1 pic – shows some cut grey board keys and a lock from TH Hardware Findings. Cut each key twice then glued together to give added depth but the lock was cut three times then glued together.

#2 pic – shows the keys and lock with the grey powder on them. What you do is dab a little of the acrylic wax onto the items then throw on the powder.

#3 pic – this is the fun bit you spray over with white vinegar (or water if you prefer) then watch the magic start to happen.

#4 pic – wow the magic is starting and it looks amazing when it’s dry.

Next installment of Mr KB will be coming to you soon!!!!

Keys Keys 1 Keys 2 Keys 3_edited

Shirl

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Things With Wings

May 3rd, 2015 by Shirl - Posted in Boxes, Fashionable Stamping Challenges, FlonzCrafts, Stampers Anonymous

Fashionable Stamping Challenges this fortnight has a theme of ‘Things With Wings’ My lovely teamie sister Avril chose this very popular theme.

Another storage box for my craft room, this one is going to house some of my stamps, actually the Crafty Individuals ones fit it perfectly.

Bought an MDF storage kit from Stamps Away at Ally Pally it came in a pack of four very very cheap. I have made them all up and painted each with black gesso but this is the first I have finished completely.

Embossed some cardstock which I used to cover the inside and painted with black gesso before adding some White Fire Treasured Gold gilding wax. Also added the same to the edges.

Stamps used are from Flonz Crafts, Stampers Anonymous and Artistic Outpost.

I would love it if you hopped on over to see all the DT’s work as they are simply stunning. Also don’t forget that the winner of this challenge has $20 to choose anything they like from Flonz’s store.

Shirl

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New Year, New Stash At VSC

January 5th, 2015 by Shirl - Posted in Boxes, Darkroom Door, FlonzCrafts, LaBlanche, Vintage Stamping Challenges

Happy New Year to each and every one of you and welcome to my first project of 2015 which also happens to be the first challenge at VSC.

Vintage Stamping Challenges has a challenge theme this month of New Year, New Stash. This means you can make anything with all that new stash you received over Christmas.

This is one of those projects that I had no idea where it was going until the very end. I can never be accused of over thinking my makes because each one just takes on a life of it’s own along the way. This one is designed along the lines of a matchbox and has three tags inside which hang freely when opened. The front has a stamped tissue paper image which I lightly coloured.

The first two pics shows the box and the sides, the next two is when the inside is pulled open revealing a stamped eye image.

When the drawer is opened everything slides out and lays flat. This is where my imagination went into overdrive and I used the Ticket Strip die to attach the tags.

Below you can see how the tags swing freely and all the detail of the stamping.

Each tag has some amazing stamped images from Flonzcrafts on them plus each has been lightly coloured.

To enter this month’s challenge just click Mr Linky at the bottom of the VSC web page and maybe it could be you who wins the $20 from Flonz’s store. Please visit the DT’s blogs for more inspiration and also it would be nice to leave them some love.

Shirl

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Storage Shoe For Tags

October 7th, 2014 by Shirl - Posted in Boxes, Inkylicious Stamps, Tags

Are you ready for this … another Skype session with Irene and today we made this fabulous storage shoe for tags. This is already sitting on my desk with all those yummy tags just waiting to be used. We loved making this so much that we each said we are making another but this time it will be for our finished tags.

I used grey board and Tim Holtz papers with some core card for the inside. Only a teensy bit of stamping (couldn’t resist) you know me and stamping.

Very simple to make as there isn’t much going on really. What else would you expect from a storage box.
Wait until we make the one for finished tags that will be a different matter.

Shirl

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Mrs Peachy Paper – The Pop Up Tag Box

September 13th, 2014 by Shirl - Posted in Boxes, Tim Holtz

Mrs Peachy Paper here doing the post today because I know she won’t have time to show what she made me into at the Tuesday Skype session with Irene unless I do it. Finally, she got around to using me after buying me way back when.

Mrs C spent the night at her crafty friend’s house and has cancelled her class for today. She’s off on one of her jolly crafting jaunts and the venue is nearer crafty friend’s house than hers. I presume that means the kettle is on the go all day, cakes, sandwiches, laughter and lots of crafting!!!!

Can’t be a bad life if you ask me, not like all the forgotten crafty stash she has left behind gathering dust in all the far corners of her craft room. Who knows what she will bring back with her and where is she going to put it????

Well as you remember Mr Box (here) did a post in July so this is one for the girls.

Whilst she was mooching through her hoarded stash I saw a smile alight upon her face when her fingers touched me. (Give her credit, we might gather dust but she looks after us and she loves all her stash to bits.) The thought entered my head that at last it was my turn to be transformed into something totally awesome. You could say that I am predominantly peach (bordering on the orange shade) with brown images all over me, stunningly beautiful comes to mind. Now I know I am only a piece of paper but she has transformed me into something that will proudly be displayed on her work desk. What am I now you ask??

Mrs Peachy Paper transformed into a Pop Up Tag Box.

When I am opened, up pops a display of tags, very clever really. The box is designed to house seven tags (more or less if you want) and the Sizzix Tag and Bookplates die is perfect for this. Her next project is to design one that will house ATC’s. Just love the way my box lid folds down flat then up jumps what’s hiding inside. Neat eh!!!!

She has used other elements and papers but it is me … MRS PEACH … who is the main focal point on the box.

OK, stop crying stash, your time will come soon I promise!!!!

She made another pop up tag thingy about four years ago, see the link here – my how her style has changed!!!

Tag Box 2 Tag Box 1

Can you believe when I accessed her photo’s all she had taken was two and both of these are of one of the tags that goes inside. If you look closely you can see me nestled behind the tag. Mrs C and I will be having words when she gets home tonight!!! This means that you will have to come back and see me another time. Let’s hope Mrs C likes my post 😉

Shirl

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Posted By Mr Box

July 4th, 2014 by Shirl - Posted in Boxes

Wouldn’t you think after not having a PC for three weeks that Mrs S would be chomping at the bit to post some of the makes she has been working on? Mr A took the day off work yesterday to set up the new system and install what he had backed up so she would be up and running. But what does she do … has a play day today with her crafty friend … so I have decided to write the post for her about how she has finally transformed me from being a boring ole brown box to something stunningly beautiful.

Reminds me of the ugly duckling story.

My life first started when she bought me from the MDF Man in April 2013 at the Ally Pally craft show. How excited was I to be taken home by Shirl because I knew she would transform me into something real cool and not just leave me as a boring plain MDF Box.

Wrong … after we got home she cast me aside without another thought with all the other stash she had acquired. Over the coming months she started using all the other stash bought but alas things just got piled on top of me and I was alone and forgotten.

Another mega clear out has just taken place at ‘Shirl’s Den’ where she came across me lurking under piles of dust and stash. The den clear out was forgotten for a while as she went about working her magic on me.

She is just loving the tarmac technique (see her post HERE). I must admit I had my doubts when she first started to paint me but I should never have entertained those thoughts.

Today I sit proudly on her desk beside her precious stamps and inks. Inside of me is a spanking new art journal book (which her crafty friend bought for her) just waiting to be worked on.

OK final reveal …. tah dah!!!
I even took more pics than Shirl normally does so that you can see all the stages of my re birth of an ugly duckling into a swan. Sorry just got carried away a bit, wrong story.

These pics are the first stages where she covered me all over with embossed cardstock. Then she painted me with the most hideous of colours. You can also see where she took my cover off and started to add embellishments. Not sure I wanted flowers on me but I wasn’t going to argue in case she threw me back on the dusty ole stash pile.

Uh oh, now this is the scary bit when she covered me all over with some black yukky sticky stuff. Apart from anything else it smelt foul!!! At this stage I just wanted to be back on my comfortable stash pile all dusty rather than smelly. But then she started to wipe me off with a stinky smelling soft rag and as the last pic shows I started to transform.

How gorgeous do I look now and as proud as a Peacock.

Some more before and after shots. Aren’t you glad I did this post and not Shirl, just look at all the pics you get.

Just had to show this one last because as it says … this is all about me and my journey.

Love From
Mr Box
x x x

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Tarmac Technique

June 6th, 2014 by Shirl - Posted in Books, Boxes, Mixed Media, Stampers Anonymous

What a day I had yesterday full of fun, laughter and getting messy … definitely messy, with my crafty friend. Before I go any further I bet you are wondering why I keep referring to her as ‘My Crafty Friend’, simple really, she would rather not have her name mentioned on the web.

Well the messy part was using Bitumen Paint … TAR … to you and me. Ali mentioned this technique on C & C and she showed something which she had made, it looked rather cool. She kindly gave details of where she had seen the technique used. Off I trots to find out more details which you can find HERE.

Karen says dilute the Bitumen paint to about 50/50 with white spirit but my suggestion is to start with about 80% paint to 20% white spirit and see how you get on.

There has to be a before and after so the before is this rather pretty but very bright book box that I had in my stash (bought from Dunnes Stores for €5). Below is the altered box … love it better now.

You really should have seen this when it was covered with tar you would have thought I had lost my marbles.

Now isn’t that just the coolest technique.

Shirl

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Distressed Medieval Matchbox

March 16th, 2014 by Shirl - Posted in Boxes, Graphic 45, Stampin Up, Tim Holtz, Vintage

Made this little Matchbox with two new stamps I bought a while ago and only just getting round to using them. They look so medieval (quite gothic in fact) that I wanted to create a touch of opulance to the mix so added some gold embossing powder randomly around the edges which gave me the distressed look I was aiming for. One image was stamped with Versafine black and the other with Versafine Vintage Sepia.

Made the match box with a Stampin Up Envelope maker … this little gadget is super cool … then used Gesso to dilute the colour of the papers on the outside. Tim’s Harlequin stencil came into play but only a little also used some of the DI Seedless Preserves for her hair.

Opened the box a little for the next pic and the last one shows off the other stamped image inside. Only used a few embellies to enhance the images, a bit of gold beading and two buttons.

Can you believe the papers are from Graphic 45 the Mother Goose collection.

Match Box Open Match Box Inside

Shirl

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Tag Box Holder

February 16th, 2014 by Shirl - Posted in Boxes, Graphic 45, Stampin Up, Stamping

Apologies for the lack of posts to my blog. In between a nice little 18 hour power cut due to the storms, no internet connection because the ISP had no power and a garage roof ending up in our garden, all’s well with the world.

A true crafter lets nothing interfere with her creativity and this little make was made mostly by torch light … hubby really thinks I’ve lost the plot. Hands up those of you who have really wanted to make something so badly that nothing will stand in your way, not even having no electric. They managed it years ago!!!

Haven’t finished the ends of the doweling yet because I need to find something that will fit them. The plain tags displayed at the moment are cut from the Sizzix Tag & Bookplate die which fit perfectly.

I first saw this on the fabulous Anne’s blog here and just knew that I wanted to make one as well. So I duly followed all the links which Anne provided (thanks sweets) and bought the instructions. Click here if you want to make one too. Anne also has more info about how the the tag holder works than I do.

Sorry Helen but I tweaked mine just a teensy bit differently to yours in the front opening and didn’t do all those fiddly scores in the paper. Made mine flush instead of standing proud of the front which means that it doesn’t really need anything to hold it shut. Put two tiny clips either side just in case it gets a bit loose with use.

For the sides I made little pockets and the little tag hanging from the middle fits inside these.

Tag Holder Tag Holder5

Chose some beautiful Graphic 45 papers to cover which you can see more of when the front is pulled down. Cotton reels for the feet but left them unpainted because I thought they matched better with the papers. Painted all the edges with a dark brown also distressed the edges and used crackle glaze for a more aged look.

Tag Holder6 Tag Holder2 Tag Holder4