Sunday 30 March 2014

Springtime

 
 
Hi Everyone,
 
The clocks have gone forward, we have lost a whole hour, but what a lovely Spring morning it is, a lovely day for all the mums to put their feet up and be pampered as its Mothers Day here in the UK. A perfect day also to share with you a springtime altered book box I did recently. The inspiration for this project was taken from techniques shown in the March edition of Craft Stamper by Anna-Karin.   I was drawn to the colourful little blue tit she had created and could not resist putting myown twist on the project. 
 
The book itself was one of the brown papier mache ones and it was given 2 coats of gesso and a good tickle on all the edges and spine with  treasure gold.  The background was dry embossed, coloured with various distress inks, and then over stamped with a grid stamp.

 
The flowers are a mix of tattered florals and punched centres cut from card stock that has been pre- inked and stamped and they are sitting on a burlap flower with Kraft leaves.
 
 
Here is a close up of the blue tit, he was die-cut using the Bigz caged bird die, dabbed with embossing paste, painted and then dry brushed with black to reveal the detail of the texture.  The ornate frame is cut from mount board to give it some backbone, it was coloured with broken china stain and then given a coating of  sticky embossing powder and sprinkled with tumbled glass distress glitter.
 
 
The inside of the box was kept quite simple, just painted and lined with frayed burlap.  A piece of textured card was coloured with distress inks and stamped with archival black, finished with a craftables butterfly die-cut and a ribbon to tie it all together.
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On the close up here you can see the lovely summer grasses stamp and the sentiment, both of which are from Woodware
 
 
Yesterday me and Anne were escorted to the Happy Stampers show at Port Sunlight by Mr Anne and Mr Mo.  The bribe was breakfast at the garden centre and a promise not to spend too much.  We were both very good! we kept to the first part of our promise, and the boys went to walk off their hearty breakfast leaving me and Anne to concentrate on not spending to much money!  we did have a lovely time and met up with lots of crafty friends throughout the day and say hello.  
Right off now to enjoy the sunshine,  have a lovely day everyone
 
Mo x 
 
 


11 comments:

  1. Your altered book is gorgeous Mo, I love the frame and the way you have coloured and crackled the Blue Tit is fantastic. I really love the Spring-like colours you have used and the butterfly inside is an absolute delight!

    We did have lots of fun yesterday and how good were we, not spending too much money too. It was great to catch up with Rachel, Gwen and Neet too. Hope to see you soon. Big hugs, Anne xxx

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  2. What a gorgeous project! Love the way you created your own bird! HUgs Frea

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  3. that is one gorgeous altered book Mo - love it to bits. The blue tit is stunning! And the inside is just gorgeous too! It was super great to meet up with you again - and yes we will have to meet for a crafty session .... what weekdays are the best for you? Anne said she was pretty flexible. Fridays are probably best for me but I won't book anything with you both just yet - my dad is going in for a minor op next week and I want to check he's alright before committing myself to anything! Big Hugs Rachel xx

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  4. A wonderful altered book!! The background is gorgeous and of course I love the bird. The glitter frame adds a really nice touch. I am so glad to hear you were inspired by my article, and thank you for letting me know. Happy crafting!

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  5. What an enchanting spring time book box, Mo - love that blue tit, and the dimension you've given to the mounted butterfly inside is so effective. Lovely texture from the burlap and the glass glitter - really fabulous!
    Alison xx

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  6. Wow Mo, what an amazing creation!! Both the outside and the inside are so beautifully done!! The added textures are wonderful, but the star of the show for me is that wonderful blue bird, it is just stunning!!! Wonderful book box!!!

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  7. What a lovely creation Mo, I specially like your little bird
    Lynn xx

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  8. Oh my that blue tit is simply superb! He is absolutely gorgeously framed and embellished. The whole box / book and inside scene and sentiment are fabulous Mo! LOVE your 'good tickling with the treasure gold'! Nicola x

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  9. Bright and beautiful ! Just right for spring! Love your little birdie xx

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  10. I have to say this is one of my favourites of your projects Mo. I adore the way you've given your blue tit so much dimension and the mix of textures works perfectly. Great to hear you all had a fabulous day out too. Jenny x

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  11. This is just stunning
    Rosie x

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