Zombie Bunnies

So I've been crafting away for my swap partner(Bargain Hunter Round 5) and I was working on a few extras for the package. I wanted to make her a stenciled or painted shirt, but it just wasn't in my $5.00 budget, so what about an iron on patch...hmmm. What to put on the patch, I checked her profile for things she loved and saw bunnies and zombies, what about zombie bunnies? I googled "zombie bunnies" and there were over a dozen pages, wow, who knew? This threadless shirt was my starting point and I came up with these.

Here they are after painting, but before outlining. I just traced the sketches I made using pencil onto some muslin type fabric and painted them with acrylic paints mixed with textile medium.I outlined them with dimensional fabric paint, I think it made them look more evil. Once they are dry I'll fuse some stitch witchery on the back and cut them out and then they will be ready to iron on anything!

Altered Journal-A-long

PhizzyChick on Craftster has started an altered journal-a-long thread and I am going to join in. I bought a book at the local thrift store for $.25 and checked to make sure it was not valuable(internet sources indicated that it is worth $4.00 - $5.00). It's in decent shape, the corners are a bit worn and the pages are yellowed, but that just gives it character.



I really like the look of text behind the images so I decided to white wash my first pages using acrylic paint and water mixed half and half. I opened to a page near the front and was just looking it over when the word "climax" caught my attention. I decided that I would read the two pages and see if there were any other naughty words and phrases(yeah, I know I have a dirty mind). I found several and decided to mark them with squares. When I painted the pages I just left those words exposed.I'm now waiting for it to dry. As I was painting I was thinking about all the conversations I've had with several of my good friends about our significant others and all of the intimate details we've shared and that is what this page is going to be about, sex and friendship. I should get to work more on this later in the week, so look for an update soon.

I'm on the Front Page at Etsy!!!

My Gear Head Messenger Bag is on the Etsy front page, I'm so excited, this is the first time I've been on the front page, YAY!

Yard Sale Finds

I am so addicted to yard sales and thrift stores, I can hardly wait for Saturdays! Today was an excellent day for bargain hunting.

I found a vintage Skyway suitcase in decent shape for $2.00, an adorable picnic basket for $1.00, a large brandy glass with the world ugliest candle wreath(which is already in the trash) for $.25, and an embroidery hoop for $.25.I also found a bag of 18 pillowcases for $2.50 and a stack of 7 round tin trays for $.50. I have big plans for most of my finds today. The suitcase will be gutted, all that stinky old fabric will be removed and replaced. I will also paint the outside, probably a soft blue or pink and then I will paint or maybe decoupage something on the side and it will become a dress up case for my daughter. The brandy glass will be used for a plant it's just perfect for keeping my kitties from munching on the foliage, but allowing in light and air. The embroidery hoop will be used to make a screen printing frame and the trays will be painted, decoupaged and sealed and used for holiday treats. The pillowcases will be made into pillowcase dresses for my daughter, a couple of summery tops, and maybe a couple of reusable grocery bags. The picnic basket will most likely be left as is, I just have to make some place mat/silverware holders and cloth napkins and we will be all set to have a family picnic! So many projects, so little time, if only I had a maid, a nanny, and a personal assistant!

The Resin Experiment

I have been wanting to try resin for a while now, it seems like one of those things "everyone" is doing. Unfortunately that means that almost all the resin jewelry I've been seeing is made with the same six molds. After reading The art of resin jewelry by Sherri Haab I was inspired to use polymer clay to make my own bezels. I shaped, baked, and finished the clay and then began the process of arranging the watch gears(salvaged from old watches I bought at yard sales). What worked best for me was putting a layer of black glitter in the bottom of the bezel and using that to hold the gears and other bits in place. I did not glue anything down. I then mixed the resin according to the package directions and poured it over everything, I did try to dome the resin a bit, but since the sides of the bezels weren't perfectly even that did not come out quite as planned.
Here they are with the resin all cured just waiting to be drilled and made into pendants. The polymer clay worked great for making forms for the resin and I think the possibilities are almost endless combining these two mediums. I am very pleased with how this project came out, especially for a first attempt, stay tuned for future projects!