Altered Window Art

My favorite project during the retreat at Sunset Shores was making an altered window.

When I first learned we would be creating these, I will admit that I was a bit skeptical. While I am a country girl and I love antiques, I’m not really into the primitive, paint-peeling, dirty sorts of things that old windows are. But, I figured I would give it a try and see what happens.

As you can see, here, it turned out amazingly wonderful!

My house is a little lake cottage, so I took measurements of the only wall I could think to hang it on before I left. Fortunately, I was able to select a window that fit — just barely — into the space.

I forgot to take a photo of the old window before I started, but here it is after just the first step:

It was plain, devoid of most paint on the inside and came with two tiny nails and a screw where a handle used to be.

The first step was a technique I had not heard of before … gesso and a stencil. We just spread the gesso on like frosting over a home decor stencil and let it dry. It is absolutely amazingly beautiful and I am sure I’ll be trying it on different objects soon … it added just a bit of depth.

Next came the paint. I used Adirondack Paint Dabbers (although I used a brush) in Butterscotch, Hazelnut and White. I kept going over the layers using a dry brush with little paint until I got close to the patina I wanted. Then, I went back with a lot of water and a little paint and created sort of a whitewash effect.

(click on the photos for a better view)

Next came another technique I hadn’t tried before, but loved … printing clip art on tissue paper and then using Glue ‘N Seal to adhere it to the frame. I added another coat of whitewash over the top to tone down the colors a bit.

After that was done, we made a banner. I brought my own paper and modified it a bit (I’m not a fan of rosettes), so I used the Tattered Flowers die from Tim Holtz and two layers of dimensional foam adhesive to make mine. The letters are cut from chipboard and cardstock (adhered together), inked with Distress Ink and then covered with UTEE. It spells out Family, although it is hard to see in the photo.

For the bottom two windows, I glued a piece of chalkboard paper to the front side of one (still have to get some chalk) and then used Glue N Seal to glue a photo of my kids on the back side of the window on the other. The color you see on that pane is the wall.

For this pane, I used Alcohol Inks to alter a piece of chicken wire and stapled it along the edges. Then I used cute little hooks to hang a couple of photos of my chickens on them. The vintage buttons are glued on the front of the window pane. The color behind is the wall.

For the final pane, I taped a piece of printed paper to the back side of the window.

On the frame, I screwed in two screws and wrapped some wire around a tiny glass bottle to hold it in place. The bottle is decorated with Tissue Tape and filled with rye grass. I made a charm with paper, Glastique and a tag from Tim Holtz.

 

I used the same technique to attach this old insulator the frame. I plan to use it as a chalk dispenser.

 

These pieces of faux metal hardware began life as corrugated cardboard.

 

I ran them through an embossing folder and then used Piccolo enamel powders from Globecraft Memories to make them look like metal. They were too shiny for the window, so I sanded them down and applied a bit of Ranger Archival Ink to them. I still didn’t get the look I wanted so I used a friends brown wash to paint them a bit. Eventually, I got the look above, which was perfect.

And, there you have it … one amazing window. I still would like to hang something off of the screw at the bottom, but until I figure out what I want, it’s done …

Now I’m thinking of making another for my living room …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bunny Water: Updated

UPDATE: I can’t believe I completely forgot the most important part of this project.

Once finished, I coated the all of the paper and stickers with Glue ‘n Seal by Ranger. This product goes on white/semi-clear and dries crystal clear. It comes in either matte or gloss (I used matte). Once dry, it becomes waterproof. I know it is hard to believe, but I did a birdhouse some time ago and coated it in Glue ‘n Seal. It has been sitting outside in the weather ever since and although some of the papers have faded, there is absolutely no deterioration from water. It is amazing.

So, I coated these papers in Glue ‘n Seal, too, since there is no way to continually fill and pour from a pop bottle without dripping a bit of water. Thank you, Ranger, for another great project!

 

Our rabbits are not located near a water source. So, we fill up a container in the kitchen sink, take it out back and then fill each of the bunny’s water bowls.

My husband decided a 2-liter bottle works best (and he’s right). The cap prevents any spillage along the way and it holds more than enough water to wash out and refill the bowls.

But, looking at an empty pop container in my kitchen was not an option, so I altered it …

I used the Summer Fresh line from Simple Stories. It has that country feel that matches perfectly in my kitchen. (click on the photos for a larger view).

I removed the label off the pop bottle and wrapped it in the navy floral print. Since the circumference of the bottle is longer than 12″, it left a gap on the back side. I created a tag out of another sheet of paper and attached it so it looks like this …

Then I added a bunny I cut out with my Cricut and a variety of stickers to complete the look.

The word water was printed off of my Cricut using my Gyspy. The letters that make “bunny” are just some left over sticker letters from long ago.

I love how it turned out and I think I might be making another … though probably not for the bunnies. I think this is a great idea to create custom labels so the bottles of soda match the decor at your next party.

Fairy Altered Book

Sometimes the greatest ideas come in those wee hours just before falling asleep.

This is one of those …

I have been wanting to make an altered book for many years — decades, actually — but I never had the courage to try. But, when I moved, I “found” an old copy of Alice in Wonderland. The book had purple on the edges of the pages and was such a nice copy that I couldn’t get rid of it — even though my daughter had written on many of the pages. And, with the perfect book in hand, I knew it was time to attempt to make an altered book.

It took me awhile because I wanted to allow plenty of dry time and I had to carefully think everything through, but it wasn’t difficult.

To start, I covered the inside of the cover in paper. Then, I cut out a few pages at the beginning (to get to pages filled with text). Next, I rolled a few pages and glued them down in the middle of the open book. Once that was dry (I was afraid of messing things up, so I did a little bit each day, allowing for plenty of dry time) I used Ranger’s Glue ‘n Seal to paint the edges of the pages on the right side so they would become one solid block.

Next, I traced the interior piece of one of the Globecraft Memories frames and began cutting an oval out of the book. I used my Fisker’s craft knife and continued to cut in sections until I made it all the way to the bottom of the book. I then coated the inside of the oval with Glue ‘n Seal and added some paper and ribbon.

Then, I covered the exterior of the book in the same paper and added a tassel and metal plate that I’ve been carrying around for years …

Back on the inside, I decided I wanted to soften the white pages a bit, so I added some Distress Ink and discovered an awesome technique …

The Distress Ink doesn’t show where the Glue ‘n Seal was. Doesn’t it make for a great look?!?

Next, I wanted to make a place for my fairy to sit, so I used some paper, Glue ‘n Seal, Clearly For Art (by Wendy Vecchi, Studio 490) and a Tim Holtz/Sizzix die to make some flowers. I also pulled out some leftover Prima flowers in a variety of colors and sprayed them all with Adirondack Color Wash in Butterscotch and then a thin coating of Perfect Pearls Mists in Heirloom Gold. The flowers were a variety of green, pink and purple and I love how different they all became with the same treatment. Here’s the inside with the fairy (I used Glue Dots to attach her.

Next came the Globecraft Memories frame … I covered them with paper and paint and attached them together. I still needed a bit of space between the plastic globe and the fairy, so I added a couple layers of dimensional foam.

Then it was just a matter of embellishing … I added some ribbon, some more handmade flowers (some made out of the pages of the book I took out), some more Prima flowers that I dyed and a couple of metal embellishments. I also made a butterfly the same way I made the flowers (paper, Glue ‘n Seal, Tim Holtz/Sizzix die & Clearly For Art) and added some wire antennae. Finally, for some added girly charm, I glued on several Dew Drops from Robin’s Nest.

I love the depth inside the globe. Isn’t this the perfect addition to any girly room?!