Monday, November 28, 2011

Last Night at the Club!

Ok, so I went to my usual karoake hang out to be with my friends last night. I brought some of my latest crafting work with me....I do love to show off! Well, I showed some really nice friends of mine my new altered vintage cigar box and matching cookbook and introduced it as a recipe treasury to be handed down in the family. The next thing I knew was, it was sold! A friend bought it for her mom, who was sitting next to her! Now, isn't that the coolest thing?








Friday, November 25, 2011

Pirate Holiday Bazaar, December 3rd

Come to the Pirate Holiday Bazaar at Matanzas High School In Palm Coast, Fl., Dec. 3rd from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I will be displaying my handcrafted decor and lovely greeting cards. My handmade Xmas cards are really nice this year. You can check out my art work at:
www.carlasgreetingcards.com
Carla's Greeting Cards in Flagler County, Fl.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Altered Lace Trimmed Cigar Box

I left Michaels recently in order to be more available to take care of my grandchildren. The year I spent working for Michaels, opened my eyes to new techniques, which I put to use each day that I spend in my art studio.
First I fell in love with doing altered canvases using scrap papers and trimmings. I was looking for more uses for my collection of scrapbook paper and discovered altered cigar boxes. These decorative boxes of wood or cardboard can be seen on a variety of online sites. So, I went out to the garage and there on the shelf was an old wooden cigar box, that I had brought from New York, 13 year ago when moving to Florida.

I cleaned the box up and took the hinges off. I painted the box first with light pink acrylic paint, followed by Tim Holtz Distress Crackle paint and followed that with white acrylic paint. Each layer had to dry before the next was applied. I put the hinges back when the box was dry. Then the fun began with paper, flowers, bling, glitz, lace and beads. My husband assisted me with adding the Tim Holtz knob to the box top for the pull.

Just a note here, the music note printed paper is from Recollections. Be sure to place patterns or words on the paper in the correct way "up" when looking at the project. Since it is a one sided paper, I glued two sheets together using "Yes" Paste by Gane Brothers, so that when I curled the paper the opposite side would be deorative. I also ink every edge of paper for a more professional finish.
I love how the old cream lace trim blends with the crackle paint and the old knob! The Tim Holtz feet were glued on with E6000 and make this box really special!