Swirlydoos & Swirl-a-Palooza!!!

This month's kit at Swirlydoos had the most delish Technique kit!!  

It featured a chest from Kaisercraft.  

I spent an entire day on this and was really happy with the end result.  I really enjoy working on altered objects and it felt good to get dirty and inky. :)

I started out by painting the entire unit (not the drawers) in a dark brown acrylic paint.  Then I went over all of it with a crackle medium made by Folk Art.  When that dried I mixed some white and tan acrylic paint to get an off-white.  I painted over the crackle medium and as it dried the cracks were revealed.

While I was waiting for the paint to dry, I covered all 4 sides of the drawers with paper from Kaisercraft's Sweet Nothings line that was featured in our main kit. I also used Walnut Distress Stain on the inside of the drawers.  Then I used a Prima Rasp tool to distress the finger slot and top edges.  I finished them off with Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress Inks.

When all of the paint dried, I pulled out my favorite medium (light molding paste) and a stencil and went around the chest adding molding paste in sections. 

When the molding paste hardened I used Distress Stain and a paper towel to add color to my stencil.  Tattered Rose Distress Stain was included in the kit and I used Peeled Paint for the leaves.  I really love the end result.  It's not often that what I envision in my head actually happens on my project.  This finish came out just like I pictured it would.  

I used my rasp tool all around the chest to age it.  I paid some attention to the shelves and distressed the shelves where the drawers slide in and out.  I wanted this chest to look like it had been lovingly used for many years.  When I was happy with the distressing, I went over all of it with Vintage Photo Distress Ink to give it an even more aged look.

In our kit we received some chipboard hinges and locks.  I broke out my Lumiere Paint and did a first coat on them in green.  When that dried I ran them through my Cuttlebug and dry embossed them.  Then I used a combination of Copper and Bronze Lumiere Paint and dry brushed the chipboard to give them a patina finish.

I topped it off with some Petaloo flowers and sprays that came in our flower add on kit and finished it off with a bow.

This Saturday, the 18th, Swirlydoos is hosting an open house and crop called Swirl-a-Palooza.  The theme is How Does Your Garden Grow.  With Earth Day coming we will be focusing on using recycled and household items on our projects to create texture and embellishments.  We will be having a few challenges, a game and a ton of tutorials and videos.  You don't need to be a member to play along!!!

I am hosting a Vintage Seed Packet Challenge.  I've provided a bunch of vintage seed packet images to pick from.  You can make a page layout, ATC, tag, card, canvas, home decor, altered object or whatever you want; you just have to use one of the images provided.

Here is my example:

I created a canvas with my kitchen in mind. I used up the last bits of my favorite paper from the February kit.  I also used 3 different chalkboard mists that we have received in prior kits; Apricot Nectar, Inchworm, a blue whose name escapes me, and then I used Tiger Lily from my stash.  I used a stencil that came in a prior kit and some molding paste.  This created the base background on my canvas.

I used a photo transfer technique using an image of the seed packet.  I used Photoshop to create a mirror image of the seed packet and then printed it out on my ink jet.  I cut a piece of sticky back canvas a bit larger than my image.  I put an even layer, not too thick, of multi medium on the sticky back canvas.  I misted my printed image until the paper was slightly damp and then placed it face down into the multi medium.  I used a brayer to make sure that it was really going to adhere to the canvas.  Set it aside to dry.  Then mist the paper lightly and using your finger begin to gently run the paper off.  Your image will be revealed on the canvas.

I trimmed the canvas so it fit my image and then ran it through my sewing machine.  Multi medium also stiffens fabric.  I applied some to my canvas seed packet and created some wrinkles and dimension to the packet then adhered it to my canvas.  I used pages from an old herb gardening book to create my leaves as well as some crumpled up piles of paper.

I used a Spellbinders Sunflower die to create my flowers.  I added some bottle caps from my stash.  I first covered them in Black Soot Alcohol Ink and wiped it off in a few select places.  I added a small vintage photo and Crackle Accents to one of them.  I found a metal book plate in my stash and glued the vintage photo bottle cap to the top.  I enhanced some of the details by adding white gesso with my fingers. 

 I finished off the canvas by stamping with a Stamper's Anonymous text stamp and then some bubble wrap stamping using some white acrylic paint.

It is now hanging on my wall in my kitchen!!

I hope you come over and hang out with us for a while on Saturday!!!

Thanks for stopping by!! XO, Lisa