Birds & Words

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Effect Powders

Well, you guys continue to blow minds.   Seriously, CC3C #10 Assemblage Clocks may have been the best ever.  It is a JOY to view all the imaginative ways you come up with altering and tricking out these awesome clocks.  THANK you for continuing on this creative journey with us and challenging yourself more and more, time after time.  These are such good exercises, taking us creative places we might not otherwise have gone.  That's true for me, at least.  I'm learning more and more and loving taking this ride with all of you.

I've had this box I picked up at a garage sale which looked to me like it wanted to be altered.  This was the challenge to bring it out and give it its wish!
 I began by staining the box with Peeled Paint Distress Stain.  For some reason, the stain came off really bright, probably because of the color of the wood.  I used Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Paint to tone it down.  I just rubbed it on with my fingers.

I cut a stencil from a Plaid stencil blank with Tim's Tonic Craft Knife.  Very simple line of dashes to look like faux stitching.  Really big stitching.  ;-)  Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste in black.  Love.  It.

I wanted to use that AWESOME new Wallflower Vellum so I applied some of the 6 x 6 sections to Sticky Back Canvas and die cut Tattered Flowers.  Then I stamped the backs of the flowers and painted them with Ranger Matte Medium to give them some body.  They REALLY curled up when I did that so I flipped them over and lay them on the craft sheet to set up.

Now for our featured technique, finally!!  I used Fabulous Flourishes and Caged Bird die cut grungeboard for my effect powders.  Check out this awesome technique on page 52 of Compendium of Curiosities III, which can magically appear in your mailbox when you click here.  Well, you'll have to do a couple of other things, too.


Oh my grungy goodness, I love this technique.  It really creates a worn, weathered texture.  Yummy!!  When I layered up my flowers, I got stumped on what to use for the center.  Stuck.  Really???  I can't make flowers?  I guess my creative brain just got tired, but I settled on Tim's Hitch Fasteners which were, for just a brief, frightening time, discontinued.  No more!!  Love it that he brought them back.
I added a couple of metal flowers by using effect powders on some mini bottle caps from Maya Road that I snipped with wire cutters and then flattened.  Distress Embossing Powder works beautifully on metal.

I wanted to give you an idea of the scale of this piece.  I really love how it turned out.  I didn't do anything to alter inside, except with color, because I want to use it for storage in my studio.  Not quite sure what will live in it yet.  I'll think of something.  ;-)
Well, there you are.  Ready to break out those Effect Powders?  I'm going to be SO excited to see all the beautiful things you create with this technique.  Remember, don't describe it in your write up, visit all the Curiosity Crew blogs and leave your comment.  Get all the guidelines for CC3C here.  We are all watching eagerly to see some of the best creative talent on the scene today go to work.  Seriously, y'all are awesome.

Inspiration Emporium reeeeeally wants you to win their $50 gift certificate this time!!  Tim and Mario have offered up an abundance of of signature Tim Holtz products which will be awarded to the Curiosity Crew choice.  You've got two ways to win.  You still reading this blog??  Go make art!

58 comments:

  1. This box is stunning!! love the flowers, foliage, and the rusty bird cage.

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  2. Fabulous effects on your beautiful box! Love all the textures and crackle and of course the rusty looking cage looks wonderful!

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  3. Wonderful altered box Cheryl! Great background and I love the hand holding the birdcage. Karen.x

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  4. Fabulous altered box, loving the rusted bird cage combined with the flowers and fantastic backdrop. Great design . Tracy x

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  5. Cheryl, your box had no idea what it was in for when you picked it up at a garage sale!! You did an absolutely beautiful job of altering this box. I love all of the texture of the crackled harlequin in the background. I love the sweet flowers and the Wallflower Vellum. I love the paper greenery. It all looked so beautiful, Cheryl!!! What a showy piece!! <3 Candy

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  6. This really will be quite a statement on your desk, I can see distress markers in there...Great inspiration, thank you.

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  7. What a great altered box Cheryl! love how you colored and decorated it!

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  8. I love the idea of applying sticky back canvas to the vellum pages! Your altered wood box turned out beautiful. Creating your own stitching stencil is a genius idea!

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  9. Really fab - you took effects to the top. The entire thing is wonderful. Textures, colors and techniques all wonderful.

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  10. Wonderful texture and love all the amazing layers. The Flowers are beautiful. I have always loved this flourish and the harlequin background. Love the way you have brought all of these elements together to create a beautifully gorgeous storage box.

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  11. Seeing wood makes me so happy!!! LOVE that! The hand holding the cage is my favorite part! Gorgeous flowers too! Beautiful project Cheryl!!!

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  12. I love how you altered your box, beautiful storage!

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  13. You are so right about these challenges, they have tested me to the limit and I love it! This week will be my greatest test..... I love your altered box, the crackle is fabulous, I love the vellum on the flowers too. Anne x

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  14. I love this box... or beautiful creation called a box... todays challenge is so loaded with all kinds of neat things... I love it... one of the best and this piece you created Cheryl is one of the best of yours... I love it all... so much going on... and all in a good and GREAT way... Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie

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  15. Such a great project - love the stitching stencil idea

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  16. love it Cheryl!

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  17. Love your box Cheryl...you certainly breathed new life into it. I love the aged look of the birdcage and the flourishes. The crackle on the harlequin pattern is great!

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  18. Okay...trying this again! Tried three times from my iPad...finally back to my computer!
    THIS BLOWS ME AWAY! I love your box!!! I think it is my favorite of yours so far...but I also think I keep saying that! hehehe. This one is stunning! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! Now...I need a box..hehehe

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  19. Made my art and then came to visit you! What a cool box!

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  20. Wow! What an awesome makeover for that box. I love the gorgeous stacked flowers and especially the hand holding the birdcage. It's fantastic!

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  21. Cheryl, You are so creative and such a special person. what would I do with out you?! And now I have a new idea for the hand stamp and bird cage! Fabulous!!!!
    Donna McMillin

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  22. What a cool box! It's so large! This is a beautiful project with so many textures and things to look at. Thanks for sharing your techniques so we can learn! Love the rusty birdcage!

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  23. WOW your flowers came alive ( I thought my glasses went 3-D on me ) ... the flourishes so "rich" great effect !! And stitching OMG looks so real ... this box is beyond fabulous !!

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  24. This is very pretty. I love the flowers and especially the bird cage.

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  25. This box is an exceptional piece of artwork! I love the crackle paste with the Harlequin stencil and what a fine job you did on that birdcage! Great work!

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  26. So glad you picked up that box. What a cool piece it made.

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  27. LOVE how you altered this box Cheryl.. and I love those flowers and the birdy cage... they all come together perfectly x

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  28. Yes I do love your altered box and all the wonderful details! The stenciling and the crackled swirls are gorgeous and then those flowers! Love this, Cheryl!

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  29. Cheryl, this box is SO lovely. Another gorgeous feminine creation that I love. I get such satisfaction from altering garage sale and thrift store finds. You transformed this one fabulously!

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  30. Cheryl your altered box turned out beautiful. Lots of
    detail and love the aged crackle look! Very well done.
    Love it!

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  31. yes, the perfect technique for your box! The crackled harlequin pattern drew me in. I'm not totally sure of the scale, but I'd try to store all my paintbrushes in it!

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  32. I LOVE that you used a box for your project. It is so inspiring to make art that 'works'. It is one of my own passions. It makes a home a "HOME", if you know what I mean. Beautiful detail, great pictures, Love the textures!

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  33. Wonderful altered box! Your flowers, your leaves and the effect are extraordinary! barbarayaya

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  34. Love what you have done, very inspiring!

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  35. Beautifully altered love your crackles and birdcage.
    Julie x

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  36. What a lucky box to have been turned into a beautiful piece of art!! Simply Wonderful, Cheryl! OMG--and all of your "literal" little details-Awesome to say the least! This is just a fantastic creation for the CC3 #11 challenge! XOXO-Shari T.

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  37. What a gorgeous little box and what you have done with it is adorable. Love the idea of making your own stencils, very clever x

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  38. What a great decoration for that box, loved your cage!

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  39. What a neat box, so much to look at and such wonderful elements, the color is fab too! Nicely done

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  40. The color palette is great on this lovely box. Thanks for sharing!

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  41. Love the hand holding the cage. Prefect touch.

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  42. fabulous!! I love finding things at garage sales to use for art. =)

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  43. Fabulous effects, love the rusty looking cage so wonderful! Kerstin

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  44. What fabulous storage you must have, this box is gorgeous. It will need to be something special to live in here.

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  45. Reusing a find is one of my favorite kinds of projects. I really love how the birdcage turned out -- it really looks like rusted metal!

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  46. Wow, amazing. You reminded of a box sitting somewhere... I need to do this technique on it. Beautifully made...

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  47. The box is wonderful! I love the mixture of textures, patterns, and colors. I especially love that birdcage.

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  48. Now that's how to alter a box! Loving all that yummy texture. Jenny x

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  49. Such a fun box! Love how your effect powders turned out.

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  50. I love the box .. awesome idea. I love love love hitch fastners .. sooo glad they are back. Never thought to use them as flower centers though. You girls on "The Crew" ROCK !!!!

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  51. This is one of my all time favorite die cuts and the technique is just perfect here.
    Jess

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  52. Wow, so many beautiful details on this amazing piece Cheryl. I love it!!! I'm so jealous of how the crackle turned out lol. :) Mine never looks this great. Terrific inspiration!

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  53. Love this piece, Cheryl! There are so many fabulous details on it! The effect powders technique turned out so well on the birdcage!

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  54. Stunning altered box Cheryl. Love the harlequin crackle and your beautiful flowers. Loved seeing your vellum technique.

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  55. Fantastic transformation Cheryl, the effect powders are perfect on your birdcage ! x

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  56. This is really amazing. Love the details!

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  57. From plain to amazing! Thanks for sharing Cheryl!

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  58. Beautiful box. Love how you used the effect powders.

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