A Box for Kezzy

Hello and welcome to Magpieheaven, Followers and Friends. It feels like ages since I last blogged - I think it's actually five days! Now that the Christmas festivities are over, I've found some time to create, so I decided to do two things. Since I started blogging I've met some phenomenally creative and interesting people who have inspired me tremendously, and one of these has been Kezzy from Kezzy's Crafty Journey. Before Christmas she suggested we challenge each other to create something, setting a colour scheme and swapping some stash. Then over at Our Creative Corner, one of my favourite Challenge Sites, Claudia has set the quest is to use your 'shopping sins'. I want to combine both challenges and decorate a little box. Here - without any more rambling - is my inspiration! I should like to enter the result in the Our Creative Corner, No More Shopping Sins Challenge.

It's almost spooky, to quote Dame Edna Everidge, but somehow the friends I've made in Crafty Blogland seem to know exactly the colours, images and textures that will inspire me! The image Kezzy sent for my colour scheme took my breath away. She sent so many wonderful bits and pieces too that I was spoiled for choice: I think there is a whole other project that I haven't even started yet! There is only so much room on and in a box so I took the little bird first and some tiny leaves because they seemed to be fluttering out of the picture and asking to be used! Now for my shopping sins! Even though I am a Magpie and I love to hoard, I think they were asking to be used also!

I bought these three Prima embellishments in a pack at Ally Pally back in the Autumn. I had no idea what I would use them for and since then I have used only one on a tag. I kept thinking that I wanted to use them in an original way - but how? The ones with the blue glass bead hanging did remind me of the mottled effect of the leaves, mist and sky on Kezzy's image, so I held onto that idea. I was going to create a box that said, 'Autumn Twilight.' You can see over on the left I tried experimenting with a large bead in the middle of one and then covering with Treasure Gold, but I wasn't happy with the effect. Those embellies were going to be used on this project and they were going to be altered. I was determined that this project was going to be one where I took crafty risks! Putting them to one side, though,  I started by playing with a Tim Holtz Tattered Floral die.

I wanted this to evoke the colours and the light in Kezzy's image so I cut it from Paper Artsy Crunchy Waxed Paper, which I then coloured with Treasure Golds in Aquamarine, Rose Quartz and Classic, edging it with Inky Pool Fresco. I painted some card with Fresco Finish Inky Pool over Antarctic and then sprinkled with Shabby Blue Frantage. I then punched out little leaves which became tiny petals. I secured my flower with a Prima Brad, another Ally Pally 'shopping sin' I had been hoarding, and added tattered leaves die-cuts from Acetate coloured with Alcohol Inks and sprinkled with Aged Copper Frantage.

Then it was time to start creating that Autumn twilight on my box. I used a little hinged box I had bought at The Range. I painted it with a couple of coats of Nougat and then tinted some Paper Artsy Grunge Paste with Spanish Mulberry Fresco and applied this through a 'Stencil Girl' stencil of little birds. Then for the fun! I haven't done very much spray painting and I wasn't sure of the effect I might achieve other than accidentally decorating my clothes and the furniture (!), but I wanted to give it a go! I mixed three misters of diluted Inky Pool, Blood Orange and Guacamole and, when my GP birds and branches were dry, I started to spray!!! When I liked the effect, I distressed the edges of my box with dry brushed colour: Blood Orange, Chocolate Pudding and French Roast Frescos. I then highlighted my relief design in Copper, Green Amber and Aquamarine Treasure Gold.

Here is my box with the flower added and some foliage and you might just be able to see what I did with the first of my shopping sins! First, though, what of the sides of the box?

First I painted the sides with Little Black Dress Fresco. I then Crackle Glazed with a thin layer of Paper Artsy Crackle Glaze. When this was dry I over-painted with Paper Artsy Antarctic Fresco. I then stamped the mini Paper Artsy Feather Stamp 98 first in Wendy Vecchi Cornflower Blue Archival and then Geranium. I stamped over with mini 84. The final touch was to stamp the mini feather on Shrink Plastic painted with Antarctic. I used Ranger black Archival for this. I cut out four feathers, heated them and fixed them to the sides of the box.

And my shopping sins!? I dared to alter them! I painted Kezzy's little bird with Spanish Mulberry Fresco and then highlighted her with various Treasure Golds. I gave her a tiny green gem eye. I then fixed her to the centre embellishment. I added interest to those either side with shrink plastic Tudor Roses stamped onto Polyshrink coloured with Cheesecake Fresco, blending around the edges with Aquamarine and Classic Treasure Golds.

 Here is the Lynne Perrella stamp I took them from.

The inside of my box was important too! Kezzy had asked that I use some tissue that she sent. There was some that I really adored with Renaissance style heavenly choirs so I tore this and painted the back with a layer of Old Gold Fresco and a layer of Fresco Autumn Fire before sticking it into my box - also painted with a blend of Blood Orange and Autumn Fire, using Satin Glaze. I punched out lace from some music script paper from Kezzy's beautiful stash and trimmed my edges with this and some narrow ribbon. I also added two oval medallions of Lynne Perrella ladies, their head-dresses surrounded by domes and birds. It was quite difficult to photograph the inside of the box because of the shine from the Glossy Accents glaze on my medallions.

It was so liberating to actually use and alter all these beautiful things. As I worked I thought about all the new and special friendships I have made since April and how creating has become so much more about sharing the hopes, joys, delights and difficulties that life presents us with than about simply making something from paint and wood. Those two ladies at the centre represent the meeting of minds that crafty blogging is all about!

The Internet comes in for much criticism, but I have found it a magical place. Blogging has made it possible to meet artists like Kezzy who have become my friends. I believe craft has enabled us to take flight like the birds on the box and that colours and textures have made a huge emotional impact on our lives. Kezzy has been quite poorly lately and I hope this blog post will serve as a gift to thank her for all the inspiration that her friendship and her blog have given me. I know that, as soon as she is well enough, she will create something lovely and from her heart because she always does.

Thank you to Our Creative Corner for encouraging me to break open that packet and use those 'shopping sins' on my project and Thank You to my much appreciated Followers and Friends who have stopped by to read this post.