"Hidden treasures" - Whatever you can find, put it onto it!

Now I can show you a box that I already had finished for some time but since it was designed to be a birthday present (or the wrapping rather ;) ), I couldn't show you before.

Again I used some of my polymer clay pieces, added some spices, paper, textiles, metal stuff, plastic wrappings and other things lying around...

...but I also combined it this time with structure paste as well as crackle paste over an old map as background.

I tried to keep a general "greenish" tint. The acrylic paints I used were gold from Schmincke as well as the iridescent colours from pebeo.

Just have a look at the textures!Love the crackles...

...the pepper and pigment corns...

...the sand like structure paste...

And a little lizard as my focal :)

Wrap it up! Recycle match boxes...

A friend gave me a book with old maps to play with. Since I love to wrap "stuff", I just had to make some boxes! I cut long stripes as broad as the match boxes (uhm... I know have a lot of single matches... ^^) and glued the strip around the box. Simple.

I have some old stamp pads that I only use to age and antique boxes. It is a 4 colour stamp pad collection with brown and black. At first I go with the brown over the edges and then with the black. Just have a look at the effect! 

Some crochet lace, some cord... finish! Three are already gone, I used them for my butterfly copper wings to send them on their way! ;)

"Treasure box" - For all your memories (polymer clay)

This was a wedding present I made. I already put some shells, sea glass and other findings inside but the idea was rather that this would be a tiny box where they could collect some treasures they find on their way.

I covered an old candy box with polymer clay and painted it with acrylic paints (Reeves) as well as Inka Gold paints (Viva). Especially with the Inka Gold you have to carefully seal the surface because the paints are not water resistant. But they have a beautiful metallic shimmer!

And the backside :)

Once inside an egg....

...inside a "Kinderüberraschung" (a Kinder surprise egg). No, of course I didn't made pictures before. Just imagine colourful plastic pieces put together. Are you able to do this? To be honest, I am not and I actually saw the original plastic animal ;)

I glued the plastic animals on the lid with E6000 (where was this glue in my life until now?). After this I put two basic coats on the plastic and the metal: First the surface preparation of Christi Friesens swellegant paints and after this black acrylic paint from Reeves. 

Then I painted three layers of swellegant copper on top, waiting in between to let every layer dry. For the final and fourth layer I used the verdigris green patina with the still wet copper paint. Love the shades of green! Again... waiting for it to dry...

My last step was to add matt sealant and then putting some highlights with a dry brush and swellegant brass on top. Yes, I sealed first and added then the metall highlights (and sealed again). It happened to me that if I put the highlights without the sealant on top of the patina it can actually also turn green very fast (minutes sometime even).

Both of the glasses were the "packaging" for birthday presents for friends. You can see the presents (earrings of course) here and here :)

As it happens far to often in the last time... weeks... months... (months? ehm... yes, sadly true...) I took the pictures just in the last minute before heading to the birthday party. I even finished just at the same day. 

The idea of glueing plastic animals on some lids and painting them already is running wild for some years in the internet. I wanted to try this for a long time now. But I really think that by using swellegant I created something new out of an old idea.

And yes, you need them too! Your own little metal statues! ^^

Polymer in pink and some advent calendar impressions

This box was made for the pink advent calendar. So of course I can only show it now to you (all the little packages safely open now). I used fimo classic, swaroswki stones, paynes grey and magenta acrylic paint (Reeves) and last but not least swellegant silver (Christi Friesen) for the accents on top!

It was difficult to try to catch all the depth of the colour and especially the great pink purple shades. This was the best I could manage but believe me it doesn't do reality justice :)

Some side views! 

And yes, I made advent calendars. Also, like every year I forget to take pictures in time ^^ So here are just a few impressions!

With little number tags made out of polymer clay... 

One for my parents, one for my little sister, one for my little brother, one for Rumpel and a pink one for a dear friend of mine :)

Inspire! - Polymer clay box

You see the impression of the word "inspire"? This was made by a letter noodle stamp I made! ;) Just glued letter noodles on a blank surface and had my little stamp. It is really strange how the simplest ideas are the ones that have the biggest impact (at least for me and at least outside the lab ^^). The other structures you can see are made by my own pattern stamps (made from various surfaces I found, like the speakers, laptop, chairs...) or wooden fabric stamps. If you look at the box you will always find new structures the longer you look at it. 

I used paynes grey acrylic paint (Reeves) and inka gold (Viva) in shades of blue and green for the surface. The metallic quality of inka gold is really stunning but you have to take care that you will seal the colour carefully because it is not waterproof. Oh, and I added some feed to the box! 

PS: For the german readers: This is a pulmoll bonbon box!

Koffermarkt - take your case!

Or in my case: My box. A "Koffermarkt" is a faire or market where all people show their goods in a suitcase or trunk. Or... a big cardboard box! I asked if that would be okay because I don't hase any cool old vintage trunk. Just small modern samsonite that I can take inside a plane to be faster... not good for a faire ^^

The evening before the market Rumpel drove me to Ikea where I bought the cardboard box. Back home I took a big cutter and a lot of silver tape... 

...have a look at my finished box! (and please ignore the background... ehm...)

The stuff inside are the things I am already using at markets. Stuff I collected or made over time. 

I included a card holder at one side...

The lid is taped to the box creating a (surprisingly!) stable hinge. I used some cord so it will stay in place after opening. It goes slightly backwards because I don't want the lid to fall forward after I put all my stuff in it.

...you can see how much tape I used! And yes, the lid close easily... and the hole box is in fact still working after being closed! I also stored all the decoration and the earrings inside for the transport. Nobody was more surprised than me that it actually worked on soooo many levels ;)

The bird was from my picture wall at my former apartment. I glued a little cardboard stripe to the back and now I can attach it with a cloth peg at the open lid.

The bird was a printed vintage picture (I believe from Karen at graphics fairy), glued on stable cardboard, cut out... and I painted the edges and also enhanced some colours on top. 

I attached some plastic mesh with pins to hold my earrings. The red mesh comes from a onion...

...the yellow from potatoes. I also like to use this kind of mesh to create patterns with polymer clay.

Some rubberband in a normal picture frame.... Nothing faster to make (and redo!) than this!

I found the etagere (three tier tray? I don't know the right english term) at a flea market. So nice to hang and show earrings.

...and I always forget to take pictures from the earring studs I make. They sell really fast so I have somehow to manage this in the future ;)

A closer look at the potatoes mesh I pinned inside the lid (I removed all the mesh before closing because the pins go through the cardboard).

Oh, and the cream background is fabric I also bought at Ikea (1 euro per 1 m...). It is glued on with double side tape. Now I just realize that I also should have taken a picture with the box closed so you can see that it is still working as a box. Next time! :)

Here it is inside the shop that organised the"Koffermarkt" in front of an old ceramic oven.

The market was not a big success in term of sales. Not too many people found their way to us. But I meet very interesting persons, got a lot of coffea, sect and cake, bought gorgeous cards (I love to send postcards) from artist selling there and... last but not least (or to be true, this was the best of all): I made this box! The idea came up to my mind and it all worked out! I was smiling the whole evening (after crafting. Rumpel was already sleeping, so the first thing I did in the morning was showing him the box... yes, the first thing! He did not even get a chance to go to the bath room before!) and was smiling even more at the market because it worked so great!

Such strange things that can make one happy from time to time.

Just one to show for 2012 - polymer clay box

I made several boxes or glases with polymer clay (Fimo classic) as gifts for christmas. They take some time to make, every single one, but I just love the details and how they look. But being stressed at that time (christmas, work and Rumpel and me moving together) I only managed to take some fast picture of one of all the boxed made. One... I just realized this after christmas ^^ 

I made them in different colours and sizes, adding some glas nuggets and beads in some of the surfaces...

..and stamped with metal stamps (stamps used for book printing) the year 2012 on top. I also didn't manage to make on for myself. Even if my first idea was to create one every year with the date included just to see how my methods and style will evolve during time. And being in south corea at the moment I don't have any possibility to make one now. The apartment from the university in which I can stay is really great and has a very high technical standard but it misses an oven. They don't use them here... so no clay work for me until coming back!

And just to mention it again: I really prefer working with fimo classic over fimo soft. Especially for structures and stamping techniques the classic is firmer and holds the details way better than the soft version. The colours are different thought but still using so many layers of acrylic colours and metal paints there is not much left of the original colours anymore ^^

Covered in polymer clay - steampunk box

This metal box I made as a special thank you. I know I don't write too often in the last time. But this is not only a problem I have with my blog but also in real life. So my way of showing that I care is rather by creating something for the person. Better than words, at least for me :)

This is an old candy boy out of metal. Very thick and high quality metal in this case not the thin cheap ones. I covered it with polymer clay (Fimo classic), used some glas nuggets and stamped a lot of textures in the surface. Of course I also added more polymer clay on top, little balls or snake like things. 

The original colour of the clay is a dark brown. A good colour should be the basis for such a project because even thought it seems that all is now covered with acrylic colours, the basic colour always comes through! 

At first I went with black, wiping most of it away before it was all dried. Then I added several layers of other colours, like copper and bronce (all with Reeves acrylic colours). In the end I used some aqua acrylic colours (even if most stores don't have them, try to get them, they are such a great addition!) and of course I lacquered it with shiny gloss. It is intended to be useable ^^

And because I can't decide which pictures to skip... I just show you all of them! ;)