Thursday, January 30, 2014

Karen's secret vices - altered book box and recipe book

Another swap. one I started and wish I hadn't as it seems like it's never going to finish.

I am playing catch up for a couple of people who made but have not received, one of whom is Karen (again). This swap was to make something, anything, to celebrate one or more of someone's secret little vices. It was inspired by a swap on craftster, although I can't find the link now.

Anyway, here is my take on Karen's - spending her time watching Tour de France and hot men in cycling shorts, rather than being a domestic goddess. So I made her a recipe book...


... with a twist!

Some of the pages have pockets with a recipe card on one side and a pic of her favourite cyclist on the other. So now, she can drool over hot men in lycra shorts whilst pretending to be a domestic goddess! The recipes are all taken from a vintage cookbook I ripped up, and I have never tried any of them so who knows what they are like. Some of the recipes in the book are for things like brains on toast so I am unsure about it to say the least. I have played it safe (ish) though, and just included cake and biccies in Karen's book.


But I wasn't done yet. I know that Karen likes old anatomy books, so I found a cheap book box (no before photos but trust me, it was not pretty) and altered it to try and make it look like an old, gnarly anatomy type book. Lots of scrunched up tissue paper, gel medium, distress inks and heat embossed grungepaper bits, along with a metal word pin and a vintage illustration.


I'm quite pleased with how the spine worked out, with a plastic flat backed skeleton glued onto the original box before it was covered, so that the shape of it stands out. Nicely tactile.


I also made a false bottom to the box, so she can hide more secret stuff in there if she wants. The recipe book fits in the box, all nice and kentucky.

Hope you like it Karen.

Horror themed triptych for Karen

Major catch up of stuff at the moment. I have been a bad blogger!

Another swap, this one is for Karen who wanted skulls or classic black and white horror (not the gory stuff).  I went for classic horror but added a few skulls in for good measure.




I found a couple of photos of two of my fave horror actors (Vincent Price and Christopher Lee) on tinterweb which I altered, along with a classic shot from Nosferatu. Printed onto old dictionary paper (cue much cursing and removing mangled bits of said paper from my printer) and mounted onto chunky mini canvases which were then mounted onto larger flat canvases painted black. Joined with some film ribbon (love that stuff) with added skulls.

Karen also sent me some kilt pins a while ago. so I made a horror themed kilt pin which is attached to the back with just a bit of washi tape, so it can be removed if she wants to take it off and wear it.



I hope she likes it. This was attempt number two after I got the mistaken idea that she wanted a Stampotique themed triptych. Reading instructions was never really my thing! I did send her the Stampotique one as well but I'm not sure I like it now (and it didn't photograph well) so it's not here.

I have a few more catch up bits so hopefully I will be back soon :)