As my girls are getting older I'm finding my crafty self again. These girls have me busy and forever looking for new ideas to engage their ever curiosity. Life changes constantly. This past year I went from our MOPS Creative Activities Coordinator to a regular member and that alone has freed up even more time. I began participating in swaps both local and online.
The swap I would like to share today is my first mixed media project in a very long time and I might have gone a little over board. I'll find out once the projects are delivered.
We were given three small empty cylinder cookie tins and told we had to have at least 3 types of media and they must be all alike. We were given 4 months to complete Jan-April. No other requirements, seemingly no rules.
These cookies are a favorite for my husband so I bought a few more filled ones to have on hand in case of a mishap. After a couple weeks and thinking of option from the basic of basic, sexy can style, and even a thought of making it a clock. Clock wasn't going to work sadly as I the tins are so tiny the mechanism to fit inside.
I thought I had a plan when I walked into hobby lobby one day and it all changed. I found these gorgeous little antique brass bird cages and inspiration struck. I asked my husband about cutting the tin open to make a window. Once I had that step worked out, I went back to purchase the cages, little knobs and trim.
J cut the rectangles out using a dremel and bent back a flaps with pliers insuring that no sharp edges would be exposed. I then painted the cans in and out with a turquoise Krylon primer & paint.
I cut down burlap paper to fit the tins with a rectangle also cut out. Making the seam in the back of the can once I wrapped the burlap did not seem like it would look as flawless, so I went with eyelets and ribbon making a corset back.
From there I worked on adding the trim and embellishments.
I embellished the lids with paper doilies and thin gold washi tape. Using my crop-a-file I punched holes in the center of each lid.
The in tire birdcage and bird were antique bronze but I wanted a bit more color to bring out the bird. Using alcohol ink and q-tips I colored each bird a dark pink. Once tray I added machine chain to allow the cage to hang lower. Then attached the chain of the bird cage to the screw of the knob onto the lid.
Inside the tins I opted for a pearl shimmer embossed paper to line the inside just inside the lip of each side of the rectangle. Once attached I then used liquid glue to attach plant moss to the bottom of each can. From there I placed the cages inside the tins and glued the lip down.
On the bottom of the tins I adhered glass candle sticks from the dollar store using E6000.
It was a fun project and one I fell in love with and almost sad I wasn't able to keep one for myself, though I find more joy when it's going to someone who is crafty and will appreciate the time and effort that went into these creations.
