What Do You Do When You Love Your Boots...

...but they are falling apart?

Simple - make them into art!

Have you ever found the perfect pair of shoes or boots? I have. They were my Roxy Storm ankle boots. I found them in a little shop whilst on holiday in the USA  a few years back and I loved those boots.

Roxy 'Storm' Boots

Mr Crafty Hands referred to them as my 'Star Wars' boots. They were the best. I wore them day in, day out until eventually they fell apart. I was heart broken and couldn't bring myself to throw them away so they stayed in the bottom of my wardrobe until one day I had an idea.

It came to me when I decided to try out Finnabair's Rust Pastes for the first time. I wanted to upcycle an old chocolate box into a rusty looking old storage box (you know how I love to upcyle - remember the frying pan?). I like to add something personal or that has meaning to all my projects and what better to add than parts of my old Roxy boots?

So out came the good old black Pebeo Gesso and I gave the box a quick once over with that then started adding embellishments using Finnabair's Soft Gel Medium

Adding embellishments from my scavenger jar. 

To find embellishments I raided my scavenger jar. Everyone needs a scavenger jar! It's a jar or pot you keep handy and pop in anything you think you could use in a mixed-media project - bottle tops, buttons, broken jewellery, keys... 

Amongst my treasures (or as Mr Crafty Hands calls it - 'junk') I found one of those plaster, fragrance infused pomander things you hang in the wardrobe, beads from a broken necklace, crocodile clips, scraps of lace and much, much more. As you can see I stuck it all onto my box.

Lace, beads, photo frame...stick it on!

Can you spot the bits of my Roxy boots?

I decided, as the box was side opening with a hinged lid, I wanted it to look like an old book so I used the straps & buckles off my beloved boots to create this effect. I also added the 'Roxy' logo and zipper from the boots Can you spot them?

Once everything was glued down and dried off I grabbed the black Pebeo Gesso again and painted over everything.

I painted everything with black gesso

The next step was to add a little Pebeo Gilding Wax to highlight a few areas. I didn't want too much of this as I wanted the finished project to look very old and rusted but I thought it would be good if the tiniest bits of gold peaked through in places to give the illusion that beneath the rust was an elaborate, valuable treasure.

Highlights added with Pebeo Gilding Wax

I actually almost stopped at this point as I loved how the project looked but I carried on nonetheless and got out the rust pastes.

These are a set of 3 pastes in brown, red and yellow. Each has a slightly different texture and when used together create an amazingly realistic rust effect.

I started by stippling on the brown paste (this is the thickest of the 3).

Beginning the 'rust' process with brown rust paste

Then I repeated the process with the red paste.

Red rust paste stippled onto of brown

Building up the layers of rust

Next I stippled on the yellow paste. It was then a case of adding more red and finally more brown until I achieved the desired effect.

So here it is, my Roxy Storm Boot inspired, rusty old treasure book box!

Altered box using Finnabair Rust Pastes

Front of altered box

Side view of mixed media altered box

What do you think?

If you enjoyed this project you can follow my blog by going to bloglovin.com or downloading the Bloglovin' App.

If I have inspired you to try a bit of mixed media you can find the supplies I used in our online shop (just click the links) or pop in and see us at Craftsite in Cramlington, Northumberland if you are passing!

I would love to see your mixed-media art. Please share it on Instagram and tag me @craftsiteshop.

Out of the frying pan, into the...Powertex?

Ok, I have to admit that I'm a bit of a hoarder (I believe the fashionable name for it is an 'upcycler' these days).

 Basically I can't throw anything out as I always have an idea in mind on something I can use it for. You would think that poor old Mr Crafty Hands would be used to this after 30 years of marriage but even he was stunned when I yelled 'Stop!' as he approached the bin with our old cast iron frying pan recently.

The look on his face basically said 'She's finally lost it!' but no! I knew exactly what I was going to do with that old piece of worn out kitchenalia. Time to get out the Powertex!

Old frying pan ready to upcycle

I wanted to use the old pan to create a wall hanging to go in the garden of our new home.

Curtain tie back used as central embellishment

The central element was an old curtain tie back (see above). I wanted something in the centre so grabbed the inner plastic lid from my jar of gel medium which was perfect in size.

I added a wooden star, old key and some art stones inside the plastic lid using Finnabair's Art Basics Heavy Body Gel (this stuff sticks anything!)

Wooden star & art stones added to plastic inner lid from gel jar

I then stuck the curtain tie back and inner lid into the pan, again with the Heavy Body Gel.

Detail of key and central assemblage

 I added an old metal ket and the word 'HOME' from a set of Tom Holtz Ideas-Ology wooden letterpress letters I had.

Taking shape!

Once the glue was set I soaked some old calico strips in Powertex and nestled them around my central assemblage and over the edges of the pan. I also wrapped strips of the Powertex soaked fabric up the pan handle and painted the central assemblage with Powertex too.

Powertexed to death!

I left the project to dry overnight then gave it a wash using a mixture of varnish, Primary Elements pigment powder and a little water. This gave the whole thing a blue sheen.

After first wash of Primary Elements, varnish & water solution

I wanted the colour to be more intense re did it but the second time I only blended the Primary Elements powders with the varnish and dry brushed it on. I was happier with the colour intensity this time.

After dry brushing with Primary Elements and varnish

Once this was dry I added some Pebeo Gilding Wax in Empire Gold to the details and folds using my fingers.

Pebeo gilding wax used to enhance details

Voila! From Frying pan to wall ornament via Powertex.

Frying pan up cycled using Powertex

What is the strangest thing you have (or would like to) upcycle?

Getting into Powertex - taking the first steps.

Hi,

As you know I love anything messy and what could be messier than dipping fabrics in gooey, claggy Powertex? So as you can imagine I jumped at the chance of spending a morning with John Glossop and his lovely partner, Heather and a bowl of this amazing fabric hardening product. Check out John's blog - Dreams of Vintopia here.

Powertex

Together we set off on my first proper journey into the world of Powertex (ok, I'd dabbled a little previously with my pal, Sue but never done a full sculpture!).

We decided to make figurines and during the morning John showed us how to create a figurine base from a preformed head, a wooden dowel & base, some tinfoil, masking tape and, would you believe, a toilet roller tube!

A wooden base & dowel covered in toilet roll tubes!

We then affixed the preformed head and 'padded out' our figures with tin foil and covered with masking tape.

My lady is taking shape!

Clearly I modelled her figure on my own (in my dreams!)

Now the messy part! We covered our figures in pieces of fabric soaked in Powertex (this comes in lots of colours but we chose to use the bronze which looks just like runny Nutella). 

 It's amazing what you can do with a bit of old t-shirt, string & lace

 Can you believe the wrap is dishcloth material? I love the way it hang

A scrap of old lace transformed with Powertex.

We dried our sculptures off with hair driers (heat tools are too hot) until they had stiffened then dry brushed with some pigment powder mixed in a drop of varnish and voila! One elegant lady created from scraps & Powertex.
Did you know that after 3 weeks drying time Powertex sculptures are weatherproof so can be displayed outside?

Safe to say, I have now got the Powertex bug (John told me it would be addictive and it is!). So much so that I will be heading down to Powertex HQ in early July to get my Powertex Tutor Certification (yes, I will be truly certifiable!) then I will be running lots of Powertex workshops here at Craftsite and Powertex products will be available in the shop and online.

Over the next couple of blogs I will share with you a few pieces I have made using Powertex including a Harry Potter magic wand and an upcycled frying pan!

What would you like to make using Powertex? Let me know in the comments below...

Hello!

It's been a while since my last crafty blog as I've been tied up with other commitments but it's so good to be back doing what I love!

This week I've been mixing up a lot of products designed by the lovely Anna Dabrowska, otherwise known as Fannabair.

If you know me then you will know I am obsessed with all things beach & sea so I decided that I wanted to make a little undersea treasure that looked like it had laid undisturbed at the bottom of the sea for years. What better to begin with than a fishy tin!

 Firstly I added some pieces of wood to the tin so that I could bring the focal piece I was adding forward a bit.

 I then added some mesh, art stones and a variety of embellishments using Art Basic's Gel. I also glued some twisted cord around the open edge of the tin. I had a seahorse key I wanted to use as the main focal point. Once dry I painted them all with white gesso.

 I then used some Indigo Blu metallic acrylic paints in 'Kingfisher Blue' & 'Goldfinger' to some areas of my piece to pick out certain parts and embellishments.

 Next I splattered my work with a wash of the Kingfisher Blue and again with a wash of white gesso. The Tim Holtz splatter brush is brilliant for this.

 At this point I decided that I wanted the cord around the edge of the box to work as a frame and needed it darker

 so I painted it with black gesso 

  then applied Pebeo gold gilding wax with my finger.

 I then got out the Finnabair Patina Pastes.Wow! I love this set. I applied the coper paint first using an old, firm paintbrush to stipple it on. Whilst it was still wet I repeated the process with the blue and then finally the green paints. Together they give a great verdigris effect to the tin.

 Next I used Finnabair's rust pastes to add areas of rust to the edges and a couple of other areas of the tin. 

If you have been inspired to try a little mixed media for yourself I would love to see your art. Please share it on Instagram and tag me @craftsiteshop.