Craft Projects for the Handfasting

I decorated some slippers with glitter puffy paint to wear with my dress

Poe is in the pic, his eyes are dark gold and usually photograph like this

I also wanted some nice short torches and I thought classic tiki torches would look BLAH and not really fit the spring backyard theme so I found some glass cattail shaped torches in red and blue so I bought 2 blue and a red and painted one of the blues purple (our colors) with glass paint.  The torches were $6 off so I saved nearly $20 on all 3.

one of the blue torches before painting

after 3 weeks it will dry to the point where we dont have to worry about it coming off.  After the Ceremony we will give them to Grandma to use in her yard.

Fresh painted torch (taken with camera phone)

all three torches

Art Challange: FADED (Handfastinging announcement)

I really enjoy art challenges (yes the valentine one is coming..LOL)

so here is one I thought I would keep an eye on:

This weeks theme is FADED, I have done other faded images but I am really loving this one which is actually the announcement to Alex and My Handfasting.  I loved the original photo and the colors were amazing, I wanted to share the close up on the hands and use it twice for the inside and outside of the announcement.  I actually love the faded effect because the colors are intact but misty and softer.

When we send out the invite the photo we include will be the original (at the bottom of the post)

The faded inside of the announcement (URL at bottom obscured)

 

Original colors -outside of announcement

Original Photo from our second engagement set in Nov

Hand-bound art journal book pages

I am doing a hand-bound books using the stitch over ribbon method for both my Weight Loss Surgery journey and for our Handfasting

So far I only really have stuff done for the WLS book, I need to start working on the Handfasting one soon.

Reset Button – Sharpie and colored pencil

Someday, Goal – Zentangle in sharpie micros

Would I be a different person? – Sharpie micro over colored pencils

Some more Art Journal Every Day stuff

I have either been prepping pages, studying/buying art journal books or actively working on pages every day this month

I have decided to do a weight loss surgery Journal using  “stitch over ribbon” bookbinding with Bristol and watercolor paper and some bookboards from an old light weight journal and then binding it with cloth measuring tape ribbon like the one below (mine is 8 1/2 by 5 1/2 in)

I may also do one on our Handfasting, not sure.

(sorry my camera phone is not great, going to scan a bunch of work this month)

the one with the butterfly above it is my inspiration

I am learning what I can and cant do with bristol paper which I have never used before, it looks like I will be investing some money in 140# watercolor paper and learning about gessoing bristol paper, It should be a learning experiment.

1st page in my 1st handmade book, red ink sunk through page, thankfully there was nothing on the back

I have also been doing Zentangles and some work in the new journal..

Zentangle to celebrate getting under 300 pounds (I was up to 463)

Zentangle for the point of ... well Zenning out

More DIY – Skeleton Key Boutonniere and necklace

I am changing our Handfasting site into less of a blog and more of an official wedding site so I am moving my DIY and art projects form it to here

When Alex and I met at a LARP game we just sort of noticed each other
but never connected until March of 2010 when we met at a Masquerade and I
was wearing a Steampunk outfit that included a necklace with tons of
keys. Alex later told me he had wanted to play with my keys all night as
we sat and flirted.

So when I took that very heavy necklace apart I made parts of it over
into other stuff, including the necklace I will wear and the boutonniere
I made for Alex, and soon Earrings for me. I wired them for a little
more interest.

DIY Save the dates and Invited for the handfasting

I am changing our Handfasting site into less of a blog and more of an official wedding site so I am moving my DIY and art projects form it to here

The invite covers, a photo I did of Alex’s hand holding a squishy heart

Front of our invites

I did these on 140lbs Watercolor paper that I painted (watercolor wash sprinkled with raw sugar to get a cool effect) and then drew on, These are Art Trading Card size little cards (2.5in x 3.5in) and I mounted
them on cut down notecards I got for $.25 an 8 pack at Micheal’s.
I printed out the insides on business cards and glued them inside. I love
DIY projects and these were CHEAP, about $.06 a piece…LOL.

Making the Save the Dates

The inside is done in word so it is formatted slightly differently (this was a photoshop image

DIY Dragon Handfasting Cake toppers

Grandma was going to buy us this heavy pewter dragon sculpture for a cake topper but with postage it was about $60 and not really going to go with the theme we have for the Handfasting reception which is “A Big Kids Party for Adults”

So while I was taking her shopping today I showed her these plastic model dragons and told her my idea and that we were going to get them one at a time and do them when we could afford them… they are $15 each and I just had a cut in my income by over $200 a month… and she said grab them now and consider them your and Alex’s Christmas gifts but you have to decorate them and wrap them as Christmas gifts and bring them to the Christmas eve party.

Here are the dragons as we bought them:

I am using Folkart 662 Metallic Silver Sterling and Folkart 658 Metallic Antique Gold acrylic craft paints to glitz them up

Here is the first one finished, all I need to do now is buy plastic safe clear spray paint to seal them.

Front of finished cake topper dragon

Here are the finished dragons in their pose 

Back of finished cake topper dragon model

and these are the little knights (minus the dragon) we are going to have besieging the cake, we can buy 4 tubes for under $20 with coupons at Micheals 

Ultimate Gamer/geek dice/feather/bead bouquet FINISHED

My bouquet for our handfasting in April of 2011

It is all done, got to love dice, beads, crystals, feathers, wire, duct tape and ribbons… I LOVE IT!

Handle and crystals

view from above

finished Bouquet