Altered Element Upcycle

Part of being on the Design Team for the Altered Element is that we get to 'upcycle' some random charity shop items, and I received some building blocks. The letters didn't spell anything interesting, so I decided to cover them completely - I started with about 3 coats of gesso, and then added some crackle paint to two of them. Have to say, this didn't actually work too well - you have to put so much on to make it crackle that it just dried into horrible drips. So I scraped them off and started adding layers of UTEE - lots of different colours, once you have melted the first layer, you can just carry on sprinkling more on top. Eventually, it got so thick I decided to stamp into it, which added yet more texture. Can't have too much texture!

I painted the other blocks with Lumiere Crimson and Metallic Rust, and when dry, added a few sprinkles of UTEE. I still had some of the lovely papers Lynne sent me, so I cut scraps of them, distressed them with inks,and glued them on too.The blocks were further embellished by adding red and gold Lametta, some embroidered braiding, and, for a final touch, some sticky gems.

Some of the crackle paint still shows through
all the layers of UTEE.

The Altered Element

 

 This is my first piece as a member of The Altered Element DT. I used 2" chipboard squares which were covered with gorgeous papers from Catherine Moore, sprayed with Cosmic Glimmer mists, and then embellished with metal, stickers, embossing powder, jewels,, and anything else I could lay my hands on. I joined the squares together with jump rings, as it was going to be a sort of hanging - needless to say, it wouldn't hang properly, so I'll probably mount it on some card later on. Other stuff I used includes: Collage paper flowers, German Scrap, Artchix stickers, micro beads, lametta, charms and beads.

This is my favourite square. After covering with paper I sprayed with Cosmic Shimmer Mists Rich Gold and Bronze Blush (yum), and then added a cut out piece of copper mesh. Copper, black and gold ep was sprinkled over the mesh and heated. The flower bead was added with strong glue, and then I edged the tile with more gold ep.


These two tiles make uses of a swirly stamp I love but have no idea where it came from. The top tile was covered in mulberry paper, stamped and gold embossed.. On the bottom tile, I piled  lots of gold and copper ep on a corner, melted it by holding the gun about 30cms away and slowly moving it closer. As soon as the powder was all melted I stamped the swirl into it, and then left it til it was cold. Also on this tile are the gorgeous sprays, an Artchix Royal Post sticker, and an edging of gold ep. Click on the pictures for a closer view, any questions, please feel free to email me.