Altered Glass Bottle By Soniya Agarwal

Namaste friends, 

                   Soniya Agarwal this side from Growing Craft.  I believe that amazing supplies always inspire you to create something special and beautiful. I love decoupage papers from Nagashri Arts and they are my favorite. 

I couldn’t stop myself from altering this old glass bottle. Here are the few images and a detailed video tutorial. 

Here is how it looks:       

Image 1

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Image 5

Altered Glass 's video Tutorial

Supplies used in this tutorial 

All the products used in the video can be purchased from 

www.nagashriarts.in

Products listed below: -

Zero Brand Decoupage paper

http://www.nagashriarts.in/browse/zero-decoupage-papers?page=1

Modpodge 

http://www.nagashriarts.in/search/mod%20podge

Sponges

http://www.nagashriarts.in/search/sponges

Chalk paints

http://www.nagashriarts.in/search/chalk%20paints

Gesso

http://www.nagashriarts.in/search/gesso

Inks

http://www.nagashriarts.in/search/inks

stamp

http://www.nagashriarts.in/search/old%20script

I hope you all loved the video tutorial. Please do share your feedback. See you soon with a new tutorial. 

       

Mix media tags - Autumn fall By Maansi Vaswani

Good morning, 

"In crafting, there are no mistakes,  just unique creations"

This is the mantra that I usually live with.  I don't have any pre-notions of how my projects will turn out to be.  

So when I started on these tags I had no idea on how they would look.  All I knew is I wanted to use some warm colors to contrast the earlier tags that I had made.  

These tags have been made in the old clothes tags we receive when we buy new clothes.  

So here is how these tags were created.  (I have made a set of three tags using the same embellishments with changes in the layout) 

To start with I did some basic stenciling and covered the entire tag with gesso.  Once the base was ready I added some color and did some stamping with black.  

Image 1

Then I went ahead and added some lace,  thread and a few mdf embellishments and some homemade clay embellishments.  

Once everything was properly stuck I added some readymade flowers and some handmade flowers.  (the small flowers on the side are handmade flowers).  Also, I added some clay leaves,  filler pollens, and fused pearls to complete the composition. 

Once everything was in its place and dry I started coloring the composition.  I used a brush to apply the colors as I wanted some control on where the colors were going.  I have used some sprays,  acrylic colors and shimmer paints to achieve the effect.  

Once the entire tag was ready I added some gold dots to complete the look. 

Here are some pics of the completed project.  Hope you like these

                                

                                                                
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                                                                         Image 4                                                                

                                                       

                                   

                                                                           Image 5


Supplies used from Nagashri Arts 

Gesso
Modelling paste
Stamps
Archival ink
Thread
Lace
Clay
Clay moulds
Mdf embellishments 
Readymade flowers 
Speciality paper for flower 
Pollens
Cosmic shimmer color
Metallic paint 
Acrylic paint 
Spray
3d outliner 
Pearls on a string 

Wishing you a wonderful day.  Please do leave some comments and love below

Regards
Maansi Vaswani 
Artfire Creations

Altered Pen Stand By Maansi Vaswani

Good morning everyone,

Recycling and altered art is becoming a buzz word today.  This is mainly because we have started to realize that we cannot go on depleting our natural resources forever.  

There are many things in our surroundings that can be modified or altered to not only look more beautiful but also to get another lease of life.  

So this time I decided to make something functional for my craft table.  Thus came out the tin can that had been saved from being thrown for storing my paint brushes.

For those who know me, I usually prefer working with earth tones or warm colors. And pink is a colour that usually does not figure anywhere. A friend of mine had recently challenged me to experiment and work with pink. Thus I decided to create this pen stand in shades of pink, lavender and purple.  The palette of colours I don't work with.  Also this would be a constant reminder to work in colours and styles that I usually don't follow.  

Before we start on the project we need to ensure that all the sharp edges of the can is completely smootten out.  Now we are ready to start creating. 

So here is how I went about recycling this can

First, I adhered a piece of ordinary cloth bag to the entire outer surface.  I did this because most of the cloth bags have a beautiful texture.  To that I added some dry wall tape and a lace with pearls on that.  

After sticking it I covered the entire surface with gesso. I also added a bit of coarse modelling paste (modelling paste mixed with fine sand) in some areas to add some interest.

Image 1

Image 2

  

Then I went about creating a composition of flowers.  In this composition I have used a fair amount of homemade clay embellishments(flourish and leaves). I have used several big mulberry flowers from my DT kit.  Also I have created a lot of small handmade flowers to add to composition.  In the end I have added glass beads with modelling paste.  

Once everything was stuck properly I have given everything a few coats of gesso.  The flowers I had used were of different colors so it was important to cover everything in white.  

Once everything was properly covered I started with adding color to this. For this I have used sprays,  acrylic paint  and some home made sprays too. I have added many layers of colours. For dry brushing between coats of colour I have used white gesso mixed with pearl white colour.  This added a very beautiful shine to the project. I continued adding color till I achieved a deep shades of pink and purple. 

Once the entire project was completed, I dry brushed it again with pearl white colour. I also painted the insides and the bottom of the can with chalk colours in the same palette. 

And finally I had a altered pen / brush holder for my desk ready. Here are few pics of the completed project....  

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

Supplies used
Gesso
Modelling paste
Lace with pearls
Clay embellishments
Mdf embellishments
Metal embellishments
Mulberry flowers
Specialty papers for flower making
Embossing mat
Perforating mat
Wire pollens
Glass beads

Hope you liked these and so leave your comments on the same. 

Regards
Maansi Vaswani
Artfire Creations

Decoupage on coasters using the zero decoupage papers By Maansi Vaswani

Good morning

I hope you all are doing great :) .Today, I am sharing a beautiful inspiration for you all. Do share some love.

The brand zero has newly launched its speciality decoupage papers.  And as soon as I received them I was ready to check them out and work with them. 

First of all I checked the papers in detail.  And I must say I was super happy.  Most of the prints have an elaborate background design as well as well placed focal images.  The printing is crisp and the paper is beautifully textured. 

I decided to try them out on coasters.  Many of the papers are specifically designed for smaller projects.  And with a set of six patterns on a single page it's perfect for coasters. 

Considering they are thick papers not much priming has to be done on the surface.  I painted the sides and the back with brown paint.  And I was set to go. 

These papers are super easy to use.  Just stick them with Modpodge and you are done.  There are no issues of bubbles etc. And though the paper is thick I was still able to sand down the edges easily. 

So with minimal efforts a set of coasters is done.  To complete the coasters,  I did stencil a pattern in the back and added some gold in the sides and on top as a slight shimmer near the edges. 

And voila we are done. 

I do hope all of you try these papers.  And here hoping for more beautiful patterns and papers from zero brand.  

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Supplies used

Mdf coasters
Zero decoupage papers
Modpodge
Acrylic paint - brown and gold
Varnish
Stencil

Wishing you a wonderful day

Regards
Maansi

Artfire Creations

Wall Art Using Zero Brand Decoupage Papers By Maansi Vaswani

Good morning ,

I am back once again with  an another project using the new decoupage papers from zero brand.  For those who have not seen my earlier post with the zero brand papers here's a little update.  

These new papers are awesome.  They are easy to use and have a beautiful texture on them. And though they are thick they are still easy to sand off or cut with hand.  

I have for a long time being wanting to do some decor for my kitchen.  And when I saw the beautiful still life with wine bottles, I knew I wanted to use that print.  

Using a big sized chopping board. I first coloured the back and the sides with acrylic paint using 2 - 3 shades of brown.  I used a sponge so as to get an uneven effect.  

Then it was a matter of putting the paper on the area I wanted.  I cut the top of the paper with my hand so that it blends neatly with the paint.  

Using Mod podge, I easily stuck the paper and blended paint on the sides as well as the top.  This paper does not have any bubbles or wrinkles while sticking.  

Once my paper was stuck I cut off the excess and blended it a bit with brown paint and added a hint of gold. A bit of stencilling completed the project.  Considering that this would be put up on the wall I have kept the back blank.  

Image 1

Image 2

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Supplies used

Mdf chopping board 
Zero brand decoupage papers 
Mod podge 
Acrylic paint 
Stencil
Varnish 

Hope you enjoyed this project :)

Wishing you a wonderful day !!! Do leave some love !!

Regards,
Maansi
Artfire Creations

Mix Media Tags - Winter blue By Maansi Vaswani

"Like life,  at times the journey is more important than the destination" 

Hello Crafters,

Maansi Vaswani here, with the new inspiration for you all.

I have lately become fascinated with the art of mix media.  The beauty of this craft form is the fact is there are no set rules.  And that is what makes it interesting.  

Having become a collector lately I have been collecting a lot of things that would usually be thrown away by us...  Bits of paper,  cloth tags, buttons,  tree bark,  bottle caps,  cheesecloth and god only knows what all... 

So when I was told to make a mix media project I had a wide variety of stuff to add and experiment with.   Considering that I was just planning to experiment I decided to do some mix media tags.  

As the summer approaches, I wanted to create something which would give an effect of winter... Cool,  wintery and shiny...  And here is what I have created.  

Image 1

These have been created in old clothes tag which we usually get when we buy clothes.  Most of the time we just cut these and throw it away. But I decided to use these as the base.  

I have painted these white with gesso and have added texture using modelling paste.  Once dry using folkart paint I have created a light blue wash. To this, I have added a bit of color using Memento inks.  

Once my background was ready, it was time to put to put the composition.  For this, I have used some ready made flowers as well as have created some handmade flowers.  

I have created layers using some gauze,  and mdf gears. To that, I have added some fused pearls on a string,  some pollen fillers,  the flowers and a few other pieces of MDF and some buttons and ends.  

Once my composition was ready I have applied white gesso on all the colored areas.  Then I have added the shades of blue using acrylic paints,  some moments inks and cosmic water color paints.  The cosmic paints added a bit of a shine to the entire project and thus added to the wintery feeling.  I kept working on the coloring until I achieved the effect I was looking for.  

Right in the end, I added a few dew drops to bring the project together.

I have created two different tags using almost the same techniques and embellishments.  Thus they are different but at the same time similar.  

Hope you like this inspiration. 

Here are some close-ups of the same.  

Image 2

Image 3

Supplies used

White gesso
Modelling paste
Folkart Acrylic paint 
Memento dew drop ink pads
Gauze
Buttons
Ready flowers
Flower making paper
Pollens
Pearls on a string
Cosmic water color paints
Dew drops 

Wishing you a wonderful day ahead 

Regards
Maansi Vaswani
Artfire Creations

Baby Album By Maansi

Good morning 

Hello , my dear crafty friends. This is DT Maansi Vaswani from Artfire Creation Blog . Today I am sharing a beautiful baby album which is made with lots of love . I hope you will love the album. Do share a feedback with us.

            A newborn is always a cause for celebration and ofcourse gifting to the new one.  So when I came to know that one of my close friends was due, it was a cause for excitement.  And thus began the hunt for the perfect gift for the parents as well as the little one.  

But I wanted to give something which will be of value even after many years.  So I decided to make a handmade gift.  A lot of options were there but I chose to make a baby album to store all the precious memories. 

This album is made in generic colours as we did not know whether it would be a girl or boy and I wanted the gift to be ready at time of the birth.  

Using a paper stack received as a part of my DT kit along with some awesome supplies, and adding some generic paper from my stash, I have created this 14 paged, 8" * 8" with a 4" spine baby album from scratch.  A point to be noted here is you don't need paper from the same stack to create a beautiful album.  I have added some generic paper from another 2-3 stacks that I had on hand. ( I did this as I wanted a lot of paper for the picture mats and inserts). You can add more interest to your album by adding papers with polka dots, small flowers,  stars or even lines. 

I will not go into the details for making each page as there are host of tutorials and info available on the internet.  But as the receiving family had no idea about scrapbooks, I did try to keep it simple for them to understand and use it.  At the same time each page is different in terms of layout. 

Another thing that I kept in mind is keeping additional pockets and picture mats to store all the precious memories.  

As I already mentioned this is a 14 page album with many fold outs and pockets.  It has a capacity of storing many photographs.  Also I did create a ton of picture mats / inserts from all the left over paper.  

The flowers on the cover as well as inside are all handmade using speciality paper.  Also I have used a lot of embellishments from my stash and the DT kit.  Some of the pages even have magnetic closures.  

The ribbons and the name on the cover and inside have been added in the end,  when we got to know it's a beautiful baby girl.  

Here are few of the pics of the various pages and a overview video of the album.  

Supplies used
Chipboard 
Card stock - white
Red tacky tape 
Pattern paper 
Wet glue
Ribbons
Lace
Embellishments 
Wooden frame
Half pearls
Acrylic paint 
Speciality paper for flower making 
Archival ink 
Punches
Glitter

Hope you have enjoyed this inspiration and album.  Happy crafting 

Regards 
Maansi Vaswani 
Artfire Creations

Steampunk Mix Media tags By Maansi

Good morning everyone, 

Lately, I have become a hoarder of just about every piece of junk possible. Everything that I see can be altered or used in a different manner.  And my favorite things to collect are tags.  Every time, we buy clothes we get a host of tags and some of them are sturdy and beautifully made.  

These can be added to mix media panels to create the background.  Better still they can be used to create gift tags or even experiment on.  

So here is what I have created 

So let's get into the procedure for creating these

I have taken two identical black tags.  These are sturdy and will be able to take the weight of all the embellishments that I plan to put. Both the tags are created using the same embellishments.  Placement has been done differently to create a unique look to both the tags

I started by adding texture to the background.  I have added two levels of texture to create more depth in the texture.  After my texture was dry I painted it completely black with gesso.  

Then,  I have added bits of corrugated cardboard in places to add another dimension to the project.  

Once my background was ready, then it was time to add all my embellishments to the base.. I have used MDF gears,  metal chain,  some metal charms,  buttons,  screws and even some nails.  Once it was all dry and stuck properly, I have painted it again with black gesso... 

At this point, I was not completely happy with it...  Living in the coastal area and in defense, we deal with corrosion and rust on a daily basis. And this was not looking corroded or rusted even one bit. 

This I took my modeling paste and added some sand to it to make it coarse and applied it in places...  And it suddenly all came together.  

Once it was all dry I again covered it in with black gesso.  

Now came the part of coloring it to give a rusted effect.  Not having the Prima rust set I decided to try a hack.  I took acrylic colors in burnt umber,  burnt sienna and very little amount of deep yellow. To the burnt umber and burnt sienna, I added a bit of cinnamon powder to make it coarse.  

I could have used sand but that would have been too coarse. And then I started painting my surface...  And I kept adding layers till I was satisfied with the outcome.  

Once everything was dry I added a bit of antique gold mixed with brown to highlight certain areas to give an effect of metal. 

And these turned out beautiful. Here are some close-ups of both the tags.  

Supplies used

Black gesso
Modeling Paste
Sand
Mdf embellishments 
Metal chain
Metal charms
Scraps from stash
Acrylic paints

Hope you have a wonderful day 

Maansi