Loved...

Good Morning,
Welcome...I hope the new week finds you all on good ground. I'm here to share my new creation for Simon Says Stamp & Show where it's all about metal. Metal may sound very modern I'm taking you on a nostalgic walk down Memory Lane. I just love vintage images but there is something very precious about those of your own family and for a long time I've wanted to create a keepsake of my own heritage. Last weekend I enjoyed a good rummage through my mum's photos and came home with a wonderful selection to choose from.

The idea of generations really appealed to me and I found three images that fitted together beautifully. My mum looking very sweet, my much loved Nanny and my elegant Great Grand-mother. They were to be the focal point of the entire piece.

I created three hanging frames by altering three candy tins. No, I am not addicted to Hello Kitty sweets but they caught my eye whilst waiting in a long queue at the corner shop. I sanded off the original paint and then gave them a good bathing in several shades of Alcohol Ink. I took a while to get them covered and it is best to do one colour at a time otherwise they wash each other off. I also used a very old paint brush to get the inks all over the tins. Needless to say, days later I am still scrubbing my rusty fingernails...

I scanned and printed the original photos, altering the size to get the right sizes and proportions for the frames. This turned out to be a tricky old job but I had set my heart on these three images. I aged them with Vintage Photo ink and also cut a "glass" front from Mica which made them complete. A cardboard frame is covered with Ten Seconds Studio Metal which I embossed with the Textile folder. I then used lots of alcohol ink, followed by a light sanding to enhance the detail.

I covered some chipboard with K & Co paper, sanded and inked the edges and added four metal corners. I'm not always so quick to use a ready-made Design paper but this was perfect in every way - just like vintage wallpaper. I made three rusty roses using more metal, Alcohol Ink and the Tattered Florals Die. I scored lines on the petals with my tool kit before inking them up. I tarnished them over a gas flame - hold them there a second too long and you get a fizz, a puff of smoke and all the copper colour falls off... (don't try this at home kids...) Check out some fabulous flower tutorials by Laura Denison and Lin Brown.

 Whilst all this was going on, I had stamped the word LOVED onto tiny paper circles, placed them under a charm clip and filled them with Glossy Accents. I glued just the heads of some brads to the clip tops and when they were completely dry and clear I glued them all to the frame as it would have been a fight to drive a real brad through that metal! I added a length of copper thread underneath them for more definition.

I did then play around with some other decorative ideas but I kept coming back to this design feeling it was right to keep things pure. These three beautiful ladies can hold their own and it's all I want to admire too. It was quite a voyage of discovery and I'm really pleased with the outcome. It definitely a different feeling when you work with those you know. It was quite hard to photograph as the light just loves bouncing off the metal but I hope you can enjoy the nostalgic mood too.

So there you go, another story all told. I hope that you are feeling inspired and will maybe dig out some family history too. There's so much you can do with metal - vintage or ultra modern, just take a look at the Design Teams fabulous ideas over at the Simon Says blog. Every week you have a chance to be awarded the coveted Top Three Title and a $50 shopping spree.

 

Looking forward to seeing your take on the challenge. Thanks for visiting, I would love to hear what you think, so do drop me a line...be seeing you all soon!

Sarah.