Atchoo (is that how you spell it?)

Papier mache tissue box holder, using a design originally for tins, by Beverley Kindred. Find this and many other free projects on the Artists Club web site.

I've had the box for a long time, and can't remember where I got it from, but I'll try to remember to make a note for this blog in future.
 

Altered art votive candle holders

An altered art project just right for Christmas, summer barbeques, or any time you use candles.

Having gone to town big time with using paper napkins/serviettes on my bag decorating projects, I have a few spares (like several hundred!).

So I've taken some of the more interesting ones to turn plain glass votive candle holders and dishes into something more eye-catching.

As with other altered art napkin work, you take just the top layer of the napkin (there are usually three) and stick it to the back of the dish and the inside of the votive holder using something like Modge Podge. You need you glue to dry clear. Then paint over the back of the napkins with an appropriate light colour. I used whites, creams, pinks and blues, depending on the colour of the napkin. You'll need quite a few coats. Finally, seal with something non-flammable!

A toast to decorative painting

Take a few wine glasses, apply glass primer, mix your paint with glass medium, and paint something fun!

I've borrowed this idea from a painter called NC Rick who had really gone to town on painting faces on all sort of glass. You may still be able to see their ideas on  their Flickr site.

The faces are designed originally by Jamie Mills Price, and are a free pattern on her web site.

The glass and tile media are from Jo Sonya, the manufacturer of a wide range of decorative painting materials.

I mixed these with DecoArt Americana paints as used in Jamie's pattern. I was told that it would be better to just use products from one or the other manufacturer, but my choice seems to work fine.

A couple of coats of varnish will help to protect the paint, but it's handwashing all the way for these babies!

Somewhere to put all those pencils and pens

Here I am adapting designs again. This wooden pen holder is decorated with elements from a design by Nancy Scott, published in the August 2008 edition of Paintworks magazine.This is a great US publication, full of projects for all level of painters. Sadly the exchange rate has meant I'm not subscribing this year.

The arty teddy bear was originally on a paint box designed by Beverley Kindred and available as a free pattern on the Artists Club web site. Just click on the Projects tab and you'll find plenty of free patterns.There are other good free patterns here too.

Scary times

Have just signed up for my very first craft fair at the Elmbridge Music Festival at Esher Rugby Ground in Molesey, Surrey. Full of enthusiasm when I handed over the cash, now I am suffering a crisis of confidence. I have until 12 June to put together enough quality work to make a good show. Needless to say, with shaking hands it's tough to paint neatly. This week everything I've touched has been a disaster. Must take deep breaths and stop panicking ....

One for the boys

It's my view that one of the few drawbacks of decorative painting and folk art is that most of the designs available are rather girly.

Theoretically, painting on useful objects lets you share the final results to family and friends - you have to really or you build up a huge collection of stuff under your bed.

However, when your family consists of a father, husband, two sons, three brothers, four nephews - and the one sister-in-law - endless flowery items just don't cut the mustard.

So I was very pleased when we started this project in my class. It's a wooden tray with a very liberal interpretation of Mont Saint Michel. The original design was by Linda Lock, adapted by my teacher Maggie Curtis, and adapted again by me to fit the space.

Notebooks and chickadees

One of the pleasures of decorative art on useful objects is that it gives a whole new perspective on day-to-day shopping.
I found these plain brown notebooks on our weekly supermarket shop and bought the entire stock bar six - thought I ought to leave some for others!
I've used a baby chickadee design on these examples, and have others with flowers of various shapes and sizes. It's usual to credit the original designer of anything you paint (unless it's your own of course) but in this case I can't find the name. Apologies to the artist, and I'll update when I can.

Decorated boxes

My husband's niece asked for earrings for her birthday. We found some delightful little butterfly earrings, but the card they were attached to wasn't very special. So I decorated a box, added some tissue paper and now she has an earring keeper box.
These are small papier mache boxes covered with texture paste. I have then added some petals from a silk flower, and topped the decoration off with a plaster fairy. Once everything had dried, I painted the whole box and decoration in a base coat, and then lightly brushed on two further colours to give a bright and shiny appearance.
Another hit!

My Toolbox

Every aspiring folk artist rapidly collects a set of useful tools, such as pencils, liner pens, scissors, rubbers, cotton buds, cocktail sticks, sponges, masking tape and much more.

I've gathered my bits and pieces into a box that was orginally given away free with those part work magazines. This one once held art materials - one pen or paint collected every week if you continued to buy the magazine (which I didn't - I just wanted the box!)

On the basis that no self-respecting folk artist leaves a surface unpainted, I've painted "Lizzy finds a treasure" by Lydia Steeves on the lid of the box. I'm not a fan of twee, but I do like whimsy, and Lydia's collection of animal patterns definitely falls into this category.

The box is painted with Americana Decoart acrylic paints, using a wet on wet technique to create a "blotchy" background, and then following instructions, including remembering to shade and highlight to bring life to the painting.

Christmas recipe folder

I collect recipes from the web and magazines, as well as having a shelf full of cookbooks. Christmas cooking is special, and I have so many different recipes for stuffings, cakes, pies and great ways to make sprouts edible, that I decided I needed a separate folder.

This is a standard file, painted black, with a simple holly and Christmas rose design, passed to me by my teacher, Maggie Curtis.

The lettering is again the cane candy design published in PaintWorks December 2009 magazine by Margot A Clark.