fruit crates and cigar box art storage

I have been collecting cigar boxes and fruit crates for the last eight years.  They say if you put your collection together it will have more impact.  I'm so happy with this art storage.  

I put my heavy chime parts in the wooden boxes and took photos of each interior for inventory purposes.  

Old coin.

Polymer clay.

Treasured metallic thread!

Stamps.

Sewing machine needles.  I picked up a baggy full of needles for only $3.00.  I can't even imagine what these would go for retail.  Another great find.

I really love the colors of the boxes combined with the crates.  I used magazine holders inside the bottom level to store my Somerset magazines.  Lower right shelf holds many journals I have completed the last eight years.

I store unmounted stamps in the humidor.  I bought this at Willie Aames garage sale.  One of my favorite things!

Metallic thread haul!

We went junking this morning and both are giddy with our finds!  I found this great basket for $1.75 first thing I picked up and it sure came in handy because I filled it up with goodies.

If you look close you will see this is an OVER sized basket.  It is leaning against the bar stools so you can't tell how tall it is. 

I love it so I bought the next size smaller.  Buster got to go with us and he is beat.  Too bad Logan missed this sale.

Then I found this baggy full of metallic thread!  Ladies, if you don't know how expensive this stuff is you won't understand my glee when I tell you I paid only $3.75 for ALL!  

I do know, because I did purchase the gold box for over $25.00 a few years ago.  I hoarded them until just last month and finally used them to make a great border on my scarf for my bed.  They worked great in my machine.

The cigar boxes were so cheap, I paid maybe $1 or $2 each.  This is a tiny portion of my haul and my husband got some great wood shop tools for amazing prices also.  Best day of junking in like forever!

oct13

Put a full moon and a black cat on my page.  Found the perfect size plate and painted the moon out in white gesso.  Did the yellow with water color pencil and Faber-Castell indian ink pens.  Painted the cat with black Faber-Castell and didn't like it because it was too shiny so went back over it with black gesso.  Love the matt finish.

dylusion journal

Worked on this background for two days.  I like it so far.  You will all recognize the Tim Holtz masks. I totally jacked it up yesterday and ended up gluing the pages together to forever bury the bad.  Today, I started over with a small brayer and acrylic paints.  After I was happy with the green and purple I put the masks down and pounced the black.  Now what?

dylusion journal

White washed with gesso and did some gel pen doodling.  Wish I had left the color bright.  Next time I'll know better.  

dylusion journal

Pinterest background page.

gelli print background

I made a collage using some of my gelli prints on deli paper and old music.  Basically just stuff on my desk.  I used matt medium to apply the papers in my Dylusion journal.

Then I rubbed some oil pastel into the white.  Like it so far!

gelli prints

Tried some blue on the orange.  Not thrilled.

I like this one better.

Added the acrylic rings in green.  Still think I should find some black and see how that tones down the orange.

gelli prints

This is my favorite print of the session.  I used a heavy body pink over a thin yellow background.  I used very little yellow paint and pressed a texture plate to create the first layer.  All were printed onto deli paper. 

Combing fun.  Skip the scrapbook store and go to Home Depot for stylus tools.  Martha had a set with several for only 6.99.  I paid that for one at my favorite store.  Ouch.  I also drove 30 miles round trip. 

Foam stamps.  I carved the sea shell design on a take out piece of foam.  

Entire kitchen floor last night.  I don't know why I used the orange and yellow together.  Not my favorite color combo.  They hurt my eyes.  Maybe I need to print some black on those backgrounds.  Love the blues and purples!

My collection of stylus tools and other items I use for texture.  After choosing only one I got busy collecting cheap items I could use.  They all work and I LOVE the fossils.  

dylusion journal

There is a really cool gelli print under all the messed up part...

I spent weeks trying to paint my view and finally had to print a picture to make it happen.  Why can't I paint from nature without the photo?