Monday 25 April 2011

Bottletops, Blackbirds and a Krimpvarkie!

The very talented Paula is hosting this fortnights challenge at The Spotlight Challenges, we've also had a huuuuuge makeover so please pop by and let us know what you think!  The Spotlight Challenges are a little bit tougher and we look at a style, product or technique showing various ways of using them and Paula's spotlight is on Bottletops!
I was a bit wary of this but she said plastic was fine so I remembered a project in Craft Stamper I'd saved in my 'to do' list from the January 2011 issue and its an altered box by Hels Sheridan.
The other girls samples are fantastic, I'm going to HAVE to get some metal ones next!





I used an old dishwasher tablet box and coated it with gesso then added a couple of coats of acrylic paint then I've stamped paper artsy stamps in brown, black and gold brilliance inks, edging with a gold paint dabber.  The feet are made out of milk bottle tops (the plastic jug kind!) and painted with gesso and gold acrylic then I cut one up and threaded the pieces through a blue gem brad to make the flower at the front.  Now I have a new mail holder to pop DD's mail into instead of leaving it on the stairs and its all recycled too :)

I'd like to enter this into...



And as promised here's a Blackbird update.  I took this on Friday afternoon so that was 5 days from the last pic here.  Mom & Dad had popped out for lunch and the babies were absolutely fast asleep ahhhh!  I don't get too close, I stretch and click and hope for the best lol!  Haven't they grown loads in just 5 days!  I'll try for another one on Wednesday so that will be another 5 days older and see how they're getting along.


Also as previously mentionned we have a resident Krimpvarkie!  In case you didn't know, my OH is South African.  I'm absolutely rubbish at languages but I pick up the occasional word and this one night during a dream I was speaking Afrikaans quite fluently.  When I woke up I couldn't remember it again except for the word Krimpvarkie which is Afrikaans for Hedgehog!  He's actually coming over quite quick for his supper now so I managed to get a pic or two :)  He might be a she, I don't actually know but I adore them!  I don't have many slugs in my garden yay!

Ta ta for now, need some anti-histamine as hayfever is getting baaaaaad now! x

12 comments:

Feebsy said...

What a great way to recycle, the box looks fabulous. I'd never have thought to use milk bottle lids like that, very inspiring!

The blackbird chicks and hedgehog look so adorable. I have blackbirds in my garden but I hope they're not nesting here as I have at least 8 cats that hang around my garden.

I hope your hayfever settles down too.

Take care

Feebsy

kissinia said...

Great project overall. the bird is very cute! Many thanks for joining Frosted Designs Challenge this week! We moved a house now and our hedgehog does not visit us any more :( slugs equals disaster!

lalkygirl said...

what a fab idea ,i love it ....
thanks for joining us at lexis and good luck
tracey x

Anonymous said...

I love how youve incorporated the bottle tops into this fab piece - thanks for taking the time to be a part of my first challenge ;o)

Anonymous said...

Love your mail holder. Just brilliant. And wildlife pics great too. xx

Lydia said...

Wow....this is a great project! Love what you've done with it. I would have never guessed that it was a diswasher soap box. Thanks for playing along with us at Frosted Deisgns!
Lydia

Erin Reed said...

this is such a great project!! love those colors and your detail is fab! thanks for playing at frosted designs!!

cute little birds and hedgehog!!

Lin said...

Love your recycled box and even though you haven't got metal caps I think it's very clever. After all if you used metal caps in the same way, you would risk scratching whatever you stood your box on!

I was intrigued as to what a Krimpvarkie was and now I know, what a fabulous name!

Lin xx

gillyflower said...

great box love the stamping great design
gill xx

gillyflower said...

great box love the stamping great design
gill xx

Gill McCall said...

What a great project love it! thanks for playing along in my challenge and your photos of the baby birds and hedgehog are so cute
http;//creationsbygillm.blogspot.com

Linda Dale said...

Love your project, thanks for the inspiration. Great idea.