When A Box Isn't A Box...

...don't worry, I haven't gone stark staring tonto... well, not quite.  No, I thought very carefully for about 30 seconds about todays post title... believe me, that is a long time (I usually just type whatever comes into my head!)  Anyways, the box isn't a box anymore because I have been doing a smidge of up-cycling.  I seem to get a lot of cardboard boxes passing through the Room of Stash (all for work, obvs... ahem) and I am forever flattening them and bunging them into the green bin... so I decided to utilise all this free cardboard and use it for a wall hanging piece.  I saw Leandra from Paper Artsy demo-ing using cardboard as a base and thought "what a brill idea" so thanks for the inspirations to Leandra.

I used a Stanley knife (yep, I am very careful with that baby, it is sharp!) and a metal rule and cut a piece of cardboard to measure about 4" by 8" and then peeled away some of the top layer of paper from the cardboard, revealing the corrugations.   Next up, adding some texture... so I used a Crafter's Workshop stencil and Grunge Paste, I spread on a layer with a palette knife, dried it off and then popped the stencil back into place and spread another layer on as I wanted quite a deep stencilled effect.

Next up was a good paint application.  I used Fresco Paints... starting with mixing Snowflake and Mermaid together... pouncing this all over the piece with Cut & Dry foam... and then adding in Mermaid around the edges... a smidge of South Pacific blended lightly over the raised bits and then a smudge of Mocha Mousse around the very edges.  Once dried, I popped a little bit of Little Black Dress around the edges to make a frame for the design.  I loves my Treasure Gold and used Pewter and White Fire, applying it very lightly over the raised bit and around the edges of the base.  My floral embellishment is just a bunch of paper flowers, some have had smidges of Treasure Gold applied and some left plain.  The sprigs are Prima (had these years and never dared to use them before... duh? Use them!!!)  Alpha Parts for my word of the year... and a clear butterfly to finish.    I am entering this piece into the Simon Says Stamp & Show challenge this week which is "Into the Woods"  *a musical I LOVE... I was introduced to this fabulousity by my friend Dan... if you haven't seen it... you needs to!*  Anyways... HERE is the link to the deets on the challenge... and my "into the woods" bits are the woody sprigs and the cardboard, which, after all, comes from wood originally!

Anyways... I have news of my little predator.  Oh yesh, he has been up to his tricks again.  And, it is all our fault, we laughed at him the other day when he was trying to stalk a pigeon that was having a little rest on our lawn.  Alf hasn't really "got it" when it comes to the stalking of birds... he wags his tail, chatters his chops and wiggles his bum too much, they see him coming, laugh at him and then fly off.  That is until he decided to change tactic... and went for a baby Collared Dove!  And... to make things worse, he brought it home for Mummy.  Why he does this while Grim is at work is beyond me.  I was actually having a chat with Grim on the phone when Alf arrived, baby dove in chops and proceeded to run into the living room and dumped said dove on the rug... which I have to admit is where all his toys are, you know, like catnip mice... and sticks with feathers on (I know, it is my fault... I have taught him how to catch a bird!)   Anyways, Baby Dove was still alive... so I went to grab Alf, who promptly dropped the dove, which then flew into the hall.  In the meantime, I am trying to talk to Grim, slipping along the carpet on my knees with a rather cheesed off cat in one hand and trying to talk to Grim with the phone in the other... well, it was going to end up messy so I and ended up dropping the phone, letting go of Alfonse and rushing off after the him as he was in hot pursuit of the poor birdy.   I managed to grab Alf again, and, to his disgust, shut him in the hall.  I figured the poor dove would be dead... but no, it was still alive... so I held it for a few minutes (ok, more like half an hour) while it (and I) calmed down... and then released it back into the Spinney and Alf was then on lock down. For a day!  I have since seen said baby bird sitting in a tree so I am rather chuffed that I managed to rescue it.  And Alf?  He decided to adopt his full name for the next day... Lord Alfonse of Sheridan - oh he ignored me, huffed at me and even took a gnash at my passing ankles!  He has forgiven me since.. he knows which side his bread is buttered... not to mention who gives him food and snuggles!    Right, I shall away... thanks for looking!  TTFN

Hels x