You Don't Have To Be Rich To Craft

I blew my craft budget on a new laptop. Which is all right as the laptop will hook up to my cutting machine. Also I will be using it designing and modifying designs to use in my crafting. So that means that I am going to have to use up what I have and come up with creative solutions for using non traditional items.


Having a dollar store as well as a hardware store near by makes things easier. It is surprising what items you can find to use in your crafting. I would take from someone's tool box but I want to live a little longer. LOL! But if you are brave go ahead. I'm sure you can find masking tape,duck tape,washers, etc. there. There may even be a roll of fiberglass mesh tape but if there isn't don't worry it is usually fairly inexpensive at your local hardware store if you don't have a dollar store that carries it.

Next place for supplies may be in your kitchen. Don't throw out those foil lids that come on sour cream,yogurt,etc. Wash them up as you can use a die cut machine like the Big Shot or cutting machine like a Silhouette to cut shapes out of them. If you have someone who has given you canned goods with the canning lids or if you have left over canning lids don't toss those either. By the way at the end of summer when canning season is considered over you can often find the lids on sale.


For the card I'm working on now I am using the design from one side of a foil yogurt lid which I've cut out. A shape from the foil side of a lid which I've cut with my Silhouette and colored. A canning lid which I've also colored. A piece of fiberglass mesh tape which I've cut narrower and heat embossed. A shape cut out of card stock,covered with masking tape,stamped on,and colored with shoe polish. Although I heat embossed a sample with clear embossing enamel after applying the shoe polish I decided to not do that for this card. Then I stamped a border from the Everyday Moments Collection by Teresa Collins.(This was a prize I won from them) I heat embossed and used shoe polish over it.


I know now I have gotten you wondering what in the world did that "Crazy" Myoriah come up with this time. Hopefully I've also intrigued you enough to stick around. I'm off to glue my creation together but don't you go away because you can just scroll down to see.


Drum roll please! Here is my latest creation the result of experimentation. (Click on image to enlarge.)

  

I cut Apollo out by hand from a Greek God yogurt lid. On the lids I was given some lids had Apollo and some Hermes. Don't know if different flavor of yogurt have different gods on the lids or not.  The flower was colored with Butterscotch alcohol ink and Apollo glued in the middle.  The canning lid was colored with alcohol ink and then after the ink sitting for a couple of hours buffed with a cotton ball. (The picture doesn't do it justice but I love the subtle color) Using brown shoe polish and the shoe brush coated with the polish I pounced the brush up and down on the masking tape circle. Any chunks of wax I carefully with a finger smoothed. I let it sit for a few minutes and then gently wiped it with a soft cloth. Some of the black ink came off on the cloth (it may have been because it was dye ink or because it was stamped on masking tape instead of paper or card stock) but I like the faded look.  I decided to tear the excess tape off the circle instead of trimming it with scissors to give it a more aged look. LOL! Besides I need to work on being less of a perfectionist. The mesh on the side is fiberglass mesh tape. At one dollar store I found it and another didn't have it. I cut off the length I wanted and then poured Zing's gold embossing powder on the sticky side. I did have to do a little bit of touch up by stamping in a couple of places with an embossing pad and adding the powder and melting it. I stamped on card stock with embossing ink using the border stamp from Everyday Moments and heat embossed. Then since I still had wax on the shoe brush I went ahead and stroked the brush over the card stock. Buffed with a cloth so it wouldn't be sticky and tore the edges to make it the size I wanted. 


Have I inspired you? What technique are you going to try? Or what unusual item are you going to try to use in a project?


I used 3-1 Beacon Advanced Craft glue. It worked great at adhering things. I was concerned about the canning lid but it is on there tight. I was generous with the glue. Thought I would mention that in case someone was wondering what to use. In no way do I work for the company or get compensation for mentioning the product. Other products will work also but you may have to do some experimenting to find the right one.


Thank you for stopping by. Happy Frugal Crafting till we meet again. I'm off to play with silver fabric duct tape I found last night at a dollar store.