Altered "lunch box" tin: Music Teacher

 I so enjoyed making this file organizer for a special music/piano teacher.   The buyer asked me to make a music themed box.

 This box measures 7"x5"x5"  The handle is carefully embellished with the a beautiful array of red/black/white ribbon.

 There are about 20 dividers that I made. Each with a tab and decorated differently.

 No two dividers are ever the same.

You will definitely enjoy this unique and personalized gift!

Mini Altered Composition Notebooks/Journals

 Measuring in at 4.5"x3.25", these little notebooks are sure to put a smile on somebody's face.

 They are just the right size to put in your pocket or purse.  They make great gifts, stocking stuffers, door prizes, party favors, etc.

 I can design them in just about any theme, with 3D embellishments and possibly even a ribbon closure!

I never make two exact same items.  Every item is unique and hand-crafted just for you!
Click on my ETSY shop in the side bar to go to my shop and order as many as you'd like!
You're going to love these so much, you'll want one or two for yourself!

Wooo Pig Sooie!! DIY Canvas

This was a fun project that I did for a friend.  I picked up a few canvases on sale at Michael's and had them put away for a while.  I decided it was time to get busy with them!
I used acrylic paint and gave the whole thing a layer of gray and let it dry.  Then I randomly placed several round stickers all over the canvas.  I then painted a layer of black over the whole thing.
When that was dry, I carefully peeled the stickers off the canvas.  I was a little disappointed that some of the paint bled through the edges, but I rolled with it.
I then printed off a picture of the beloved Razorback Hog.  You can trace this or draw it out on your own.  I carefully cut it out and then Mod Podged it down.
I used foam letter stamps and acrylic paint to add the Wooo Pig Sooie!!
My final step was to sand the canvas a bit on the edges.  I just prefer that look, but you don't have to do this.
I am going to be working on another canvas this week where I do a photo transfer.  I will try to remember to take pictures of the process as well.

Have fun and let me know if you try a canvas of your own!

My 100th Post on this blog!! A game day banner for you Razorback fans!!

I just noticed that this is my 100th post on my Altered To Perfection blog.  Yay!
Today, I am sharing a banner with you.  GO*HOGS*GO! for a dedicated Arkansas Razorback fan.

Thanks for reading along!  I love all of my friends here at Altered To Perfection!

A few vintage-inspired items made for a vintage-inspired wedding ...

Now, I must say that none of the original ideas were my own.  My friend Mandy, the Bride, told or showed me what she wanted and I went to work.  She, along with her mother, father, sisters, friends, etc. also did a lot of amazing work to make this wedding amazing and full of personal touches.

 Instead of handing out programs at the ceremony, there was a large frame that had a chalkboard painted cardboard background.  I used the Chalkboard Markers mentioned in my previous post and got to work on this.  I must say that I loved how it turned out! 

 This gift table was eventually moved into the ballroom/reception area.  Coca-cola crates, different sized mason jars and vintage suitcases made this a perfect touch for the theme.

 Here, you can see more vintage Coca-Cola crates, mason jars, mason jar cupcakes and even a tray like the one I previously featured (chalkboard paint tray)  in the left hand corner. =) 

 

CARDS banner for the card box on the gift table.
This was how I set it up at the wedding.  I believe she bought these luggage pieces at a vintage shop in Colorado.  The skeleton key was a vintage-inspired key.

Mandy and her parents did all of the work on these mason jars and place cards.  Great idea right??  I just wanted to show off another little tray in the upper corner there.  They painted these and I used those fabulous markers on it. =)  Lots of different shapes and sizes at the Dollar Tree!

This banner made by me was hand-lettered and used as a photo prop.  I used heavy-duty scrapbook cardstock, white chalkboard paint marker, black Sharpie marker and twine.

There's inspiration everywhere!  For purchasing information, you can email me or find me here on facebook or here at Etsy.

Pinned and Tried: Chalkboard Painted Trays

You've got to be careful these days to not leave anything sitting in my path that my get painted with chalkboard paint.  I just can't help it!  It's so easy and fun.   I saw this idea on pinterest - several sources, but I also used to do it with plain old cookie sheets.   

So, I thought I'd show you the process I took to make this super cheap and fun project.

I picked up a metal tray at the Dollar Tree.  I already had the Krylon Chalkboard paint from previous projects.  I bought it at Michael's and I'm pretty positive I used a 40% off coupon.

I placed the tray in a box that I previously used for painting and I took it OUTSIDE.
You want to make sure that you are in a well ventilated area.

I made sure the paint can got a really good shaking and then I just sprayed an even coat all over the tray.  I did one side, let it dry in the box and then painted the other side.  This tray was one I did really quick and didn't bother to get the 'gummy' stuff off completely from the price tag.  However, I recommend that you do in order to have a completely smooth surface.  After making sure the paint fully covered the tray, I let it sit several hours to make sure it was really set before I wrote on it.

I took a piece of chalk and laid it on it's side and gently colored in the flat surface to 'season' the board before using it.  This step seems to be pretty crucial to being able to write smoothly on your new board.  This is with regular white chalk.

You may notice that the writing in this picture looks more 'smooth'.  That's because I've discovered a new fun item!! Chalkboard markers.  I needed to do a huge project for a wedding and knew that chalk would be almost impossible to do the job the way I wanted.  I looked around the www and guess what?  Found some great tips on how to get that perfect look on the chalkboards.  

Writes smooth, comes in several colors and wipes clean with a damp cloth. 

I am in love!!  

This pack of 4 chalkboard markers was a little over $12 at Michael's and of course, I used a coupon!

The other great thing about these trays are that they are magnetic.  So you can write a note or you can stick a note!  Whatever you like best.
This pinned and tried was a winner.  I loved this easy project and hope you'll try it too!

CARDS Banner ~ Wedding

Vintage wedding themes are all the rage. 

Simple, vintage-inspired, and just the right touch...

 Vintage lace to add a special touch

 Yellow and Gray

Looks lovely draped on a vintage piece of luggage.

Perhaps you could use an old apple crate or large tin...

Email or comment for more information on my occasion banners.

Breast Cancer Survivor - Pink Ribbon Mailbox

 Celebrate being a Survivor!

This very pink mailbox would be a lovely gift to give to a

 breast cancer survivor or remember a breast cancer fighter.  

Along with the mailbox, you can also order quote cards for added inspiration.

(See listing for details)

Hand-crafted, personalized Gratitude Journals...

A GRATITUDE JOURNAL is a great place to record things for which you are grateful!

Make a family tradition of keeping a Gratitude Journal that anyone can write in.

These are some journals I made recently.  

Standard sized composition notebooks -

Each one altered to be perfect for the recipient.

Order yours by going here: ALTERED TO PERFECTION

No Fear...

I don't think I've told you about this amazing little mini journal I bought on Etsy.  

After sending out several orders and being blessed with lots of sales, I decided I'd like to purchase something fun for myself.  I had this little book tucked away in my "favorites" section for a while.  

I didn't even have to think long about what I wanted to buy.

It is genuine cow leather and measures 2.25"X3" 

It fits in the palm of my hand. 

Lots of pages - 320 counting both sides 

Hand-stitched... 

Swoon.  I was in love.

It came all the way from Thailand, but did not take long to arrive at all.

I did a few pages with water color right away.  

It was fun and interesting to work on a small space like this - smaller than an ATC card, but lager than inchies.

The pages are a bit too thin to handle wet medium like water colors, so I decided to glue a few pages and paint them first with gesso to give it some thickness.  

This is a recent spread I did.

 I have been thinking about fear a lot lately.  

I don't want to live in fear. I don't want to worry.  I don't want to doubt.

I want to have a voice.

I want to understand.

I want my heart to be safe and I want to offer safety for the hearts of others.

I don't want to fear about being perfect.

I don't want to fear about being forgotten.

 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

1 John 4:18

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1

"Fears are educated into us, and can, if we wish, be educated out."
Karl Augustus Menninger

"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."
Dale Carnegie

So, dear friend, do not be afraid.  Get out there and let your voice be heard.  Do you feel like you need to express yourself through painting? Then paint!  Do you want to sing?  Sing!  Do you want to believe? Then believe.  Do not live in fear.  Do not let it trap you any longer.  You can be free.  No fear.

"The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear."
Gandhi

Marco's 5th birthday... Angry Birds Theme *photo heavy, but worth scrolling through* ;)

A year ago, I couldn't even tell you what the Angry Birds were.  Now, I know more than I care to about these characters and the game that has made them so popular. haha!  

My son decided about 6 months ago that he wanted his next birthday to be Angry Birds theme.  Yes, I am one of "those" moms that likes to do themed parties.  I really do!  

Anyway, thanks to Pinterest, I was able to get a few ideas.  I didn't actually do all the ideas I pinned because we found out that the temperatures would be 110*+, so my husband suggested we get some sort of water activity for them and we rented a big jumper water slide. Got a great deal on it too!  

These games, as cute as they were, were not going to be able to compete with the jumper. lol

 I saved up some soup cans and then painted them with acrylic paint and a sponge brush.  Then I just (free-hand) painted the faces.  I added a crown using cardstock hot-glued to the top.  I bought three balls at the dollar store and BOOM - one game done.

These are centerpieces that I made using Baby Formula Cans.  Just peeled off the labels and then painted each can with acrylic paint.  Then I painted the faces on each one.  I just googled Angry Birds and went to images so that I could see what the different birds looked like.  These were my best attempt at copying them.

The second game I made was this tri-fold presentation board turned into a frisbee toss game.  I used an x-acto knife to cut the circles and then painted the faces and details with acrylic paints.

I can't take credit for any of this goodness!  My good friend Lorany of Nany Sprinkles made these amazing cupcakes for my son.  She made almost 70 of them.  Each cupcake had some kind of fondant topper on them and you can see the amazing detail that went into each one.

The amazing set up (frame) was built by Lorany's husband, Robert.  Everything was just perfect.

This is not what I made this for...but it works too!

Here are the cans, stacked and ready to go!

Frisbee toss was a little harder than I thought it would be, but it was not impossible for them.  Lots of fun.

Watch out!!

This game was a favorite! The kids kept coming back to this one.

We also had lots of water balloons, thanks to my friends, Rick and Desiree.  They even let Marco keep this cool pouch to carry his balloons.  He said he felt like David and was looking for Goliath. haha!

I can't believe he's five now and starting school at the end of the month.

My four babies. My oldest is going to be starting her senior year and my youngest is starting Kindergarten.  Any trouble I go to, to make these days special for them, is worth everything to see them happy and help make great memories for them.  My life. I love it. =)