Artist Trading Block Creation

This is my latest obsession....

 

ATB creations.

 

 

This is my favorite side of my project.

 

 

WAIT..... maybe it's this side!!! 

 

 

Each blog starts out as 2 pieces of die cut black mat board. I used the new Eileen Hull

Sizzix ScoreBoards XL Die -  Blocks/Cubes 3-D that cuts 3 different sized blocks.

 

Next I cut 6  - 2 1/4 inch and 6 - 1 3/4 squares from Metal Foil Tape and 4 Melodic Birds with Vintaj's Thinlits die.

 

These are all embossed using different areas of the 6x6 Embossing folders from Vintaj. I used Iron Scrollwork, Nouveau Tiles and Leaf Rosette folders.

 

 

This is the smaller group. The 2 on the far right are embossed with the little folders that come with the Melodic Bird Die. Really cool to get 3 folders with the bird!

 

I added several layers of Fresco Paints with Cut-n-Dry Foam.

 

When dry, I decided to sand off parts of the paint for contrast.

 

 

I painted the larger squares too, but decided not to sand them. When they're dry, you can see where to go back and get complete coverage.

 

 

Next I put 3 sides together and added the birds. Having the peal-off sticky back makes this so easy.  I left them unpainted so they'd show up really well.

 

 

After trying out all kinds of ideas for the middle sections....round flat wheels, 4 little pegs, 4 pediments....nothing I liked...I finally settled on the height of these little wooden blocks.

 

At first I added the above metal foil die cut strip, but found it too small and later added a larger strip I embossed with an embossing folder.

 

The bottom is with 4 larger wooden blocks glued together, painted black and trimmed with an Industrious Border Sticker.

 

I looked at this photo and thought I definitely needed another piece of silver around the middle. Always a work in progress.

 

 

And it was all glued together when I also decided the top needed something, too!

 

This is actually a cool drawer pull I found at the Hardware store. But it looked kind of plain, so I cut 3 little squares of the foil, embossed it, and stuck it on the balanced cube.

 

Like I said, always a work in progress until it actually goes up!

 

 

And one last shot of the gorgeous birds and the 2 sides on top with the Thinlits little embossing folder designs.

 

Thanks for stopping by, and as always, let me know if you have any questions.

 

I'm here to serve!

 

Linda