Tag Archives: Altered art

Jan28

Paper Calliope makes its first…are you ready for this…paper calliope

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Paper Calliope makes its first…are you ready for this…paper calliope
Paper Calliope makes its first…are you ready for this…paper calliope

So, by now you probably know that I love making vintage circus art. It probably has a little something to do with the fact that my kids have gone to a circus performing arts school since the youngest was still in diapers. Yep, The Daughter™ hung from a trapeze, even before she was out of Pampers.

Aside from my kids’ involvement, I also like making circus-themed art because of the vibrant graphics and the endless opportunities for whimsy and creativity. Over the last week,I have been laboring over a special project that has been on my to-do list for a long, long while. It was finally time to make a paper calliope.

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Jan25

Make a Valentine pop-up box

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Make a Valentine pop-up box
Make a Valentine pop-up box

 

 

Be still my heart–at least until I get my heart rate down. There’s been such a flurry of Valentine projects underway at Paper Calliope that I haven’t had a moment to blog.

That changes today however. Please stop by the Robin’s Nest and see a tutorial for this fun little box I created using paper and the spring from an old ballpoint pen. Read the rest of this entry →

Jan15

Celebrate the past and future with this calendar gift card book

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Celebrate the past and future with this calendar gift card book

Paper-Calliope-Calendar-Gift-Card-Holder-cover

So it was just a week ago that my 8.5 ounce baby boy was born. Well….a week and 18 years ago. It feels like a few days ago. Cliche or not, where the hell did the time go?

Since he is past the age of wanting action figures for presents and since he is always broke, his dad and I decided to give him small denomination gift cards that he can use throughout the year. I tied it into the chance to remind him about the incredibly awesome parents who threw so many over-the-top theme birthday parties over the years. Aaaannnnd, since I’m still Mom, I decided to also use the opportunity to boost his awareness about Mother’s Day other important days throughout the year. Read the rest of this entry →

Dec29

Woohoo! Back for 2015

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Woohoo! Back for 2015

Robin Nest Logo

I’m still in the midst of the holiday craze and don’t have much time for blogging, but I had to stop in and make this quick announcement.

I am thrilled to report that I have been invited back and am re-joining the 2015 Robin’s Nest Design Team as an Altered Art Artist. Make sure to check out the rest of the fabulous team.

In between board games and cookie consumption, I am actually working hard on my January projects for the team. At least one of them takes me in quite a different direction and I can’t wait to share it with you.

In the meantime, have a safe, sane, but equally fun New Year’s.

xoxo Betsy

Dec14

For a fresh breath of Christmas, check out this tutorial

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For a fresh breath of Christmas, check out this tutorial
For a fresh breath of Christmas, check out this tutorial

Ok, Now I’ve done it. With that headline, I have officially made the worst pun ever. If you can forgive me, please check out my Altoid tin (breath mint) tutorial over at the Robin’s Nest.

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Dec3

Behind the scenes of Elfville

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Behind the scenes of Elfville

 

Paper-Calliope-Elfville-blue-1

Now that the Robin’s Nest contest is over, I thought I would show you some of the things that went into making Elfville. It involved more than a solid month of work. Phew! Would I do such a large project again? Probably not…especially since I can’t find a place in my home big enough to display Elfville (without displacing all the other vintage collections I have).

I have to be honest, amidst the flurry of getting this project done, I didn’t take enough how-to-make photos. So instead of individual tutorials, which would become tedious to read, I am going to give you an overall glimpse of how things were made. Read the rest of this entry →

Nov29

Robin’s Nest Blog Hop–Check out this altered Altoid tin Christmas Ornament

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Robin’s Nest Blog Hop–Check out this altered Altoid tin Christmas Ornament
Robin’s Nest Blog Hop–Check out this altered Altoid tin Christmas Ornament

Welcome to the Robin’s Nest Christmas Blog Hop.

Make sure to visit each of the stops on the Design Team blog hop because the Robin’s Nest is giving away a fabulous prize–a bottle of Christmas Dew Drops–at every blog stop. To enter the contest begin at the Robin’s Nest, follow the links and leave a comment on each blog site. Also make sure you follow the  Robin’s Nest Facebook page.  

christmas blog hop button

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Nov25

The fabulous supplies of Elfville

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The fabulous supplies of Elfville

Paper-Calliope-Elfville-1

My Elfville post a few days back showed off some of the Robin’s Nest fabulous products. If any of it caught your eye, I wanted to make it easy for you to find, so I am providing a comprehensive list here.

Just to note, I’m not getting paid for this. Although I am on the design team, I bought the materials for Elfville myself since it fell outside the realm of my contractual obligation. (I also bought a whole lot more, but we won’t talk about that…) Read the rest of this entry →

Nov20

Alter a tin with silver and gold

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Alter a tin with silver and gold

Paper-Calliope-Silver-And-Gold-ornament-2

“Silver and gold
Silver and gold
Mean so much more
When I see
Silver And gold decorations
On ev’ry Christmas tree
Silver, silver and gold”

Good ol’ Burl Ives. I still picture him as a claymation snowman strolling through 1970s Christmas specials.

As you guessed by now, silver and gold is the focus of today’s project. Two of my bestest, mostest, funnest and favoritest crafty activities are altering tins and books. As a result, I decided to turn an Altoid tin into a Silver and Gold ornament.

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