Altered Art: Composition Books

Do you remember using composition books in school? I've always loved them. With their hard cardboard cover and sewn spine, they seem more like a real book to me than a regular spiral bound notebook.

Since Christmas break is over, the kids are back to school, and a new semester is around the corner, it's a great time to replenish some of those school supplies. Surprise them with a new notebook and some fun scrapbooking supplies to make it one-of-a-kind.

I have an 11 year old daughter who recently went through the Hannah Montana craze, so we bought a Hannah notebook for school. Well, it only took a few days of kids teasing her about it before she came home and wanted to cover the book. We added some patterned paper and coordinating stickers in under 10 minutes, and now all the kids comment on how cute her notebook is instead of making fun of it.

You probably really don't need directions, just lay the book on the paper, trace it and cut it out, then glue it on. Add stickers, ribbon, embellishments, and you're done. A fun idea is to personalize them with someone's name to give as a gift.

To get your imagination going, I've posted a few pictures below:



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Altered Art: Clipboards

I've had lots of feedback that people are enjoying the altered art projects I've posted, so I've got another fun one for you today. Did you know you can turn an ordinary clipboard into a work of art and a perfect gift? They make super cool room decorations and are great for simply holding notes.

The first step is to choose a patterned paper or two and then a paint color to match. Lightly sand both sides of the clipboard then paint it using a foam brush. Let it dry well. You can also use crackle compound to give the paint a unique distressed look if you want.

Attach the paper to the clipboard using Mod Podge or another decoupage adhesive. To keep bubbles from forming in the paper, apply a thin coat to the clipboard underneath the paper. Apply the paper then smooth out any bubbles using a flat object, such as a ruler. Add any other flat embellishments you plan to use, the apply a thin coat of Mod Podge over the entire surface of the clipboard and allow it to dry.

Then simply add any three dimensional embellishments, such as metal doo-dads, 3D stickers, paper flowers, buttons, and ribbon, chipboard, etc. There is no limit to how they can be decorated and the many fun uses you can find for them.

Here are a few ideas:

-Decorate only the clipboard and then rotate pictures for variety or change them seasonally.
-Create a Christmas countdown calendar or advent calendar.
-Make a clipboard for a teacher gift. Avoid bulky embellishments so it is still functional.
-Paint with blackboard paint so it can be used as a chalkboard.
-Attach a magnet to the back and hang it on the refrigerator or in a locker.
-Create a Calendar and rotate the picture each month.

As always, the possibilities are endless . . . Have fun!

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Altered Art: CD's

I’ve gotten lots of positive feedback from the other altered art articles I’ve written, so I guess I’ll keep them coming. Today we are talking about altering CD’s. You all have old disks lying around. Sometimes they come in the mail, others just stop working. Well, there’s no reason to throw them away. Instead, turn them into a work of art. There are a million ways to alter a CD. Here are a few examples of what you can make by altering a CD:

• Make Christmas ornaments for your friends and family. They'll love the fact that they're homemade and you'll love the fact that they're cheaper than the alternative!
• Add pictures of your family or friends for a very unique picture frame.
• Send an altered CD as an alternative to the traditional greeting card.
• Create a CD and attach it to your next housewarming gift as an unusual and beautiful tag.
• Combine several altered CD’s to make a unique photo album.
• Don't be afraid to decorate the CD case, as well, for the whole package. This makes a VERY impressive gift.

Have fun and be creative. And don’t worry—you won’t mess it up. Altering by nature is out-of-the-box and funky. I think you'll quickly realize just how addicting these things can get!

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Altered Art: Picture Frames

Creating Altered Art picture frames is a great way to use up patterned scrapbook paper and miscellaneous embellishments leftover from other projects. The fabulous thing about altering your own frames is you can match your decor, or the theme of your picture.

The first thing you need to consider is the type of frame. Choose frames with a nice flat surface so it's easier to adhere the paper. I generally use wood frames, but you can use any type. If your frame has a slick surface, just rough it up with some sandpaper to create a more adhesive surface.

Follow these easy steps to cover your frame:

1) Place the paper patterned side down, then lay the frame face down on top of the paper. Trace around the frame opening and outside edges.

2) Use Scissors to cut frame shape from paper. It's better to leave a little extra paper. We'll use sandpaper later to trim it down.

3) Use a foam paintbrush to apply an even coat of Mod Podge to the front of the frame.

4) Place paper onto Mod Podged frame. Smooth away bubbles with fingers.

5) If necessary, trim the edges of paper as close as possible to the edge of the frame, then use sandpaper to sand the remaining rough or uneven edges.

6) With the foam brush, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge. Be sure to get along the edges of the paper.

7) If desired, you can paint the back and edges of the frame in a coordinating color.

8) Embellish the frame with ribbon, metal embellishments, flowers, stickers, rubons, stamps, etc. This is the fun part. Use your imagination!

The frame on the right was created by painting the frame white first and then cutting out small squares of coordinating papers and laying them in a pattern on the frame.

You can use these same techniques to cover any solid object. Covering wooden letters is a popular, fun way to decorate your child's room.

Use your imagination. You can create unique frames that make perfect gifts. It's even simple enough for children to do and makes a great Christmas gift for Grandpa & Grandma.

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Altered Art: Cookie Sheets

Altered art is a new craze in the craft and scrapbooking industry. So, what is altered art? It's basically taking something old--usually a common household object--and making it new again by decorating it creatively and for a different use than that originally intended.

There are tons of cute projects and I'm going to occasionally share some with you. Today, we are starting with cookie sheets. You've probably all seen the new metal magnet boards available in craft stores. They come unfinished and you can paint, stamp, or cover them with paper and then make fun, unique magnets to hold things such as pictures, homework, reminder notes, or even the family calendar.

Well, instead of purchasing the expensive metal magnetic boards, you can simply use a cookie sheet. You can even usually find them at the dollar store. Use scrapbook paper, stamps, stickers--really anything you would use on a scrapbook page and decorate it anyway you want. I've included a few pictures to get your imagination going.

To the right is a calendar that is completely magnetic. The months and numbers were just printed on cardstock, laminated and then attached to strips of magnet that were sticky on one side. You can find magnet like this on a roll at any craft store. Create fun pieces for birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions. You can store the pieces you aren't using on the back of the cookie sheet. If you want to paint your cookie sheet, use sandpaper to rough it up a bit so the paint will adhere better.

Altered art is a great activity to do with your kids. It's always fun to create something new from something old. Check back soon for more altered art projects.

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