Latest Treasure Hunt Finds...

Ah - Scrabble tiles - a versatile little piece of wood! I always pick up games when I find them at thrift stores or garage sales. I don't care what the box or the board looks like - I only want the tiles! But yesterday I hit the jackpot - I found a deluxe edition that contains maroon tiles! They will be the perfect addition to my vintage style cards. Most likely, I'll save these tiles to use just as they are. My brown wooden tiles which are much more easily found, will be the ones I'll use for decoupage or stamping, or altering in any way. I also picked up a bag of dominoes. Along with the large plastic ones I use for pendants, there are also a number of dark brown wooden ones. There is a Chinese dragon embossed into the wood. I foresee something new and exiting over the horizon! I can't wait to get started using these little beauties. My next search will be for vintage buttons - not the cheap plastic rip-offs you find today - but the little treasures made of bakelite, bone and ivory I remember in my mothers button box many years ago.........

First Try Mini Collage Pendant

What's so difficult about a mini collage pendant? A LOT ! Oh my gosh, this is so much harder than you would think! I have a whole box of mahjong tiles and I thought I try my hand at using them in a little pendant. Well, my little project ended up taking me hours to finish. I used a cut CD for the base, stamped and coated with ultra thick embossing enamel. Then I used diamond glaze to hold the watch parts in place and drilled some holes for my wire. The mahjong tile is stamped with alcohol inks and versafine blank ink, then coated in diamond glaze. Then I added a few embellishments, giving the front a better look, but the back looked terrible. So I cut a piece of foam to size and glued it on with E6000. At this point I had to decide on a pin or a pendant. In the future when I see these little works of art I surely will better appreciate the work that goes into them.

New Altered Domino Magnets

I've just listed some beautiful new magnets on Ebay and Etsy. They are made from dominoes and scrabble tiles. The dominoes have been inked with alcohol inks, and the scrabble tiles act as tiny little frames for vintage women pics. Each has a paper and/or fabric flower. The photos really don't do these magnets justice; they are much more beautiful in real life.

Happy Thanksgiving to ALL

Sorry I haven't posted in quite a while. It's been a busy time of year for me and my creative processes seem to be on hold. Today I'd like to talk a little bit about altered game pieces, one of my favorite things to work with. Dominoes and Mah-jong pieces are great for magnets and pendants. The pendants can be used as a decorative clothing accessory, as book fobs on book thongs, as key chain charms, and lots of other ingenious items. They can be stamped, decoupaged, drilled, glued, etc, etc, etc. You're only limited by your own imagination. I also use the plastic Rummicube game tiles as magnets and embellishment for cards. (they're much lighter in weight) Scrabble tiles can also be used as small charms or embellishments. I've also found some 1 1/2" round wooden discs from some game which can also be altered any way you like. And no, you don't have to buy a new game to get some of these pieces. Mine all come from thrift and second hand shops where you can usually find them at great prices. So keep your eyes open, but don't be stealing from the kid's toys! Check out my gallery to see some of my altered art pieces.