Altered Tins

All the hustle and bustle yesterday takes its toll on me this morning, so I find myself moving slow, in sloth-like fashion. There will be no making of photos today, no strenuous activity at all so that when it is time, I can help Jon with installing the new dishwasher we bought over the weekend.

I do want to share pictures of tins I altered recently. The first tin, Inspired by Melissa, is a salvage project. Melissa, a wonderful woman I met through the A-HAA program, generously made two altered tins for me so I could give them as gifts to my wedding attendants. Prior to this, she’d spent an entire afternoon taking me from store to store, not only looking for embellishments, but also giving me tips and pointers about what to use and how (which translated to use anything that catches your fancy).

For whatever reason, the rust did not take to the tins she made, and three days after I brought them home, they were sloughing away their pretty rust finishes in dime-sized flakes. Having altered only one tin before (also thanks to Melissa), I wasn’t sure if I should reuse the same tins to recreate the project. So, I rusted two new ones, sealed them, and waited a few days before transferring the embellishments. The rust held and, for added measure, I sprayed both tins liberally with a fixative.

So then, what to do with the left over tins? I tried cleaning and rusting them a second time (using craft store rusting solution). The rust flaked off again, but determined they wouldn’t be thrown away, I sanded them down, wiped them clean with alcohol and tried once more. This time it held and I was able to build up the tins. Here are the results:

This design isn’t far from Melissa’s original, thus the given title. With pre-drilled holes, at first I wasn’t confident I could incorporate or figure out how cover them. I used Adirondack alcohol ink (slate and meadow) and went hunting for hardware similar to what Melissa had used. Designing the insides of tins will take a little more practice:

Okay, I thought. She’s held my hand long enough. And so I jumped into a whole new realm with the second remake:

The face is also dabbed with Adirondack inks, this time in Cranberry, which gives it a mottled look that very much appeals to me. I was determined, though, to be a little fancier with the inside of this tin:

I just love the itty bitty pine cones I find downtown under the trees on Henderson Lawn. They are almost as cool as the Juniper berries.

I am soggy now, but the rain has passed. It is time to mosey out and bring the new dishwasher home. May the pleasant whispers of a thousand loved-ones echo in your hearts today.

Adios!