Lots of earrings! Who knew a Pop Can could be so cool?

This is just going to be mostly an "eye candy" post, because dang. I am pooped. I'll do another post with more earrings (they're coming!) and describe more technique.

I finally got the motivation to whip out my Vintaj Bigkick machine, which I bought months and months ago. It's been hiding in my closet, inside the box... quietly weeping. "Useeee meee! I was expennnsiveee!" Well, I took a much needed Etsy vacation from Wicked Witch bookmarks, and I finally took out the danged machine. And guess what. It's pretty freaking awesome. 

Because you can turn pop cans and soup cans into pretty things. 

More later. Much love, Kira :)

Peculiar Monster Card and New UC Challenge

Happy February, friends! This is one of my favorite months...because it means it's gonna be my birthday! But, that's not the thing today... There is a new challenge happening over at Unique Crafters which is "Lace and Fabric"! 

Stamp: Baby Cthulhu by Kira Nichols for Stampotique

For this challenge, I put together a little card/ATC with some lacy background and fabric hills. By the way, just check out that crazy orange printed paper on the very back. I had an appointment 2 hours away in Montgomery, so I went to Joann (we don't have one close-by). I got this big bag of shiny pretty colorful miscellaneous scrap paper from India... I swear, I've been thumbing through the bag non-stop. So pretty.

But anyhoo, go ahead and enter something fabricky or lacy in the challenge! This month is sponsored by Scrapbook Unique.

Colorful Watercolored Owl Ornament

 Hoo hoo. 

 I made this colorful owl ornament at the request of a friend who needed a little gift for an owl-loving buddy. I used that delicious American Crafts smooth glitter paper, and sequins to add some shine and pizzazz. Today is all rainy and icky, so I need a little glimmer to look at.

Here's a close-up of the owl, which is just ink and watercolor on watercolor paper, then cut out and stuck on with stickyback foam. I think the colors turned out pretty well. Bright, just how I like 'em.

Hope everybody is having a great weekend!

A Wee Cinderella Card and September's HUGE New Unique Crafters Challenge

Happy September 1st, everyone! You know what that means, a new challenge is open over at the Unique Crafters Challenge Blog. This month is "Anything Goes", which means you can post up to three links for any paper or digital craft project you have designed during the last three months. And September's prizes are PLENTIFUL! There will be 20 different awards, so you have lots of chances to win. This challenge is sponsored by Scrapbooking Unique.

For some inspiration, I made this little mixed media card inspired by Cinderella. The image is actually from a vintage Disney storybook, and that actually is Cinderella :) For extra sparkle, I used 1/4'' sequins. 

Well, I know you've got a project  or two that you're itching to enter into this Anything Goes Challenge. You've got from now until September 30th 2012 to link up up to 3 projects and enter at Unique Crafters. Have at it :) And behold the awards that will be given...

We will be giving away awards for the following categories:

Best Home Decor Project

Best Party Favor

Best Alcohol Marker Colored Image

Best Altered Art Project

Best Digital Craft Project

Overall Favorite Scrapbook Page

Best use of Photos on a Scrapbook Page

Best Theme on a Scrapbook Page

Best Color Combination on a Scrapbook Page

Best Simple and Clean Scrapbook Layout

Most Elaborate Layout

Overall Favorite Card

Best Birthday Card

Best Baby Card

Best Color Combination on a Card

Best Simple and Clean Card

Funniest Card

Most Elegant Card

Most Elaborate Card

One Big Grand Prize Winner

Groovy Silver Beaded Ring

Another groovy project to share :) I custom made this sterling silver ring in beachy ocean colors and stamped "groovy" on the silver just for my crafting buddy! Crystal and pearls... It reminded me a little of beach glass.

I used some buffing compound and my Dremel to polish the band up to a high shine. My other rings have been a sort of hammered finish which is cool, but it was also neat to see the silver get so dang shiny. I kinda missed a bit on the inside of the ring, you can see it in the picture. Oops. Oh well, still pretty.

And here's the packaging I used. The box is made from kraft cardstock and I folded it up with my scoring board. That thing sure does come in handy when I need to make boxes or little gift bags. 

Anyhoo, I'm home from my vacation in Texas at my sister's house and I had SO MUCH FUN :) I didn't blog as much as I had planned, but who can spend time on the computer when there are super things to be done? It made me wish that there's an Alamo Drafthouse Theater near where I live. We went three times. And I went to Sea World four times. And Corpus Christi once. And shopping a million times. Shopping with my sister is the best shopping there is... The only thing that would have made it better would be if my mom was there, too! She's going to Texas at the end of this month, though. I'm a little jealous, but oh well, I had my good times. It's nice to be home! Happy Monday, friends!

Toco Toucan Altered Altoids Tin

This month's challenge over at the Unique Crafters Challenge Blog is GLITTER AND SHINE! 

I made this altered Altoids tin lid with all sorts of sparkly, shiny fun stuff. The clouds in the background are cut out of American Crafts glitter paper, which is unlike any other glitter paper I've used. It's so smooth and totally not the normal glitter texture. Nothing falls off of it, and I think I'd describe it as more glowy and reflective. Seriously, it's awesome. I have to find some more of it.

I also slapped on a border of beads, along with glitter glue on the inside rim and some rhinestones.

Here's a shot of the polyclay toucan I sculpted before the acrylic paint job. 

"My favorite color is shiny." 

The bottom has a dangling pendant with lovely, sparkly glass stones :) I couldn't resist adding just another glitter and shine element.

So, if you've got the hankerin' to create something shiny this month, don't hesitate to enter it in the Unique Crafters Challenge! You can win some radical supplies. 

Happy August 1, folks!

Retro Camper Altered Altoids Tin Lid

Hello, friends! I'm in Texas right now visiting with my sister. I probably won't do much serious crafting while I'm here, but luckily I have a backlog of projects to share for the next couple of weeks. I made this altered Altoids tin lid for onegroovyday for the Craftster IYP swap. She loves retro campers...

Check out the glitter and beads along the edges... I love glitter glue because it covers the edges of the paper lining the back of the lid. Looks more finished that way.

Here's the back, there's some chain so the tin can be hung on the wall.

I made the little camper from white polyclay and then painted it with acrylics. The little lines I did with a micron pen. I was pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Aaaaaand the decorative topper piece is made out of matches. I put some clear nail polish on the tips, hoping it might make them less flammable... Does that make it less flammable, or more? Oh well. Just keep it away from open flame :) I have tons of loose matches about from making altered matchboxes, so I've gotta use em someplace. They look nice, right?

Anyhoo, I hope everyone is having a splendid week so far. I am. I went to Sea World yesterday evening with my sister and it was great. We're going to go about 3000 more times before I leave... I want to feed a dolphin.

Wirework Rings

I've been playing with beads and wire again! I found a GORGEOUS ring via Ffrogg's Pinterest, and just had to play around with the technique. After making 3 fail rings, I got the hang of it and made a ton more, because it's new, challenging, and darn fun. 

 All of these rings are very, very heavily inspired by Moss and Mist (go check it out, amazing beautiful things lie in store) and I take no credit for the style/technique. I'm just making these for fun and to learn a bit more about wirework. Wirework was actually one of my very first crafts that I began to learn at the age of 9 or 10, whenever kids are in the 5th grade.

 So, truth be told, I love making these... And I kind of got excited and went overboard and ordered 4 multipacks of different colored wire. Don't judge me! You can tell from my blog, I have a crafting obsession. For some women it's shoes. Me? Supplies.

 This one is my favorite and I've been wearing it when I go out :) I'm into those tacky, delightful aurora borealis crystals (when used in a classy way, of course!), so the main bead on this is right up my alley.

For this one, I used a shiny iridescent fish bead. I have been keeping four of these for years and years, bringing them with me every new place I've moved. I think I got them on a family vacation back when I was in high school. I finally used...one.

This is the one I sent to Ffrogg :) One of her favorite colors is purple, and I had to use an aurora crystal bead, because I love them.

 This last one is a little different style, I was just experimenting. When all my new wire gets here, I'm going to go nuts and have so much fun thinking up all sorts of crazy stuff! Anyhoo, I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and a great Easter Sunday! Mine was pretty much candy, church, TV and feeding baby bird. So it was good.

Until next time!

Fancy Turtle Beaded and Besequined Embroidery Hoop

 Hurrah! Who loves turtles? Who loves flashy sequined crap? Well, have I got a hoopla for you! I beaded and embroidered this little hoop for the Craftster.org IYP Swap with the lovely Ffrogg526 :) The turtle is just a doodle of mine. I split stitched the outlines, then used a 3-strand filler split stitch for the turtle's legs, head, and tail. Then I lazily used acrylic paint to fill the shell, since it was just going to be covered in sparklies anyway.

 The word fancy is done in metallic embroidery floss which is a real pain in the booty to work with! I swear, it must have taken me 15 attempts to even thread my needle. (No, I didn't use a threader... I'm too proud.)

And the turtle is bedazzled by hand with bead soup and mixed sequins.

And in unrelated news, my husband brought home this little fledgling sparrow on Friday. They were exterminating pest sparrow nests in the hangar where he works and this little guy didn't have much of a chance. So, I've been busy feeding the little chirp every hour 6 AM-9 PM for the past few days. He's learning to hop and fly after every feeding... I'm so glad he's feathered and almost ready to be released! I think he'll be ready to go in another week or two. Isn't he precious? Happy Monday!

Tacky Sci-Fi Altered Altoids Tin

 Woo hoo! I can finally share this altered altoids tin I made for the Craftster.org Vices Altered Tin Swap :) I was lucky enough to be paired with Cackle, the incredible, and one of her themes was Tacky Sci-Fi movies. How on Earth could I resist crafting that one?! And so this Sci-Fi altoids tin was born...

 I used acrylics to pain the background night scene complete with UFOs and sparkly pigment powder tractor beams. Some of the stars in the sky are crystal gems to add that extra other-worldly twinkle...

 You can see the black glitter I lined the inside edge of the tin with. It looks like space-rocks :) The alien and girl are from a vintage movie poster. I coated the beast in clear glaze to make it look slimy and frightening, much like the tactics used in so many of our favorite lame creature-features.

 The bottom has glass marbles for accent, and the base is a lamp socket. My favorite lamp sputtered out and died, but Bobby fixed it and I was left with this perfect little spaceship-looking thingamajig. It's colored with alcohol inks, then roughed up with sandpaper.

The back! The alien city is made from a bunch of cotter pins and one of those silly fake car keys the car dealerships send out stuck to mailers.

Tada! I wanted to keep this so bad, but alas, it belongs in another place... A far away place... Outer Space.

Haha, Happy Wednesday!!! OH! Don't forget to enter the Ruby Slippers Bookmark Giveaway that ends Feb 6th! Have a lovely evening!

Goldfish ornament

 It seems like I've only been making ornaments lately! Not a bad thing, though. Anyway, I saw a giant glittery fuchsia goldfish ornament the size of a taco at TJ Maxx the other week that had super long (like 15") sparkly ribbons for a tail and it was mesmerizing, even though it was ridiculous and way too enormous for any reasonable Christmas tree. I was inspired to make smaller one :)

 The body is sculpted from white polyclay, then I drilled holes for the fins and the tail and then painted the body first with acrylic craft paint, and then iridescent pigment powder. After it was all dry, I glued in the fins and tail that are made out of sheer 1" wide ribbon. Then I glued beads in for the eyes. The loop for hanging on the tree is attached with a eyehole screw (I think that's what it's called!)

Anyhoo, I hope everybody is having a lovely week so far. Until next time.