Mermaid Mesmerised Altered Plaque

This month's theme at Alter it Monthly is 'Sirens, Mermaids, and the Deep Blue Sea'. My head immediately started whirring with ideas when I saw this theme, as I love the sea, and mermaids have always been a magical creature that fascinates me - the one that I really think could exist in some form as we really don't know what lives in the deepest parts of the ocean.

So I've altered a 6¾” x 4½” wooden plaque, which started out as a image of poppies (bought at a car boot sale!) and ended up like this:

Here's how it started:

I painted on a layer of gesso:

Then a layer of turquoise acrylic paint:

I then painted a crackle glaze medium (from Sarah's Cards Ltd), let it dry, then painted blue acrylic paint on top. It crackled nicely so the turquoise showed through. That was the base finished.

Next I painted the mermaid, using drawing pen, watercolour paints, and acrylic paint for the white dots, onto a piece of scrapbooking paper. I scanned her in before I did the next step, so that you can download and use her in your projects if you'd like to! Click on the photo to download - but please only use the image in items for personal use or gifts - not items you wish to sell.

I don't have any more step-by-step photos, but next I tore around the mermaid, and then very carefully burnt the edges. I stamped the words onto the same scrapbooking paper, and tore around them, but just used brown and black ink pads to colour the edges to look like they'd been burnt.

I adhered them to the plaque using Mod Podge, leaving the edges loose to add a bit of dimension. Then I used Anita's 3D clear gloss to adhere the collection of beads, shells, stones, and jewellery items around the mermaid.

Finally I coated the whole thing in gloss Mod Podge to protect it and to give a nice watery sheen to the underwater theme!

Hope you like it. If you like it a whole lot, it's now available for sale in my etsy shop here.

Do you think mermaids exist? Maybe, just maybe? I hope so. x

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Alter It Monthly - Sealed with Magic

October's theme at Alter It Monthly is etheral/magical/supernatural. I was thinking of doing something including a fairy image, as I haven't done any fairy art for ages, but then I was inspired by both the DT and the other entrants items, to go for something a bit darkly magical. Here's my altered box:

It started as a plain papermache box from Hobbycraft:

I painted it with red-brown acrylic paint, crackle glaze, and black paint (except for the middle of the lid which I left red-brown):

I painted the inside black too (after failing miserably at trying to glue some fabric in - any tips?):

The top was decorated with various items, including some lace trim which I coloured with Tattered Angels gold Glimmer Mist, an old watch key which I linked onto a bit of bracelet chain, and the words 'sealed with magic'. I also used blood red sealing wax to attach some items to the lid, and to gloop around the edge of the lid so the box looks sealed. If I was actually giving it to someone with a gift in I'd seal it up properly!

It would be good for a halloween gift, or for storing gemstones with magical properties. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it for myself or not yet!

We went chestnut collecting today, I'll be back tomorrow to talk all about it! xx

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