Tinnovations - Altoid Tin Works of Art

I love creating works of art from empty Altoid tins - tiny, 3D shadowboxes with delightful scenes. Recently, I was contacted by howstuffworks.com, a Discovery Channel affiliate, about my Altoid tin art, and was asked if I would be interested in submitting my work for an new Altoid ad campaign called "Tinnovations". My "Flying Circus" piece was selected, and included on the "howstuffworks" website.

To make an Altoid tin shadowbox very few supplies are needed - an empty tin, paper, paint or fabric to cover the tin, some graphic images, a few embellishments or "found" objects and a good craft glue. You can use the entire tin, or just the top or bottom. The tin pictured is a hanging tin. I used a drill and small bit to add two holes in the top for the string, and one hole in the bottom center for the charms and clown shoes.

Tins make a great gift and can be personalized using the recipients favorite theme.

Selling on eBay & Postage

With the cost of postage recently increasing, I have to ask myself if it's really worth it to sell on eBay. The shadowboxes I sold cost $4.60 to send in a postal Priority Mail (free to me) box, and $4.30 to send first class with me providing the box. Since finding the right sized box for thirty cents or less was impossible, the choice was easy. But, if someone is paying $5 for an item postage at that price doubles the cost. I'm sure that has made a lot of people think before bidding.

One of the pieces I sold this month was titled "Let It Snow" and featured a vintage reproduction photo of a bundled baby. It fit nicely into a bubble mailer and shipping was very reasonable.

I've started to watch the size of the artwork I list for sale because mailing larger pieces can get quite expensive. In the future, I'm only going to sell artwork that will fit in flat envelopes or bubble mailers, no more boxes for me. I don't want a customer paying twice as much for postage as they paid for the artwork.

Fun & Easy Wooden Dominoes Pendants

Dominoes can be made into necklaces/pendants, key chains, magnets, or displayed as works of art. Altering wooden dominoes is an easy craft project when you want results in a short amount of time. The pendants below were made in less than an hour.

You will need:

Dominoes
Craft paper or graphics
Glue (craft glue to adhere the paper or graphic and E6000 to adhere the bail or bead)
String (if you're making a necklace/pendant)
Small bead (long beads work best) or bail
Small embellishments - seashells, rhinestones, glitter, etc.

1. Measure your domino so you can cut your craft paper or size your graphics to fit. Print graphics and cut to size.

2. Glue paper or graphic to the side of the domino that does not have the number dots, this way, your necklace/pendant is reversible. Let dry for a few hours. This is a good time to add an acrylic/varnish sealant to the entire domino. Let dry completely before going to the next step.

3. Next, glue the bail or bead to the domino. I use beads, they're cheaper and easier to find.

4. Add embellishments, glitter, etc. using craft glue or E6000 for heavier objects.

5. Let dry overnight then cut a length of cord or string, tying the end.

Hanging Small Format Art Cards

As you know, if you've ready my past posts, my favorite artwork pieces to create are art cards. Normally my art cards are small, about 4x6 inches or less. I have some larger pieces of heavy chipboard and decided to use those instead. The two cards below are approximately 7 x 8 inches (Nude Beach) and 6 x 6.5 inches (Paris). I enjoyed making these more than the smaller versions because the pieces I used in the collage were larger, and easier to handle.

For these cards, I placed the graphics so that they would extend beyond the border of the chipboard. I thought this gave the cards a unique look, being "outside the lines". After arranging the pieces in a pattern I was happy with, I glued them down - with the exception of a few pieces. I like to give my artwork a dimensional look. The vintage dancer and the Eiffel Tower were applied using 1/4 inch thick photo mounts, so they stand away from the background, and the same on Nude Beach with the vintage nude and the grandstand. After a light garnishing with embellishments they were finished!

Art Cards - Mermaids & Nudes & Birds... Oh my!

Well the holidays have come and gone so it's time to put the muse to work again. My newest obsession is making mixed media, collaged, art cards. They're similar to ATC's and ACEO's, only a bit larger. And unlike most artist trading cards that I make, the elements go beyond the edges of the card and were attached with 1/4 inch thick photo mounts to add a 3D effect.

Necessity actually dictated the size - I have a stack of 5 x 7 inch heavy chipboard I'd been hoarding for a while and wanted to start using some of it. I prefer creating smaller pieces of art as opposed to larger sizes, so I cut my chipboard in half, bringing the size to 3.5 x 5 inches, or roughly the size of a standard postcard. You can only put so much on a smaller art card, so I may create some larger pieces in the future.

My favorite themes lately, have been mermaids, vintage nudes, and birds with floral elements. I really like the whole Paris thing and that inspired me to make a Moulin Rouge card. Recently, I aquired a large bag of small/tiny seashells, some pygmy seahorses, and 500 real starfish, all being the perfect size for small artwork. I was able to incorporate them into the mermaid themed cards. Using letters and postcards as the backdrop enabled me to use some of the many postage stamps that had been gathering dust.

I had some vintage postcards and letters that I'd been dying to use in my artwork for the longest time. I scanned and printed them and then started going through my stash of collage sheets and vintage images. My muse was in overdrive and I quickly thought of several themes I wanted to do. Since they were too big to be an ATC or ACEO, I had to think of a way to display them. I added wire, twine or ribbon to my cards so they can hang.

I made quite a few, since they didn't require much time to put together. I listed some of them on eBay and most of them have sold. As with about all of my artwork, I seem to never keep anything for myself - except pictures of my creations. It's probably a good thing since I would need to build a storage unit to hold it all.

One of my drawers is filled with shiny new, unstamped Altoid's tins that have been crying out to freed. So, I'm off to the land of art!

Christmas Past - Buy a live Burro!

This is definitely off the usual arts and crafts topic but while scouring the web I ran across vintage Christmas catalog pages from Sears, Penney's, and Spiegel. It's interesting to see what kinds of things were popular back in the day. I think the most interesting thing I found for sale in a catalog was a burro. Yes, a live burro. For some reason I just can't fathom a child screaming, "Mommy, mommy, can I have a burro for Christmas!!?" Or how about this:

Dear Santa,

I have been a very good boy. This year for Christmas I would like a train set, a Radio Flyer wagon, and a burro.

Love Timmy

If a burro didn't tickle your fancy, in 1955 you could buy a Shetland pony or a monkey. Is it legal to sell live animals from a catalog?? I'm sorry, but that monkey looks diseased.

From the 1966 J.C. Penney catalog we have some interesting dolls. Check out the doll on the page to the far right - the picture in the upper left hand corner. Now tell me, isn't that just about the scariest thing you've ever seen? Other than Wednesday Addams, I can't think of one child who would have put that down on their list. I would have been traumatized for life if I would have found that doll under the tree.

And on the left page, upper left side, we have the Jolly Green Giant doll. Huh? Might have been a favorite of some kid who lived on a farm in the midwest. In any event, it's nice to see some normal toys, like Superman, Batman, and Flipper (??).


As a child, I was always afraid of those Troll dolls. They looked demonic and scared the bejeebies out of me. I always thought they were probably some sort of voodoo doll, disguised as a toy. And they were usually naked - disgusting. Oh how cute, bride and groom tolls. Wouldn't that just be lovely atop your wedding cake?



Now here's a toy I'll bet would be hard to find in a catalog today - a complete chemistry set. I think I might know some adults who would love to have that for Christmas. Are they even allowed to sell these anymore?? I can just see some 8-year-old huddled in a corner of the basement working at his meth lab.



HaPpY Holidays to all!

ATC/ACEO's and Shadowboxes

I've been busy getting ready for the holidays and creating artwork to sell on eBay instead of blogging. Shame on me!

Don't get me wrong, I love eBay, but hesitate to sell my artwork there. It can be quite discouraging. I've seen beautiful pieces with VERY low starting bids go unnoticed and very sloppy artwork go for upwards of $50.

My "Queen of Bee's" is an ATC/ACEO (2.5 x 3.5 inches) that sold for $17.89. This was a little surprising since I had only about $1.50 invested in materials. Let's face it, it's made with chipboard, a scrap piece of decorative paper, a rhinestone, rusty wire, a reproduction vintage photo, and a few beads. I can compete with Domino's Pizza, assembling one of these little ditties in 30 minutes or less.


I also sold a 3D shadowbox. The shadowbox was 5x5 inches and a Dollar Store find. It took me about an hour to make the piece. Actually, I profitted nothing from its sale, but I suppose I gained exposure on eBay as many people viewed it... and the following week when I listed other items all but one sold. Its puzzling how a piece of cardboard can sell for much more than a concrete piece of artwork.

In any event, I seem to be attracting more "lookers" and that can potentially lead to bidders. With the Christmas season upon us, I hope to unload a few more pieces before I begin creating artwork for Valentine's day.