The name badge

It was just a name badge for Scrap-a-Mia, nothing to get stressed over really, yet it had me in knots again, just like last year.  Some people are so creative and mine just felt pathetic in comparison last year but I did actually learn a lot.  This year was much the same except that this time I knew there would be some incredible creations. Last year we all got sent different chipboard shapes to play with.  This year we had different mediums but the same scalloped oval shape.  Mine was made from Ten Second Studio metal which is basically extra thick tin foil that you can colour and emboss etc.  I had a few disasters with it, embossing on the wrong side, ink that wouldn't adhere, ink that went a foul colour etc.  I was really stressed as I really wanted to do a good job with it this year and show some evidence of crafting development and it looked worse than the year before.

I was thinking that I would need to make something that wasn't a name badge to wear and then I remembered that I had seen something on a blog somewhere which didn't register at the time sadly.  I'm so sorry that I can't remember where I saw the idea and I can't credit it but I think it was someone from WOYWW.  Someone had kept their child busy with making a pen pot from a tube and I thought I could perhaps do something like that.

I started with this rock salt canister which I stole retrieved from the kids junk modelling box.  It's pretty sturdy and has a plastic bottom which makes it easier to upcycle than a loo roll tube.

I cut it down on the slope (not really that obvious from the photo) and painted the top and bottom edges for a neat finish.

Then I chose some lovely paper which I have loved for ages but found it tricky to use on a scrapbook page and I rolled it around the canister, marking where to cut on the slope, and adhering it with double sided tape (the extra strong one in my ATG).

Then I cut the foil into butterflies on my die-cutter and had a fun time tarting the whole thing up with gems and skeleton leaves.  I distressed and inked inside the rim with a make-up sponge to give it a good finish and added a couple of bows.    You can see the close up of the butterfly here with all its many layers of embossing and inks.  Thankfully the ink only properly adhered in some of the creases so it looked quite grungy and funky in the end.

For the name part (which I almost forgot as I got carried away with my embellishment!)  I used a tag (from Tesco or somewhere like that) and searched for some suitable letter stickers.  I came across a pack of Motifications which I had bought way back when, not realising what they were.  They're adhesive on both sides so you can add flocking or glitter or embossing powder.  They are pale pink (hence me buying them when I had B!) but luckily I had some flocking powder from some goody bag or other from years ago.

So.  I made something purple.  LOVE.
I made something out of a paper I love that was going to waste.  LOVE.
I used some old products.  LOVE.
I recycled something.  LOVE.
I used new techniques.  LOVE.
I had something completely and utterly different to everyone else, that looked good.  LOVE.
It is useful forever, not just for that one retreat.  LOVE.

And more than anything, I loved it and I was proud of what I had made.  HUGE LOVE!

Don't forget it is WOYWW tomorrow and it is PiF day for the 2nd anniversary.

Bye for now xx