My Other Creations: Mermaid Art Kit with Distressed Bottles

This week's theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog is Nautical / By the Sea.  I got to wondering what a mermaid's art kit might look like, so that's what I tried create here:

 This project started as a 6" x 5" shiny metal tin, which I sanded down and painted with acrylic paint in shades of teal and brown.  I set is aside to dry and went to work on its contents.  I'd never done much bottle-distressing before, so it was a fun new thing to try.  I started by painting Aleene's Turbo Tacky Glue on the bottles, then when that dried, I painted them with a thick layer of Tim Holtz's Clear Rock Candy Crackle Paint.  I was grateful for online research which told me that you have to put a clear layer of something else  on the glass first in order for the crackle paint to stick.  Here's a pic of how the bottle started, then how it looked with the dried crackle paint on it:

Once the crackle finish was dry, I wanted to experiment with different coloring techniques.  Here I used paint on top of the crackle for a more milky / opaque look:

On this bottle, I used alcohol inks, which gave the bottle vibrant and bold colors:

On the bottle below, I used Distress Stain.  I like how it kept the bottle more clear, but still colored it beautifully.

In the end, I decided the opaque look worked best for this project, so I added paint to all of the bottles.  In addition to acrylic paint, I added some Prima Metallique paints which have a metal sheen.

I added some Tim Holtz mini numerals to the bottles, which I first sanded and painted to match the bottles they went with.  I also distressed the paintbrushes.

I wanted this to have an underwater vibe, so I hung yarn and ribbon from the back of my painted box to replicate seaweed, then glued iridescent beads here and there to give it a feeling of bubbles.  I also clipped on an "ocean" card from Tim Holtz's Elementary Flashcards set.

For the other side of the tin, the lid, I wove a basket out of wire, painted it with shades of brown and teal to match the rest, then I added more distressed paintbrushes.  I buy cheapy paintbrushes that I can cut down and use for projects without feeling guilty for destroying them.

I punched out some mini tags made from Simon Says Stamp Vintage Dictionary paper and adhered them to the brushes.

Not sure how many mermaids are out there doing art, but I hope I've done justice to what one of their art kits might look like!

Here are the supplies I used that you can find at Simon Says Stamp:

Tim Holtz Corked Vials	Crackle Paint - Rock Candy	im Holtz Sanding Grip	Tim Holtz Idea-ology MINI NUMERALS	Hinge Clips - Idea-ology	Tim Holtz Elementary Flash Cards	Citrus - Alcohol Ink
Alcohol Ink Mermaid	Ranger Alcohol Ink In Sail Boat Blue	Distress Stains - Peacock Feathers	Tim Holtz Distress Ink Stain CRACKED PISTACHIO	Salty Ocean Distress Stain	Distress Paint - TUMBLED GLASS	Brushed Pewter - Distress Paint
Worn Lipstick Distress Paint	Tim Holtz Distress Paint SHADED LILAC	Dina Wakley MAGENTA Heavy Body Acrylic Paints	Dina Wakley LAPIS Heavy Body Acrylic Paints	Dina Wakley TURQUOISE Heavy Body Acrylic Paints	Prima Metallique Emerald Green Acrylic Paint	Prima Metallique Paint Wild Fuchsia
Prima Metallique Paint Light Patina	Prima Metallique Paint Lime Peel	Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad GROUND ESPRESSO Ranger	Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink Pad	Simon Vintage Dictionary Paper

I know you must have some sort of brilliant vision to go along with this theme and I can't wait to see what you come up with!  Upload your creations to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your turn to win a $50 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store!