beeswax tins…

do you find some packaging impossible to resist?

I admit I have purchased items for their containers…

my mint tins have been grilled (there is a link on my sidebar on how I do that) to remove the paint and labeling…

ready for melted beeswax which smells wonderful and is very forgiving…

like a good friend…

if you make a mistake you have a chance to go back and start over…

for my altered tins I used assorted papers, fabric, lace, vintage millinery, beads, charms, buttons and images that I had on my art table (the horses are from Dover Publications while the others are a mystery to me)…

 if you would like to see more of my beeswax creations from the last five years you can go to the LOOKING FOR SOMETHING space on my sidebar and type “Beeswax” in the Search line OR click on the word “Beeswax” on the same line as Comments below …

be sure to visit Dorthe who has shared some of her really beautiful wax creations here…

special thanks to local mixed media art friends for a recent play date that got me going with wax again…

beeswax and fish tins…

 it begins by brushing melted beeswax onto your tin …

adding paper (I used pattern tissue for the background) brushing on more beeswax using it like glue to affix images, ribbons and such (laser jet images work well as they don’t smear)…

thinner papers melt into the surface beautifully…

I also enjoy adding bits of fabric … lace … zippers and more…

so many things look rich and interesting with the addition of beeswax…

National Honey Month

September is National Honey Month…

ambrosia…

nectar of the Gods…

honey existed before man as evidenced by fossils from 150 million years ago …

honey collection can be traced back thousands of years as depicted in ancient cave paintings …

did you know it is used for wound healing…

  it is a natural energy booster…

 a skin moisturizer…

a natural cough suppressant and that is just the beginning of what there is to know about honey…

I like adding it to herbal teas…

today I am sipping a delicious and delicate herb tea that I brought back from the beautiful Einseideln Monastery outside of Zurich Switzerland…

it is called Münsterschwarzach Klostertee St. Benedikt Sieben-Zeiten-Tee (St Benedict Seven Times Tea)…

the organic ingredients are sage, ginger, lemon balm, spearmint, valerian, rose petals and primrose flowers…

“sage stimulates and will preserve your health…Ginger warms the body and increases the vital energy center… Spearmint aids digestion… Valerian brings calmness and promotes concentration… Rose opens the heart… Primrose is new beginning and light… Melissa awakens the spirit and brings hope and joy…”

I even got a second cup out of the same teabag ahhhhh…

be sure and visit Kimmie over at her Art in Red Wagons for more tea stops…

I also invite you to come see the new offerings on my Magpie’s Nest Too giveaway blog 

July local “what do U see”…girls just wanna have fun…

Fran Podlesney’s cereal box tag called me this month from her bag of goodies…

I decided to go a little different way with her china doll image (not quite 5.5″ tall 13.97cm) by scanning it and printing out three smaller versions (each about 3″ tall 7.62cm)…

I was pleased with how the yellow and green ‘ruffle’ turned out at the bottom…

that was a piece of paper towel that Fran had wrapped a tiny glass bottle in…

the dotted pattern of the towel showed up nicely when inked…

I cut the string of “pearls” apart and put them in the glass bottle sealing the top with string and beeswax…

I added some pretty dotted fabric from my stash to the back of the tag…

can’t wait to see all of Fran’s tags together …

les filles veulent s’amuser = girls just wanna have fun in every language…

also can’t wait to show you the wonderful smooshed tin Linda Yeatman made for me

Honey Tea

September is National Honey Month …

news to me…

bees (here are some cut from wood) …

honey and beeswax all fascinate me …

honey is an ancient and pure food … a perfect sweetener … also used as medicine

… hail honey and of course … BEES !!!

Happy T Tuesday … I will be a bit scarce in blogland the next couple of weeks … looking forward to catching up with you all after that

WS: Women’s History Month

there are so many women of note that came to mind for the WS Women’s History Month theme

I could not pass up the chance to do a Frida Kahlo piece

it all began with a sardine can

and beeswax at our local altered arts group gathering

torn map and tissue papers …  bits of lace … a piece of metal zipper and a crepe paper Memorial Day poppy made by a veteran in 2005 (see it’s good to hang on to things sometimes)

the final touch was the red ribbon holding a mother-of-pearl sacred heart pendant that I have also had around for a while

one word from this American Art Stamp (Designer: Kathleene Callei) went into my Frida shrine

be sure and visit Wednesday Stamper to be inspired by our guest designer Sherry Goodloe …  she created an amazing reversible Fragments necklace for this week’s theme to celebrate women

* * Happy St Patty’s Day … here is a sweet Irish tune for ya * *

WS: Number “3″ + a giveaway

I chose “Three” as the challenge this week over at Wednesday Stamper

I created a beeswax postcard and used a flower stamp pressed into the warm wax to add texture around the edges … bits of lace

*click for a closer look*

coloring with Pearl Ex powders and gold Krylon Pen

* * * and here is my giveaway * * *

it was a year ago this month that I was invited to be a co-moderator on Mittwochstempler … time really flies when you are having fun … many thanks to Belinda and Hermine for making me feel so at home at Wednesday Stamper … they inspire me every day and have taught me so much!!!  thanks to Tina too!

to celebrate I am giving away a little matchbox

(1-7/16  x  2-1/8  x  1/2 inch)

stuffed with bits of this and that along with some other goodies that I will surprise you with

there are several recent posts here on my Magpie’s Nest explaining all about the stuffed matchbox idea…thanks to Kimmie

all you have to do is

leave your comment here on this post and I will pick a name randomly out of the hat on 2 December … announcing the winner on my WS post next Wednesday … all are welcome … it’s a fun way to say “hello” even if you don’t get a chance to comment often …  along with the chance to win a little prize