Altered Matchbox Challenge - March - Birds

I decided to do a Hummingbird matchbox.  First, I covered the matchbox with -- MATCHES!  LOL!  I have been wondering for some time what to do with all of the matches I am accumulating from making these little altered beauties.  I think I have a lifetime supply!  So I decided to attach them to the matchbox in an artistic design.  Here is the bottom:

After gluing the matchsticks to the box, I used walnut stain to give them a realistic look.  I wanted the whole box to have a somewhat weathered, outdoor look.  I arranged matchsticks on the top in a different pattern, which is difficult to see since I added the hummingbird and flower.

The little flower is home-made and covered with stickles.  The drawer pull is actually a wooden bead from my jewelry supplies.

I glued popsickle stick pieces to both sides of the box and stained them with walnut stain.  I made a leaf border using bread dough clay and glued it to the sides, then painted the leaves with acrylic paint.

What's inside?  I won't post that until my trading partner receives it.

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BLOG FOLLOWERS:  Don't forget to leave a comment on this post to have a chance to win the bead-woven necklace I made. It's easy to become a blog follower.  I will draw a winner on March 15. 

Torso Cards

These cards are for a Torso swap:

Moon Beauty - with Bread Dough ornament

I threw together a quick ATC to show the moon guy I made with bread dough. Painted him with a gold marker. In person, he looks very antiqey!

Here's my first tutorial!

Hope you enjoy!

Bread Dough Clay Tutorial

by Jeanie Callaghan

This versatile clay does not need to be baked – it air dries.
The non-toxic dough keeps in the refrigerator for a long time

INGREDIENTS

4 tbs. PVA glue (like Elmers – but not school glue. I use Allene’s Tacky Glue, gold bottle.)
4 slices white bread, no crusts
4 tbsp. corn starch
2 tbsp. face cream that comes in a jar (cold cream is the best)
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. white acrylic paint (I used DecoArt Dazzling Metallics White Pearl paint, for a pearly finish.

Food coloring or Tempera paint for coloring dough (optional)

Mix all together in a bowl until the clay begins to stick together.

Knead dough ball on a board as you would bread dough. Humidity may affect the amount of ingredients needed. I live in Georgia, where it's very humid, so you may need to adjust the amount of the ingredients.

If dough is too sticky, add another slice of bread and knead. If still too sticky, knead the mass into a teaspoon of cornstarch. Repeat until dough is smooth.

If dough is too dry, add one teaspoon glue, and knead. If still too sticky, add 1 tsp. white acrylic paint. Repeat steps until dough is smooth.

If you want to color the dough, divide it up into separate smaller bowls and knead the color in until you have the color you want.

Place dough in ziplok bags. Press air out before closing. Or, you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator. Use this just as you would modeling clay, or polymer clay – except you don’t have to bake it! Shape it as desired. Let dry. This may take a day or so, depending upon the size of the item you made. I let pieces dry on a cookie cooling rack and use a small fan to hasten the drying process.

I like to use the dough in its original, white state. This allows you to paint your finished items any way you like. Don’t paint until the item is thoroughly dry. Thinned water color is not recommended. I use the same type of acrylic paint that was used to make the dough.

IDEAS

Christmas Ornament Cut dough with cookie cutters, cut a small hole in top. Paint and embellish after drying.

Flowers Pinch off small amounts of dough and shape into petals. Wrap petals around each other until you have a rose, or other flower.

Make beads Be sure to poke a hole before drying.

Make embellishments for ATC Cards.

Roll dough thin and use to cover an ATC Card.

Press dough with rubber stamps.

Use non-flexible or flexible molds used for polymer clay to make shapes before drying. Dust a bit of cornstarch into your molds and then dump it out before pressing clay firmly into molds. If you see cornstarch on the unmolded item, use a small wet brush to remove it.

Embed things into the clay before drying Be sure to seal with a decoupage product, or acrylic sealer after clay is completely dry.

Hope you have fun!