Halloween Mail Art Tin

Halloween Mail Art Tin

Supplies Used

3D Crystal Lacquer 3D Crystal Color Lacquer(Dark Blue, yellow) 3D Crystal Lacquer Pearl ( Blue) Large Windowed Tin Extra Fine Glitter Dust White Gesso or Acrylic Paint Make-up Sponge

Halloween Stamps (Skeleton-Sunday International, Fence-Memory Makers Foam Stamp Halloween Embellishments Rhinestones Washi Tape Clear Cellophane Bag Black Sharpie Pen

This was a fun project to create I love finding new ways to alter these large windowed tins, and then mail them as is through the mail. Don't let your postal person tell you that you can't. You can mail almost anything through the mail....even live chickens! LOL I've altered shoes and mailed them as is through the mail along with plastic bottles and tins. This would be a great project to create and send to college kid away from home, a grand child, niece or nephew just in time for Halloween or a birthday perhaps!

Step 1:  Start with a blank large windowed tin and the following colors of 3D Crystal Lacquer (dark blue colored, pearl blue and clear). Open the tin and start applying both 3D colors on the inside of the plastic window. Fill in with the clear CL.	Step 2:  Use your finger to smooth it out evenly then set it aside to dry (you'll have to prop up the window lid, so it stays level. *Note-I originally applied some of the yellow to give a moonlight appearance but didn't like how it looked once it was dry so I went back and applied both blues over that area so it was evenly blue.
Step 3: Apply white gesso to your stamp using a make-up sponge (make sure to wash your stamp off right away). I choose gesso because I wanted a flat finish but you can also use white acrylic paint.	Step 4: I also stamped part of a picket fence.  Once paint has dried fill in white areas on the skeleton and fence with clear 3D Crystal Lacquer.
Step 5:  While lacquer is still wet sprinkle extra fine iridescent glitter dust over the wet areas.	Step 6: Next Add your choice of embellishments (I added a cardboard moon and bat I had in my stash). I also added some bling to my skeleton by adhering rhinestones (to his eyes and spine) using clear 3D Crystal Lacquer and a toothpick.
Step 7: Next use the yellow colored lacquer and fill in the moon around the bats (this will give it added dimension).	Step 8: While the moon is still wet sprinkle extra fine iridescent glitter dust over it.
Step 9:  To finish off the outside of my tin I added rub-on wording. Allow tin to completely dry.	Step 10: Open tin and add iridescent or paper grass to the inside and fill it with Halloween candy.
Step 11:  Seal your tin with some decorative washi tape.	Step 12: On the backside of the tin using your black sharpie marker write your to and from addresses.
Step 13: Once the tin has been addressed, to protect the tin on the outside slide it into a clear cellophane bag, secure it with tape and take it to your local post office to mail to be stamped and mailed.	Booya!

Click HERE to see 

more of my mail art.

Hello Zebra Banner

Here's another freebie banner to go

with the Party Invitation Banner HERE

Just click the image above to save, download and print.

<==check the archives to view previous posts

Party Banner Invitation in a Tin

Download this party banner invitation, print it out, string it on ribbon, mail it in a windowed tin, and you have yourself a unique and fun invitation! Or create your own banner and send a fun greeting through the mail.

Click the image above to enlarge and then right click to save and download.
Click HERE to view my mini tutorial to see the finished banner in a tin!

Mail your invitation as is in the tin!

<==check the archives to view previous posts

Message in a Bottle

Imagine my surprise to find a mini mail art bottle like the bottle project I posted a few months ago in my mailbox from Denise Rotellini (thank you Denise). I had no idea why or how but after digging into it I discovered the Message In A Bottle project.

Send a Bottle Gram today :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

On another note I heard about a website I just HAVE to pass on. It's a place to find or record bathrooms all over the world. Find a clean bathroom while your traveling and post about ones you've come across!

Check out Sitorsquat.com

http://www.sitorsquat.com/sitorsquat/home

Proofs in the Bottle

Hey remember my Soda bottle Mailart project I sent to my niece...? I finally have a picture of her with the bottle after it arrived at Notre Dame. It held up well didn't it? Now get those bottles out and send one of your own :-)

<==check the archives to view previous posts

Mail Art From the Heart!

Not only did our son leave for college my niece left for collage as well. Since she's a little homesick yet, I put together this mail art goodie bottle and filled it full of things she likes or can use...a skein of yarn (she loves to knit baby hats), note pads, fun buttons to wear, her favorite candy...you get the idea. I'll mail her goodie bottle tomorrow as is through the USPS mail...don't let the post office fool you into thinking you can't mail it this way I've mailed lots of interesting things through the mail as is. You can check out my tutorial HERE.

Mail Art Challenge

I keep forgetting to mention that the mail art tin I mailed arrived at its destination intact and good shape! You can read more about Karen's mail art adventure on her blog. At the last min before I mailed Nellie in her tin I decided to put her in a plastic envie so the window didn't get scratched and added the stamps to the outside and the address I left on the inside.

I challenge you to send something fun through the mail and share with me what you sent :-)

Mail-Art For a Friend

Here's a mail-art tin I made for a friend. I intend to send it as is in the mail and as always pray that it gets there in good shape...but hey that's part of the fun of sending mail-art right? So far I've had good luck in the past and I've sent some pretty odd things through the mail as is....I like to believe that it gives a bit of joy to the mail people and perhaps that they even take a little bit of special care even....don't burst my bubble I like my fantasy LOL

If you want to know more of how

I made it click on the link below to find out:

http://otm-inspirations.blogspot.com/

Mermail Anyone?

The Mermail Thank You card and envie I created using Color Mists, small-holed punchinella and chalk inks and some gold leafing paint stamped. If the mermaid and the sea horse look familiar (see previous post) I decided to cut up the picture and use them separately.

Front of Envie

Some of you may recognize the shell stamp in the background that I made....see my penscore tutorial on my OTM BLOG and before I get asked about the Mermaid faux postage stamps they were sent to me, I have no idea where they're from.

Back of Envie

I'll be the first to admit I wasn't thrilled with this previously posted mermaid but I had promised before I would share not only the good but the not so good and even the not so pretty! I think the later is what this chubby big haired mermaid fell into so I trimmed her hair and reworked her face--wouldn't it be nice if we could do that...wait a second scratch that, I had visions of that movie titled Death Becomes Her starring Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep....scary thought! LOL Anyhow, I'm not thrilled with her but I'm keeping her for now who knows what she'll turn into.

Mail Art For a Friend...

Well the mailbox is back up and I have just finished a piece of mail art to christian the new mailbox. I was inspired by Michelle Ward's Mail Art Crusade and created some mail art for a friend. I started out with a used goldenrod colored envie and stamped, rolled (foam rollers) and painted with gesso and acrylics then misted over that with my Color Mists then stamped and stenciled with chalk inks, stazon and a krylon leafing pen.

Mail Art!

Since the house is so colorful (see previous post) I decided our gigantic mail box needed a paint job to match! I figured oh no big deal I'll have hubby take it off on Sunday and I'll get it done and back up Ha! When I say gigantic mailbox I'm serious its huge! Just to give you an idea it will easily fit 2 of the priority flat rate boxes in it plus at least 5 or 6 of the flat rate priority mailers! I love how spacious it is, but it has taken me much longer then I anticipated it would to paint it! I've been painting on it for 3 full days and frankly I'm tired of looking at it now LOL I've painted a lot of mailboxes for other people, but they've all been normal size not one that was on steroids! It will be a long while before I paint another one, but I am thrilled with how it turned out.

After all that work of painting on it I wanted to be sure its going to be sealed from the elements and not fade, so I used PYM II. This product is awesome, I use to only use Krylon but after using PYM II I won't use anything else.

The quote is a Maori Saying "Turn Your Face To The Sun And Your Shadows Fall Behind." Compliments of my friend Christy who shared it with me (thanks Christy!) I thought it went perfect with the sun and moon I had already painted on it.

PS: I had several people email me wanting to know what paint I used etc. so here goes. I first scrubbed it with a soap that removes grease and oils and then rinsed it throughly. When it was dry I sprayed it with Krlyon's spray Gesso. I then painted it with Golden's Paints...why golden's instead of craft paints or other paints? because they're lightfast so they won't fade as easily...between the Golden's Paints and PYM II the mailbox should hold up under the intense sun and damp winters we have.

(Click the images to enlarge them)

At the encouragement of my blog friend Wabbit I checked out Michelle Ward's blog (I love her stamps!) and she's issued a mail art challenge...how appropriate to go with my altered mailbox! So I'm passing on her challenge to you click the link below and read more about it on Michelle's blog:

http://michelleward.typepad.com/how_cool_is_that/

I've been inspired I'm off to create some mail art of the mailing variety, how about you?