Fe-Fe's World Of Craft, Creations and Kids.: Altered Paint Tin

Tuesday, 14 July 2009

Altered Paint Tin

My daughter's teacher is retiring on Friday. I thought I'd make her a Retirement kit using one of the paint tins I ordered.

I started by covering the lower part of the tin with paper by Hot Off The Press.

Then covered the top of the paper with co-ordinating ribbon.

I used adhesive letters by K&Co to spell out "Retirement Kit" around the top part of the tin. Although it looks really wonky on this photo?! Hmmmm.

When my mum came over last week I asked her if she would bring over her "old lady" stamps, so that I could stamp some out to use on this project. I cut round a few of the images and coloured them with Twinkling H2Os. Then used them to decorate the bottom half of the paint tin.

I added a few ribbons to the handle to finish.

For the lid, I used my Cuttlebug and Nestabilites to cut a circle from co-ordinating paper. Then used another of Mum's Old Ladies to finish. Stamps: Old Ladies Borrowed From Mum
Coloured With: Twinkling H2O's
Paper: Hot Off The Press
Adhesive Letters: K&Co
Embellishments: Ribbons
Equipment: Cuttlebug ~ Nestabilities

I just need to make the card to go with it now.

6 comments:

Deanne said...: this is great Fe, I love these paint cans :) xx i'm sure she'll love it; 14 July 2009 at 19:49
Nicki said...: Great idea Fe, I'm sure she'll love it. Those little old lady stamps are wonderful! Nicki, xx.; 14 July 2009 at 22:49
Trish said...: Fe-Fe I love visiting your blog, pop over to mine where there is something for you. Trish :); 14 July 2009 at 23:04
ScrapMomOf2 said...: This is FANTASTIC! She's going to love it!

Stop by my blog and leave a comment . . . I have a giveaway going on!!

Take care!; 15 July 2009 at 15:37
Liz said...: its very well made love it and so will she

liz xx; 15 July 2009 at 18:09
Debbie said...: Aww Fe this is just fabulous and such a great idea. :) Love how you have used your mum's old ladies stamps - perfect. :) It will be greatly received I am sure. ;)

xxDebbiexx; 16 July 2009 at 20:02

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Ode to Special Mums

Ode to Special Moms(by Erma Bombeck)

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit. This year, nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?

Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes in a giant ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth, son, patron saint, Matthew.
Forrest, Marjorie, daughter, patron saint, Cecilia.
"Rudledge, Carrie, twins, patron saint, give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."

The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."

"Exactly," says God. "Could I give a handicapped child to a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But has she patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it.
"I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has his own world. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."

God smiles. "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."

The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word.' She will never consider a 'step' ordinary. When her child says 'Momma' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset to her child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations."I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice...and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."

"And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel, pen poised midair.

God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."

"Welcome to Holland"

"Welcome to Holland" By Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss. But...if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.