May Arts / Helmar September Challenge

Ink it Craft Challenge

Once again I was very fortunate to have the project idea I submitted to May Arts/Helmar chosen to participate in the September challenge.

For months I have been looking for soda crates.  One Sunday this past summer at a flea market I found a few.  I told my husband to help me remember where this vendor was located as the flea market is very large and I thought by chance we might find even more a bit cheaper.  We didn't.  And do you think we could remember which vendor had the only ones?  Nope!  I then began checking out Craigslist and when finding any they had already been taken.  Shortly before the May Arts/Helmar  "Ink It" Craft Challenge was posted, while visiting my Mom, soda crates somehow came up on the conversation.  She just happened to have one in her back garage.  At that time my thought was to bring it home, give it a white gesso wash, mount it on the wall, and use it for individual stamps, supplies, knick-knacks, etc.

The May Arts/Helmar Challenge was posted a few days later and my idea was submitted and accepted to alter the soda crate with wedding memories.  My husband and I were married October 17, 2004, in a very small, immediate family only, ceremony.  It was held in the living room of our townhouse at the time.

With fall colors in mind and using our wedding photo and my dried wedding bouquet as inspiration, my crate took on the colors of our special day.

The full view with our wedding photograph, love, my dried wedding bouquet and my husband's boutonniere.  My dried bouquet is on the top right and my husband's boutonniere is with the cluster of flowers in the center.

You can see the whitewash with the gesso and the small leaf pattern stamped on the edges.

The lower-left corner of the crate.  I love how nicely the flowers took on the ink.  Each flower was embellished with little clusters of beads.  The leaves are nice! I tried to put a few colors in each .  The mesh ribbon was inked in about 6-inch pieces of different color.  The gold ribbon is also from May Arts but was not part of this challenge.  I used it to help highlight the mesh as it winds through the crate.

One of the May Arts selections were these mini pom-poms.  After giving it this golden glow, I adhered it to this small pumpkin and added the beads for more glitz.

To the right of our wedding photo is this group of flowers are inked in variations of colors taken from my bouquet.  The leaves are tucked in and my husband's boutonniere.

The same section of the crate only from a different angle and wider view.

 Close-up of the L, the mini pom-poms used to highlight each block of L - O - V - E.

A full view of LOVE and the right side of the crate.  You can see the flow of the mesh with the gold ribbon to aid in highlighting its color.

Here is the second pumpkin the mini pom-pom was used to decorate.

The bottom right corner.  I love the vibrant color in the portion of the mesh.

The three photos immediately above are the right, top corner.  It includes my dried bouquet with the inked flowers taking on the same color scheme.  They accent each other so very much.

And, just one more time.

All this ... because I have the love of my life... and love him more today than I did then.

I can't leave out besides the four different kinds of ribbon received from May Arts, Helmar provided a bottle of their 450 Quick Dry Adhesive.  It was great to work with and told hold with the least bit amount of pressure and time holding things in place.

Thank you May Arts and Helmar!  What a fun challenge!

Be sure to check out the May Arts blog to see all the other projects.  They are all gorgeous and so very different.  You won't be disappointed!

Thanks for stopping!