WOYWW #483: Gelli print tiles

I almost missed WOYWW again, having been caught up in back-to-school frenzy in the past few days, which resulted in not having anything new on my desk to show. However, I do have a few bits and bobs sitting on my shelf that I've never shared before, so today it's What's-On-Your-Work-Shelf-Wednesday from me! This photo was taken bright and early this morning!

It's those gelli print tiles on top of  my shelves I want to talk about today. I made them a while ago but for some reason never featured them before, though you may have seen them sitting in the background. They're just regular gelli prints stuck on 6 X 6 inch MDF tiles. The prints are on thin copy paper and adhered really well to the MDF with gel medium. They look and feel like they were printed directly on the surface. I sanded the edges and painted them gold. I might even varnish them later. Here's a closer look at each of the tiles:

Avocado update: The one I showed you originally, sadly, didn't make it, but I have another one that's in a pot now and growing nicely. 

Flower update: I received a potted rose plant from my SIL earlier in the summer. It was supposed to go outside but I didn't want to risk it in that heat so I kept it in the house and watered it every day. I had to re-pot it as it started growing like crazy and now boasts exactly a dozen beautiful rose heads! I'm keeping it in the house for now - it seems to thrive in the conservatory. 

Oreo update: Oreo loves being outside and hunt for mice. He can sit on the fence for hours waiting for his victims to appear. We have to keep the doors closed now because he started bringing them in the house to play with when they're still alive and seemingly unhurt. A very cruel game! The ones he brought home were actually the lucky ones because I was able to take them away from him and set them free as far away from his hunting ground as possible. Here's a mugshot of the the perpetrator looking a bit shifty and unapologetic: 

I'm off work today and for the first time in weeks I find myself alone in the house with hubby and son back at work and school, respectively. I'm enjoying the peace and quiet for now. I'll be around visiting soon and perhaps I can squeeze in a little crafty time as well. xx 

Two wooden plaques

It was my son's thirteenth birthday on Thursday, so I made him a non-traditional birthday card in the form of a wooden plaque. I used a piece of MDF base that I picked up on Ebay and a set of wooden letters from The Works. I stuck them down with tacky glue, added a couple of strips of drywall tape (imported from the US), gessoed the whole thing and then painted it with acrylic inks. This is what it looked like at this stage:

I finished it off with some gold Lumiere paint, that I dry brushed on top of the letters and I also added a couple of cabochons that harmonized with my colours. My son loved it and said it was the coolest thing I'd ever made for him. Awww! This is what it looks like in its completed state (it has some photos and sentiments on the back):

But that's not all! I was on a roll, so I decided to alter my husband's wooden Man Cave sign that we had bought him for Fathers' Day back in the summer. I always thought it needed altering - the original colour was an unsightly red and white - not at all manly!

I simply black gessoed the whole thing and added several shades of lumiere paints on top it. Oh, yes, before that I also added a strip of the same dry wall tape I used for my son's plaque. The results made the sign look metallic and practically unrecognizable from its original form.

 Happy weekend! I'm planning to take my son shopping today to spend his birthday money. If you want to see previous birthday projects, just click on the birthday label below this post.