A time to give back

Roni at Ink Stains had a contest at the end of September, announcing her 5th anniversary.  The idea was, if you won one of six altoid tins, you were to alter it in time for her anniversary blog hop on November 27.  Above is the tin I won, and the handmade paper I used to cover Roni's address and eventually, the tin.  I have managed to squeak in just under the wire.
 

Roni also promised the tin would be filled with alterable items.  We could use them, or not in our design.

I fell in love with everything she sent, including that incredible milk jug lid on the left under the triomino.

Roni showed several tins she had altered, and my thoughts raced to 2008, the first time I altered an altoid tin.  Although many suggest using a Bunz burner or whatever that flame throwing thing is called, I prefer to use my chiminea.  The excess soot easily comes off.  Yes, this is a lousy picture.

 

Also in 2008, I altered 13 of these tins for a Christmas swap.

I called them the "Game of Life."  Continuing the word "Life" from the game of the same name, the sentiment on the inside reads "It's not just a game.

Then in 2011, I rusted this tin, and added it to my White and Rust altered tip-in book I created. Click to enlarge.

However, it seemed time to change thought processes, since I really didn't want to make the same or similar tin this year.  Originally, I was going to turn it into a black and white zebra gift for my art (and shop-a-holic) friend Kathy that she could keep collectibles in, then decided to make something for my own home for the upcoming holiday.

I began by covering the tin with some of my handmade paper I showed in the first photo above.  Then I took a handful of paper from my shredder and spritzed it with Bottle (green) and Butterscotch Color Washes.  When dry, I scrunched them into the tin using a bit of white glue.    Next, I added some autumn leaves I got one year on clearance at JoAnn's (a big box fabric and craft store in the US).  I set the tin aside for a couple of days to made sure everything was completely dry.

 

When dry, I glued a few sticks from my back yard into the tin, then added the focal stick and bird I found years ago in California.  This is not what I originally had in mind when I entered the contest, but I actually like how it turned out.  It will fit in nicely in my main floor bath, which is decorated with cardinals of all types and sizes.  I hope Roni is as pleased as I am with this altered piece.

Today is day 26 of AEDM, and as I've mentioned ad nauseam, I can no longer see links (and possibly can't create them) whether they are mine or not.  I also can't comment on blogs with embedded comments.  To change that, or learn if yours are embedded, please scroll to the end of this post and see what I'm talking about, and how to change your comments.

Roni sent each participant a link to use for her blog hop that we are supposed to use.  She assured us it will go live on November 27.  Since links and I don't seem to be working properly right now, here is what Roni sent:

Remember, this link should go live and you should be able to see the link at midnight (not sure if Eastern or Central time zone) on November 27.  Until then, I hope this altered tin meets your expectations.