Altered Art Mouse Trap

Hello everyone, and welcome to my first post as a regular design team member for Gina's Designs Lasercut Chipboard.  I am so excited to be here as a regular designer.  I love Gina's chipboard, and the ideas just seem to flow from me whenever I look at her designs. 

I was at my stamp club meeting a few weeks ago and we were altering mouse traps.  These make fabulous little note holders.  I had taken some of my Gina's Designs chipboard with me, and I thought, why not share my project with you.  

You can purchase mouse traps quite inexpensively from dollar stores, as well as hardware stores.  The first thing I did was remove the holding bar and the u-clip.  See photo below. 

You can paint the base platform or cover it with paper by working around the spring and hammer, you can carefully slide your paper beneath it and glue it down.  Be very careful lifting the hammer so you do not get your finger pinched.  

Sanded the platform first.  Then painted it with Broken China, Peeled Paint, and Tarnished Brass distress paints.  I added the ART image to the top section, adding more paint around the image to make it blend into the background.

I used an awl to hold the hammer up while working in that area. I next cut little pieces from the Diamonds Texture Sheet, painting it with the same colors as the platform.  I adhered them, as shown.

I cut away a small piece of the dress form so I can place it around the u-clip that holds the hammer and springs in place, and then I painted it and a key plate with Rusty Hinge distress ink.  I then distressed the edge of the dress form with Gathered Twigs distress ink, and heat embossed the key plate with Versamark ink and rust embossing powder.  

Insert two tiny brads through the key plate holes and adhere both shapes to platform.

Paint small dragonfly with Silks Cool Water, Teal Zircon, and Sunburst Silks Acrylic Glaze.  

I painted small butterfly with Ginger Peach, Sunburst, and edge with Bolivian Blue Silks Acrylic Glaze.  Peridot glitter was added to wings, and Amber glitter to butterfly body.

Cut two sections from the Border Sticks Lace strip, color with Rusty Hinge, Tarnished Brass,  Broken China, and Peeled Paint distress paint.  Adhere to top of platform.  Add Cream Pearl Pen dots to upper right corner and three in lower portion.

Use an awl to start a hole at the bottom center of the platform, insert a screw eye.  Heat emboss key with Versamark ink and  Rusty Nail embossing powder, then two clock hands with Patina embossing powder.  Hang from screw eye with a jump ring.  

Supplies used:

Gina's Designs:  Dressforms and Wings Shape Set,

 Keys and Plates Shape Set, 

Texture Sheet Diamonds,

 Butterflies and Dragonflies,

 Border Sticks Lace, 

Clock Hands Shape Set

ColourArte: 

 Silks Acrylic Glaze - Ginger Peach, Sunburst, Bolivian Blue, Cool Water, Teal Zircon

I Create, Therefore I Am collage sheet (Altered Pages)

Mouse Trap

Peridot and Amber Glitter Liner, Cream Pearl Pen (VivaDecor)

Ink Pads:  Versamark, Gathered Twigs Distress Stain

Distress Paints: Broken China, Peeled Paint, Rusty Hinge, Tarnished Brass

Embossing Powders: Rust, Patina, Rusty Nail

Mini screw brads, screw eye, jump ring

Beacon Quick Grip Glue

I hope you enjoyed my project and that I have inspired you to create one of these fun little note holders for friends, or keep some for yourself.  Add a magnet to the back to hang it on the fridge to keep your grocery list nearby, or hang it on the wall to keep your notes and reminders.

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to visit Gina's Designs blog every day for more inspiration from the team, and check out the online store for more great shapes for all of your art projects.    

Have a wonderful and creative weekend!

Barbara