Onions Anyone?

My Third week as a Guest Designer for Cupcake Crafts.

The theme for this weeks challenge is Le Tour de France, anything French related.

As with previous weeks an idea popped straight up.

I had visions of a French onion seller on his old black bicycle entering Le Tour de France and stopping off to sell his wares along the way! (Onion Johnny is the nickname given to Breton farmers who, dressed in a stripped shirt and beret, riding a bicycle hung with distintive pink onions, selling door- to -door was once a common sight.)

I wanted to make a Chunky 3D ATC (these are traditionally made from blocks of wood measuring 2.5" x 3.5" and 1.5" in depth) incorporating my idea so rounded up a few items to get started.

I have a confession to make. Though picture is showing a block of wood it arrived in the post too late to use. I needed to get  this started so made a cardboard shape to the exact dimmensions and stuffed and weighted it to be the same as the wood. (Typically the wood turned up in the post later in the day whilst the replica was drying off in the airing cupboard!)  Once the box had been made up it was covered with torn serviettes (green ones this time) then glued and when dry the edges were distressed using brown ink. .The ATC would normally be upright but I decided to turn on its side to accomodate the bicycle.  I used a French page from an old atlas to cover all the sides, then painted over them using a diluted wash of white acrylic paint.  4 large wooden beads made the feet.

The decorative knob on the top is made with a metal cap from a perfume bottle turned upside down and metal buttons, all painted black and then rubbed over with Inka Gold for a distressed look.
The bicycle came from a necklace, again painted black and the onions were small wooden beads tinted pink (using a promarker), then strung with raffia string.

The back is a collage of items associated with France i.e Eifel Tower, frog, snail, whilst the sides have signposts written in french, a Frenchman with his beret and the French flag.



Pop on over to Cupcake Crafts to see what inspirations the Cupcake Team have in store for you.You will have till Sunday 8.00pm to enter your own creations with a chance to win a prize or be a Cupcake Cutie.

I Would like to enter this into the following challenges:

Dream Valley: Anything but Square.

Handmade Harbour: Handmade Monday.

Make it Monday Party:  Anything Goes.

Frilly & Funkie: Altered Metal.

My Mums Craft Shop: No cards allowed.

Charisma Cardz: Recycle. (Bottle cap, wooden beads, serviettes).