Metal Magic with the Oakwood WI Craft Group

Metal Magic with the Oakwood WI Craft Group

I want to say a huge thank you to the lovely members of Oakwood WI for such a warm welcome and for being such enthusiastic, creative participants in our Metal Magic session. You were a joy to work with, and every single person made something unique and beautiful. Butterflies, flowers and fish appeared, each with their own personality – proof that a humble drinks can can become something rather magical in the right hands.

It was a pleasure to share this process with you and to watch the fun as everyone experimented with shape, texture and colour.

Below are the instructions for what we made, in case you’d like to have another go at home. 🥫🌈🎨

An example of the wonderful art created by the group.

Before the session – preparing the metal

Collect used aluminium drinks cans. (thanks again to the WI ladies, who gave me bags full of them!)

1. Wash the cans well.

2. Make a hole near the top rim and cut off the top.

3. Cut down the side of the can and then cut off the base.

4. Wash the main sheet again and flatten it.I find rolling it in the opposite direction inside a tea towel helps to flatten it nicely.

5. Save the ring pull and the domed base of the can.

6. Throw away the top piece (or keep it to practise with inks).

You should now have:• flat sheets of aluminium• domed bases• ring pulls

Prepare the cans

Preparing for the session

I ran aluminium sheets through my Sizzix Big Shot using a butterfly cutting and embossing folder, so that everyone had a butterfly ready to work with.

I also created some “here’s one I made earlier” examples – fish, flowers and butterflies – to show the range of what could be done.

Isopropyl alcohol was poured into small bottles with fine tips, so that everyone had easy access in small, manageable containers. For the examples I made at home, I also sprayed them with Kamar Varnish - we didn't use this at the group session, as it has such a strong smell! The varnish adds a bit more shine and protection, but for light use pieces that are not in direct sunlight, it's not essential. Here's one I made earlier gallery.

At the session

After showing the examples, I talked about how I have previously used Sharpie pens to colour aluminium tins. More recently, though, I’ve discovered alcohol inks and I am loving how they play on metal.

I use Jacquard Pinata inks and also a second, cheaper set. The Jacquard inks are my favourites and more vivid, but the cheaper set adds extra colour options and the two sets work well together.

I demonstrated how you can:

• draw a shape on aluminium

• cut it out

• then use dotting tools to emboss and shape the metal

For the flowers, I showed how the domes from the base of the cans can be used – drawing a flower shape onto the dome, cutting it out and then shaping it with dotting tools.

Once we’d all had a play, everyone could choose:

• a butterfly

• a piece from my box of random cut shapes

• or a sheet or dome to create their own magical metal piece

Everyone began with a scrap piece of metal first, just to see how the inks behaved, before moving on to their chosen piece. Preparing for the session gallery - alcohol into small containers, cutting butterflies and making them, using the bottom domes for flowers, cutting the fish.

Finishing touches

To finish off, we wired beads onto the butterflies and turned them into pieces that can adorn a plant pot or vase – a little splash of colour and sparkle for the garden or windowsill.

One lady took a whole shoal of fish home and created a stunning picture, painting a sea background behind them. Such a beautiful example of how these pieces can grow into something even bigger once they leave the table.

The results were fabulous, so joyful, colourful and full of personality.

I’ll add a gallery below with examples of what some of the Oakwood WI members made.

Thank you again, Oakwood WI, for such a welcoming session and for diving into the magic of metal with me. I so thrilled to be part of this wonderful group. 🪴🦋💛