Saturday, December 17, 2011

My Christmas Configurations

As my loyal readers may have expected, I have had a Christmas assemblage in the works.  I still can't quite figure out why I love to put these together, but I really, really do.  This piece has been getting put together in my mind for quite some time.  I started out by just gathering small items I knew would fit inside the boxes and putting them in little bowls on my craft table.  I also joined a Christmas ornament charm swap, with the intentions of using them to embellish my project.  This makes it extra special, as I have little pieces of others art tucked inside. 




I am so grateful for Simon Says Stamp and Show, as it was their challenge this week of show some depth, that pushed me to actualize this piece.  I used several strategies to ensure that there is a lot of dimension and depth to this piece.  To that end, lots of texture was created with several different applications.  I used distress stain, acrylic paint, molding paste, fiber paste, rock candy crackle paint, vintage mica snow and stickels.  I was also sure to add several elements in each area and stage them at different dimensions.  Decorations were added to the sides and the tops of some boxes too, these details provide a lot of depth and interest.  My last secret to showing the depth here was in how I photographed the piece.



I love this little charm I made with the wings and the holiday muse token.  It reminds me of the spirit of Christmas because of the symbolism of the wings. I colored these metal pieces with picket fence distress stain and then sealed with matte medium.  Stickels were added for more depth and glimmer.




I used the white stain and acrylic paint on many of my items inside this assemblage.  This helped to create a wintry feel and keep the palette muted.  I love the shabby look of the feet from this distress technique.




I really love how I used the various art pastes to create little snow drifts.  I wish you could see the crackle a bit better, the texture on the edges is really delicious. 




I altered the bottle brush tree quite a bit.  I used gesso, acrylic paint and stickels to make it look snow covered.  In this little area a dangling charm was added. I always like to have an element of movement in my pieces, if I can make it work.



The vintage block above was also altered.  I washed it with acrylic paint and then simply added stickels.  I think these would make charming Christmas ornaments.   This project took some patience overall, as there were many stages due to the drying times.  This picture above does show a bit of the glimmer from the vintage mica snow.  I imagine I will be finding flecks of this in my work area for some time.




In this photo you can see that the base of the collage on the boxes is tissue tape. I love how the stain adds a whitewash look.  This toy compartment has lots of charms from my art charm group.  Thanks so much ladies, hope you like what I have done!!!





I always like to finish the backs of these boxes.  I chose my favorite piece of kraft paper from Tim's seasonal kraft stack and whitewashed it for consistency.

 



I hope you enjoyed peeking inside my little holiday assemblage.  I sure had fun creating it and sharing it with you.

Update:  Just after posting this project I found out that I won this giveaway from Red Lead.  Can you believe it!  How lucky am I!  Both thier store and their blog are full of inspiration, so stop on over and check out all the vintage and crafty goodness.  Thank you so much Red Lead, as you can see from above I will put the items to good use!

Merry Christmas to all,

Rhea

24 comments:

  1. Absolutely beautiful! I love it Rhea. I love all the nooks and crannies with so much to look at!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful. The wonderful frosty look and items look wonderful.Holiday Cheer is packed in this configuration box.

    ReplyDelete
  3. beautiful piece-lots of work but so worth it

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your assemblage is stunning! What amazing work as always. love it! Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very, very nice! You are truly talented! Cheers to you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rhea.....THIS IS AWESOME!!! Yes I'm shouting. I have seen many beautiful pieces but yours is by far my favorite. I love it...so many wonderful details and the "snow" is heavenly. You outdid yourself!!! And congrats on the win...enjoy your treasures.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am just in awe of this creation Rhea. It is something I could stare at every little detail for an hour, and then come back and stare at it again. Makes me feel like a little kid looking wide-eyed into a store front window at all the beautiful vintage Christmas treasures. It feels magical like that(like back in the day when storefronts HAD pretty treasures to stare at!) Its just amazing, beautiful and inspiring.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Very beautiful. You are so talented. I know if I tried something like this it would just look like a collection of junk....Yours is truly a piece of art.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Beautiful. Each and every compartment is a treasure trove. Beautifully done!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Stunning! Just starting to have ideas about Making some configurations. I am pinning yours to my pinterest board. Thanks. I'm on the ATT group with you.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I loved your Christmas designs, I looked at the other one and must say your is better that any of tho=oes that was printed.
    Thanks for sharing
    Mary Nell

    ReplyDelete
  12. This one is my favorite of all your wonderful assembleges. I feel as though I'm in Santa's Toyshop at the North Pole. I love the whimsical feel of the piece! Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh wow! This is absolutely fabulous. Makes me want to get my configurations box out and start one!
    Merry Christmas

    ReplyDelete
  14. Rhea my goodness, your config box is absolutely amazing I just love every little box that you completey filled up, wowwwwwwwzerooniessss Hugs Terry xxxx oops allmost forgot to say, thank you so much for joining into the challenge at the SSS and S challenge Blog, totally amazing.....

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am not familiar with the SSS challenge but I have to say you did an over-the-top awesome job!! It's very beautiful and full of joyful goodness....true eye candy!!
    Oh, and BIG congrats on winning the Red Lead Christmas box of goodies!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a lovely Christmas box Rhea, one that will be treasured for years to come.
    Wishing you and yours a Wonderful Christmas.
    hugs Lynn

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi Rhea, Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love your Christmas box. Every time you look at it, you see something new. cindy

    ReplyDelete
  18. I am blown away by this creation! What an inspiration! It is so beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Rhea - your assemblage is WONDERFUL! I love the details and depth that you've put into it. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Rhea, I can't even begin to tell you how much I LOVE this!!! You always blow me away w/ your creativity!! Please don't ever stop sharing your work, it is my favorite eye candy!!
    julie c

    ReplyDelete

All the comments and feedback you leave affirms my creative spirit on a very deep level. I am grateful for your time and readership!