Big news and a tiny specimen

My dear followers,

I have been sitting on the most amazing news for over a week now, and it has been excruciating.  I have been accepted to Alpha Stamps Design Team!  This company is so very special, and I can't believe I can say I am a part of their team.  They have an amazing online store, a wonderful supportive Yahoo community and they engage their customers with the most wonderful  and creative art swaps.  I assure you they have top notch customer service and a wonderful staff as well!  

This project actually features some great products available at Alpha Stamps.  I started with a shrine kit and the cutest tiny mushrooms I purchased from Retro Cafe Art.  I added apothecary domes, paper from Graphic 45's Old Curiosity Shoppe, as well some other embellishments I had on hand.

I used rub and buff to add some shimmery interest to the edges of the shrine.  I really appreciate the texture this adds.

I wanted to show a image that included the edges.  Here I used a bit of tissue tape from Tim Holtz to add some visual interest. Distress stain along with a bit more rub and buff was added to this element to ensure that it blended in with my chosen palate.  You can also see that the butterflies on the bottom add some dimension.  I added a bit of foam from a kids door hanger to pop the images from the background.  I had a use what you have moment there!

I finished off the project with some metal embellishments and trinkets I dug out of my stash and I am pleased with the outcome.  Once again, I had to coax myself into cutting into that Graphic 45 paper as it is just so pretty. 

I can't wait until my first Design Team kits arrives!  I am sure it will be filled with tons of crafty inspiration which I look forward to sharing with all of you.

Cheers,

Rhea