Saturday, April 7, 2012

My Olde Curiosity Shoppe

I am so happy with my latest project.  The new line Graphic 45 recently released, Olde Curiosity Shoppe, is simply amazing.  I have had my stack for a while and yes, I had to talk myself into cutting it. 




The tray was picked up at my not so local crafty outlet store. I love, love, love this place and usually make the hour trip about once per month.  I would be in trouble if it were closer.    I paid about five bucks for the tray because there were a few scratches on it. 




I am not sure where I found it, but the button is a treasure.  It is from the Detroit Police, close to where I grew up.  In order to add texture moss was added. It makes for a nice curious bit for my tiny shoppe.  In order to achieve more dimension I layered paper and also used tall glue dots to raise some of the imagery from the back of the tray.   Some of the butterflies are also popped off the page for interest. 




Here is a bit more moss too.  I kind of went with a flora and fauna idea when searching for my curiosities.  I had some shells out on my work table and thought they were a fun addition to my assemblage. Lots of distress stain was also used to make my edges finished and old looking.  I cannot live without this stuff.   




I could not resist adding a tiny gadget, otherwise known as a watch movement.  Who would have thought I could include nature and industry in one piece and have it actually look cohesive?  Thanks to Graphic 45 for that one!




Lots more metal goodness here.  I aged some of my new stuff to make it look old.  I rusted the pen nib as well as the clock charm.  The tiny clock key was altered a bit with some black acrylic paint.  I was not even searching for that little doodad, but knew when I stumbled upon it that it had to go in this piece.  The old watch spring was crammed into a tiny bottle alone with another coil of wire. 




More fun stuff in these little areas too.  The paper had a nice image of the women's legs in a bottle.  I cut off the bottle off the image and used their idea by adding it to my own little bottle.  This was the perfect project to add another one of my little apothecary domes with a mushroom inside.  So super fun and cute.  I thought  the Girl Scout pin was another unique addition. 
  




I have been hanging on to this large clock key for a long time.  It was a score from my dad.  He has the best stuff and once in a while I get to partake.  This project is the perfect place to display it.  The flakes inside of the jar are burnished mica flakes and they are available at Alpha Stamps.  They also have all this wonderful paper over there and apothecary domes too.  Yes, they are my favorite shop due to my wonderful new Design Team appointment. Their shop is worth exploring!




 Another clever trick.  I mounted some left over eggs I had right to my shrine.  I love how this mimics some of the imagery in this paper line.  Most of the trinkets in this project are simply held with matte medium.  It pretty much just disappears.




To finish the tray I added the last of Tim Holtz's box corners.  I am sad my supply is diminished, these are good staples to have in your stash.

I hope you enjoyed browsing my own little Shoppe of Curiosities.  It sure was fun to assemble.  Since assemblage is one of Wendy Vecchi's styles, I am also entering this into Simon Says Stamp and Show's weekly challenge.

Cheers,

Rhea

35 comments:

  1. This is just a fabulous piece Rhea! Gorgeous work and what a nice variety of things you added to it to make it special!

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  2. Absolutely love it, another wonderful piece..

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  3. wonderful job!! this is fabulous!

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  4. Love , Love, Love it! I WANT TO RUN OUT AND GET THAT PAPER NOW! I love the little brownie pin too!

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  5. Wow! This is absolutely incredible!

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  6. totally love it! Absolutely stunning piece! Great work as always!

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  7. Looks great. I was very excited when this stack was released since I think it is perfect for trays like this. I too am reluctant to cut mine.

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  8. WOW Rhea I love this! I have to look into the Graphic 45 papers. I haven't bought any in a while and I love their stuff. I love how you added all the metal too! Thanks for sharing.

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  9. Really and truly fantabulous! Love the way you've made even the smallest opening so interesting. And the TH corners are the perfect finishers. Congrats on a beautiful piece!

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  10. Love this tray with all of its decorated nooks and crannies.I needed to study it for awhile. So interesting!
    Chris/Scrappylassie

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  11. Wow - this is gorgeous! What a work of ART!

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  12. WOW Rhea, Its FABOULUS. Love all the trinkets and treasures. I think I still have my old brownie pin. An antique by now! LOL. Love the little corked vial you used too.
    I been searching for the paper for some time here. Were always the last to get anything new.
    Have a Wonderful Easter
    hugs Lynn

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  13. Another great assemblage - full of treasures while still having a very cohesive look.

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  14. Just love your tray. I love this set of papers so much that I bought 2 of everything.

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  15. Rhea, it's beautiful! Your attention to detail is beyond excellent! I can't wait to get my hands on this paper.
    Cindi Shearer

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  16. So, so gorgeous, every detail is perfect.

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  17. Wonderful!! I love Graphic 45, esp. this new line. You did a fabulous job on this piece.

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  18. Hi Rhea. This is an absolutely fab creation and what a lot of work. I love everything about it and shall certainly be returning to view your pieces again. Thank you so much for sharing and for the inspiration.........Annie :) Good luck in the challenges.

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  19. Fabulous. My papers came last week and I love them so much that I can't decide what to do with them.

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  20. This is absolutely gorgeous ... so much to look at ... a wonderful piece of art! Thank you for joining the team at Simon Says Stamp and Show ... we hope to see you again soon!

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  21. Really beautiful! What a wonderful piece :)

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  22. WoW, Rhea, this is truly wonderful! So many cool things to look at and enjoy. Time to quit your day job and art full time!

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  23. very kool!
    found your site via Pinterest!
    i too, am a late blooming assemblage artist and am always happy to find other like minded peeps!
    do stop by my blog when you get a chance.
    http://rebecatrevino.blogspot.com/

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  24. Rhea you are off the hook!! Awesome work!! Always look forward to see your new projects. Great job!
    Ivette

    n1sunrider.blogspot.com

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  25. Amazing project and wonderful use of the Graphic 45 paper. Please consider gluing a description of the treasures on the back of your box to document their origin and meaning.

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  26. Positively breathtaking !!

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  27. You have done a truly fabo job here I just love everything about this!
    Peace,
    KristyLee

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  28. THis is absolutely amazing!

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  29. So cool, I bookmarked Alpha Stamps, what a great site!

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  30. I love love love this. What a fantastic job you've done.

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  31. I just today came across this post and I'm in love with this project of Yours! It is just perfect! I had to say it... :)
    Have a nice day, Rhea!

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  32. This is a fantastic piece of artwork, I just love it!!

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