Saturday, September 29, 2012

Steampunk Halloween Apothecary


I was thrilled to be able to make the time to play in Laura Carson's Pretty Potions and Poisons Apothecary Event.  I stocked up on all kinds of fun stuff to play with from Alpha Stamps.  The base of my cabinet is a five dollar garage sale find.  I almost did not purchase this item because I thought that five bucks was too much.  I am now happy I purchased it.  Perhaps it was a spice cabinet in another life?

I added lots of shimmer, glimmer, sparkle and lights along the way so I thought this would be a great entry for the sparkle challenge over at Simon Says Stamp and Show.




Hold on tight, I have a lot of pictures to share with you.  I am not so sure about my camera in my new phone, it does not seem to be as good as my old one.  I think it is way more sensitive to movement.




I mixed at least three different Graphic 45 papers and the transition is seamless.  I love how they make their palates interchangeable.  You can see a bit of their Kraft line, Olde Curiosity Shoppe as well as a bit of the Halloween in Wonderland. 


   

On the top of my set up I have a bunch of good junk.  An old space bar and typewriter keys, a steamy skeleton couple, lots of clock and time elements and a few light bulbs and flowers finish it off.  



Of course the inside is packed with lots of stuff too.  I altered a few bottles, made a few faux books and added a few other items.  The Altoid tin simply adds height.  I made one faux book from Laura's tutorial.  I did it a bit different though as I used sticky back canvas for my spine.  The other book is actually a sleeve around the battery pack for the small strand of lights that are inside. 




This area is extra special. I made a garland out of wire and charms from an Amulet and Talisman swap I recently participated in.  What a perfect place to display my charms from my art pals.  




Another special item in this assemblage are the eyeballs.  They are made from hand blown glass and they were intended for mannequins back in the day.  A clever technique: the drips on the green bottle were done with hot glue.  After it dried I added a bit of copper guilders paste.  I also love the vacuum tubes peppered throughout the project.  




Here it is closed up so you can see the outside, not nearly as fun as the inside.  I love the pressure gauge at the bottom.  I have had that thing for a while so I am happy it found a place to be for a while.   

Thank you so much to Laura for inspiring us all! This was such a fun event.  Be sure to check her blog to see others work as well as the video series.  There is lots of great information to be had.  

Cheers, 

Rhea

47 comments:

  1. Oh WOW this is amazing! I love it! Awesome job you did on it!

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  2. oh my gosh Rhea you rock! steam punk ..awesome awesome .you never.never cease to amaze and inspire me.
    Big hugs,
    susan s.

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  3. WOW! This is really really grand! The top hat on the skeleton made me giggle too. What a great use for all the talismans too!

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  4. WOW WOW WOW!!!!! That is so amazing. I love the top of it and the way it closes.
    You did a fantastic job on this..

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  5. SQUEEEEEEEEE!!! Oh, Rhea, you've outdone yourself on this one, my dear! LOVE everything about it! SO very awesome - you always come up with wonderfully creative eye candy!

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  6. Rhea, this is totally off the hook!!! I'm loving it!! Lots to look at. My favorite time of the year. Just gets the juices going. Awesome work lady!!
    Ivette

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  7. hello Rhea,

    i made my halloween display yesterday and added my apothecary I made on my own... It's not as good and full of items as yours !
    What a lot to see and discover ! It's nice you could hang the Amulets and talismans as a part of it. A perfect place for these !

    You will love to look at your creation again and again !
    greetings from belgium
    Inge

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  8. Wow...what a stunning project you've created. How exciting to open up the cbinet to reveal all that's inside!! Totally fabulous!

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  9. The amount of detail is simply staggering! Beautiful project.

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  10. Fabulous! You are the master of Steampunk. I love the shape of your Apothecary, what a find and the skeleton eyes are just perfect!

    Wonderful piece
    Hugs
    Caroline

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  11. Fantastic... wonderful piece of eye candy.

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  12. Really awesome!! So many little cool things to look at, it's eye candy.

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  13. Amazing piece of art! I could look at this for hours!

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  14. I LOVE IT! It is just so awesome! I have plans to join in on making my own, but haven't started yet (but hope to today!). Your finished one will also act as inspiration for me!

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  15. This is such a fun piece! I love it :-)

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  16. Absolutely amazing, love the two skeletons at the top of the box and his top hat, fabulous. Love all your potions, coffin, skulls and the wax down one of the bottles. What a sensational Halloween piece. So many things to look at, going back to take a second look. Thanks so much for joining in the Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge. Tracy x

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  17. This is just genius!!! WOW! Hugs Laura

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  18. Fabulous Rhea! I love that you used a Steampunk theme!
    and were on earth did you find those eyeballs?
    So kewl!!!
    What a fantastic piece to display.
    You have my address right? LOL
    hugs Lynn

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  19. Wow!! Rhea!! This is just fantastic!

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  20. WOW WOW WOW, Rhea, this is fabulous. I love how you strung the amulets from the charm group, GREAT way to display them. Overall, a feast for the creative soul! xo

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  21. Crazy, over the top awesome Rhea!!!! I love every tiny detail...a real stunner, and so much work!!! Fabulous creation!

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  22. Wow, this is sooooo cooooool;) awesome how you added all thes details;)
    lg sabrina

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  23. Rhea...this is totally a stunner! I so love everything about it! All of your potion bottles are so detailed...down to the chains and gears, etc. Your garage sale find for $5...WOW! You have totally transformed this into such a cool piece of art and I'm sure a proudly displayed Halloween home decor piece for years to come! Thank you so much for sharing your art with us at Simon Says Stamp and Show. <3 Candy

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  24. WOW, that is so cool!! I love how jam-packed it is with interesting goodies.

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  25. What a special, special piece! You went all out and it shows! I even saw my charm! I'm honored it was included in your creative genius!

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  26. Fan-tab-you-less! I can't believe how many wonderful elements you managed to fit in your cabinet of curiosities. I cannot wait to see it in person!

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  27. This is so cool! So many wonderful details, I could just stare and stare at this and still find something new. Thank you so much for sharing with us at Simon Says Stamp and Show!

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  28. This is incredible! How fantastic to make something like this x

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  29. Absolutely fantastic!!!! A truly brilliant piece of art!!!!

    Greetings from Vienna,
    die amelie x

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  30. I love that you did it in a steampunk style!It's awesome!!

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  31. Love the steampunk twist you put on this! All of those fun spooky elements, I just don't know what I like best. A wonderful piece of art!

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  32. Beautimous! What is that thing, black and white, a glass? fifth picture down, right hand side. It caught my eye, looks really eerie, and cool. So much to look at, like all said. It really gave me an idea of a piece I have had for years, not wanting to part with it, but not really knowing what to do with it, either. An old phone cubby. Came from my grandparents house, before it was torn down. It was a pass through thing. You could reach the phone from either side...inspiring, young lady..

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  33. I love it! It is so wonderful with all the many details to peruse!

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  34. It's like a dollhouse for the Adam's Family. The eyeballs are especially ghoulish! You are so good at assemblage art.

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  35. ooooooooo! if i lived next door i would break in and steal this ! no only joking this is just fantastic. so much detail, truly brilliant x

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  36. Rhea - This is brillant! I am totally IN love with the details, truly amazing!

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  37. Rhea, as always - your work is perfectly beautiful and very inspiring. TFS
    Dorly Weitzen, Israel

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  38. Rhea, this is just totally over the top!! I LOVE what you've done! So much detail I could look at it all day and not see everything. Fantastic piece!

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  39. I love your blog! Very entertaining, you are very talented. Thanks for sharing!

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  40. Your artwork is absolutly fabulous. I love the mixing of fantasy and steampunk. That is pure genius :)

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  41. That is so cool! I love it!

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  42. I did a project for Laura's Halloween contest last year too. However, I have only just found you and this beyond fabulous, spooky apothecary. I am sure that I will need to start mine soon. Thank you for this wonderful inspiration!

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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!