Springtime Pocket Book

This is a simple accordion fold pocket book I made recently for Alpha Stamps.  Here is a link to lots of good stuff from this project.  We were challenged to make something that would hold Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) and this tiny book ended up fitting the bill quite nicely.

I am not sure where my love affair with pockets came from, but I am certainly obsessed.

I was inspired by this Once Upon a Springtime paper I had on hand.  Coupled with new images and fun floral bits from the May 2013 Language of Flowers Kit, a sweet book was made in no time.  This was may last little whimsy flower, these were super handy to have around.  Amazing that this one was not touched with gilders paste, I almost always add a coat of that stuff somewhere on a project.  

Inside each page I crafted a tiny flap, just thick enough to hold in an ATC.   I made them by simply cutting small strips of paper and  both gluing (along the outside edge) and stapling (under the lace) them in.

A bit of old school distressing with tearing and ink give little bit of age and interest to this super simple book.

The flowers came in the kit and I layered them with a few sequins as well.

I had some scraps of lace that already had adhesive on them.  This was huge bonus as I have adhesive issues.  I used the left over lacy bits to cover up the staples on the front side of the pages.

One of my favorite things about Graphic 45 papers are the postal elements.  They always have a postmark and the one above is just top notch as I love butterflies. 

A trick I used on the lace for the cover was to metier the edges.  They are not perfect, but it is way better than overlap.  Another way I have dealt with bad transitions such as that in the past is to simply cover them up.  

I hope you found a bit of springtime inspiration!

Cheers, 

Rhea

Halloween Treats

Today I am sharing a quick post with you all.  I have not been all that productive the past few days, busy with life I suppose.  I have a really great group of gals that I meet up with once a month.  Our Halloween meeting is right around the corner and we are exchanging ATC's.  I am really looking forward to getting a little piece of art from my pals.  I am also extra excited because I won a treat on Laura Carson's blog. It is a small hand made book, perfect for displaying ATC's.  Talk about perfect.  Laura's art is awe inspiring and she is quite generous, sharing her creations with her followers regularly.  Please check out her blog, you won't be sorry!

It has been a while since I have worked on a canvas this small.  I have to say, I have gotten used to a larger space to express myself.  I love the holder I have these displayed in.  I picked this up at a really cute shop called Elements, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  It is worth checking out for sure. 



  

Another tiny Halloween project I completed some time ago is this small altered tin. 

I think the lid needs something, now that I have really observed the photos.  I also see that one of my ATC's needs more work.  I find it interesting how much a picture can reveal about a piece of art.  It can really give you another prospective!





Happy Halloween to all my loyal followers! 

Cheers,

Rhea

Paris and Pendants

Well today I managed to try a few new crafty techniques.  I made two ATC's, which I have not created in quite some time.  This was for a technique swap.  I am really glad I tried it out, I was surprised at how well it worked. 

For these cards I started by stamping a Tim Holtz stamp with white acrylic paint.  After it dried, I buffed in a few hues of Distress Inks.  The key to this technique is wiping down the paint after you have inked.  Once I did this, the white resist really showed through.  I added a few old used postage stamps, air mail stickers, rub ons as well as another stamped image of pen nibs.  The edges were sanded and inked to frame out the cards.  I forgot how much fun ATC's can be.  They are so small and quick!

Another new item I tried was Lisa Pavelka's Magic Glos.  It was really easy and fun.  This resin like material cures in the sunlight or under a UV light.  I had issues with air bubbles, but I really don't mind how they look.  I used some small bits of wonderful paper I picked up at an amazing store in Ann Arbor called Hollanders for the background and layered in bits of watch parts.