Botanica Tea Altered Box

This is a fun springy project made for Graphic 45 with Botanical Tea.  

Botanical Tea Matchbook Box

Botanical Tea 6x6 Patterns and Solids

Botanical Tea Flowers

Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Keyholes

Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Key

Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Brads

Small Matchbook Box

Gesso

Twine

Resin Bird

Die Cut Bird Cage

Embossing Powder

This project started off with a Small Matchbook Box that I had primed with gesso one day when I did not have any creative mojo.  The white backdrop made for a perfect Botanical Tea spring scene. 

The birdcage was covered in thick bronze embossing powder to create a gilded look.  I love how the cage looks placed over the hole in the box.  The Shabby Chic metal staples have a lovely finish that coordinate well with the lightness I was going for in this fun little piece. 

Thanks as always for stopping by.  I hope you found a little spring inspiration today!

Cheers, 

Rhea

Botanical Tea Hanging

This little project for Graphic 45 was so fun and easy to put together.  I have a few of my trade secrets revealed in this post too!  The lovely Botanical Tea paper line made for a perfect pairing on this whimsical hanging that is now adorning one of my antique floor lamps. 

Supplies: 

Botanical Tea 6x6 Patterns and Solids

Botanical Tea Stickers

Botanical Tea Chipboard 1

Botanical Tea Chipboard 2

Ornate Metal Keyholes

Ornate Metal Key

Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Brads

Metal Butterflies

May Arts Ribbon

White Gilders Paste

White Eyelets

Stickels

 

 

 

In order to make my chipboard pieces more substantial I added eyelets and covered the edges in white gilders paste.  While you cannot see it in this shot, I also covered the backs of the chipboard with coordinating paper, in case they we seen.  

 

 



 

 

Sometimes it is a challenge to cut your paper into an odd shape.  I often find that my edges are just a little bit wonky, so I have to disguise it.  In this Botanical Tea Hanging, I did just that.  The oval of paper I used to back my hummingbird sticker was not cut perfectly people, but thanks to my clever use of stickels you can hardly tell.  I simply covered my errors up with this handy glitter glue.  

 



 

 

Another trick I used on this project was the use of gilders paste to make my metals with different finishes look cohesive.  You would never know that they don’t match with my sneaky cover up.  What, no gilders paste in your stash….try acrylic paint, which works too! 

Cheers,

Rhea

 

 

Botanical Tea Box

This project has been waiting in the wings for ages!  I made it some time ago for Graphic 45 and I am excited to finally show it off.  They also posted it in their introduction of me they posted last week.  I was so humbled and touched by what the Graphic 45ers had to say about my work. Too all of you who took the time to comment, thank you!!!

Supply List:

Botanical Tea 12x12

Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Keyholes

May Arts Ribbon

Tim Holtz Foundation Feet and Curio Knob

Vintaj Patinas

Silver and Patina Gilders Paste

Sandpaper

Kraft Recipe Box

White Gesso

Xyron Glue Stick for Corners

I have had the box on hand and primed from a previous creative funk.   Sometimes I find it helpful to prime or prep pieces to work on later when I am in a creative lull (like I am right now....)

I love all the texture and movement that the ribbons provide.

In this image above you can see how lovely a little bit of patina gilders paste looks on the new Shabby Chic Keyholes.  I adore this finish!

The colors in this line are perfect for spring and summer projects.  They also have lots of classic prints such as polka dots.

On the feet I used Vintaj patinas to change the color to go with my palate.  Altering metal is so much fun and so super easy!

I hope you enjoyed today's post!  

Cheers, 

Rhea

Graphic 45 2014 Final Audition

Once again I am absolutely thrilled to have made it to the finals for the Graphic 45 2014 Design Team!  In the video below I have chosen to take you on a tour of three projects that I think represent me as a designer including assemblage, mixed media and book making.

Since the Botanical Tea Printer Tray is new, I thought I should also post a few pictures of that.  I made this project just for this audition, so I would have a little something fresh and new.

The spring theme is perfect as the weather finally slowly turns.  It has been nice to get outside and catch a few rays of sunshine. There are additional bits of embellishments within the peice that have special personal meaning to me.  I love this aspect of assemblage and collage.  

I even saw a few real spring blooms on my walk today, a sure sign it is really on the way!

I just adore all the details inside of each cubby.  I was sure to even cover the tops and sides of each box to ensure that the patter repeated itself consistently.

I could not resist adding a few eggs to the mix, as they were perfect for this theme.

Thank you as always for stopping by!  No matter what the outcome of this audition, I have to say it has been a great year Graphic 45, and I have immensely enjoyed the journey.  

Cheers, 

Rhea

Graphic 45 Design Team 2014 Audition

It is hard to believe it has been a year since my first art dream came true and I landed a coveted slot on the highly esteemed Graphic 45 design team.  The journey has been spectacular, but I am not quite ready for it to end.  I am going to apply again and hope that I can continue to be a brand ambassador for this amazing company and serve a second term

First off I am going to show off my recently published Steampunk Mail piece.  Here I used one of my favorite lines,  Steampunk Spells, to make this little treasure.  There are also metal staples incorporated as well.

Inside this tiny mail sorter is all sorts of fun postal themed ephemera.  I used lots of distress techniques along with embossing to create lots of texture and an aged look.  

Yet another project made with the delightful Steampunk Spells paper was this fun piece of home decor made with Xyron and more Petaloo.

I adore all the metal elements and texture.

The fact that I could emboss this butterfly to match my theme was a perfect touch.  Notice the use of lots more Staples.  Graphic 45 seriously spoiled us with the hugest bag of metal stuff in our first design team kit. I remember shaking with joy as I made this discovery.  You can see that video here.

Next up I want to show off my favorite shadow box created this year, featuring Typography.  Those of you who follow me know that I adore making these easy assemblages.  They really appeal to all the crazy embellishing I like to do on my projects.

What I really enjoy about this paper line is all the great creative quotes and sayings that are included in the snippets. Finding ways to make my projects very thoughtful and unique is important to me.

A little nod to the company name.  I was amazed to find that little G on an old pen nib scored at an estate sale.

I even took the typing theme to the next level by adding a few bits of actual typewriters.  The gear and rollers above still move, and I love that.

A few more detail shots so you can see what I have stashed inside.  Lots of old vintage junk, right along side newly made embellishments, but they blend seamlessly together.

Another project done in Typography that I just adored is this cute Inspiration box.  My favorite element of this project has to be the clever use of ornate key holes for feet. 

All the lovely ribbon was sent to us in our initial Graphic 45 package from product partner, May Arts Ribbon.

I was surprised at how much I fell in love with this project using Sweet Sentiments.  This is not my usual color palate or style, but I absolutely love how it turned out, super sweet and romantic.  

All the dimension created from sewing the hearts together really makes this project special.

The clever trick of dying ribbons to match the vintage look, also helped to add those extra details.

Yet another project that is not my typical style is this up cycled box I created with Bohemian Bazaar.  The rich colors of this line reminds me of the tropics, a place most of us in the Midwest would rather be after a most challenging winter!  Both of these projects highlight how I am able to extend my typical style to encompass new directions and still produce quality work.  

The box itself matched the paper so I left the hot pink edges exposed.  The lime green ribbon was also existing to the box and worked perfectly.  You can check out the entire tutorial if you choose here.

I predict that the Botanical Tea line is going to be one of the most popular releases Graphic 45 has to date. The colors are perfect and the theme of the paper is so spot on, again, making me long for spring.

I have a few other projects from this line up my sleeve, but they are still top secret! Stay tuned this month to see what I have made and in the meantime, you can take a peek to see what is inside this easel book.

Inside I did several two page layouts, adding lots of flowers and embellishments that fit with the natural theme.

I love all the Petaloo flowers I was able to incorporate.  It almost looks as if they are real flowers pressed in the book.

Isn't it amazing the range of colors you can choose from the same package of paper.  By simply choosing coordinating versus contrasting papers, a whole different look can be achieved.

Well, that was a fun peek at my work over the past year in partnership with Graphic 45.  I can only hope the team was pleased enough with my work to invite me aboard once again.  Stay tuned to see how that all plays out!  

P.S. If your the crafty type, think about giving it a go and applying yourself, you just never know what will happen.  

Cheers, 

Rhea

Botanical Tea Easel Album

With all the excitement of my publication, I am late to post this project for Graphic 45 with their new Botanical Tea collection.  This is my personal favorite of the newest releases.  The imagery is perfect as always and I love the colors they chose.

I just love this vibrant blue bird image.  I also love all the lush botanical images.

As always, it was hard to use some of my precious things...like the metal staples doorknob, but I managed and the project is much better for it.

The bottom of the easel book is actually the side that now opens.  I cut the album along the seam and used the new washi tape to seal up the edges.  A fun latch gives the book more character.

Inside I made several two page layouts.  I simply let the papers speak to me as I went.

Lots of paper flowers by Petaloo were added along the way, as you can see they are a perfect compliment.

Some of the images were simply matted and some were fussy cut to add interesting but simple additions to each page.

Since I did not have any of the coordinating embellishments I created some of my own, like the tiny pink corners used to frame the fern.

I just cannot get over the beautiful muted tones of this palate.

More sweet floral patterns along side classic botanical prints.

A tip for the inside of the book:  before adding my papers I stained the inside of the coil with picket fence distress stain.  Adding this muted white really helped with the shabby chic look I was going for.

I got a bit carried away with matting images.  It is such a simple way to add detail.

Here you can see one of the shabby chic metal keyholes.  I really love the new finish.

Thanks for sticking with me to the end!  I hope you were inspired just a bit.  I know looking at these nice spring images was fun, especially in the midst of all this snow!

Cheers, 

Rhea