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

More Bird Song Bliss

Recently I made a really cool project using the new Birdsong Bliss paper from Graphic 45.  I was a bit surprised at how much I fell in love with this paper.  It is not a theme I have gravitated to in the past.  I think it is the rich color palate that really drew me in.  Anyway, I had so much fun with my first project that another one quickly followed.

The red Dresden borders worked out wonderful and really helped the outside of the project some cohesiveness.  It may be hard to pick up, but I also used a sheet of mica over the central image to add a layer of interest and dimension.  I know get what all the fuss is about in regards to mica! 

All the fun metal bits, beads and charms really make for some interesting embellishments.  The lions I adore, so I had to make sure I got a shot of them in my post.  They are on both sides of the box.  I have to say the embellishments are my favorite part of a project.  Since this is the theme over at SSSS, I am going to show this off over there too.   

Since this Graphic 45 box was on a smaller scale I was able to use the same background paper on each panel resulting in a tighter palate.  

Another way I kept things cohesive was by using similar embellishments throughout the project.  I cut out the lanterns from this wonderful sheet of paper and added them throughout the accordion book.  

These little resin birds are fab.  As you can guess, I distressed them up with a bit of guilders paste.  The flower embellishments were a bit too bright, so a little distress ink was added to grunge it up a bit.  

Here is another detail shot of one of the panels.  I had to make sure I used that dragon lantern!

I hope you were inspired or learned a little trick or two.  Thank you for taking the time to stop by and comment if you choose.  All that feedback I get from you all is what keeps me going!

Cheers, 

Rhea

Bird Song Bliss

This is a project that came out of me like a whirl wind!  I received such an inspiring parcel from Leslie over at Alpha Stamps that it was easy to create something lovely.  First off, I personally think that making anything with Graphic 45 will yield a beautiful project.

This is going to be a photo heavy post for sure.  There are lots of fun details to see.

I love the seam binding that I was able to use both on the closure for the book as well as to tie the art panel inside of the box.  This was the first time I have used this crafty staple and I can tell it is going to be a new favorite, it is really cheap too. 

I went all out with the Birdsong paper, a Japanese Women Collage Sheet, the Song Birds Collage Sheet stickers and a few random embellishments. 

I was quite surprised actually at how many stickers I used.  The world has come a long way with crafting embellishments  that is for sure.  

I used some great resin birdhouses throughout the project.  I was sure to grunge them up with a bit of guilders paste.   I also tricked out some sticker embellishments by taking them apart and adding a layer of filigree.  

I love the metal adornments.  They were sent to me in a swap ages ago and this was the perfect project for them. 

Graphic 45 makes it easy to achieve an intricate look by simply layering their papers. 

This panel is one of my favorites.  I love the coinstucked behind the floral piece.  The paper in the backgound is really pretty too.  I am a sucker for butterflies.  

I made lots of use out of some K and Company borders.  I layered them on this picture.  In a few other layouts I actually cut the butterflied out and used them individually to create flocks of butterflies. 

I really loved the cherry blossom stickers I picked up by Martha Stewart.  I totally yearned for another pack. 

This is another one of my favorites, perhaps it is that butterfly paper that gets me, as it is featured in this spread as well. 

To add a bit of whimsy to this piece I also peppered in a few used postage stamps.  I thought this added a unique touch.  

I also added a bunch of charms to the closure.  I love layers and movement, so the more the better here.  Much of this stuff can be found in Alpha Stamps new jewelry stuff category.  Isn't that Quan Yin charm darling. This is always my favorite part of my kits!  Another big score was a tassel tool, I can see this coming in handy for lots of projects.  

Thanks for taking the time to check out my work.  As always, I really appreciate all of you who stop on by!

Cheers, 

Rhea

Alpha Stamps Gypsy Fever Blog Hop!

It is time for another really fun blog hop with Alpha Stamps.  This time there is a bit of a challenge, but it is worth investigating, because there is a $100 prize to be had.  To enter, simply find the secret words in our posts, unscramble the saying and leave the answer as a comment on the AS blog!  Correct answers that have been posted on the AS blog will be entered for the chance to win the prize!

I have been so excited to show off this project to all of you, as it has been in the works for a while!  Be warned, there are lots of pictures in this post.  I designed this little gypsy caravan for Alpha Stamps, as they are hosting a gypsy swap.  I had so much fun with this theme, I just may have to join in the fun.

I had some challenges with my little bottle cap wheels.  It seems my first choices in glue were poor, so my first photo session was an absolute disaster.  The wheels were popping off left and right!    

I like how the book rings look like big hoops a gypsy just might wear.  The cool thing is I could add more cars to my caravan if I choose too or I could split them up.  

First we shall take a peek inside and see what these gypsy folk are up to.  I loved the imagery used here.  Alpha Stamps has a lovely selection of imagery in this theme.  As always, there is a sale that goes with the current swap to sweeten the deal.   

The central image above was black and white, which would not work in my project.  To solve this, I simply used colored pencils to color it in a palate that worked for me.  I love the new beaded trim Alpha Stamps now has, very fun.

Each of the wheels of the caravan are simply bottle caps painted with gesso on the inside and then two layers of gears.  I was able to mix and match my gears to create a number of different wheel styles.  This proved to be problematic, as when I had my wheel issue, I did not pay attention when reattaching them and made some matching errors. All is well now!  

One thing that really made this project easy was the wonderful Gypsy Sister paper from Alpha Stamps  which was used as a background on all of my caravan. I absolutely fell in love this paper and I so wish I had gotten the whole stack!  I call a sell out on this item for sure.  

The rich colors of this paper works well with the theme, but it is typically not a palate I usually gravitate towards.  I am slowly starting to embrace colors beyond vintage brown!!!

Now we can take a peek to see how the "back" of my pages turned out.  I tried to make them look like the outside of a caravan.  As I researched caravans on the Internet with good old Google, I noticed that they often were brightly colored, had flowers or plants and they were very ornate.  

Resin windows got an aged finish with my favorite...Guilders Paste. 

Here a gypsy peers from behind a gilded window.

It is hard to tell, but on this car I used a spray ink and a stencil to add some texture as the paper was a bit plain.

And here is the caboose, so to speak.  A bit of filigree and a cool key hole finish off the last of my cars, at least for now.  My favorite, Dresden scrap borders, also add a bit of ornate detail to this car.  

I hope this project inspires those of you who are considering joining in the fun swap.  It was a blast to create, and I had so much fun showing it off to you. 

Be sure to check out the rest of the hop as there is a prize to be had, if you can crack the code and find the fortune!

Cheers, 

Rhea