Glitter Row Houses

This months themed kit over at Alpha Stamps is Glittered Houses.  When I received my goodies, I used the idea to finally use the Artful Dwelling die from Tim Holtz. 

For a complete supply list you can follow this link.  I incorporated all kinds of fun supplies and added lots of layers with different product.  The base was distress stain which did prove problematic as you can see the stain bled onto my snow.

I decided to just embrace it, and I do think it just makes the sky glow now.  Lots of different Dresden trims were added to edge out roof tops and windows.

 

I incorporated pieces of metal junk and findings.  I tried to keep the spirit of Christmas alive in my selections.

By layering some of my embellishments I was able to create really cute adornments for my houses.

I hope you all enjoyed my little glitter row houses!


Cheers,

Rhea

Steampunk Mail: Published!

To all my faithful followers, I am so excited to share that I have reached my art goal of being published!  I am feeling quite happy and accomplished.  The magazine is Just Steampunk by Scott Publications.  

I purchased this little paper mache box for a dollar at a wonderful place called USArtquest, which was the inspiration for this project.  This is also where I met a certain man named Joe Rotella of Create N Craft, who pointed me in the direction to submit. Incidently, I also met Steampunk Eddie at the big sale at USArtquest, who is on the page opposite me in the magazine!

Below is a picture of my page from the publication.  I was tickled to later see my work on the title page of the home decor section too!

I have to give shout outs to both Graphic 45 and Alpha Stamps as they were both mentioned in the article as well.  I can't believe they put most of my text too!!!  It was edited for tense, but other than that, these are my words...and there are lots of them.  There are not too many long written pieces in this publication.  

I love the texture that the silver gilders paste created on the wings and on the Dresden Scrap that borders the box.

Lots of metal embellishments add to the industrial look of the project.

See some of the cool mail below.  I just started creating freely using up scraps on hand.  I thought it was quite clever to use gears, keys and junk as tabs and dividers.

The large postcard is captured in a mica frame.  I also used a lot of embossing.  This is an easy technique that gives you a lot of bang for your buck.

I love the addition of vintage postage stamps to the mix as well.

As always thank you for your support!  Each and every one of you who stops by is appreciated, and your comments really do mean the world to me.  

Cheers, 

Rhea

Romantic Steampunk Lady

I had some spontaneous fun with this month's kit from Alpha Stamps, which had the theme of romantic women.  I was not sure what to make with all these goodies, but I think I put them to good use, along with a few other treasures I had on hand. Here is a link with all the fun stuff I used.  

I love using transparencies.  Here I used one along the border.  The edges are hard to see, and I love that you can see texture from the lovely embossed paper peeking through.  That paper is to die for by the way, I altered it quite a bit with inks, stains and even a bit of black gelato.

The skirt of my romantic steampunk lady is made from a paper doily that was distressed with inks and stain.  I added a few steampunk elements from the awesome selection of collage sheets at Alpha Stamps.

Finally, I added a bit of metal and junk.  I just can't seem to finish off a project without finding some way to add some metal or a random trinket.  

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Cheers, 

Rhea

Etched Cuffs with Kristen Robinson

So here is the day two installment of my wonderful retreat with Kristen Robinson last weekend.  The subject of the day was etching, something I tried out once before in a group setting. We had the opportunity to make two bracelets and here you can see my outcome.

I chose to keep one of them on the simple side and "not mess it up."  I had a bit of a struggle in this class, not only with my stamping, but with the distress soldering technique.  Soldering is something I am so interested in, but it will take a while to master.

I think my favorite part of this cuff are the secret words tucked inside.

Here is a better image of the etching.  I was hard pressed to get a decent stamp, due to the curve of the black.  I ended up embracing imperfection and the design still came out pretty.

The bezel on my second cuff is layered with filigree.  Inside the bezel I stacked paper, a transparency and a snippet of text and covered with resin.  I will be playing with resin more in the future, that is for certain.

Well I have one more class to show off and I think it was probably my favorite, although it is hard to pick! Stay tuned for the last installment, plus a few more Graphic 45 treats.

Cheers,

Rhea

Down the rabbit hole

Wow, it feels like it has been a while!  I guess my creative mojo took a little break, probably because my work life has been a bit challenging of late.  I made the time to check out  Linda's Grungy Monday challenge which is always inspired by none other than Lord Tim.  This week was a Distress free for all and I really enjoyed it.

I was inspired to make this project for a swap I am enrolled in, but this is another project I kind of grew attached too.  It just may live with me for a bit, we shall see as I have some time.  I just love how I was able to really flesh out this theme with supplies I had on hand.  

I started with this box I had on hand that was ready to alter.  This was sent to me in a swap and had been filled with a ton of lovely hand carved stamps.  I still have to move the hangers on the back because I had to change the orientation in order for the images I had to fit properly.  As I look at this, I realize quite a bit of the materials used were from swaps.  People send me the coolest stuff! 

The background paper was glued inside of each part of the background.  Tim Holtz's tissue tape frames out the inside of each square.  Then came the Distress inks. I used a bunch of brown tones and buffed them into the front and sides of the raw wood.  Since Distress inks react with water, I spritzed the inks to get them to intensify and blend more.  I also added a touch of rub and buff along the front for a little sheen. 

At this point, I added some metal corners from Tim.  Then it was stash scavenging time, fun.  I had just received the faux Alice stamps in a mail art swap.  They were a bit bright for the project, so enter a bit more Distress inks along with some additional colored pencil.  The mushroom was recently picked up at an antique show for a dollar.  The faux moss also just arrived in the mail from a swap as did the tiny bottle filled with "the sands of time" (shielded by the open door.)  I really like to have movement in my work.  To this end I also attached the heart shaped lock with a tiny eye bolt, yep, someone sent me that lock too.  

In the middle area I knew I wanted to use some of my small brown bottles.  I bought oodles of them at a good discount.  I bit of paper, some ink and a "drink me" label and I had some potion for my project.  A philosophy tag from Tim also goes with the theme.  I looked and looked for something that said "dream," but I could not find anything on hand.  I later did add this word from a bit of paper on an inner wall (not seen.) I knew I also wanted a playing card  in this piece too.  Due to the waxy coating it would not accept ink, I got around this by sanding and I love the texture this process achieved.  A few random wooded chess pieces that arrived in my mailbox (from a swap) fit perfect with the theme.  The metal heart was a garage sale find I believe.  I really wanted to fill the metal heart with red distress stickles. I did this, but I lost my patience as they take a while to dry, so I altered my plan and moved forward.  The flourish was sent to me and the key, I think I had.

Now, I have a tiny heavy metal printers "Q" that I wanted to use, but I was supposed to send this internationally, so I did not add it.  It probably made a good choice as the scale of the large grungboard letter works better.  It was colored with Distress Inks and coated in stickels.  I glued it down when the glitter was still wet, I am so impatient with my art at times! A cheap plastic heart shaped locket was tucked in and a royal button add some interest in this taller box.  

I knew I wanted something to do with time.  I used a Spare Part clock face and a few spinners from Tim.  The tiny teacup I just received in a swap as well.  In fact, I think this little cup and the faux postage really inspired the whole project.  When trying to add elements, I read the wiki entry of the plot synopsis to refresh my memory of both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.  I found that Alice in sighted "rule 42" at the royal court. I searched my vintage bingo pieces and lucked out.  

There is room for a few more trinkets in my opinion and there are a few story elements I would like to add.  Some red and white roses and a rabbit would be nice for sure.  A tiny pair of gloves or a fan would also complement the theme.  This is an image rich tale for sure, there are so many things I could see doing with this theme in the future.  So this is what the "Alice" hub-bub is all about!  Now that I have fallen in love and plan to keep it, I just may be able to continue my search and find the finishing touches.

 

Altered Tissue Tape

Okay readers, I have found an awesome new technique for altering my favorite craft item: tissue tape.  This is amazing staple is made by Tim Holtz and I just can't seem to get enough of it.  Tim recently posted on his blog many ideas for this product. I simply took one of his ideas a step further and here is what I made.

It is a little difficult to see, so I included a few different angles.  The entire outside of this little shrine is covered with altered tissue tape from the Sketchbook collection.  Love this stuff!

The project started with a score from a garage sale, and old piece of dollhouse furniture.  I took off the doors and broke out the shelf that was inside.   The whole thing was colored with spray ink and the edges were coated in copper Rub and Buff.  The inside opening appeared to be too deep so I added a few layers of craft foam before I lined the inside of my mini shrine with paper from Tim's newest paper stash, Crowded Attic. 

I knew I wanted to give the outside more texture so I thought I would use tissue tape colored with alcohol ink, inspired by Tim's recent blog post.  Direct application is the trick to get the color nice and rich.  As I was applying my inks, I had a curious thought, what would Perfect Pearls do with the ink...  I dipped my brush into a pot of copper pearls and tapped it above my tape to sprinkle it on.  I then used my brush to disperse it across the tape.  My goodness, how well this worked.  The inks were still wet enough to accept the pearls perfectly and the sheen that you get is just amazing. These photos really do not capture how lovely it really looks, but you can see a bit of the shimmer in the photo above. I have since used this technique on metal too...and it works really well!

The outside of my structure was covered in the tape.  I added a crown from Tim's Ideaology collection that I altered a bit with paint and ink to age it.  My stash of found objects and goodies provided the stuff for the inside.  The bottle, also by Tim, was filled with a bit of sand and a bit of sheet music I aged with Vintage Photo and tied up with a bit of string.  I have no idea where the game piece came from, I have so much stuff in my stash!  I added one of Tim's light bulbs, a vintage clock key from my Dad and a pair of bone dice.  The charm hanging from the top is an old watch face that I attached a wing charm and spinner too. I then used some wire to create a finding.  I just love this little charm.

I am so excited to share this trick of the trade with you!  Please let me know if you try it out.  I would love to see what others can do with this little idea. 

Thanks as always for stopping by! Happy crafting!



Quickfire No. 1

The crafty gals over at the Outlaw Women's Scrapbook Emporium often host challenges to get your inspiration moving. 

This one is their first "quickfire" challenge.  The theme: vintage, the size:  3x5, the timeframe: short (about two days I think).  Anyhow, I set out to make something totally different, the scraps on my table got the the best of me and I created this little page in no time at all.

Thanks for the inspiration ladies!  Can you tell I can't get enough steampunk of late...



A journey begins

I am excited to start another round robin journal swap.  I am currently in two that are wrapping up and I am excited to see the outcome.  I intend to document my participation in this one here in my new creative little world. 

Above is the inside cover of my book.  This journal came from a garage sale.  It was made by an artist, I picked up three of them and I wish I got more.  The pages are filled with interesting paper; college handouts, magazine images and other office ephemera.  I have encouraged my partners to add to the cover, we shall see if they take the bait.  

The piece that is covering my address is a chunky book page that I am working on.  It needs something else still...

These are two of my favorite envies, created just for me.  I am showcasing my swap buddies art in my journal.  The theme is mail art, which really can be interpreted in so many ways.  I have attached them so that the pocket is still intact.  I just love pockets! I love making books, and journals, and art!  Anyhow, I have tucked in a little card that I embossed and inked.  Inside is a list of all my swapping gals.  I also have a letter tucked inside the other side.  It is written on vintage ledger paper and tucked in an old air mail envie.  My wish is for my partners to take creative liberty and add to any part of the book...

The back of the book is filled with more recycled mail, stickers, stamps, tissue tape and book pages.  Such a fun start to a very cool little project.  Stay tuned to see my entries in more mail art journals that are traveling the world. 

Recycled Mail

While reading a book about creating your own stationery, my muse struck and I created this little booklet in moments.  I had saved this envelope as it was covered with very unique vintage US stamps.
 

I cut the portion of the envie with the stamps on it.  Since it was not quite as long as I needed, I rescued another piece of the envelope to make the back.  The paper inside is a heavy cardstock that has an aged feel.  I cut the strips twice as long as I needed and then punched two holes along the seam I created by folding the strips in half.  I used a heavy twine to lace through the holes.  Simple little notebook with a touch of vintage postal charm.

Love Shrine II

Well I just could not bear to let go of my first one, so here is the replacement for my partner.  I started with the same strategy of burning the paint off of the Altoid Tin.  I recently picked up a smaller stack of paper that I would not usually graviate towards, it was filled with pinks, hearts, flowers and the like.  I embraced these shabby shades and lined the inside and cover of my tin with pieces from this stack.  The edges are covered in Tim's tissue tape and Ranger's stickels.  I also used some K Company embellishments left over from my bunny and chick chunky book pages.    

The inside also boasts tissue tape along the edges.  I can't get enough of this stuff.  That said, I do have issues with it not sticking as well as I would like sometimes, but I cure that with a dab of matte medium.  The letters and chipboard backing were scored from one of my local scrapbook haunts, Dillons in Portage, MI.  They are a lovely bunch over there and they have invited me to teach!  I am nervous, but excited at a new opportunity.

 

I also used a felt heart from Martha Stewart and part of a barrette that I picked up from Goodwill and tore apart.  I find neat metal bits there sometimes, in fact, that is where the bobbin came from too. A few little buttons in the corner and a die cut key from who knows where finish off round two of this project for me.  

I hope the recipient enjoys.  It is quite a departure from my usual brown and earth tones, but it is good to step our of my usual pallet. 

My Premier Post

Well, here I go.  I have often thought of starting a blog, and day one of my winter break has offered me the opportunity to finally put my thought in motion. 

Today I am going to highlight a little shrine I have made for one of my swap pals.  Little does she know, but the recipient of this shrine is a true inspiration of mine.  She really likes fairy tales, so this was my chosen theme.  I can only hope she likes it. 

I have never made a shrine on this scale prior to this project, it is made from a 250 count matchbox as the base. 

 



The images used for the "door" of this shrine were found in a calendar.  I loved the image of the window and I thought this added some shape, by extending beyond the boundaries of the matchbox.  The keyhole was found in my stash, as was the vintage key I attached to the outside for movement.  Amazingly, the little transfer was also discovered while rummaging through some stuff.  I was so pleased that the perfect little decal presented itself at the perfect time!