House Shrine

So yesterday one of my art pals, Andy, posted a "permission slip" to go to your studio to make art on Facebook. This is the result of my play time yesterday and I am so pleased with the outcome.

The base was from the wood section of a big box craft store.  I had primed it with black gesso long ago, and today was the day that leg work paid off.  The jumping point on my basic technique was when I started to edge the house with Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE) in bronze.  I realized that I could make the look of patina by adding in a little turquoise Iced enamels while the UTEE was still hot.

In this image you can see how I made my Tim Holtz hardware match the project with the use of Vintaj patina.  I also love the little heart embellishments.  They are made of wood and I used more Iced Enamels, this time in ivory to create some contrast.  A vellum heart cut out by Heidi Swap was layered on each heart for extra detail.

This bee bezel I made a few weekends ago found it's home along with some other metal bits and pieces from B'sue Boutiques.  Again, the use of the patina helps to bring everything together and create a cohesive look even with different metals.

As you can see I got really crazy with the UTEE.  I ended up doing the whole outside of the house with the stuff.  To add some texture I used a script stamp while the UTEE was still hot.  To blend it a bit, I used the heat gun over the stamped words to erase and blend some of the texture back. More patina was added and wiped off to make the letters pop.

My intent was to create lots of depth by having different layers of embellishments.  I mounted the focal butterfly on a box lid so it would stand out from the back.  The heart banner was made from a scrap of cardboard that was embossed and distressed.  It was a challenge to solve the bottom of my shrine, I got stuck a few times on my composition, but in the end I worked it all out!

Here you can see the inside edges just a bit.  Layers of tissue tape and stickles make for lots of texture.  Also you can see a tiny glimpse of the embossed metal that I used in the very back.

This was such a fun piece to create and share.  I hope you found some inspiration along the way!

Cheers,

Rhea

Ice Resin Bee Necklace

I have been so excited to use the bezels Spellbinders sent me as they are a product partner for Graphic 45.   One of the focals I created includes this amazing Victorian bee brass stamping from Alpha Stamps.

In the background I have layered some text, which really ended up obscured by the mica I added.  I did manipulate the mica a bit to add texture, it really adds depth and dimension that is hard to see in this photo.

On the bee I used many products: gilders paste, Vintaj onyx patina, stickels and permanent marker.  The centerpiece was sealed with Ice Resin.  I had to do this in two settings to achieve the doming effect I was after, and get all of the body of the bee under resin.

I added the focal to a simple chain.  When I wore it for the first time today, this was how I styled it.  I can also chose to wear it in the center.  I tried to add several different elements, but I always ended up editing them out.  Sometimes it is good to keep things simple. 

It was so fun to get back to my jewelry roots, I suspect there is a bit more of that to come now that my dining room table has been transformed into a jewelry making station.

Cheers, 

Rhea

Spring Cubby

Spring has "officially" sprung finally in Kalamazoo, Michigan!  The sun is out, the birds are chirping and even thought it is chilly, I have a few windows open to welcome some fresh air.  I thought I would celebrate by showing of this fun spring assemblage I recently made for Alpha Stamps.   

This Masonite cubby has 35 small partitions that are one inch square.  I have filled them with all kinds of delightful treasures that remind me of the season at hand.  As I assembled this piece I tried to keep a tighter color palate that was outside my usual range with blue, yellow and pink.

One way to make your pieces unique is to alter your elements along the way.  Above, you can see where I added colors to my bee with liquid pearls.  Also notice on the resin flower towards the top where I used gilders paste.  It works great on all types of surfaces beyond metal such as resin and wood.

I just adore all the cotton spun mushrooms I used throughout the piece. I am not sure why I  obsess over these, but I truly love them.

Lots more altered metal elements down on this section.  The bunny is colored with a bit of alcohol ink to add some depth.  

Overall this piece is probably much smaller than you would ever imagine in real life.   Even though it is small, it is packed with all kinds of spring fun though.

Cheers, 

Rhea