Cuckoo for Botanicabella

Inspired by so many amazing projects at the recent CHA show, I decided to try an alter a Kaisercraft cuckoo clock I have had on hand for a while.  Going with a 'use what you have' mantra, I dug into my paper stash telling myself that I really could cut into some of the papers I have that I covet and horde. Most of my Graphic 45 papers fall into this category.  I love them so much, I just don't want to cut them! I decided upon the Botanicabella collection and I think it turned out really lovely.

 

I love all the imagery of this line as well as the palette.  I decided to showcase the queen bee as a nod to this weeks challenge over at Simon Says Stamp and Show as they are calling for kings and queens.  I always love trying to find a clever way to intrepret their themes! The crown was altered with a bit of alcohol ink to dull it down and fit into the color scheme. 



I scattered butterflies that were fussy cut from their paper after spritzing them with Radiant Rains mist.  I left many of them with wings raised to add dimension to the piece.  

I also used distress stains on this project.  I am in total love with these.  The only challenge is getting it in all the corners.  I simply apply a bit on my craft mat and add with a paintbrush.  It is tedious, but so worth it. 

The pine cone cut outs also got a splash of glimmer to add texture and a bit of sparkle.  They were attached with some bits of chain I recently scored on clearance.  I love it when I actually find a use for those bits that I pick up "just because" they are on good deals. 

I can't wait to find a spot for my new little clock to hang!

Thank you as always for stopping by, it really means the world to me.

Cheers,

Rhea



Time Flies

For this piece I was inspired by the weekly challenge over at Simon Says Stamp and Show.  Their theme this week:  things with wings.  This piece has been lingering in my mind ever since I splurged on those giant Dresden wings which were purchased at Alpha Stamps.  I knew one of the vintage clock faces I had from an estate sale would make a perfect match, at least in my mind. 

  

   

The face was a bit too large, but I was able to cut the thin metal with shears.  I felt it needed some sort of border and I had a light bulb moment, thinking of my weathered clock die from Tim. I created the frame with heavy chipboard, distress stain and gold rub and buff.  A few trinkets add some interest and cover a hole in the face, perfect because the spinner can still move.  I love incorporating movement and interaction in my art. 

The background was tons of fun.  There are a bunches of layers and techniques.  I used dictionary pages, gesso, distress stains, acrylic paint, stencils and stamps.  I managed to use the same die in three totally different applications in this project.

I hope you enjoyed taking in a part of my process.  Thank you so much to all my readers for stopping by, it really means a lot to me.  My blog provides me much joy, I appreciate that you choose to share the experience.

Cheers,

Rhea

All around the Globe

My steampunk journey continues.  I had a globe image that I had been holding on to for a while and with Earth day upon us, this was my inspiration source. I made an early decision to include many round things in my collage.  The background is an amazing sheet of paper from Hollanders.  It is a collage of aged sheet music, ads and books,  I also added my own custom ephemera.  I purchased two lovely vintage rulers with great graphics this weekend at a flea market.  On of them is from right here in Kalamazoo.  I had to make copies of postcards for a recent project and had extra space on my sheet.  I had the brilliant idea to just add my two rulers along the side of my postcards, instant custom deluxe paper!

I started to sift through my stash for images that were round.  I gravitated again towards my deluxe paper.  I cut out a few of the clocks along the edge of the sheet and played around with the layout.  A few stamps add to the layers of elements.  I added the timepiece from Tim Holtz along with a few spinners.  The clock was quite dark, so I used a secret from Tim himself, and added a tiny bit of acrylic paint and quickly wiped it off.  I think this adds a bit of age to the piece.  

For the charm embellishment I started with an old porcelin watch face and a few gears.  A creative spark hit me and I recalled a strand of angel wings I had recently purchased.  I tried to get it to float on the wire in a way that was pleasing, but it just was not working.  I resorted to gluing it and also added another watch piece on top of the face.  I just love how this turned out!  An eyelet was set in the corner of the page which provided a place to add my custom charm.    

Thanks to all the people at OWSE and Simon Says Stamp for always providing such wonderful creative inspiration and support. 

Time Tag

I just love the inspirations that online craft challenges provide. This tag was done for Simon Says Stamp's weekly challenge were Distress Inks are the focus.  I used them in several different ways. 

The project was started with a traditional manila tag.  I started layering color my swiping a (new to me) ink color, Rusty Hinge, directly on the tag.  I then buffed in Vintage Photo as well as Brushed Corduroy.  A few spritzes of water intensified the color and created texture for the background.  While I was drying with a heat gun, I had a sudden urge (because it was left out in my craft area) to add a spray of Espresso color wash to the bottom of the tag as well. 

I then took the background further by adding several impressions of Tim's postal stamp, again with distress inks.  I thought I messed it up due to poor overlapping, but really with this style, you just can't mess up!  The clock image is from a lovely sheet of paper by Bo Bunny.  I backed it with a torn piece of translucent ledger paper, that I aged with Vintage Photo.  The navy strip of paper was added to give visual weight to the bottom of the tag.  I added another round element by attaching a portion of a globe image towards the to the project, providing balance. 

The embellishment includes a lovely scrap of ribbon, a replica of a vintage key as well as a muse token and light bulb by Tim Holtz.  I just love using jewelry techniques in my altered art, as this is where I started in my artistic journey. 

Grungy Monday No. 2: Time

This is installation number 2 in a series of inspiration challenges from Linda Ledbetter with Tim Holtz's techniques.  I also entered this piece into this weeks challenge over at Simon Says Stamp.  I was again surprised at the outcome.  Each time I have tried these resist techniques I am shocked at how well it works. 

The resist was done with a foam stamp I made from a foam door hanger.  It was not large enough for the entire Weathered Clock die, but it was still effective.  I probably would have taken the stamped image off the page anyway.  I used a regular matte medium to stamp the clock and let it dry.  The background was then colored with several colors of Distress Inks.  I sprayed and splattered with water.  I also added a few pinches of copper Perfect Pearls.  I like the way it looks when you sprinkle by hand.  More water fixed the Perfect Pearls in place.  I edged the page in Tissue Tape and added a few bits of map scraps I had on my table from another project I am working on.  The clock images came from a few lovely sheets of paper. One of them was by Bo Bunny and the others came from a large piece of paper I purchased at a specialty paper and book binding store called Hollanders.  There is a plastic clock by Maya Road and a timepiece and game spinner from Tim.

I knew I wanted to make a special embellishment for this page. The charm started with a small capsule I filled with tiny watch parts. I started adding gears, a word stick, a key and a few washers with jump rings.  A hole was created and set with a grommet to tie my charm to the page with a bit of vintage ribbon.  

I started this piece with a left over piece of chipboard from a swap I am currently working on.  I decided that while doing this series of technique challenges I will either do a tag or a chunky book page and then bind them when I am complete. 

Creative Blocks

I thought I would post a picture of my latest creation.  This project is a class Tim Holtz offers, however a creative group I gather with chose this as our latest altered art project. I was impressed at what we were able to produce in our afternoon together. 

The base for this collage is a large canvas with several small canvases added on the surface to create blocks and dimension.  A variety of techniques were used to create my piece.  General collage and distress concepts were employed along with image transfers processed with gel medium and stamp/tissue paper.  Found objects, game pieces, scrapbook elements, napkins, Ideaology findings, old clock parts, grungeboard, vintage used stamps, tissue tape and ephemera were utilized as well. 

I love the ecclectic look.  I know it is busy, but I do love the layers.