Secret Garden Dresser

I absolutely love the fun items that Kaiser Craft makes for altering.  I decided to use this dresser with a stack of Secret Garden 12 x 12 paper from Graphic 45.  This was actually the first piece I made for them with stuff I had on hand while we waited for our dreamy introduction parcels.

I started out by staining the edges of this piece with Tim Holtz Distress Stain in Shabby Shutters.

When it came to the areas of the drawers, I used distress techniques (i.e. roughing up the paper) along the edges to hide my mistakes.

On the top a little bit of bling was added using a daisy chain Dresden border.

Looking at the back in the photos made me realize that more embellishment was needed.  I decided to give this little dresser away, so I added the name of the recipient with the coordinating alphabet stickers I received in my first DT kit. (sorry no photo.)

Here you can see that I incorporated the daisy chain a bit here too.  Lots of distress stain on the edges too, to add an aged look.

The insides were tricky to cover, I tried several approaches before figuring out the best way to accomplish my goal.  

Thank you so much for yet another installment for Graphic 45.  I am still in disbelief that I am part of their elite crew!

Cheers, 

Rhea

Bunnies and Chicks everywhere!

I recently finished creating pages for my second chunky book swap.  The theme for this one is Vintage bunnies and chicks.  I am looking forward to seeing how our book turns out once assembled.  Here is a shot of all my pages.

For some reason, I just love interactive features.  So in order to appease this interest of mine, I decided to use library pockets and tuck a little tag inside.  I do love how they peek out a bit.  Hopefully they will also add interest to the finished book.  On the back of the tag I affixed my swap card too, which has all of my contact information.

The background paper for this page is from Graphic 45's Once Upon a Springtime collection.  This paper was really my starting point and inspiration for my page.  The bunny/chick images are from Tim Holtz's Seasonal paper stash.  I liked that using these gives each page it's own little image for the pocket as well as the tag. 

I also used some die cut embellishments to add some different shapes and break up all the linear lines.  I am not usually one to use this type of store bought "ephemera" but I think it works well on this project.  I did distress all along the way. Coloring edges with inks, distressing edges and adding wear and tear are all ways to add a weathered feel to projects. 

Another great technique I tried, was to seal my pages with Tim Holtz's tissue tape.  This was another way to add texture and keep my pages together.  So interesting that just this very morning Tim posted on his blog a mini book that uses this same idea on the edges of the pages!  I guess great minds think alike.  I am in love with tissue tape!!!

The back of my page is very simple, very unusual for me!  I typically add layer upon layer of stuff in my work, as you have probably noticed.  I know I need to learn to edit a bit, so perhaps this is my first step.  However, of course, my creative voice is telling me that this side still needs something else...

I had planned on doing a packing tape image transfer with these little bunnies on the back.  Perhaps I did not do it right, because the first one I peeled, yielded no image.  I embraced the issue and just left the packing tape on my images and fussy cut them out.  I think that this technique still adds a bit to the page.

Come back later to see the finished project!!!