Botanica Tea Altered Box

This is a fun springy project made for Graphic 45 with Botanical Tea.  

Botanical Tea Matchbook Box

Botanical Tea 6x6 Patterns and Solids

Botanical Tea Flowers

Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Keyholes

Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Key

Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Brads

Small Matchbook Box

Gesso

Twine

Resin Bird

Die Cut Bird Cage

Embossing Powder

This project started off with a Small Matchbook Box that I had primed with gesso one day when I did not have any creative mojo.  The white backdrop made for a perfect Botanical Tea spring scene. 

The birdcage was covered in thick bronze embossing powder to create a gilded look.  I love how the cage looks placed over the hole in the box.  The Shabby Chic metal staples have a lovely finish that coordinate well with the lightness I was going for in this fun little piece. 

Thanks as always for stopping by.  I hope you found a little spring inspiration today!

Cheers, 

Rhea

Spring Shadowbox

So recently Graphic 45 featured the nicest spotlight on me!  Not only did we have to answer a few questions, but we had to make a tutorial in our favorite crafting avenue.  I chose to make a small shadowbox with Raining Cats and Dogs and the snapguide is below.

Check out How to Make a Small Shadow Box by Rhea Freitag on Snapguide.

The color palate in this line is great.  There is so much contrast.  It makes for a busy project, but I usually like lots of layers!

The metal flower above was faux enameled.  This gives it so much texture and age. The same technique was used on the filigree below.

I found yet another place to sneak in those cute red mushrooms.  I just adore those things!

The resin butterfly below has some patina colored gilders paste added to highlight the edges.  It also helps to bring it more into the intended color palate.  

Thank you so much for stopping by!  Happy Spring to you! (at least there is sunshine in Michigan...but it is still way too cold.)

Cheers, 

Rhea

Springtime Bunny Box

This project was recently featured in Graphic 45's newsletter. I thought it made for a fun piece of springtime decor, but it could easily be modified for any season, holiday or even a memory.

For this project I used Time to Flourish. This paper line is beautiful and super versatile too!

For those of you who are interested in seeing how this was put together I have created a snapguide for you to check out.  There are so many great tutorials on this site!

Check out How to Alter a Small Graphic 45 Book Box by Rhea Freitag on Snapguide.

I absolutely adore the lace sticker edging I used on this project.  Sad that it was the last bit I had in my stash...  Another great trick here:  I used a layer of 7 gypsies tissue paper that I covered in resin over the bunny rabbit that I cut out of chipboard.  This makes for a cool textural element.

I was super happy to have finally used one of my resin bezels I made a while ago with lots of Graphic 45 goodies sealed inside.  

I hope you enjoyed today's springy offerings!  I know one thing for sure, here in Michigan we sure are happy it is indeed the first day of spring!

Cheers,

Rhea

Graphic 45 2014 Final Audition

Once again I am absolutely thrilled to have made it to the finals for the Graphic 45 2014 Design Team!  In the video below I have chosen to take you on a tour of three projects that I think represent me as a designer including assemblage, mixed media and book making.

Since the Botanical Tea Printer Tray is new, I thought I should also post a few pictures of that.  I made this project just for this audition, so I would have a little something fresh and new.

The spring theme is perfect as the weather finally slowly turns.  It has been nice to get outside and catch a few rays of sunshine. There are additional bits of embellishments within the peice that have special personal meaning to me.  I love this aspect of assemblage and collage.  

I even saw a few real spring blooms on my walk today, a sure sign it is really on the way!

I just adore all the details inside of each cubby.  I was sure to even cover the tops and sides of each box to ensure that the patter repeated itself consistently.

I could not resist adding a few eggs to the mix, as they were perfect for this theme.

Thank you as always for stopping by!  No matter what the outcome of this audition, I have to say it has been a great year Graphic 45, and I have immensely enjoyed the journey.  

Cheers, 

Rhea

Botanical Tea Frame

What a perfect day to reveal this little spring project I created with the delightful Botanical Tea paper from Graphic 45!  I just love the vibrant green tones in the Walnut Hallow frame and how the color plays off the pretty papers.  

Supplies:

 Botanical Tea 12x12

Botanical Tea 8x8

Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Keys

Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Keyholes

Shabby Chic Ornate Metal Brads

Shabby Chic Drawer Pull

Paper Flowers

Botanical Tea Banners

Botanical Tea Flowers

Botanical Tea Stickers

Walnut Hallow Frame

Perfect Pearl Mist: Pearl

Note:  To color the Walnut Hallow frame I used a combination of Distress Stain in Peeled Paint and Shabby Shutters, Green Gelato and silver gilders paste.  

A layer of paper flowers was added behind the flowers on the face of the frame.  This added a great layer of dimension.

I love the banners that you can make as well.  Here I simply glued them to a ribbon to make a festive embellishment.

I adore the new shabby chic staples too.  The finish goes quite well with what I have going on here.

A final look at the layers I achieved.  Since this frame had a full back, I popped out the central image a bit in order to create more depth.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers,

Rhea

Sweet Sentiments of Spring

This project is a slight departure from my usual style.  I was inspired to make this little book when I scored the Matchbook die at a local crafty outlet.  I decided to use Graphic 45's Sweet Sentiments as the theme, since I could really use a dose of spring!  It has been a tough winter in Kalamazoo, Michigan!

Happy National Craft Month:  There is a full tutorial for this project over here on the Graphic 45 blog.  

Inside I affixed my pages with ribbon.  The holes were reinforced with eyelets to give it a finished look. 

My love of tissue tape shines through again.  I framed each of my pages with the trusty tape I love so much.

Here is a better picture of the eyelets.   I always find vintage ones at garage sales and I love them.  

I can't wait until the spring weather heralds in the garage sale season, it has been a while since I have been junking.

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

Bunny Dome

One of my recent scores in an Alpha Stamps design team kit was this great plastic dome.  There were also lots of other spring goodies tucked in the package, so that became the theme of my cute little dome.  All of the items used can be found here.

I started out by making a nice mossy borough for my little rabbits.  The back of the piece is built up a bit to maximize the height of the inside.  The flowers were actually added for tallness as well.  I tried to go without them, but it looked too empty inside.  

The bottom was covered in decorative tape and stickels.  I attempted to cover up all of the black plastic base.  I wish I had tried some ribbon or something with a bit more texture.

You may notice that some of the metal is colored.  I used liquid pearls to add a bit of sheen to mother rabbit as well as the baby carrots.   Those tiny rabbits are brads, if you can believe it.  I loved them so much, they were gone in moments.  

Even though I have been posting of spring, it still eludes us here in Michigan.  I am more than ready for the change! 

Cheers, 

Rhea

Altered Eggs

I was really inspired by these paper mache eggs from Alpha Stamps.  The first one I made is a bit quirky, but fun nonetheless.  This winged egg has lots of Tim Holtz hardware and a few filigree to make for a slightly steampunk look.  I originally cut a hole in the front to try to do something inside of the egg, but it did not work, so the window was added instead.



The second project that I finished is a hinged egg with a few surprises inside. 



The outside is simply colored with distress stain in silver.  I cannot rave enough about those stains.  Simple decorations were added by way of stickers and tinsel.



Inside the egg there are two little spring nests.  I absolutely love the tiny bunnies, which are actually brads.



Opposite is a more traditional spring nest with a brass bird and tiny eggs.

Perhaps posting of spring and Easter-ey things will help it to arrive a bit sooner in Michigan, boy am I ready!

Cheers,

Rhea

Tattered Floral Spring Box

This project is really an interesting revival for me.  The idea and the theme really echos my very first true mixed media assemblage, so it was fun to reinterpret for this challenge.  Tim Holtz recently posted a call to use his tattered floral steel rule die and I could not resist participating, and walking down memory lane.

The base of the project is a library drawer from 7 gypsies.  Lots of patina colored gilders paste was added to the wood as well as many other elements in the piece.  

Above you can really see some of the flower detail.  Lots of techniques were applied to get to the end result.  I used alcohol inks, gilders paste, embossing and distressing along the way.  The stems were free form sculpted before gluing down.

I just love the tiny cute little bunnies on either side of the sign.  The bird above was cut from some metallic plastic industrial waste that I altered with Vintaj patina and several layers of gilders paste.  

Here the embossed texture of the flower can really be seen.  The floral centers are Tim Holtz door knobs.  It was so hard to use them up, but I had to tell myself it was for a good cause.  I also love the butterflies I made with Graphic 45 butterflies, Dresden scrap and Tim Holtz pen nibs. 

I chose tissue tape to line the inside of the box.  This choice was made because I find it so easy to apply to the pesky edges.  It also helps to carry out the mixed media look. 

Just for fun, here is my first mixed media piece I was speaking of earlier.  For a bit more info here is the link to that post: Steampunk Springtime.

Thanks for stopping by as always.

Cheers, 

Rhea