Steampunk Mermaid Box

Hello to my dedicated readers!

It has been a really long time since I have blogged.  Life has been busy and I truly lost my creative mojo when all of my design team commitments stopped at the same time. It seems that good old Alpha Stamps has brought back my magic as they recently asked me to do a guest project.  The theme was right up my alley, so I could not resist.

For this piece I used Graphic 45's Voyage Beneath the Sea paper.  The colors are amazing and the content was perfect for this mash up.

Since I absolutely love working with Dresden, I used a nice selection of turquoise trim to really make this treasure chest seem regal and I think it did the trick!

Of course most of my projects are covered in lots of metal bits, so I used a great variety of metal and chipboard gears, some ocean themed embellishments and I added some tine glass spheres too.

I just loved the juxtaposition of the ocean theme with the industrial gears.

Of course Alpha Stamps has so many amazing collage sheets, so I had to use a variety of steampunk ones to complete my project.

I chose not to hinge my project so that I could just take the lid off, but this treasure chest has so many options to add hardware.

I filled my little box with some sea glass I had on hand. A perfect vessel for my ocean treasures!

I hope you enjoyed today's post!  It was so fun to work for Alpha Stamps once again and I truly appreciate your readership folks!

Cheers,

Rhea

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

Cigar Box Inspiration Kit

This month's kit at Alpha Stamps is all about Cigar box sweeties, and I just loved this theme.  I decided to create a fun gift for an artsy pal with my goodies.  

I wanted the receiver to have a bit of art made by me, but I also wanted to include some items as an inspiration kit for him/her to then make something on their own.

I upcycled an old cigar box that I had picked up at a garage sale to hold my kit.  You can see that the box was slightly warped on the left hand side, but I still made it work.

I used lots of new decorative tapes to alter my fun little kit.  Love all the new tiny ones.  The gold striped one is only 3mm thick.

Another item I used here was some of Tim Holtz's cute new arrows.  It is sometimes hard to use the good stuff, but it is worth it in the end.

Inside I have included some embellishments, collage images, scraps of paper and some tags.  I plan to add some more ribbons and such as I get the gift ready to give.

Here you can see the inside of the box a bit more.  I was sure to leave some of the cigar box showing as I like to be able to see the history of the how the piece evolved.  

I hope you enjoyed this post!  It was sure fun to make something while also hopefully inspiring someone to make something else.  

Cheers,

Rhea

Goblin Tag for Alpha Stamps

 

 

It is getting to be that time of year when creepy crafts are all I seem to be making.  This is certainly the case for this month's project for Alpha Stamps October Kit, goblins!  Of course I chose an image that was not too spooky and still had a beautiful element to it.  

 

 

 

 

I love being able to incorporate metal elements in my designs, so the charms and these metal die cut corners are perfect for this project.  On the corners I simply used alcohol inks to get a nice rusty aged look.  A few flowers from Petaloo and my tag was complete!

 



I hope you enjoyed this little spooky treat.  Be sure to check out the Alpha Stamps Blog for all kinds of inspiration and weekly give aways too!

Cheers,

Rhea

Poe Inspired Raven Box

I just love it when a project stretches my creativity.  This was the case for my recent installment for Alpha Stamps.  The theme this month was Edgar Allen Poe and they have a ton of cool stuff to fit the theme.  

The base of my project is one of the new mixed media 5x5 boxes by Graphic 45.  These are so sturdy and make for an awesome base to any project!  With a little bit of Black Soot added to the box, my project was ready for a spooky theme. 

I used the paper from the Edgar Allen Poe kit to make for the perfect background for my box.  Lots of fun trims from the add on kit made for perfect texture.  I could not complete a project without adding a bit of metal, so some filigree were cut to make corners and an ornate key was added too.

The season for fall and creepy stuff is certainly upon us!  Happy Haunting!

Cheers,

Rhea

Little Red Riding Hood

The theme this month for the Alpha Stamps monthly kit was Little Red Riding Hood.  I had a blast creating this fun little arch.  The doors were embossed and then sanded to add texture.  I also sanded my Graphic 45 Staples to give them a bit of interest too.

Inside the doors, the mean old wolf is lurking.  I thought it was a clever way to include him while including movement, which I love to have in my work.  To see all the yummy supplies from Alpha Stamps you can check it out here.

I hope you enjoyed today's piece!

Cheers, 

Rhea

Cirque Shrine

Here is a fun little box I altered for Alpha Stamps.  The theme for the month of July is the Circus and that has been fitting as life has been just so busy this month!  Crazy stuff at work, fun times with friends and families planned, leading a healthier lifestyle and all that have been keeping my creative time at bay.  

For this theatre, I again used my trick of taping the entire outside instead of creating fussy templates to cover the odd shape.  I am always cutting corners in my creative work, it is one of my secrets...well not so much anymore.

To create a bit of magic in the background I used some champagne stickels on the curtains.  I also trimmed out my outside and inside frames with gold gilt.  I really loved using this stuff. 

Here's to hoping that things quiet down so I can get back to my precious artsy times my friends.  Thanks for sticking with me while it has been quiet.

Cheers!

Rhea

Steampunk Skeleton Theatre

This is my latest project for Alpha Stamps. We were provided some of these fun boxes to create a theatre. I knew I had to take this in a steampunk direction and the skeletons for some reason soon followed.  To be totally honest, my creative mojo has been in a bit of a funk, so I decided to embrace the darker side.

To see all the fun goodies I got to play with from Alpha Stamps you can go here.  One way I added layers here was with the use of transparencies.  I used the Round Things Collage Sheet, which was printed on transparency, and then just ran the images through my Create a sticker machine.  This is a great technique for collaging.

I also thought the use of decorative tape to cover the piece was clever.  I can be a bit of a lazy crafter at times, so using tape on odd shapes makes for super quick creative coverage.  If it is too bold for your piece you can always add a color wash, glaze or shabby coat of paint over it!

Here's to finding my summer mojo folks!

Cheers, 

Rhea

Winged Heart Shrine

I was thrilled to be offered the opportunity to play with the new Gilded Life charms and bezels for Alpha Stamps.  There is a list of supplies from Alpha Stamps here.

The hutch is covered with Tim Holtz tissue tape and then a layer of silver gilders paste.  I liked the way I could easily manipulate and apply the tape to the different surfaces.  It made for a quick covering of the base.

It is hard to see, but the inside of the shrine is layered with blue mica flakes.  I popped the focal heart out with a few scrabble tiles so it has the illusion that it is floating in the box. 

I used images from Alpha Stamps Butterfly Collage Sheet along with lots of metal staples from Graphic 45.

To alter this focal I started off with Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap and added my images.  I also altered the metal with Vintaj Patinas and then some stickles too.  You can also see how I added silver gilders paste to the different metal pieces to help them to look cohesive. 

I just adore how this turned out.  One of my favorite pieces in a long time.  I hope you enjoyed as well!

Cheers,

Rhea

Spring Time Book for Alpha Stamps

I absolutely love all the new spring time goodies I got my hands on from Alpha Stamps!

I could not wait to make this fun Spring Time in Paris Collage book.  It was so super easy with the help of my trusty goodies from Xyron.

I used a bit of Wild Honey Stain by Tim Holtz to unite the book.

To age the lovely crochet ribbon edges I actually added gilders paste to the material.  It cast a mild blue hue and I just love it.

Some of my left over Ice Resin tissue flowers ended up in my book.

The butterfly Dresden scrap made for a perfect addition.

Lots of Tim Holtz rub ons were used through out the project.  My secret is to try to use up the whole sheet so I don't have left overs.  That way I keep layering and layering them in as well.

The Tim Holtz ephemera made for great embellishments along with collage images from Alpha Stamps.

Cheers,

Rhea

Wooden ATC Book

I decided to whip up this little baby with my left over kit supplies from Alpha Stamps along with lots of my swag from Xyron.  I even made a Snapguide to show you how I put it together.  Here is a link to all my supplies.  

Inside there are lots of fun evelopes and pockets.

You can see that the stain gives the cover a nice uneven look.  I like that it makes each and every piece unique.

I cut up a bit of scrap paper from Graphic 45 to embellish my pages.  I found stuff to decorate this book in all kinds of unlikely places.

I am addicted to the little glassine envelopes.  I just love how you can see through them.

I like to use rub ons as opposed to rubber stamping.  I find that these are so much more reliable!

This envelope has the coolest pattern.  I tucked a bit of map inside which you can barely see.  The ATC cards are really perfect for this quick project.

I used a bit of the new Tim Holtz ephemera through this book as well.  It blends right into what I have going on.

More secrets tucked inside envelopes.

The rub ons work really nicely on the envelopes as well.

I hope you found a bit of inspiration in today's post!  Be sure to check out the Snapguide for the how to!

Cheers,

Rhea