Abandoned Art!

I had made this project quite awhile ago for Graphic 45 and it was recently shared in my awesome farewell post.  I could not believe the outpouring of love and comments, it is something I will certainly treasure.  Anyhow, I decided that this project needed to be abandoned in the wild for someone else to enjoy! It always feels good to put a little love out into the world.

What started as a Facebook Group has evolved to an "art movement" with "art abandoneers" all across the world.  There is even a book that has been published! It is really fun to see the amazing things that people leave as a beautiful random act of kindness.

I had been carrying around my little house for several days with the intent to leave it somewhere, but I could not find the right spot.  My day job took me to Lansing for a meeting and I had the idea to see if I could drop it in a really urban location.  This interactive art piece was a perfect spot. There is a tag on the back of the project explaining that it is free art and contact information to report their experience if they choose.

Here are additional photos of my project.  I love the roof that I made with a die cut by Tim Holtz, it turned out so super cute.

There is lots of metal added to the front of this little fairy house.  I also used a lot of fussy cutting and flowers to add more texture and interest.  

I sure hope that someone out there is enjoying their little bit of abandoned art!

Cheers,

Rhea

Springtime Pocket Book

This is a simple accordion fold pocket book I made recently for Alpha Stamps.  Here is a link to lots of good stuff from this project.  We were challenged to make something that would hold Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) and this tiny book ended up fitting the bill quite nicely.

I am not sure where my love affair with pockets came from, but I am certainly obsessed.

I was inspired by this Once Upon a Springtime paper I had on hand.  Coupled with new images and fun floral bits from the May 2013 Language of Flowers Kit, a sweet book was made in no time.  This was may last little whimsy flower, these were super handy to have around.  Amazing that this one was not touched with gilders paste, I almost always add a coat of that stuff somewhere on a project.  

Inside each page I crafted a tiny flap, just thick enough to hold in an ATC.   I made them by simply cutting small strips of paper and  both gluing (along the outside edge) and stapling (under the lace) them in.

A bit of old school distressing with tearing and ink give little bit of age and interest to this super simple book.

The flowers came in the kit and I layered them with a few sequins as well.

I had some scraps of lace that already had adhesive on them.  This was huge bonus as I have adhesive issues.  I used the left over lacy bits to cover up the staples on the front side of the pages.

One of my favorite things about Graphic 45 papers are the postal elements.  They always have a postmark and the one above is just top notch as I love butterflies. 

A trick I used on the lace for the cover was to metier the edges.  They are not perfect, but it is way better than overlap.  Another way I have dealt with bad transitions such as that in the past is to simply cover them up.  

I hope you found a bit of springtime inspiration!

Cheers, 

Rhea

Graphic 45 Design Team 2012 Audition

Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you will land among the stars. - Les Brown

A recent call for design team members by Graphic 45 has intrigued me enough to shoot for the moon.  I adore their papers, so much so, that I still wince a little inside when I cut their beautiful prints.  I have to keep the outcome in mind as I snip, fold and glue, I also save the smallest bits. They make crafting so intuitive and easy with their offerings.  It is really hard not to achieve a gorgeous outcome when using their wares. I hope you will take the time to enjoy my portfolio of projects intended as a part of my application. 

My most recent project features my favorite paper line ever, Steampunk Debutante.  I used what I had left from completing my Steampunk Mosaic piece, which will be seen shortly.  I hope to get my hands on the Olde Curiosity Shoppe soon.  I am itching to transform that paper into an interesting project or two.   



This altered policy envelope book is filled with the rich imagery provided by this line.  I added lots of metal, found objects, charms and fibers to add lots of interest and movement.  There are tags and pull outs inside each of the pages to provide additional interaction, all made with Graphic 45 goodness.  A few sheets of Botanicabella were used as well, and they blend seamlessly.  If you want to peek deeper inside of this treasure, please see my previous post. 

             

              

This next piece I now have on display in my dining room.  It is the largest project I have made to date, and I really love it.  I often use a close up of this piece as my avatar, I have loving referred to her as the gear gal.  The dimension on this piece was achieved by using small canvases.  The key to a nice composition here was taking some of them off of the large base.  I used lots of gears I purchased at a clock makers estate sale.  Additional bottles and found objects add interest to my eclectic mosaic.  To enjoy more close ups of this project you can explore here or here.



Here is a Kaisercraft clock that I altered with Botanicabella paper.  I love the warm hues and the presence of nature of this collection.  Butterflies are a favorite symbol of mine.  They were used to embellish and add dimension in this simple altered object.





The next two projects are made with another all time favorite from Graphic 45, Once Upon A Springtime.  I have always adored fairies and the rabbits remind me of Peter himself, a childhood favorite.  Another element of this line that I admire is the palate, I love the choices they made in regards to color here. If you want to read more about this project you can find additional information here.





I love all the shells, fibers, buttons and altered pins that give this little book/card dimension.  Another favorite is the vintage key with a heart shaped hole. I showcased one of the postcard images.  As my loyal followers know, I adore all things postal.  The fact that Graphic 45 always has postal elements pleases me greatly.

 

Here is my Once Upon a Row of Houses project. As always the paper is the star and makes for easy work. 



My little row of houses was put on my mantle for blog photos and ended up finding a permanent home there.  One day after purchasing a small paper stack of Christmas Emporium, I had the insight to alter the back of my row of houses in a Christmas theme.  You can read more about that project here.  I love the fact that I can simply reverse it during the holidays to update the theme.



Finally, I wanted to show off one of my assemblage pieces.  I have a real passion for this type of art, so I wanted to include it in my application, even if the project was not Graphic 45 centric.  It is called Steampunk Springtime and this was my first free form assemblage. This piece also put my blog on the map.  I love making something from nothing.  Here is the original post about this piece. 



As always I have much gratitude for those of you who follow along!  I hope you enjoyed this lovely little Graphic 45 review. While it is a bit scary to put myself out there in such a way, I am energized by the chance at a dream.

I have loved the stars to fondly to be fearful of the night. - Sarah Williams

Once Upon a Row of Houses

I have had this delightful little template of row houses from 7 Gypsies for quite some time. A recent purchase of some Once Upon a Springtime die cuts inspired me to finally use it.

I started by covering each house in a selected piece of paper, mostly from Graphic 45.  I was sure to audition each color so that I would have a well composed piece when complete.  I used an exacto knife to cut out my windows and trim the edges nicely.

I used a trick I learned from Tim Holtz to add depth and character to each house: inky edges.  I used my foam ink applicator to darken the edges of most pieces added to this project.  This simple technique adds so much interest to each house.  Interestingly enough, the challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Show was to show off a Tim technique.  This is the application I use most from my hordes of knowledge from the legendary Mr. Holtz. 

I also used a trick learned from Tim on my butterflies, just alter it.  I was not happy with the look of these chipboard pieces, so I sanded, inked, sanded again, inked, stamped and then glimmer misted to achieve a butterfly that was better suited for my project.  

Another way I added interest on these fairy houses was with my fastidious fussy cutting.  This takes some patience people, but it is so worth it.  I used the imagery from the papers I had and added little fairies and flowers all over the place.  Too cute!

 

Another item I used for texture and interest was a bit of Tim's butterfly tissue tape.  I thought it fit in with the theme well, and well, I am addicted to tissue tape, so it wanders into most things I make somehow or another!  I also added a touch of glitter on the wings of each fairy with Stickels.  This adds just the right amount of sparkle.  Flowers from K Company were also added.  These were dimensional, so they added more depth to the piece.  I think my favorite element are the tiny birds I tucked into a few flowers.

I had put this up on my mantle to photograph it, but I think it just may stay there for a while, after all the dust bunnies up here need someone to keep them company!

Once Upon a Springtime

I just love the "Once Upon a Springtime" paper series that Graphics 45 has.  I have been hording a few sheets of this paper for a while and decided to finally use some of it since spring seems to have really arrived here in Michigan.  I started with a cute little pressed board box "book" that was given to me from a new crafty pal Karen, who owns Dillon's Scrapbook Store in Portage MI.  How kind and sweet for her to think of me!

I covered the book in a flocked paper from the store as well, but I failed to photograph the back of the project where you can really see the paper.  If you look really close you may be able to pick out the light pink brocade pattern, which is so soft from the flocking.  I chose an image for the front of my book and framed it out with Tim Holtz's corners.  I also added a hitch post at that time, knowing I wanted something to either dangle or act as a closure for the box/book. 

Now typically I am not one to gravitate towards pink...or ribbons for that matter, but today I chose to embrace these new to me elements.  I backed a title portion of the paper with a nice ruffle trim and attached it to the top of the scene.  A few ceramic flowers were added as well as as a dimensional butterfly. To finish out the front, I attached a couple of Tim's super cute buttons, and buttons just happen to be this week's theme for the Simon Says Stamp and Show blog challenge this week.

The top portion of the inside started with one of the postcards from the paper.  Oh, how I love all things postal.  I added a strip of Tim's newest tissue tape along with a fragment I altered with paper and foil tape.  Another butterfly sticker and a bit of yarn holds a key, completing the inside upper area of the piece.  For once I tried to keep it simple!  I did have to make sure that my embellishments were not going to interfere with the closure of the box as I crafted.

To frame out the bottom I started by covering the edges of this skinny little book box with another one of Tim's new tissue tapes.  A light blue subtly printed scrapbook paper frames out the main image.  I used more ceramic flowers, this time spraying them with Glimmer Mist as their color did not work with my palate.  They are a bit dark in my opinion, but there was nothing I could do, the other flowers I had that were similar were too dimensional and would have broken due to the lid. I added a bit of texture with some trim up top and a length of textured yarn.  A couple of shells and more of Tim's buttons add a bit of interest, along with a tiny bottle, filled with flowers (spring) and watch parts (time).  I added a few altered corsage pins to add a bit of height and frame out the inside.  I did not make the pins, they were given to me in a swap.  

In the end, I found a little copper charm that fits the motif perfect.  It is hard to see in this picture, but I also added Stickels to the wings of all the fairies to add a bit of magic.