House Shrine

So yesterday one of my art pals, Andy, posted a "permission slip" to go to your studio to make art on Facebook. This is the result of my play time yesterday and I am so pleased with the outcome.

The base was from the wood section of a big box craft store.  I had primed it with black gesso long ago, and today was the day that leg work paid off.  The jumping point on my basic technique was when I started to edge the house with Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE) in bronze.  I realized that I could make the look of patina by adding in a little turquoise Iced enamels while the UTEE was still hot.

In this image you can see how I made my Tim Holtz hardware match the project with the use of Vintaj patina.  I also love the little heart embellishments.  They are made of wood and I used more Iced Enamels, this time in ivory to create some contrast.  A vellum heart cut out by Heidi Swap was layered on each heart for extra detail.

This bee bezel I made a few weekends ago found it's home along with some other metal bits and pieces from B'sue Boutiques.  Again, the use of the patina helps to bring everything together and create a cohesive look even with different metals.

As you can see I got really crazy with the UTEE.  I ended up doing the whole outside of the house with the stuff.  To add some texture I used a script stamp while the UTEE was still hot.  To blend it a bit, I used the heat gun over the stamped words to erase and blend some of the texture back. More patina was added and wiped off to make the letters pop.

My intent was to create lots of depth by having different layers of embellishments.  I mounted the focal butterfly on a box lid so it would stand out from the back.  The heart banner was made from a scrap of cardboard that was embossed and distressed.  It was a challenge to solve the bottom of my shrine, I got stuck a few times on my composition, but in the end I worked it all out!

Here you can see the inside edges just a bit.  Layers of tissue tape and stickles make for lots of texture.  Also you can see a tiny glimpse of the embossed metal that I used in the very back.

This was such a fun piece to create and share.  I hope you found some inspiration along the way!

Cheers,

Rhea

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

Let it Snow Box

This was actually posted on the Graphic 45 blog a few weeks ago, but with the holiday it got lost in the mix!  I thought with the approaching winter storm here in Michigan, (expecting 6-8 inches overnight) that I would post this cold little scene.

I started off with a large staples Matchbook Box.  A base layer was made with the washi tape.  

I used the new paper line Time to Flourish.  I absolutely love the color combo and how everything blends well with the icy snow covering everything.  The texture is from opaque flakes from Liquitex.

The chipboard was sent in one my my first design team packages from Graphic 45.  They are from Gina's Designs.  I covered them in stickels glitter long ago while prepping when my creative mojo was thin.

In order to keep the palate clean, I colorized the foundations feet with white Vintaj patina.  

A little peek inside the shadowbox.  I always love the element of depth in my work.

I had to use a life line and connect with a crafty pal to consult on my landscape.  So here is a shout out to Nichola at Pixie Hill.  I just adore her and her artwork too!

Off to be sure I am ready for for the winter storm!

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

Halloween Banner with Packing Tape Transfer

Today I am going to show off a basic image transfer with packing tape.  This is a very simple technique that makes for a wonderful way to layer imagery. Here is a sneak peek of the finished project.

To start you need to be sure that your color copies are toner based.  Most printers for the home are ink jet printers and this technique will not work.  You can get your images printed off at a shop, or you can order them from Alpha Stamps and they will work perfectly.

As you can see from the inside label I used Scotch Sealing Tape.  I have successfully used this with regular old packing tape as well.  A non-stick craft mat is super handy for this project, but it can be done without.

Prepare your images.  Keep in mind that if there is a colored background, this will transfer too.  Since I did not want those backgrounds, I chose to fussy cut two of my images.  Add the tape on top of the image.

Burnish your images well with a bone folder.  This step is important.

Peel your work off the mat and spritz with water.  I let the water soak in for a few moments to saturate the paper.

Begin to rub off the paper with your finger.  I typically work from the inside out.  Add more water as you go and keep the paper very wet.

Continue to rub until the paper is gone.  Magically the ink is left behind on the tape.

Add your image to your chosen background.  You can see here that some of the stamped image is showing through, which is what makes this so cool.  If you had just fussy cut the image it would not look nearly as blended in.  Now these still had enough "stick" on the tape that I burnished them onto the pennants.  I would recommend adding them with matte medium though.

Check out those lovely embossed bats I used too.  Super fun and easy. I simply embossed an image on the black chipboard bat and then finished it with a rubbing of gilders paste.

I hope you enjoyed this fun and resourceful way to add imagery to your work.

Cheers,

Rhea

House of Grace with Kristen Robinson

I finally had a moment to post the last of my classes with Kristen Robinson.  Her inspiration will stay with me a long time though.

In this class we played with mold making, something I have never done before.  It really was quite simple to make them, and I can see it opening a whole new realm of possibility in terms of using those things I really treasure in a new way.

Kristen brought a paperclay heart already dry for us to work with.  Since I decided to do a series of three hearts, I made a few more hearts from her molds in class.

I decided I wanted to add some metal elements, so I rooted through my junk and found lots of fun objects: wings, keys, a pen nib and eclectic scraps.

On this last heart I actually stamped right into the clay when it was wet.  This was a fun technique that evolved as we played in  class. 

I would highly recommend any class that Kristen ever offers in your area.  She was a very kind and generous teacher.

Cheers, 

Rhea

Twinkle Twinkle Altered Box

As soon as I saw the star themed papers in the new Mother Goose paper line by Graphic 45, I knew I would have to make something with that theme.  I have been fascinated with the night sky ever since I was a youngster.

I finally caved and used one of the lovely door knobs that Graphic 45 makes for their staples line.  It was hard to use, but I think it fits the piece nicely.  Of course to add a little age, I brushed on some patina gilders paste.

In order to achieve dimension and depth, I mounted my focal on some foam I had on hand.  Lots and lots of Petaloo flowers were used too.  When I am making something like this, I will root through my stuff and pull everything I can in the intended palate so I have lots to choose from as I create.

Here is another look closer inside.  It is hard to see, but I did use a glitter pen over all the letters that frame out this project.

Another trick I used in this project was to add lots of ink to tone down the colors.  The yellow was just too bright for my taste, so I used faded jeans distress ink to change the hue and edge my fussy cut flowers.

I hope you enjoyed this fun little project.  I know I enjoyed reminiscing about how often I used to wish upon stars and I have been inspired to do so again.

Cheers, 

Rhea

Steampunk Spells Envelope Book

What can I say, I just adore the new Steampunk Spells paper from Graphic 45.  I am also excited to show off my crazy wire binding that I just made up as I went.  It may be messy, but I can say it is certainly innovative!

I am not going to show off too much here.  In an attempt to engage readers in another format I have also included a video tour at the end of this post.

Inside the embellishing was done through the use of brads.  I capitalized on the fact that they were envelope pages, so I could hide the backs of the brads inside.   A lot of the embellishments were left loose, as I really like the element of movement in my work.

Did you also take note of my cool new watermark from Graphic 45?!?  I was so excited to receive this badge of honor!  I had to stretch myself to learn how to apply it, but mission was accomplished.   Without further ado, here is my little video tour.

Thanks as always for stopping by!

Cheers,

Rhea

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