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

A Retro Halloween

It was almost exactly one year ago that I discovered the joy of Retro Cafe Art and their amazing Coffee Break Designs. I had gone to an art retreat in Chicago and they had a booth there.  I went nuts on all their Masonite goodies and developed quite a stash.  Recently when I saw on their Facebook page that they were having a Halloween art contest, I knew I would celebrate by using some of my coveted supplies.

The first entry features two images from RCA's current free collage sheet.  I made the moon peek over the side of the house and I love the altered cabinet card witch.  

I used mica and glitter to line the inside of a smaller cigar box.  The sandy paste I have used in other projects. In fact, this was left over from this post.  You can hop on over there if you would like the details on how to make the paste. 

Other items used on this project from Retro Cafe Art are: picket fence cut outs (these are so handy people), guilders paste and the wonderful star washi tape.  I am a sucker for designer tapes!  The lace was actually cut from a doily and the house base was found at a rummage sale.  A fun project indeed.  

The second little assemblage I put together is also filled with RCA supplies.  I started with a three hole cubby.  This was altered with guilders paste and decorative tape.  You can also see the use of those fences again.  All of the Masonite products accept the guilders paste very well.  

I used their tiny heart shrine, two sizes of red cotton spun mushrooms as well as a Halloween paper cut out.  I was a little surprised at my Retro craft stash!  

I guess this is the official start of the holiday season in my crafty world!  Here we go!

Cheers, 

Rhea