Bezel Maddness

So my loyal followers will know that I have an amazing crafty outlet store close at hand.  Well a recent score at said score evolved into a full day of inspiration and fun.  I managed to get a giant bottle of Lisa Pavelka's Magic Glos for only $12.50 when it retails for fifty dollars.  With my trusty UV light I set out to layer it up and boy did I have fun!

As you can see I was quite productive.  I just could not stop once inspiration struck and the product was so simple to use, no mixing!  Now, I love my Ice Resin, but the swiftness of this product for the purpose of layering was just awesome.

Other mixed media supplies used included a ton of Iced Enamels, Art Ingredients (glass glitter, micro beads, mica) Vintaj patinas and gilders paste. 

The one pictured above turned out really cute.  It is so outside of my go to colors and I am proud of myself for being brave and embracing these vibrant colors.  I used turquoise Iced Enamels in the background and Heidi Swap embellishments. Her product stood up well to the resin as they are plastic.

This bezel was inspired by the charm that I found while rooting through my drawers of junk.  I thought that a Dymo label would stand up well to the resin and I was right.  I think adding text in this manner with resin is perfect. In this one I also used some of Finnabair's Art Ingredients.  The tiny silver beads look great suspended in two separate layers of resin.

Another sample with a Dymo Label reads "love" above.  On this one I used the Iced Enamels on the outside of the bezel.  The distressed look is perfect for my style.  These other small projects have all kinds of junk inside: keys, watch parts, washers, glass glitter and shattered mica. 

One feature I really liked with this system was the quickness of the resin set up with the help of the UV light.  I was able to create layers and layers very quickly this way by systematically working on several pieces at a time.

Another experiment with color below.  The turquoise, red and black reminds me of Day of the Dead and I am sure I will find a project for it someday!

I kept the one above on top super simple and just layered different types of shattered mica.  I think may add a rub on sentiment eventually, it is crying out for just a little bit more, as is the faux Drusy below that I experimented with.  I can never leave well enough alone when it comes to my art!

This was such a fun day of pure artistic play, it energized me in so many ways!

Cheers, 

Rhea

Steampunk Santos Doll

This project has been in the making for quite some time.  I started it when I recently made a large order from Retro Art Cafe, where I got the doll base.  

The caged portion of the doll is covered in turquoise Iced Enamels.  I love the shabby metal look it gives.  Since I did not seal it with resin as intended, it chipped a little, but I liked the effect. 

On the bottom of the doll I added lots of fun things. Strings and scraps from Sari ribbon, gears, hearts and even some old vacuum tubes.  A few customized bezels were also added for movement and additional meaning.

My project finally came together once I got some stuff from B'sue Boutiques.  I had been having trouble with the face of my doll, but with this lovely brass stamping my gal finally found her personality.  

I enhanced the face with Vintaj patinas, gilders paste and some stickels. I think it ended up working out quite well.  You can also see another custom bezel is tied on here with some more Sari ribbon, which was from B'sue as well.  I really loved it more than I would ever imagine, with it's bright vivid colors.

I liked the shape of the hearts as well as the colors I chose.  Here I layered on three similar elements to create interest and depth.  It is always good to repeat patterns.

The wings of my steampunk Santos doll are enhanced with Inka Gold, stenciling and lots of gilders paste.  I even edged some things out with graphite to be sure I had good definition. 

This was a super fun project for me that is really outside of my usual work, but I really enjoyed it.  I hope you did too!

Cheers, 

Rhea

Small Steampunk Canvas

For our introduction on the Canvas Corp design team, they asked us to create a tiny 4x4 canvas that represented us.  Of course, I knew I would go with an industrial themed piece.  

I tried to incorporate some of my favorite products while making this fun steampunk niche.  The back of the canvas was used so that I would have a small space to tuck things inside.  I used this project to utilize some completed elements that had not been used like the resin encased tin type and resin filled bezel.

Paper tape from 7 Gypsies was added behind these ladies to add some interest to this background. I also used a lot of gears from 7 Gypsies as well.

The layers of metal embellishments were built up with matte medium.  Lots of copper mica flakes were tucked in as I built up the canvas as well.  This adds a lot of glimmer and glitz.  There are so many little bits tucked inside! To keep the element of movement present in this piece I attached a bird charm that has the ability to swing on the tiny pin.

I hope you enjoyed seeing a project that hopefully represents me as a designer.  Thank you as always for your readership!

Cheers,

Rhea

Door Shrine with Ice Resin

I have been itching to get back to assemblage making and that is just what I did over this past weekend. This is my favorite art form and I am not quite sure why.  I guess there is something to putting things together dimensionally that pleases my sense of creativity.

To start off I painted the whole shrine kit with black gesso.  I then added my classic touch of gilders paste in silver.

The ornament on the door of the shrine was made with Ice Resin and a few broken jewelry bits.  I had to layer the resin on twice to get the effect I was looking for.  I backed the door with text and a layer of mica to add more interest and create dimension.

The inside of the door is backed with a map and an embossed piece of Spellbinders metal sheeting, which was aged with more gilders paste.  I chose the image of the compass because for me this represents new direction.

My focals on the inside are made from a few resin creations I made this weekend as well.  Here I have used some very fun techniques to create interesting textures in the resin.  I have embedded mica and I also used perfect pearls to color the resin.

I hope you enjoyed my little Door Shrine, stay tuned for more dimensional assemblage, I was a busy bee this weekend!

Cheers,

Rhea

Etched Cuffs with Kristen Robinson

So here is the day two installment of my wonderful retreat with Kristen Robinson last weekend.  The subject of the day was etching, something I tried out once before in a group setting. We had the opportunity to make two bracelets and here you can see my outcome.

I chose to keep one of them on the simple side and "not mess it up."  I had a bit of a struggle in this class, not only with my stamping, but with the distress soldering technique.  Soldering is something I am so interested in, but it will take a while to master.

I think my favorite part of this cuff are the secret words tucked inside.

Here is a better image of the etching.  I was hard pressed to get a decent stamp, due to the curve of the black.  I ended up embracing imperfection and the design still came out pretty.

The bezel on my second cuff is layered with filigree.  Inside the bezel I stacked paper, a transparency and a snippet of text and covered with resin.  I will be playing with resin more in the future, that is for certain.

Well I have one more class to show off and I think it was probably my favorite, although it is hard to pick! Stay tuned for the last installment, plus a few more Graphic 45 treats.

Cheers,

Rhea

Adorned Relics with Kristen Robinson

I was blessed to have the opportunity to take three workshops this past weekend with Kristen Robinson at a super cool spot called Smitten Dust.  The first class I had was called Adorned Relics.  Here we learned how to create beautiful faux mercury glass while playing with resin.  I absolutely fell in love with Ice Resin!

In order to add some of my usual touches, lots of gilders paste was used along the way...surprise, surprise...

A lot of trinkets, charms and filigree used were from Alpha Stamps as I have been designing for them for some time now.  I am so grateful for their support, especially when I am rooting through my amazing Alpha stamp stash!

I think this one is my favorite because it is so different for me.  I think you can really see the faux mercury glass well in this necklace too.  The stone used is picture jasper, there are so many lovely patterns and colors within each and every bead.

This is another bezel that I was excited about.  I simply added paper rhinestones and a Graphic 45 ornate key.  It made for a fantastic focal that was perfect for some vintage embellishments.

I took apart an old three strand necklace and re purposed bits and pieces to create a new necklace.  Bits and bobs were also added to the bottom for balance and movement.

The top portion of this necklace had already been made.  It was not laying correctly with the last focal I had attached.  I was happy to be able to simply add the focal and shore up the chain and I had a finished piece.

On this last one I kept it simple by adding a chain to my enhanced bezel.  I tried my hardest to make something asymmetrical out of these centerpieces, but for whatever reason, my meticulous brain has a hard time not making my jewelry balanced.

I actually have many more bezels to show off, so stay tuned for more art inspired by this class.  I will also be posting from my two other classes from Kristen soon. 

Cheers, 

Rhea

A Sweet Salvage Story

So sorry I have been off the map folks!  My mojo has been hiding from me of late.  To inspire me once again, I invested in taking a class from Kari McKinght-Holbrook.  The class was called "Sweet Salvage Stories" and it was a ton of fun.  I traveled to the class with some of my artsy pals, so that also made for a special day.

Can you believe that this was once a Bernstein Bears book!  The cover has a bit of an issue.  I tempted fate and covered it with resin.  For my first time ever, I must not have mixed my resin properly.  It does not seem to have set up, so the cover accepts dents and fingerprints.  My plan is to try and add another coat of resin as I have no other idea of what to do.  If any of my online art friends have an answer for me, I am all ears!  It did turn out nice looking, I love the mica flakes I embedded in the resin. 

All of our pages were covered in amazing texture.  This one above was one of those "happy accidents."  I used wax paper in between pages and I used a heat gun to dry things due to impatience.  I ended up with a pretty serious wax resist, which was not intended.  The birds seen are Kari's custom stamps.  I wanted the set so bad, but since I did not indulge in buying them, I did stamp a few images to preserve in my book.  The one above was colored with distress stain before being added to my journal.



This is the start of a very large art journal.  There are about forty pages in my book, none of them complete but I wanted to share at least a sample.  Here I used a stencil to mask the tree and then followed up with some smooch inks add color. 



Here are a few more of Kari's birds. Love!  In class the background of the stamped image just disappeared for the instructor, unfortunately I was not able to achieve the same results when I tried it at home.  Kind of reminds me of going to the hair dresser...I can never get my hair dresser's techniques to work either! :)



The embellishment here, some of Tim Holtz's stickers I had on hand.  Some of them (not pictured) I colored with stains before adding to my work in process.





I adore the texture here.  If you look closely, you can make out a faint image of some of the graphics that lie underneath my background art.  This imprint is another one of the instructor's special stamps.  She has giant beautiful stamp sheets with the most wonderful textures.  I did not get the chance to try some of the really neat lettering techniques she demoed, but I look forward to trying it out as I add to my book. 

  



Here is another shot of that lovely, but still sticky, resin cover.  Please, please art friends, advise if you have a solution, please share!

Resin + Assemblage = Love!

This is another installment on my projects from the Create Retreat sponsored by Cloth, Paper, Scissors.  This class was called Resin Flooding Assemblage and it was taught by Belinda Spiwak.  Belinda was a very generous teacher and she created a calm easy going creative space for us to play in. 

 



I managed to start two pieces in the class that I have now completed.  The first one was made with a bird theme.  I love how the moss and bark I added provided such rich texture.  It is really hard to see the yummy finish the resin created on these assemblages.  I did photograph with a flash to try and capture the amazing texture and sheen both pieces have.

I fell in love with Tim's crackle paints.  These added a nice old looking crackle where they were added.  I wish that I had "blobbed" it on a bit more as Belinda had advised in her instruction.  

I found this project very freeing.  I was able to be a bit messy and haphazard in my background collage and I loved this aspect of the creation process. 

My second piece tapped into a bunch of vintage junque I had on hand.  I did get the large post office box plate from Belinda...as I said, a very generous instructor!  As many of you know, I love all things postal. 

I used my new rusting trick on Tim's feet and I love it.  Both of the boxes are Configurations from Tim's line of products as well.  I can't get enough of Mr. Holtz and his goodies.  I also discovered the joy of molding paste in this class.  While it is great to discover new products, it gets expensive! I left Create yearning for a bunch of new stuff. 



I often find it difficult sometimes to use my little treasures, but I just have to get over it.  After all, I still get to enjoy them, just in a bit of a different way. 

I finally used a piece of a typewriter I tore apart along the top of the piece.  The whistle has a long chain that I left free.  This was tricky to arrange while curing, but I love how it adds movement to the piece. 

There are so many goodies stuffed in these little compartments.  This piece is super heavy.  One thing I will not worry about is anything moving or falling off, the resin provides a super seal. I used Little Windows resin  in the bird piece and it was lovely, way easier to mix than the Easy Cast I used in the vintage one.   

I had to finish the backs of these pieces because they were a mess.  We had to pour the resin at home due to curing time, I did not think to check the backs, so needless to say I had some issues.  Nothing a bit of pretty paper and tissue tape can't fix.  

This was such a fantastic class.  I look forward to using resin a lot more in my work now that I have been exposed to how easy it really is.  I hope you enjoyed sharing in my Create experience. I have one more project to share with you, coming soon!

Cheers,

Rhea