House of Love Mini Shadowbox (eP)

Hi there. Quite some time ago I bought these lovely little Prima wooden houses from eclectic Paperie. I have been using the little icons in various mixed media and altered art projects ever since but I kept coming back to the idea that the little wooden box they came in (4.25 inches square x .5 inches deep with 9 cubbies) would make a lovely shadow box.

When I saw the fabulous Catherine Scanlon Designs Hope, Inspire, Dream, Love stamp set in the eP store, I knew I'd found just what I wanted  to complete the vision in my head.

 I printed each stamp using Ranger Archival Jet Black ink and coloured them with the brightest Prismacolor pencils I own. I used the same palette on each stamp, making sure that I featured some black spaces on each. Using a white gel pen, I added dots somewhere on each design, usually on the black but sometimes over another colour depending upon the design.

I wanted the stamped inserts to be a bit larger in the cubbies so I auditioned various colours of matting. All of them seemed to take away from the designs until I remembered an inchie checkerboard border stamp from Lockhart Stamp Co. which I had in my stash. I used the same Jet Black Archival ink to stamp these borders trimmed them next to the stamping and adhered the Catherine Scanlon Designs to the frames. They fit perfectly...yay...and did not detract from the designs.

The wooden box was painted with two coats of black gesso and allowed to dry thoroughly. Eight of the twelve designs were chosen and adhered to the cubbies with Scor tape leaving the middle one free.

 One of the Prima wooden houses was coloured with a Cobalt Green (which is really turquoise) Big Brush pen to pick up on the turquoise accent colour found in every image. The house was adhered to the center cubbie with Glossy Accents. The word Love is also part of this stamp set along with three other words. It was stamped in black, cut out and lined on the edges with Black Big Brush pen before it was glued to the house.

I had coloured all twelve of the stamped designs because I was unsure which I would use and I had a plan for the leftovers. I often include a small (2.5 "square) note card when I am swapping with friends or giving a gift. I usually decorate the front quite simply but include a hand coloured inchie as part of the design. That's what I did with the remaining four coloured images. A strip of black and white designer paper was adhered to the right edge and white faux stitching was doodled next to it. The stamped image was bordered with the same Lockhart stamp but then matted in white and turned on point when it was adhered to the black note card. These photos show the colours as they truly appear. I had to wash the colours out slightly on the photos above in order to get the black dividers to show up.

My shadowbox is going to sit on a shelf but a wire or ribbon hanger could easily be added to hang it. I have a few more two row boxes that other wooden icons came in. They might be next...lol. None of them are safe any more. Thanks for visiting today. I am always appreciative of your company and your interest. I am a little slow getting around to everyone's blogs these days because my mom is still in the hospital but I will get there. I wouldn't want to miss anything :D

I am entering this project in the following challenges:
The Crafting Cafe October Challenge ~ Anything Goes
Creative Craft Challenges ~ #21 Anything Goes Blogaversary
Through the Craft Room Door ~ Oct. 15-22 Anything Goes
Artistic Inspirations ~ #63 Anything Goes
613 Avenue Create ~ # 41 Anything Goes

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Here are links to the eclectic Paperie shop for some of the products I used in this project:

Claudine Hellmuth Studio - Black Gesso	Archival Ink - Jet Black Ink Pad	Inkssesentials - Glossy Accents 2 oz.	Uni-Ball White Gel Pen
Faber Castell - Big Brush Pen - Black	Faber Castell - Big Brush Pens - Blue	Scor Tape -1/4"wide x 27 yds long (double sided)	Catherine Scanlon Designs - Hope, Inspire, Dream, Love

Pretty as a Pig-ture ~ CYP Challenge 184

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians. I hope you are having a wonderful long weekend. It's time for a new challenge at Craft Your Passion Challenges. The theme this week is Embossing: Wet or  Dry. Our fabulous sponsor this week is Stamping Dragons Designs and I was lucky to be able to play with this cute little pig in a frame image. I coloured Parker with my Prismacolor pencils and fussy cut the image. Scraps of two designer papers were paper pieced onto the  four strips coming out of the frame. The centers of the two turquoise flowers are hand embossed with a sculpting tool and an embossing pad so that they bump out. Black Micron dots were added to the centers to draw more attention to them. Tiny black flat pearls were added to Parker's eyes.

The brown cardstock background was embossed with a TH woodgrain embossing folder matted with a floral designer paper from MME's Reunion pad. The edges of the matting were darkened with Vintage Photo Distress ink. The next bit of embossing was done with a Cuttlebug button border embossing folder and gold textured cardstock. Vintage Photo was also used over the embossed buttons to make them darker and therefore more visible.

The sentiment was computer generated and printed in brown on white cardstock. The edges were inked with more Vintage Photo and dotted with a sepia Micron pen. Caramel coloured brads were placed on either end of the sentiment piece and foam tape was layered onto the back. To complete the card, sepia faux stitching was doodled around the edge.

Thanks for dropping by today. Parker and I are delighted and thankful to have your company. If you get a minute, pop by the Craft Your Passion Challenges blog to see the projects made by my wonderful teamies for this Embossing challenge. It's worth the trip...or click...well, you know what I mean. We'd love it if you joined in the fun.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create ~ #41 Anything Goes
Challenges 4 Everybody ~ #31 Anything Goes
Quirky Crafts ~ #21 Favourite Things (Prismacolor pencils, embossing, pink & brown combo)
2 Sisters Challenge ~ #165 Anything Goes
A Gem of a Challenge ~ #101 Recipe (3 designer papers, 2 embellies - brads, pearls, 1 image)
Catch the Bug ~ October theme - Think Pink

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Top Secret Altered Box ~ eP Get Altered Challenge

It's time for the October Get Altered challenge at eclectic Paperie. The Get Altered Challenge is all about exploring your creative journey, stepping out of your comfort zone, experimenting with new products, and creating altered or mixed media art. We love to see your creations and if you link up to the eP challenge you could win a $15 gift certificate to the eclectic Paperie shop. Micki is our talented and creative hostess with the mostest for this challenge and she has chosen the theme Alter a Box.

 I have been altering more playing cards for a Christmas present and needed a home for them as part of the gift so I started out with a wooden box from Dollarama, similar to the one in the photo but with a different closure and size. Guess who forgot to take a picture before she started...lol.

I removed the handle and coated the box with white gesso. Once that was dry, I scribbled on 5 different colours of Neocolor II watercolour crayons and spread the colour with a wet brush. After allowing drying time, I intensified the colour particularly around the edges but also wherever it needed it using gelatos (Boysenberry, Snow Cone, and Margarita Mix) and a wet finger. Sometimes the watercolour crayons can have the same depth of colour throughout and I like the intensity of the gelatos to break up larger areas. The colours were further deepened around the edges with Cobalt Green, Cobalt Blue, and finally Black Big Brush pens.

Front open

Paper scraps were torn from an old book page and edged with Vintage Photo Distress ink. Papers from Lilybee Designs' Persnickety Tiny Tablet and Fancy Pants' Park Bench collection plus leftover bits of die cut borders were also added to the mix.

Back open

Background stamping was done with a TH script stamp using Memento Teal Zeal ink. Pieces of drywall mesh were added both inside and outside the box to add texture.

Stencilling was done with white gesso using TCW's Halftone Borders (seen below) and Spinning Tops stencils as well as Dylusions Number Jumble stencil. Memento Bamboo Leaves ink was applied through the TCW Confetti stencil.

Shading was created next to the papers on the background with a Sketch and Wash pencil softened with a waterbrush.

(Back view closed)

The collaged images mainly from Tumble Fish Studio were fussy cut and combined before being adhered to the box. The sentiments "Open at Your Own Risk" and "You're going to peek, aren't you" were computer generated and matted with black cardstock to allow them to show up better.

(Inside view)

The Top Secret, Evidence, and This is Art signs were stamped using darkroom door's Mail Art stamps, Versamark ink, and black embossing powder. They were grunged up with Vintage Photo Distress ink after heat setting.

(Sides)

Messy outlining was done with a black Pilot pen. Black gesso was watered down slightly and loaded onto a bottle lid to make the black rings. By placing them over all of the layers it ties them together and embeds the layers into the background and each other.

The knob was painted with the black gesso and a metal edged sticker was adhered to the center of it. What a fun and inexpensive holder...the atcs fit perfectly inside. I know I'll be making a trip back to the dollar store to see if they have any more this size.

Thanks for visiting today, for your amazing support, and wonderful comments. I truly appreciate your spending time with me. Be sure to check out the eclectic Paperie blog to see Micki's amazing altered box. You can see the ones from the rest of the DT and wonderful challenge participants by clicking on the thumbnails below Micki's post.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Here are links to the eclectic Paperie store for the following products used in this project:

Faber Castell - Gelatos - Tropical	Faber Castell - Gelatos - Blue Colors	Faber Castell - Big Brush Pens - Blue	Faber Castell - Big Brush Pen - Black
Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo	Lily Bee Design - Persnickety 6x6 Paper Pad	Fancy Pants - Park Bench 6x6 Paper Pad	TCW - 6x6 Halftone Borders Stencil
TCW 6x6 Template - Confetti	TCW - 6x6 Spinning Tops Stencil	Dylusions Stencil 5x8" - Number Jumble	VersaMark Stamp Pad
Liquitex Acrylic Gesso	Claudine Hellmuth Studio - Black Gesso

Party On ~ CYP Challenge #183

We have a fun theme this week at Craft Your Passion Challenges: Heavy Metal. We want to see you add some metal to your project.Our sponsor this week is Kenny K. and I had a blast colouring "Rock Dude" with my Prismacolor pencils. Love his black roots, gold jewellery, and that fabulous smile. The Dude was cut out using Spellbinders Reverse Wonky Rectangles die. The edges were then grunged up with Black Soot Distress ink as well as lining the very edge with Black Big Brush pen and then doodling with a Micron. The image was then matted with Ranger Foil cardstock and then black cardstock. Three of the corners of the image stack were pierced so that metal screw brads could be fed through the holes. Foam tape was layered onto the back of the matted image.

The background paper is from Colorbok's textures paper stack and is a photograph of a zebra's lovely stripes. This was matted in black and Tiny Attacher staples were placed down the right side to create a pattern and add more metal to the card. On the left side, a metal spiral paperclip was placed over the zebra and matting. A star charm was affixed to the background immediately underneath the spiral so that they read as one.

The music notes and two round stickers are from Jolee's and have holographic backgrounds which made them interesting to photograph :D Turquoise rhinestones were placed over the music notes on the one circle in order to repeat the colour from the guitar.

The sentiment, from the old Prince song, was computer generated and coloured in with an orange Prismacolor marker. To bring more orange to the top of the card and have it in three places, a photo corner was cut with a Martha Stewart punch out of orange glittery cardstock. This gets the eye moving around the card and ties the image colour scheme to the background.

Thanks for stopping by to visit with Rock Dude and me. He's so cool he doesn't even need a name. We both do appreciate your taking the time to hang out with us. If you get a minute, pop by the Craft Your Passion Challenges blog to see the Heavy Metal happenings created by my talented teamies. We'd love to have you join us and get your metal on!

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create ~ #39 Anything Goes (no twist)
Challenges 4 Everybody ~ #30 Anything Goes
Kenny K's Krafty Krew ~ #157 Anything Goes
A Gem of a Challenge ~ #100 Let's Hear it for the Boys
One Stitch at a Time ~ #184 Use a Digi
Robyn's Fetish ~ #180 Use a digi

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

I am a keeper! ~ altered playing cards

I haven't had as much time to just play lately but I did have three more altered playing cards that I completed a little while ago and forgot to post. That's unusual for me because usually I can't wait to share...sometimes before the glue dries or the Glossy Accents goes clear...lol. I started each of these with the usual sanded and gessoed background, then layers of Neocolor II water colour crayon, some Inktense blocks and a little gelato rounded off with Big Brush pen JFF. Layers of scrap paper were layered over the Keeper one as well as a little stencilling with white gesso and TCW's Halftone borders template. White paint pen dots were placed along the patterned paper edges and used to trace over the 3 from the card. The images of the girl is from Tumble Fish Studio and the wings are from my stash. Black half pearls were adhered to the wings and tiny white ones to the girl's dress. The message on the card comes from a song by The Band Perry which states that "with or without you, I'm still me" and she declares that she is a keeper...and aren't we all!

The second playing card has a torn piece of sandpaper layered across the bottom. I love the texture of it and how it catches the light. The background is the same mix of media with the addition of gesso circles made by loading and then twisting a bottle topper. The sentiment was computer generated and matted in black to make it pop. There are two little dotty buttons threaded with white floss. Like the others, black Big Brush pen was used to line the edges to frame the card. I cannot for the life of me remember where the image of the joker or jester originated but he makes me smile and gives good advice.

The third playing card also makes me smile...that is something I would say to my husband and then we would both crack up. The background was done in the same fashion except that white ink was placed on each side one at a time and allowed to drip toward the center. When the ink dried it became shiny and opaque so I outlined it to show it off more. Lots of doodling and shading were done on each card. The circles are punched from leftover embossed cardstock and allowed to drift off the top and bottom of the card.The one became this gentleman's soapbox or mountain (as in King of the ...). Whatever he's telling us, he thinks he's all of that and a bag of chips. We know who is really right :)

Thanks for stopping by today. You know I really like when you do that. Hope you find a little play time soon.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Dream Big ~ Craftitude Challenge 50

It's time for a new challenge at Craftitude. Our themes this week are Anything Goes/Things Starting with the letter S which can be embellies, colours used, or things within the image. I have a card and an ATC again today, one from each of our wonderful sponsors, Sassy Studio Designs and Eureka Stamps. My card features Steampunk Amelia from Sassy Studio Designs. Amelia was coloured with Prismacolor pencils and her eyes and goggle lenses have Glossy Accents on them to add shine. She was then fussy cut, mounted on black cardstock and fussy cut again to leave a narrow mat. Foam dots were applied to the back to create dimension and shadow.

The background comes from the Recollections Steampunk Botanica stack. It was backed with black cardstock for matting. The sentiment is from TLC and was chosen to reflect Amelia's sense of adventure. Metal gears and a metal lens were adhered on the background with Glossy Accents. Black dome stickers and dotty ribbon flags were placed on the two sides.  The S details are: steampunk, sign, stickers, Sienna Brown, and stockings.

My ATC uses a Eureka Stamps image called Parachuting Squirrel which was also coloured with Prismacolor pencils before being fussy cut and popped up on foam dots. The background is a heavy piece of mottled brown cardstock from some packaging. Leaves were cut from various fall coloured scraps using a Martha Stewart punch. The leaves were inked on the edges with Vintage Photo, Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade, and Mowed Lawn Distress inks. Duplicates were cut of two leaves so that they could be popped up on foam dots over the flat layer. A scalloped border was punched from kraft cardstock and added to the top edge along with some sepia doodling. White dots were added to the sides of the ATC with paint pen. The sentiment for this card is a metal sticker spelling Joy because that's what I believe Skippy is feeling as he floats through the sky. He makes me smile :) Skippy's S details are : squirrel, sticker, sequence of dots, shiny sentiment, and scallops.

Thanks for joining Amelia, Skippy, and me today. We appreciate your great company. If you get a chance, pop by the Craftitude challenge blog to see what the ATC and Card Teams have created for this challenge. And stay tuned to that blog as we will be announcing the newest members of our DT within the next couple of days. We had 70+ entries for our last challenge. I love that! Maybe you'll join us this time.

I am entering these projects in the following challenges:
Card:
4 Krafty Girlz #3 Anything Goes
Crafting by Designs Oct. 2 Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge  We're Going Dotty (ribbon)
Crafty Sentiments Designs Fave technique - Fussy Cutting; Fave colour combo - brown and pink

ATC:
4 Crafty Chicks 4CCC Fall/Autumn
Shelly's Images Fall Photo Inspiration
Craft Room Challenge (Oct. 1) ATCs

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

If the hat fits...Altered Eclectics October challenge

Since it's the beginning of a new month (and my birthday month...just sayin'), it's time for a new project for the Altered Eclectics challenge.A while ago two people whose art I really admire and enjoy, Anne Redfern aka Redanne and Candy Colwell created these wonderful domino accordion books (thanks for the inspiration you two) and I have been itching to make one ever since. This seemed like the perfect opportunity and since it's October, I decided to go with a Halloween theme. I started with two white dominoes which I coloured with alcohol inks: Eggplant, Butterscotch, and Silver Mixative plus a little blending solution. When that was dry, I collaged a baby and hat plus a computer generated expression directly onto the front.

For the back, I collaged  a girl, some punched border, and a Halloween word onto a precut rectangle of Halloween patterned paper matted in black cardstock. That was adhered to the domino with Glossy Accents. Rhinestone bling was glued to the sides of both dominoes. A length of black picot edged ribbon was adhered across the center of the insides of the dominoes and set aside to dry.

The accordion pages started as a roughly 9 x 1 7/8" strip of black cardstock that was scored every 7/8 inches to create the folds. Ten rectangles of Halloween paper from DCWV's The Midnight Spell matstack were cut at 3/4 x 1 3/4" to fit inside the folded sections leaving a narrow black mat showing. Each page was collaged using fussy cut images and words from Lisa's Altered Art collage sheets as well as bits of punched or torn borders of black cardstock. Doodling and detail dots were added with a white paint pen or a black Micron. These colourful panels were then adhered to each page of the accordion book.

The back of the first and the last pages were adhered to the dominoes over the ribbon using both Scor tape and Glossy Accents. When dry the ribbon ties were made into bows and the excess was trimmed off. When tied closed, the domino book is about an inch thick.

 I am smitten!! Now I want to create more. Seriously, they are so fun especially if  you don't mind fussy cutting and like playing with scraps. The only problem with this book is that Molly, my cat, thinks that the ribbons are there just for her but we're discussing that...frequently!

Thanks for popping by today to check out my little domino book. I hope the little sweeties made you smile like they did me. If you get a chance, do stop by the Altered Eclectics blog to view the amazing creations made by my talented teamies. It's worth the click :D I hope you'll link up with us this month. I would love to see what you create

I am entering this project in the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create ~ #39 Create Your Own Challenge (image, paper punch, Glossy Accents, bling & ribbon)
Challenges 4 Everybody ~ #30 Anything Goes
4 Krafty Girlz Challenges ~ #2 Anything Goes

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie