Shoppe Book Pages 1 and 2

This layout has changed shape more times than I can count.  It all started with the reverse, the right page was on the left and vice versa.  Remember the photo of the layout yesterday?  Well, after a day of reworking it.  Here it is.

Oh, there are so many details to talk about on these pages.  I think my favorite part is the shrink plastic bottles.  I stamped it in StazOn on the plastic and cut it out.  Then I colored it very lightly with pastels and shrunk it down with the heat gun.  Don't you think it turned out cool?  The colors get so intense when you shrink them down.  I added the word "create" before I shrank it down, a reference to Art being my medicine. 







Another favorite part is the "Think outside of the box" embellishment.  I stamped in on vanilla card stock and distressed it with Distress Inks.  Then I backed it with two patterned papers pieces about an eighth inch larger than the last.  I fringed the edges of the paper and curled it up around the stamp.  I love how this turned out and will try it again.  I am thinking on a layout at the beach...

Of course, I have to add an interactive bit to play with.  So I slit open the bird cage and glued the arm onto it.  I cut out a butterfly from the patterned paper and attached it to a spiral.  

 

When you open the door with the arm, a butterfly springs out of thecage. 

There are so many little highlights to these pages, I have a hard time picking a few.  So here are a few other favorite little vignettes:

I love the butterflies circling her face.  This is a combination of two stamps.  One is her face and chest, which is actually a clock.  This is a stamp I have had for years by Stampers Anonymous.  The second stamp is the Graphic 45 corset.  I slit the corset and slipped the bust into the corset.  I really like the way it turned out.  It looks like it is one stamp.   The butterflies were cut from the Shoppe patterned paper.  

I also like the play of the different butterflies in this section.  I added Tim Holtz tissue tape and cut a second butterfly from the patterened paper to add dimension.  Don't you love that tissue tape?  I am going to play with this some more!

Here is the last of the close ups of pages 1 and 2.  There are several butterflies, echoing the four butterflies on the opposite page.  The dragonfly-like ones I stamped with Memento on canvas, colored with Copics, and cut out.   The stamp is from teh Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe stamps.  The other two butterflies are cut from the patterned paper.  I love all the texture between the shiny Mod Podge to the canvas to the the linen of the papered paper.

Now, onto pages 2 and 3...

How My Mind Works

I decided to spend a couple days delving into how my mind works and where these creations come from.  I guess, trying to document the creation process.

It really starts with something that inspires me.  It might be a new product, a new tool, or it could be as simple as a group of colors I find in nature.  Once the inspirations hits, it's time to move to my table.  Yes, I have a table in my craft room, but I like to work on the dining room table.  (Maybe it makes feel a bit better about the few meals I do actually cook.) 

This project was inspired by Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe patterned papers. I was struck by the image of a wind up lady doll. It got me thinking about all the different aspects of my life. All the roles I hold and the titles in my life. I thought, wouldn't it be interesting to dive into each of those aspects a bit deeper.

 

 

 Away we go, the Curiosity Shoppe Book was born. I gathered the papers and stamps from the collection, added in some card stock, some ribbons, and other embellishments I think might work. Then I start to play. I cut things out and lay them out, pick them up, add in more stuff, and repeat until I have something I like. It is really a gut reaction kind of thing.

Surrounding myself with the product seems to get me into the mood of creating and then I go where ever it takes me...I am working on pages one and two after finishing the cover a week ago.

 

Wait until you see the newer version..this layout has changed dramatically.  See it tomorrow, when it is finished...

Wind Me Up

Wind Me Up

Today I woke up a bit sore after having to do some cleaning yesterday.  It made me think about this project I did a few months ago.  It was while I was on a fantastic retreat with several precious girlfriends, inspirational leaders, and all around talented ladies.

Enough gushing, here is the project.  I have to apologize, because I was given the paper and I don't know who makes it.  The wind up lady stamp is Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe and the butterflies are Stampin' Up. The background stamp is from Studio 490, Just Sew Artsy.

I stamped the wind up lady three times.  Once in Memento London Fog, twice in Memento Black.  I colored the two images stamped in black with bright Copic colors.  I then cut the two ladies in half.  I took care to cut out the image with extra to allow for the fastener.  I and attached her back together with these tiny brads from Tim Holtz, so you can straighten her out. 

 Notice how the the lady is hinged and can be pulled up to the colorful butterflies. I attached a loop of paper to the hinged lady, wrapping it around the slits in the background paper. Attached a ribbon to each side so you can pull her from the grey shadows to the bright colored world above.

Feeling a bit like her today. 

My back it sore, but the minds still soars...  

Mother's Day Card Playing with My Favorite Things

In case you think I only work with Graphic 45 products, here is a project with some of my other favorite paper and stamp companies.  I made this card using My Mind's Eye's Miss Caroline patterned papers, Bazzill card stock, stamp and die from My Favorite Thing's Die-namics and stamp set, First Class Friend .  I have used both these papers and this die and stamp set before.  While most of the sentiments are about love and friendship, there are a few that work for any occasion.

This card is all about layering to create depth without bulk.  After all, I need to send this card to my Mom.  I layered up card stock and the Miss Caroline papers to create the illusion of depth.  Note how wrapped the stamp die in baker's twine and tied it with a cute, little bow.
I love how that grey rickrack is the perfect mirror to the stamp edge!

And, you know, I always have to include something to interact with and play with.  The inside of the card has the Paper Trey Ink die, Movers & Shakers Zipper Die.  Underneath the zipper pull, I hand wrote, "Happiest Mother's Day!"  But my Mom gets to be the one to pull it open.

Don't you just love that dusty rose colored lace?  Bought it at a local fabric store on a fun lace buying shopping spree.  I love the fresh color in the traditional lace ribbon.  I think it goes perfectly with the Miss Caroline papers!

Art Therapy Courtesy of Graphic 45

Some of you may know, but I have a tricky back that causes regular leg pain and weakness.  Occasionally, I need to use a cane for walking and standing.  This is greatly frustrating for an otherwise healthy 40 year-old woman.  Plus, does anyone like the ugly, mechanical, and industrial look of most medical devises?  Not ME!

To soften the pain of having to carry this unappealing devise, I decided to cover it in Graphic 45's Olde Curiosity Shoppe patterned papers.   It seems appropriate to have the cane lined with bottles to bring about the idea of the cane being a medicine. 

I know I have said this before, but this line of paper is so inspiring!  I love Graphic 45's Olde Curiosity Shoppe!!!

I started by pulling the end off the bottom of the cane.  Then I sanded all the metal on the cane.  The next step was to cover it with Mod Podge and the patterned papers.  I cut out the holes for adjusting the height of the cane.

Hopefully, this will soften the blow of having to rely upon the cane. 
The goal is that people will talk to me about how I decorated my beautiful cane, instead of talking about my cursed back. 

The other day I was reflecting on old time toys.  In particular, I was thinking about the jumping jack dolls, where you pull the string and their arms and legs move up and down.  I thought about how much fun it would be to make boy dolls with my sons' faces.  So away I went.  I designed these boys myself.  I started with the arms.  I free cut out one arm shape in chipboard.  I cut two for each boy.  I could flip it over to make the left side.  Then I made the legs the same way.

 I made the body with extra space around the joints to allow plenty of space for the brads.  I took a close up photo and re sized it to 2" to be in proportion to the doll bodies.  I printed them out on card stock and glued them.  I covered the rest of the body with Graphic 45's A Proper Gentleman pattern papers.  I trimmed any excess paper from the edges and lightly sanded any remaining bits of paper.

I added on a collar by sewing a strip of paper that I slit at the top and folded down the corners.  I also added a belt with a paper strip.  The buttons are from my Mother in Law's stash of old buttons.  The brads are Making Memories.  The mechanism to make the boys arms and legs move with a string didn't work out.  My motto is: There Are No Mistakes in Scapbooking, Just Opportunity for Embellishment!  The legs and arms move and the boys can dance by simply holding the body and giving the doll a little shake.  These boys make me smile almost as much as my sons.

I have been encouraged to be more active in my posts to my blog.  Here it goes. 

Despite my lack of posts, I have been creating.  In particular, I have found inspiration in Graphic 45's Olde Curiosity Shoppe papers and stamps.  In a simple phrase, I love them! 

The papers and stamps have given me the idea to work on a book about the many parts of myself.  Somehow I really identify with that wind up doll image.  I feel like her, crooked and need a little winding up every once in awhile. 

I also used some SU cardstock covered wth Mod Podge curling back to reveal the images underneath.  It looks like leather, in person...way cool!  I also used some Tim Holtz Glossy Accents, Rock Candy Paint, and metal embellishments.  The flowers were made using the Royal Rolled Rose die from My Favorite Things. 

Since the book will be a big project., I am posting images of things as I work on them.  Here is the cover of the book and really the photo doesn't do it justice.  It has tons of dimention and is over two inches thick.

 

I had to include a few close ups to show the details.  I stamped the frog in a jar stamp in Bamboo Momento ink onto canvas.  Then I colored it with Copic markers (G21, G24, BG15, BG0000, YR21, an YR23) and tied a little baker's twine around canvas jar.  Note how I slit the dress, so the jar is actually layered underneath the doll's dress. 

The bottles were cut out of the Olde Curiosity Shoppe paper, colored with BG15 and covered in either Glossy Accents or Rock Candy.  In real life, they look way cooler than the photo shows. 

As an added bit of fun, if you pull at the "Speciman" part, the whole area moves to the right and left, also. I love a little play in all of my creations.

See all the layers of stuff?  The rose is the Royal Rose die from MFT.  I cut it, rolled it, and mounted it on a square.  I curled the edges of that paper and mounted it on a tag.  Then I edged the tag in some lace from my stash.  I love the layers and dimention. 

 I made these bottles the same as the above bottles, cut from patterned paer and covered with Copics and Glossy Acents or Rock Candy.  The body image is also cut from Olde Curiosity Shoppe patterned paper.  I highlighted it with some Copics (YR21, YR 23, BG15, G21, and R89).  I touched the tip of YR21 to the R89 to pick up a bit of the darker red color, then used that to color the heart and kidneys.  I like how it gives it a bit of a blurry, creepy tone.  I finished off the body image with a tag attached with baker's twine.  Then I mounted them on a couple layers of glue dots to raise it up a bit.

To add a more dimention to the page, I colored the leg with Copic G21 and the glass bottle around it BG0000.  Then I covered it with Glossy Accents.  It made the color move a bit, but I like the affect. 

I love the rolled rose.  I haven't seen anyone layer up the paper, so we'll say I invented the technique (although, I am sure someone else has tried this).  I used MFT Royal Rose die to cut out card stock in olive, rust, and teal.  I started rolling just he rust rose and after I rolled for about a cm or two, I added in the olive.  After rolling another cm or two, added in the teal rose.  After the glue was really dry, I pulled, folded, and ran my fingernails along the edges of the rose to loosen the paper and curl the petals back. I love how it turned out!

I will post more as I finish the pages of the book.  Right now I am obsessing over shrink plastic bottles using the jar stamps from the Olde Curiosity Shoppe stamps.  Look for those in an upcoming post.