Today I'm just showing off a few more altered art brooches.
Friday, December 07, 2012
More brooches for very fancy ladies
Today I'll be cleaning house like Santa himself is expected tomorrow. How do I manage to leave so much till the last minute? I blame goblins. Surely there were one or two throwing wrenches into everything yesterday.
Today I'm just showing off a few more altered art brooches.
I think I have one little tin left to play with so I'll have to start a batch of something new! Hmmm.... I wonder what will pop out of my bag of tricks?
Today I'm just showing off a few more altered art brooches.
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
On the sixth day of Christmas...
On the sixth day of Christmas our true love gives 6 geese a-laying. Now, while I usually find geese rather frightening (thanks to bad childhood memories of angry birds chasing screaming children at a bird sanctuary) today we're going to pretend they're all peaches and cream, cuddly, lovely feathered friends.
And so, here's my ode to the sixth day for Alpha Stamps 12 Days of Christmas...
I know what you're thinking. "Meh, it's one stinkin' goose on a box" A-HA! How wrong you are! First of all, THAT is Mother Goose (the greatest goose of all time) AND this box, like many lovely things, has a secret....
The little carousel lights up to reveal 6 shadowy geese a-layin' inside!
You'll forgive me for not doing a step-by-step of this particular project, but I WILL show you a few things you might find useful if you'd like to create your own.
The carousel is made by creating a tube from translucent paper. Here I've used three layers to get the opacity I was looking for. Don't go crazy, you need some light to shine through. The 'fancy bits' are trims like Gold Fleck Trim, 2mm Rhinestone Chain and Thin Looped Dresden Borders.
The silhouettes are just paper cut outs that are adhered to the rim. Rather than spend ages cutting out geese you could use these Black Dresden Swans.
To achieve the peaked roof of the carousel, I cut a circle from the Robin Red Breast Collage Sheet and then made straight cut from the edge to the centre. Overlap the edges and you'll get a shallow cone shape.
For the lighting I used this LED with Battery Pack. To accommodate the light, I cut a hole in the centre of my base...
... as well as the bottom of the box. To make things tidy I cut rings from the Artisan Elements Borders Stickers and placed them over my rough cut edges. The light will fit though these holes snugly. If your light tilts to one side once through, the shadows will become distorted. You may find it useful to place a small pit of plasticine or clay around the light to hold it in place.
Decorating! You want to make sure that you can close the box comfortably without squishing the paper carousel inside. With a bit of fiddling you can actually get quite a bit in there. The trick is to open and close your box repeatedly to make sure everything fits. Here, I've used moss, Mini Rose Buds - Pale Pink, Mini Rose Buds - Ivory, and Tiny Paper Roses. They're so pretty and just the right size for that small space.
Finally a couple of words about the outside. I've used Small Wooden Finials for the feet and they are quite important. You'll need the box to be elevated to facilitate the wire from the LED with Battery Pack. Also, I've used a Small Wooden Box Foot as a sort of lid handle (who says they're just for feet!) but try not to make the lid too heavy or else the box will tip backwards when opened.
And so, here's my ode to the sixth day for Alpha Stamps 12 Days of Christmas...
I know what you're thinking. "Meh, it's one stinkin' goose on a box" A-HA! How wrong you are! First of all, THAT is Mother Goose (the greatest goose of all time) AND this box, like many lovely things, has a secret....
This is a Victorian Exploding Box and opens wide when the lid is lifted! Inside I've created a secret garden with a miniature carousel.
But there's another secret still...
You'll forgive me for not doing a step-by-step of this particular project, but I WILL show you a few things you might find useful if you'd like to create your own.
The carousel is made by creating a tube from translucent paper. Here I've used three layers to get the opacity I was looking for. Don't go crazy, you need some light to shine through. The 'fancy bits' are trims like Gold Fleck Trim, 2mm Rhinestone Chain and Thin Looped Dresden Borders.
The silhouettes are just paper cut outs that are adhered to the rim. Rather than spend ages cutting out geese you could use these Black Dresden Swans.
To achieve the peaked roof of the carousel, I cut a circle from the Robin Red Breast Collage Sheet and then made straight cut from the edge to the centre. Overlap the edges and you'll get a shallow cone shape.
For the lighting I used this LED with Battery Pack. To accommodate the light, I cut a hole in the centre of my base...
... as well as the bottom of the box. To make things tidy I cut rings from the Artisan Elements Borders Stickers and placed them over my rough cut edges. The light will fit though these holes snugly. If your light tilts to one side once through, the shadows will become distorted. You may find it useful to place a small pit of plasticine or clay around the light to hold it in place.
Decorating! You want to make sure that you can close the box comfortably without squishing the paper carousel inside. With a bit of fiddling you can actually get quite a bit in there. The trick is to open and close your box repeatedly to make sure everything fits. Here, I've used moss, Mini Rose Buds - Pale Pink, Mini Rose Buds - Ivory, and Tiny Paper Roses. They're so pretty and just the right size for that small space.
Finally a couple of words about the outside. I've used Small Wooden Finials for the feet and they are quite important. You'll need the box to be elevated to facilitate the wire from the LED with Battery Pack. Also, I've used a Small Wooden Box Foot as a sort of lid handle (who says they're just for feet!) but try not to make the lid too heavy or else the box will tip backwards when opened.
And that's just about it! Here's a list of all of the supplies I used for this project...
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
Wish you were here
After showing off the Pixie tree, covered in goodies specially priced for visitors to our Yuletide open house this Saturday, I realized something... I couldn't possibly leave out all of our far-away friends!
And so, on Sunday, I'm going to have a big ole sale for just for you.
Sometimes I may forget to say it, but I really and truly do love each one of you. Every single visit, kind word, and message means so much to me. YOU are a bigger part of this magic than you will ever know.
***All purchases made Sunday will be shipped out Monday
to meet the Canada Post suggested US Christmas mailing date.***
to meet the Canada Post suggested US Christmas mailing date.***
Monday, December 03, 2012
Who knew a left thumb was so important?
I've been crafting at half pace over the past week because I sliced my thumb off.
Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration.
I didn't slice the whole thing off, and it was my left thumb...
...but I did do quite a number on it. ANYWAY, it's healing nicely but the tip is totally numb. I never realized how much I need my left thumb (especially in making little things). Kinda miffs me that it's being a bit of a jerk and not helping out as much as it should :P
Still, I have been making stuff and here's a few things you might want to peek at...
Pixie Books and Sleepy Moons nestled on the Christmas tree in the studio. I'm getting ready for my Christmas Open House this Saturday and so the place is looking rather seasonal. If it would just snow a little I'd be bursting with that holly jolly holiday spirit!
And below, a trio of Christmas ravens about to make a long journey to Western Canada. Ho ho ho!
Be good to your thumbs my lovelies... you never know when one will try to jump ship.
xoxo
Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration.
I didn't slice the whole thing off, and it was my left thumb...
...but I did do quite a number on it. ANYWAY, it's healing nicely but the tip is totally numb. I never realized how much I need my left thumb (especially in making little things). Kinda miffs me that it's being a bit of a jerk and not helping out as much as it should :P
Still, I have been making stuff and here's a few things you might want to peek at...
Pixie Books and Sleepy Moons nestled on the Christmas tree in the studio. I'm getting ready for my Christmas Open House this Saturday and so the place is looking rather seasonal. If it would just snow a little I'd be bursting with that holly jolly holiday spirit!
And below, a trio of Christmas ravens about to make a long journey to Western Canada. Ho ho ho!
Be good to your thumbs my lovelies... you never know when one will try to jump ship.
xoxo
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Two Turtle Dove Houses
The fab folks at Alpha Stamps are hosting a 12 Days of Christmas event. I'm a lucky duck and got the number 2 to work with. I decided to stick with tradition (sort of) and make two turtle dove houses.
Grab an old teacup and a chunk of florist oasis. Shave, cut and trim the oasis until it fits snugly into the cup.
Glue the oasis in place and then cover the top with white glue and create a mossy lawn. This is just loose moss, but you could use sheet moss as well.
Next I added some beautiful Mica Fragments - Pearlized which look just like antique snow. You could leave this step to the end but I found it easiest to do it at this point. Now your base is complete!
For the little house, I've used Paper Mache Birdhouses. To make life easier I simply pulled out the perch and worked with it as a flat surface.
I covered the sides in different papers from the same colour pallet for interest and added a cute Ruffle Edge Trim - Cream.
The roof is made using Velvet Ric Rac. Starting at the bottom edge just apply strips. When your glue has dried you can just snip off the extra rough edges.
To hide the cut edge, I applied a Thin Fleur Dresden Border. That background? It's Aesop’s Fables - Tortoises and Hares Collage Sheet. Using an image for the background is a great way to add visual interest to a piece.
To the peak of the roof I added a Black Zig Zag Dresden Border, and rolled a piece of coordinating scrapbook paper (this is the reverse side of Botanicabella: Birds in Paradise) and a couple of vintage buttons to finish it off the ends.
Now for the real fun part. Adding embellishments! Whoever said "Less is more" probably wasn't a crafter. Here I've added, Brass Turtle Doves, paper embellishments and Clear Acrylic Bead Sprays.
To create the stand I took a piece of wooden dowling and painted it white. Then I wrapped a ribbon around it (I used 3/8 Inch Iridescent Ribbon). A perfectly striped effect!
Top your striped dowel with a Small Wooden Box Foot, and affix it to the bottom of the house. When dried, you can push the dowel right into the oasis base and it should hold your house firmly in place.
They're pretty darned cute and I'm going to show you how you can make your own!
Grab an old teacup and a chunk of florist oasis. Shave, cut and trim the oasis until it fits snugly into the cup.
Glue the oasis in place and then cover the top with white glue and create a mossy lawn. This is just loose moss, but you could use sheet moss as well.
Next I added some beautiful Mica Fragments - Pearlized which look just like antique snow. You could leave this step to the end but I found it easiest to do it at this point. Now your base is complete!
For the little house, I've used Paper Mache Birdhouses. To make life easier I simply pulled out the perch and worked with it as a flat surface.
I covered the sides in different papers from the same colour pallet for interest and added a cute Ruffle Edge Trim - Cream.
The roof is made using Velvet Ric Rac. Starting at the bottom edge just apply strips. When your glue has dried you can just snip off the extra rough edges.
To hide the cut edge, I applied a Thin Fleur Dresden Border. That background? It's Aesop’s Fables - Tortoises and Hares Collage Sheet. Using an image for the background is a great way to add visual interest to a piece.
To the peak of the roof I added a Black Zig Zag Dresden Border, and rolled a piece of coordinating scrapbook paper (this is the reverse side of Botanicabella: Birds in Paradise) and a couple of vintage buttons to finish it off the ends.
Now for the real fun part. Adding embellishments! Whoever said "Less is more" probably wasn't a crafter. Here I've added, Brass Turtle Doves, paper embellishments and Clear Acrylic Bead Sprays.
To create the stand I took a piece of wooden dowling and painted it white. Then I wrapped a ribbon around it (I used 3/8 Inch Iridescent Ribbon). A perfectly striped effect!
Top your striped dowel with a Small Wooden Box Foot, and affix it to the bottom of the house. When dried, you can push the dowel right into the oasis base and it should hold your house firmly in place.
Finally I added some Christmas Pixies and paper trees to my scenes. I used my new favourite, the Little Darlings CS Sheet. This sheet really is fab! Each of the kidlets appears in twice, once in reverse, so that you can paste it back to back, leaving a clean and neat backside. Add wings and crowns and you're turtle doves will have their very own little pixie guardians.
Here's the materials list for both houses in case you want to make your very own:
Old teacups, Florist oasis, Glue, Moss, Buttons
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Yeeeeehhhhaaaa!
I grabbed the mail from the postbox this afternoon and then trudged down to the school bus stop. I was going to flip through my husbands cooking magazine but then realized it wasn't a cooking magazine at all!
Yep! Those are my wee ATC's in Somerset Studio! Christmas came early at the Pixie House :)
Yep! Those are my wee ATC's in Somerset Studio! Christmas came early at the Pixie House :)
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Paul Peel
The Art Gallery of Ontario posted a Paul Peel image on fb this morning and it reminded me of our trip to there this summer. Every time the husband and I would gasp at an astonishing piece, well, it was a Peel. I think his work is simply divine and absolutely inspired.
This one, The Young Gleaner, hangs in the Art Gallery of Ontario. It's so full of life. The light coming through the girls hat is astounding. I could stand and look at it for hours.
Here are a few more beautiful Peel's to peek at. Imagine what he would have painted had he lived past 32!
This one, The Young Gleaner, hangs in the Art Gallery of Ontario. It's so full of life. The light coming through the girls hat is astounding. I could stand and look at it for hours.
Here are a few more beautiful Peel's to peek at. Imagine what he would have painted had he lived past 32!
*Dreamy sigh*
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