Voyage Beneath the Sea and Beyond...

Leave it to Graphic 45 Papers to find a way to bring me into the world of mermaids and various sea creatures. I am typically not into any type of fish or the fantasy of mermaids, but when my eyes took notice of  their Voyage Beneath the Sea papers, I knew I had to make something with them straight away. This project took several days to finish and I really started to worry it would not be ready in time to submit to the Going Round In Circles!  at Frilly and Funkie. I am so happy the project had mercy on me and decided it would show up in time to play!
This is the front of the box, here you will see a majority of the circles, but there are plenty of circles throughout each and every piece. It is hard to see in the picture, but in addition to the other circles, there are thousands of them located in the glitter gel behind the raised middle panel in the form of micro glass beads. It is my take on underwater bubbles in this industrial underworld.

I really liked the diver's gear, so I put him on the spine of the box to make sure he was in full view. Behind the diver are more circles, as he is mounted over the matching Graphic 45 pattern paper. No, I was not eating in my laboratory, I was using the fork you see in the background as a tool!

Creating the closure for the book box was quite a challenging task, but I had a lot of fun too. Once I knew how I wanted the closure to look and work, it took several adjustments to get it just right. The ribbon I used was custom coloured, then I had to figure out a solid attachment to the box and keep the pull sturdy without losing the soft touch and texture of the actual ribbon. I demand sturdy crisp construction that serves a function, but I cannot compromise texture, as it is equally important to me. The girl's face that I used as the closure pull is the third layer that completes her postage stamp when closed. I have a lot of fun cutting away layers and stacking the pieces to make a full dimensional image. The layering technique is especially exciting when there are many bits coming out of every direction on the piece, but it also is a good way to make a straight forward portrait come to life. 

This next picture shows some of the interior of the box as well as the cover for the book. Circles are located throughout the papers on the interior, but I added more circles to the book cover and inside pages to give them dimension and personal expression. Below, I will list all the products I used to hopefully better convey the textures that do not translate well through photo.

PRODUCTS USED:
PAPERS: Graphic 45 Voyage Beneath the Sea and Core'dinations Nostalgia
FIBERS: Unknown as they were in a kit from Alpha Stamps
TEXTURE FADE: Sizzix Pocket Watches and Steampunk Set
INK: Ranger Distress Inks in various colours
EMBOSSING POWDERS: Ranger Distress in various colours
PAINT: Lumiere 3D Metallic Paint and Adhesive and Acrylic in various colours
OTHER PRODUCTS: Glitter Gel with Glass Micro beads, Metal Gears from several companies, Fimo Clay, Vintaj Glaze, Ranger Distress Glitter  Rock Candy and Ideaology

I did not include all the pages of the book because this post is quite lengthy enough. I will add those in a future post. The other projects that were entered I made during the down time with this one. There were so many goey layers that had to dry I am amazed the box and tag book came out unharmed. As always, thank you for stopping by, I look forward to your comments! I had the best time creating these projects!!

Remembering the Telephone

Hello! This project takes me back to the days of the good olde landline and being confined to the reach of a cord or ability of a cordless phone to remain static free. All the hours of talking about nothing and everything, yet, every sentence was as crutuial as the last. Oh, and the dread of the busy signal... as you knew it was going to mean pressing redial until your fingers were wore down to bone to get that important update from the previous 30 minutes you were just talking. With the invention of call waiting and three way calling, you could hear the sounds of heads popping off for miles, as this meant never missing another life altering conversation again. After all, this was forever going to be the only techonological breakthrough that would matter, ever.
This next creation I made for Going Round in Circles! Challenge At Frilly and Funkie may seem a bit simple and quick, but there was nothing quick about this. The phone cord was by far the most stubborn piece i have made in quite a while... no matter what was required, it did the opposite. Far too long later, I eventually got my way! There is so much that cannot be captured in photo, so I hope having a list of products helps convey the absence of touch.

PRODUCTS USED:

DIES: Sizzix Alterations Movers and Shapers Vintage Telephone and Typewriter Set

STENCIL: Spellbinders Impressabilities Circles 

PAPERS: Grungeboard, Scraps from my stash and Tags sent to me by a friend

EMBOSSING POWDERS: Ranger Clear

INKS: Ranger Distress in various colours
FIBERS: Crinkle Ribbon and Sewing Floss
ALL OTHER PRODUCTS: Ideaology, Stampers Anonymous Cling Mounted Stamps, Acrylic Paint and Metal Charms

Thank you for stopping in. As always, I look forward to viewing your projects as well, so leave a comment and I will be happy to visit!

Oh, How I Wish.

I have so much fun making clothes for my dress form dies and stamps... but, if you allow me anywhere near needle and thread or a sewing machine, there will be no less than seven disasters with grave outcomes for the fabric at hand. I wish I had enough patience and talent to sew my own garments, but that day will never come. Instead, I will just have to adore the work of others and continue to play with my dress forms. I am entering this sewing tag in the Going Round in Circles! Challenge at Frilly and Funkie. I know it is difficult to see the circles throughout the project, but in addition to the waist on the dress form, there are pearls located throughout the vintage ads in the background.

List Of Products:

DIES: Sizzix Alterations Movers and Shapers Sewing Room Set

RIBBON / TWINE: Crinkle Ribbon, The Paper Studio Tape Measure, Brown Ribbon and Cream Twine from my stash

INK: Ranger Distress Inks various colours

EMBOSSING POWDER: Zig White

OTHER ITEMS: Tim Holtz Tissue Tape, Paper Flower Petals, Tim Holtz Tiny Attachers, Metal Charms, Flatback Pearls, Ideaology, Vintage Ad Stamp and Wrapper from Sewing Floss

Thank you for sharing your time and stopping by!

This is the first, times two...

As you may have noticed, my blog is still in the construction stage... I could not allow for something so minor to keep me from entering the challenge: Going Round in Circles!  with Frilly and Funkie. I set about to make some tags, but the circles continued to make their way into my projects. With Halloween coming up, and me being me, it is only natural that my first tag reflect my adoration for all things Halloween...

For this project, I used the following:
DIES: Sizzix Alterations Apothecary Bottles
STENCIL: Stampers Anonymous Dot Fade
INKS: Alchol Ink in various colours, Ranger Distress Inks in various colours
PAPERS: Grungeboard, Graphic 45, bits from my scrap stash,  K&C, Tim Holtz
STAMPS: Graphic 45 Curiousity Shoppe, Stampers Anonymous
TEXTURE FADE: Sizzix Alterations Spooky Things Set
PAINT: Ranger Disterss Paints in various colours, Ranger Distress Crackle Paint Rock Candy and Vintage Photo
OTHER ITEMS: Resin, Martha Stewart Paper Punch, Ranger Glossy Accents, Ideaology, Bees Wax, Ranger Distress Embossing Powder in various  colours, Advantus Crinkle Ribbon

If I did not list the entire title / name of a product, it is because I no longer have the packaging. Thank you so much for your time and allowing me to share my creations with you!