MUSE of the deep - Relics & Artifacts MUSE guest ambassador post

Hi everyone, today I am honored to share with you that I have a guest ambassador post
on the Relics & Artifacts MUSE. I have always been awed by the beauty and incredible detail of Sandra Everton's pieces, and when I see the amazing artwork her deign ambassadors create with them, I am transported into the most magical of places. I hope that I am able to capture your imagination with my "MUSE of the deep." I am eager to share many more details and my step by step on the Relics & Artifacts Muse, you can access it by clicking here.

I am ever so grateful for the confidence that Relics & Artifacts had in me, allowing me this opportunity to create as a guest ambassador. This is the realization of a long time dream; it will most definitely always be a cherished experience.
Thank you for stopping by, I hope that you are able to hop over to R&A to catch all the details.

~Ann

List of supplies:

Sandra Evertson Relics & Artifacts: Coquille

alcohol ink: denim, mermaid, sailboat blue, stream
anita's all purpose pearl metallic craft paint
blank page muse stamps: vintage wavy banner line art rubber stamp
catherine moore character constructions stamp: she sells seashells #7
decocolor premium metallic oil paint marker: gold
distress ink: antique linen, crushed olive, faded jeans,
forest moss, gathered twigs, mowed lawn,  peeled paint
distress oxide ink: peeled paint, forest moss
distress paint: weathered wood
dciv mercury glass metallic foil cardstock
emerald creek/seth apter baked texture: dirty sand
gansai tambi watercolors: starry colors
mona lisa gold leaf
sizzix/tim holtz alterations: funky florals 1 & 3, garden greens
sizzix/tim holtz 3d impresslits: provincial mini
tattered angels verdigris glimmer mist
tim holtz ideaology: baubles, paper stash metallic kraft, vignette box
yupo paper     

sunken treasure

As as the summer days grow shorter and preparations begin for the return to school, I often find myself contemplating the ocean. Maybe its the ebb and flow of the currents or perhaps just the peaceful lull it can induce. Regardless of the reason, whenever my thoughts drift to this wondrous aspect of nature, I often times envision the great depths where ships have gone to lie and sunken treasures abound. This is my inspiration for today's piece. 

I begin with the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts treasure chest. This heavyweight chipboard piece arrives flat in 16 pieces. I always find it easiest to arrange all the pieces as if I would be assembling it. This allows me to easily identify what areas will be exposed and which will be concealed, it also allows me to generate ideas on which finishes might work best.

I want the treasure chest to be finished on both the inside as well as the outside. I plan to finish the inner sides of the pieces before it is assembled, this is most easily completed using paints. I paint the inner sides of all the pieces that will be exposed with distress paint creating a look that will closely mimic the exterior finish I am planning to use. 

Next, I assemble the pieces to form the basic body of the treasure chest. Using a multi purpose adhesive, I glue along the edges and insert the tabs. This piece is fairly simple to put together, each piece has interlocking components and when constructed, it forms a rectangular box. The lid has an additional rim that is attached on the inside. I am undecided on how I will finish the external strapping slats, so these are painted along with the interiors and then set aside for later.
The exterior of the treasure chest is covered with embossed wood grain paper that has been painted to look like real wood. I am awed by the incredibly realistic look of this new 3D folder. In order to achieve a finish that might appear on an old sunken chest, I emboss pieces of watercolor paper and color them with vintage photo spray stain and a bit of water (to move the stain around) then allow to air dry. Once dry, I coat the pieces with vintage collage medium. When this has completely dried, I paint a layer of walnut stain distress paint on the pieces and wipe mostly off with a damp cloth. This layer is dried with a heat gun. I color areas with black soot distress crayon and rub around with a wet finger to get the pigment into the crevices. I am really pleased with the result.

These "wood" papers are cut to fit each exterior side of the treasure chest. I adhere them with collage medium in matte vintage finish. I also cover the top of the lid with this paper. After covering the sides, I realize that the embossed paper is fairly thick and affects the wood strapping pieces. I decide to modify the chest a bit. I cut the bottom strap in half lengthwise and apply the exterior finish paper. This wraps the chest on the front and both sides. The top strap is also only used on the from and sides. I use the remaining pieces as blocking inside the chest when I attach my hinges.

Once all of the exterior papers are applied, I install two hinges at the back of the lid. The small antique brass hinges have tiny screws that are easily attached by poking a hole and simply screwing into the chipboard. A latching mechanism is installed on the front of the lid to keep it closed.

With the added hardware, the box can be be displayed in an open position, if desired.

I love how the treasure chest looks even before I begin to embellish it to become a sunken treasure chest. This piece could be used in so many different ways, even as a simple keepsake box.

Now that the base of my project is complete, I set to making all of the pieces to create an undersea scene. I use multiple greenery dies and cut prices to mimic sea grass, coral and kelp. All of these pieces are colored with distress inks. The coral pieces are colored with distress oxide and when dry, I coat them with a layer of glue and sprinkle with rock candy glitter. This gives it a bit of texture and sparkle. When I create my embellishments, I always like to make a lot more than I believe I will need. This gives me more flexibility in placement, and whatever is left over I simply keep for future projects. I also put together a couple of mermaids from some favorite stamp sets. The mermaids are colored with distress inks, and copic markers then embellished with pieces of the die cuts and small shells. I also add some finish to a few resin blanks that will complete my scene.

The die cut pieces are adhered to the treasure chest with a multi purpose adhesive and allowed to dry.

Lastly, I add some vintage jewelry to "spill" out of the treasure chest, and arrange the two mermaids. I prop open the chest with a golden edged shell and miscellaneous

relics and pearls adorn the scene.

I hope that you enjoy these final weeks of summer, and perhaps this sunken treasure has inspired you to get creative. I truly appreciate you stopping by today.

~Ann

I am entering this project in:
Frilly and Funkie Challenge: Back to Nature

Materials used:
Catherine Moore Character Constructions Stamps:
She Sells Seashells #1, #5, #7
Copic markers:
E000, E00, E02, E04,  E21, E57, 0, YR000, YR000
DecoColor Premium gold metallic paint marker
Distress collage medium: matte, vintage
Distress crayon: black soot
Distress Inks:
bundled sage, cracked pistachio, forest moss, ground expresso,
lucky clover, mermaid lagoon, peeled paint, walnut stain
Distress Oxide Inks:
fossilized amber, wild honey
Distress Spray Stain: vintage photo
Distress Paints:

black soot, vintage photo, walnut stain

Distress Stickles: clear rock candy

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts:

Treasure Chest

Sandra Evertson Relics and Artifacts: Coquille

Tim Holtz/Ranger:

Distress watercolor paper,  Mixed Media Heavystock

Tim Holtz/Sizzix 3-D Texture Fades: lumber
Tim Holtz/Sizzix Thinlits:
funky floral 1, funky floral 3, garden greens, holiday greens

ladies and gents hold the phone

Hello everyone, it's hard to believe that August is here already. I know that during these summer months it can be very busy, so today I am on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Blog sharing a fairly simple project that makes a big impact. I have been meaning to make up one of these tablet/iPad/phone holders since I received it in my DT box. I often put my phone down while I am working and when it is time to snap a quick progress photo, it is buried beneath all of my supplies. I hope to alleviate this issue with this steampunk inspired phone holder. Since I have two of these in my stash, I thought it would be fun to create a his and hers version.

The sturdy chipboard tablet/iPad/phone holder arrives flat in three separate pieces.

I want the finished pieces to have a steampunk/industrial look, and since I will be making a his and hers version, I think the Steampunk Lady and Steampunk Gentleman will be the perfect addition to each holder. Both of these GSLC pieces are fabulous. Each comes in a pack of two, this project only uses one so I will put the second lady and the second gentleman away for another day.

 I paint the side of the heads that will be showing on the front of the holder with distress paint in walnut stain and allow to dry. Once dry, the back side of each head is painted with black soot distress paint and set aside. I select some pattern papers from the French Industrial paper Stash that coordinate with my theme. I choose to combine different patterns for each of the planes of the holder. This could also be made with a large sheet of single pattern paper if you prefer. I like the interest of having different patterns, yet keeping them all within the same color family. I measure the pieces to be covered and cut the paper to size. It is alright if the paper overhangs a bit when you adhere it to the chipboard, this can easily be cut off with a craft knife. The most important thing to remember is not to adhere paper to the tabs of the pieces that will be secured into the base. The papers are adhered to the chipboard with collage medium. I add a layer of grunge to the surfaces as well as the edges with distress inks.

Since the front stop pieces are now complete, I go ahead and secure these into the base with a multi-purpose adhesive. These are set aside to dry while I complete the uprights for each holder.

To give the heads a more vintage feel, I add a layer of black soot distress paint on the walnut stain colored side and gently wipe it off before it dries. Knowing that the holders will be serving a function, I want to ensure that the embellishments I add are not too invasive, thus keeping things clean and simple. I decide to add a few additional cogs and gears to adorn the lady and gentleman. Using one of my favorite GSLC sets, the Steampunk Shape Set, I select a few pieces for each head that work well with the scale. I also select two clock hands to add under my titles on each holder. I emboss all of these pieces with charred gold embossing powder and secure them in place.

Each holder has a title. The words "LADIES" and "GENTS" are made with alpha parts. Beneath each title I adhered and embossed clock hand.

Once each upright was completely dry, I secured it into place by adding multi-purpose adhesive to the bottom edge of the pieces and the tabs, then inserting them into the respective slots in the base. The lady and gent are standing tall and the phone holder is ready to be put to use.

I hope that during these busy days you are able to make some time to get creative. Perhaps this simple steampunk project has got your gears moving and inspired you.
Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by.
~Ann  

I am entering this project in:
 SanDee & Amelie's Steampunk Challenge: Summer Special
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes


Materials Used:
Emerald Creek Craft Supplies: charred gold embossing powder
Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts:
Tablet/iPad/Phone Holder, Steampunk Gentleman, Steampunk Lady, Steampunk Shape Set
Ranger Distress collage medium: matte
Ranger Distress Inks: black soot, walnut stain
Ranger Distress Paint: black soot, walnut stain
Tim Holtz Ideaology: alpha parts-signmaker
Tim Holtz Paper Stash: French Industrial
Versamark embossing ink

americana accordion tag book

Hi everyone, today I am sharing some extra details for an americana accordion tag book that I created for the Mini Album Makers Challenge Blog. My post on their blog contains all the details for creating the tag book. You can read that post here.  

I created my americana accordion tag book using two sets of large chipboard tags from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts. Knowing that my book will have an americana theme, I use some of my favorite papers  from Tim Holtz Correspondence Paper Stash. The tag book is made up of six tags. Each follows the common theme yet has its own unique presence within the book. The tags are covered with paper and inked with antique linen distress ink to give more of a vintage feel. I also add gathered twigs distress ink around the edges. After the base tags are done, I lay out my "pages" by manipulating different elements. The tags are hinged according to the distance required between tags to accommodate overhanging elements. Binding ribbon is adhered with glue in the correct location, allowed to dry and then the eyelets are set into place. The larger design elements are adhered after the hinges are intact.

Once all of the interior hinges are secured, I do a final check on the accordion fold and attach the hinge pieces for the first and last tags. The final step in creating my accordion tag book is to attach all of the remaining design elements and embellishments to the tags.

I use Ideaology foam type stamps inked in cobalt archival ink and clear embossed,

 to form the title of the book. The decorative trim piece along the edge is created 

by layering distress cardstock, metal kraft card stock, and a scalloped impresslet. The impresslet piece is cut from Correspondence paper, inked, and then rubbed with pewter distress crayon to highlight  the embossed design.

The interior of the front and back covers feature images from vintage military ads. I love the look and graphics of days gone by and include ads from various branches of the military.

I create a medal of honor using an eagle charm found in my stash, some wide ribbon and a piece of metallic kraft card stock. I know right away that the Tim Holtz experience stamp is the perfect statement to go along with it. 

A pocket of coordinating paper holds a mini tag featuring an americana blueprint stamp colored with distress inks.

A photo booth picture of a navy sailor is showcased on a primitive star cut from metallic kraft card. The metallic kraft card has been sanded and inked with gathered twigs distress ink.

One of my all time favorite Tim Holtz stamps inked in cobalt blue archival is the focus of this tag. I also included a "thank you" from Tim's glorious bouquet stamp set. Every day is a good day to thank our service men and women for their dedication to our country.

More vintage military ads, these are from the army and air force recruitment services.

I use alphanumeric dies and cut the words "sweet land of liberty" to surround a shield charm. 

   A patriotic rosette is cut from paper ribbon and inked to give it a vintage feel. This sits below a stamped and embossed USA.

Funky florals cut from correspondence papers and distress cardstock fill a tarnished trophy to celebrate the red, white, and blue.

Faded jeans distress ink stenciled stars form the background for a treasured patriotic paper doll. Her responsibility: raising old glory for the pledge of allegiance.

I love the way the facing pages complement each other when the tag book is folded together and "read".

As I worked on this project, I was constantly reminded of and humbled by the servicemen and women who are always working to keep our beautiful country safe and our liberties and freedoms intact. My book is a tribute to all of those who serve or have served. I come from a very long line of patriots and have always had a huge amount of respect and gratitude for the dedication and loyalty of these fine souls.

I hope that you are inspired to create a tag book of your own and submit it to the Mini Album Makers Challenge. It's always inspiring to browse among the submissions and admire the creativity.

 I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a guest designer on their blog. I would love for you to stop by to see my tutorial on how to create this accordion tag book, you can click HERE to visit that post.

~Ann

Materials Used

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts: Chipboard Decorative Tags Large
Ranger Archival Inks: carnation red, cobalt
Ranger/Tim Holtz Distress inks: antique linen, faded jeans, gathered twigs
Ranger/Tim Holtz Distress collage medium: matte
Sizzix/Tim Holtz Alterations:
alphanumeric (3/4"), labels, funky florals 1 & 3, rosette set, shape strips, tag collection
Sizzix/Tim Holtz Bigz:
 crescent moon and stars, tarnished trophies
Sizzix/Tim Holtz Impresslets: 3-D scallop
Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz:
americana mini blueprints, glorious bouquet, simple sayings, stars stencil,
 stuff to say, the impossible, uncle sam silhouette
Tim Holtz Ideaology:
adornments arrows, adornments stars, chit chat seasonal, flashcards elementary, paper dolls,
paper string airmail, shield charms
Tim Holtz IdeaologyFoam Stamps: type lower
Tim Holtz Ideaology Paper Stash:
Correspondence, Distress Cardstock, Metallic Kraft Cardstock

"catchy" cards

Hi everyone, today I am sharing a couple of handmade cards featuring a fun fishing set from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts. These cards are fairly simple to make and would be perfect for anyone that loves to fish or even someone embarking on their retirement.

The Best Fishes Set (coming soon from GSLC) contains a sentiment, an image of a fisherman with reel and fish, as well as a boat with a pair of oars. These pieces can be used together or separately. I chose to split them up to make multiple cards. Be sure to use care when removing the laser cut pieces as they are somewhat fragile.

For my first card, I use the fisherman and sentiment pieces. I envision a scene at dusk where the figure would be in silhouette form against an evening sky. To achieve this look I emboss the piece with oil rubbed bronze embossing powder. I love the bronze highlights that give the silhouette even more character than a simple shadow. The sentiment is embossed with oil rubbed bronze as well.  I use a green patina embossing powder for the catch at the end of the fishing line. 

Once the embossing is complete I set it aside and work on the sky. Using distress oxide ink, I create a background in grey and blues. I add tiny flecks of white paint to mimic the flickering stars and also a splatter of shimmer. I cut a deckle edge on a strip of grey paper for the waters edge and add a bit of ink to help it stand out from the sky, then arrange the pieces and adhere them in place with a multipurpose adhesive. I will be using this as a birthday card for a favorite fisherman of mine so I die cut and emboss a Happy Birthday sentiment and add it to the top of the card. This entire piece is layered over a silver piece of cardstock and attached to the easel portion of the card. I went with an easel card format to play up the rising aspect. As the card is set into its propped position, it reveals a fish patterned paper and the Best Fishes sentiment from the set.

 My second card uses the boat and oars pieces from the best fishes set as well as a sentiment from the Words & Phrases 1 set from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts. This set contains 15 different pieces and can be used in so many different ways. As you can see, I have used a number of these pieces on previous projects.

I want this card to have a rustic, "at the lake" feel and the flexibility to be used for many purposes. I plan to use the same fish pattern paper as a background, so I mix up some acrylic paint for the boat in a color that coordinates.  

The oars and Enjoy the Moment sentiment are both painted to look like wood. When all of the pain has dried all of the pieces are layered onto a square card base and adhered with a multipurpose adhesive. I really like the look of this card and can't wait to have a reason to send it to someone.

Each of these cards was fairly simple to put together. There are many tutorials for creating easel cards on Pintrest if you have never made one before. One of the positives for these types of cards is that they are freestanding and easy to display.

I hope you are able to find some time during these busy days to get creative,
I find it's the best way to relax and find peace of mind.
Thank you so very much for taking the time to stop by.
~Ann


 List of products used:
Emerald Creek Craft Supplies - oil rubbed bronze embossing powder
Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts - Best Fishes Set (coming soon), Words & Phrases 1
Ranger/Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink - faded jeans, hickory smoke, broken china, antique linen
Sizzix/Tim Holtz Alterations - celebration words: script
The Paper Studio papers - texture: slate blue, small fish on blue
Tim Holtz Ideaology - Distress cardstock




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