A Secret

Hello crafty friends!  I'm over on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts blog today with this wee house of secrets.  I'm fascinated by the secrets people keep, from big whoppers to little things that can cause big misunderstandings.  I'm all for honesty and communication, even when it's hard.

Allow me to reveal all...

This "secret" key had been hanging around my stash for at least 5 or 6 years (if not more).  I had the chance recently to work with Stamperia's 'Time is an Illusion' paper, and set aside a small image of a woman's face.  I figured it could be a big element of a small project... then I found the key.  Bingo.

I started with the GSLC Tiny Little Shadowbox Houses #1.  This comes as a set of two houses.

I gave it a coat of white gesso first.  I thought at first I'd do a light base color, hence the white gesso.  I quickly decided to go dark, and repainted the seams with black.  (I took the photo after the shingles were added, so ignore them for a minute.)

Aaand a minute's up!  It's shingle time.  I used Tiny Shingles - Standard, alternating the seams.  (At this point, I thought I would hang something from the roof, but ended up skipping it and covering the hole.)

Once one side was fully shingled, I added shingles to the other side but left the last one off to give the scissors room to trim.  Before cutting, it's best to allow the glue to dry completely overnight.  Trim the shingles on both sides, then add the final layer.  I held that final piece in place until the glue set up, in order to ensure there wasn't a gap at the top.  Once dried, I trimmed that one, too.

The keyhole got a coat of Lumiere brown metallic paint, then I lightly swooshed my finger across the high details with a little copper metallic paint.  It took a few swooshes to get the coverage I wanted.

By this time in my project, the papers are adhered with modge podge, except the inside bottom.  The night before, I used E-6000 to attach the painted black base to the shadowbox, with the intention of adding the final paper once the E-6000 dried.  The next day I realized the weight of the key would have made this top-heavy with such a small base, so I added a metal washer and wider wood.  Once that cured overnight, I painted with black gesso then acrylic.

I'll share a secret with you:  I use the washer trick a lot.  I really makes a difference for the stability of shadow boxes, altered Altoids tins, and the like.  Plus, layering wood bits in this way helps give projects their own uniqueness.

Now, back to the face image... I love that she's right behind the key.  Does she have secrets, or is she the secret?

Thanks for your visit today!

Cheers
Susan

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Used
Tiny Little Shadowbox Houses 1 - #C20A
Tiny Shingles Standard BB57A
Keys Engraved D12Q - coming soon

Other Supplies Used
Stamperia Time Is An Illusion
black gesso
black acrylic paint
wood bits
E-6000
TH "secret" metal key
Tiny eye screw
White glue
Black twine
Metallic paints
Pilot gold marker
Tiny gold balls

There's A Cure

Hello crafty friends!  I'm on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts blog today sharing a tongue-in-cheek altered tin.

As a frame for the tin, I used the Altoids Fairy Tale Inserts.  This is a set of three, each with a two-part decorative label holder.  Here are the other two in the set:

For a textured surface, I tapped an embossing ink pad on the frame then sprinted embossing powder all over it (over a separate piece of paper so I could pour the excess back into the jar).

The heat gun worked it's magic and the embossing powder melted into a wonderful black and white textured surface.

I dabbed black paint onto the label frame surface, then used a brown brush pen to even out the color on the label's edges.

Attach the insert with a line of glue around the tin.

I used both parts of the label, and helped the glue set up with clothes pins.  Since the embossed surface is textured, I glued the label to the tin using strong E-6000.

I hope I haven't shocked you too much... I do like to raise eyebrows every once in a while!

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Used
Altoids Fairy Tale Inserts #YB23A

Other Supplies Used
Tim Holtz paper, washi tape, metal knob
Seth Apter Baked Texture - Rocky Road
Seth Apter Vintage Beeswax

Apothecary Cabinet

Hello crafty friends! Today I'm sharing an apothecary cabinet made with one of the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts' fabulous hinged boxes.  Come see the treasures inside!

This apothecary cabinet comes with a shelf for the center middle and a drawer for the center bottom -- I have left both of these out.  I glued the pieces together with white craft glue and allowed to dry.

I wanted the hinge holes set before I painted or papered (haven't decided which way to go yet).  I laid the hinges in place, marked the brad holes with a pencil, then used a tool to poke the holes.  I attached them to make sure the cabinet doors hung evenly, then removed for later use.

I measured the harlequin paper for the back center and painted all sides with black acrylic paint.

In this next photo I have attached the back harlequin paper and the door front/side papers.   This allowed me to attach the hinges permanently.  Now that it stands, I gathered bits and started the inside design.  During this, I realized I wanted to paper the insides.

The papers are cut and scored, but I added front door handle holes first.  (I didn't end up using the handles but was able to disguise the holes on the front with black Dresden trim.)

In this photo, I've added the inside papers with Mod Podge.  After that dried, I coated all sides with matte varnish.  Time to fill the shelves!

Front

The label on the tall bottle is a rub-on.  I carefully dabbed wet glue all over the glass bottle for a frosted effect.

Thanks for your visit today!  I hope you are inspired by all the designers over on the GSLC blog.

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Used
Apothecary Cabinet for Larger Bottles #C45AL

Other Supplies Used
White craft glue
Black acrylic paint
Designer scrapbook papers
Liquitex Varnish - Matte
Assorted bottles and bits
7 Gypsies labels rub-on
E-6000

Halloween Cards

Hiya crafty folks!  I have a series of Halloween keepsake cards using Tim Holtz papers and ephemera.  Fun!

Here are the individual photos.  Each one of a kind card comes with a coordinating gift box is available in the shop.

Thanks for your visit today!

Cheers,
Susan

Steampunk Altered Matchbox

Hiya! I've been playing around with another swap over at Craftster.org. This time we took a perfectly normal little 32-count matchbox (found at a dollar store in 10-packs) and turned it into something cool. There are a ton of neat ones posted in this thread. You can see the cool leather suitcase my swap partner sent me HERE (page 39, about halfway down the page).

So, my swap partner is a Steampunk fan so I went with it. I used the fabulous easel style to stand my fairy gentleman up.

The black & gold paper is Japanese washi paper I found at the Craft Fantastic booth at a jewelry show last month. This paper is absolutely delicious! I bought a bunch in floral designs and I'm not sure if I can use it or just crouch in the corner and pet it. My lovelies.... *ahem*

All of the metal bits (except the chain) are assorted Tim Holtz pieces. The acrylic clock face might be 7 Gypsies or Heidi Swapp... can't remember off-hand. 

The gold paper inside the drawer is recycled from a Christmas card envelope. I *knew* there would be a use for it one day!

The monocle is a jump ring filled with Glossy Accents. His wings are a vintage image found online. I printed it out and covered with Glossy Accents, dried and then used my trusty black Marvy marker to ink the edges. I used gold embroidery thread to attach the chain to the gentleman's coat.

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As a finishing touch I covered the backs with black card stock.

This is the pile of goodies I stuffed into the drawer before sending off to my partner.

That's it for me today! Thanks for visiting - see you soon!

Cheers,
Susan