Friday, August 26, 2011

Ocean Pendants


I thought it would be fun to do a deep sea theme with these findings.  Here's what I used.
Bail 
Scrap Paper
Sea Life Stickers
 I arranged smaller sea life stickers inside the Jewelry Findings and placed the large eel sticker on some scrap paper that I liked as a background.
 I sprinkled gem particles inside the Jewelry findings, to mimic see water and put some pink on the Jellyfish to match it's color.  I sprinkled some on top of the scrap of paper with the eel.
 Next I filled the Jewelry Findings with 3D Crystal Lacquer and set them aside to dry overnight.  Then I used small dots of Crystal Lacquer to create a mosaic with the Glass over the eel sticker and Gem Particles.
 Once everything dried overnight, I trimmed the Eel Mosaic around the class, attached a gold Bail to the back of it with Crystal Lacquer and strung the chain through.  Voila!  Summer Jewelry!
I have really enjoyed being on the Design Team for Sakura Craft, so many wonderful products and ideas!  Please keep following me and the other designers as well as the Sakura Blog, for great ideas!
Merci 
~ Chelsea

Monday, August 22, 2011

NY Mini Album

 The Boy and I took a great trip to NY this summer.  So I made him a fun little coffee table type album.  It's an acrylic Arrow album by Rusty Pickle, the rest it s a hodge podge of different stuff I have on hand.  At some point I will get it together and start doing my actual scrapbook pages for these trips, but it's nice to make the boy an album, it's quick-ish and easy to share, just the highlights, and I feel productive and rewarded sooner than doing several full album pages.  

Anyway, enjoy we had fun on the trip and I had fun doing the album.
We went for the Premiere of a film called Starla that Brendan was in so lots of the pictures are from that night.  Great film, wonderful people and the Boy had a huge turn out of family, it really was a great time.
I had to make a flip up page to fit more pictures and an account of what happened the day of the Premiere.
 Pictures from walking around NY and meeting friends for Brunch.  Got to meet Tiff's babies for the first time.




Walked through Central Park, and St Patrick's Cathedral. Saw Jordan do Shakespeare in the park, it was a great trip.  Fast, but fantastic!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Circus Charms (DT Submission)

I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the Sakura Design Team, I can't believe our 6 months are almost up!  What a talented bunch of women, they have been inspiring and raised the bar on my creativity.  I have been honored to get to keep up with them every month.  So here I am again, hoping I make the cut.  Hope you guys like my Design Team submission. (Pick me!  Please pick me!)

I hang out at the Santa Monica (The Original) Muscle Beach.  We do acrobatics and all kinds of fun stuff.  There's been a really cool community down there for decades now, and the people are really wonderful. I also just this year, began taking Arial Classes, learning Silks and Trapeze.  Not flying trapeze, but acrobatics in the air.  Needless to say when Graphic 45 came out with their Le Cirque papers, I had to get my hands on them.
Their tiny postage stamp size Circus Poster Images were a perfect pairing with Sakura's Jewelry findings!  I love these little metal wearable frames, I had been looking for something like this for a while, nothing was ever quite right, until I stumbled on these.
This project is fairly simple, but I think it's extremely unique, and for me and my friends, images of things that are dear to our hearts and express our hobbies, or one of them.

MATERIALS
Strip of G45's Le Cirque paper
Scissors
Inspiring music: Caravan Palace (has a fun circus sound) or Cirque du Soleil soundtrack
 The key is trimming the images so they fit inside the frame of the Jewelry Findings and you get the portion of the image that you want.  I found some of the images looked better once trimmed than others.  (ie the elephant on the tricycle did not want to get inside the circle finding, it was probably my trimming skills)
Once the images are the right size, apply a dot of Clear Crystal Lacquer to the back, it isn't necessary to adhere it but it make it easier.  Then sprinkle in a tiny bit, or a lot, up to you, of Gem Particles, fill the whole thing up with Clear Crystal Lacquer and go read a book, perhaps Water for Elephants or something Circus like!
Tada!  I can't decide if I want to pop on some jump rings and colored ribbon as gifts for my acrobatic friends and teachers or put them all on a charm bracelet to keep for myself... thoughts?
For more amazing ideas and uses for Sakura products check out the Design Team Blog!
Glad you stopped by.
Merci
~Chelsea

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Journal Tin

For this project I made a blank journal that fits inside a tin.  You could also forgo making the journal and use the tin for discreetly hiding unmentionable items in your purse. 
MATERIALS:
Small flat metal tin
Rubber Stamps
Stazon Ink
White Cardstock
Tim Holtz Texture Fade
Glimmer Mist in Tiger Lilly
Distrezz It All
Steampunk Debutante Paper Pack cover
 First thing I did was trim the images I wanted off the Steampunk Debutante Paper Pack cover.  Yes the cover.  I use everything!!  I trimmed them and arranged them how I wanted on my tin, then used Clear Crystal Lacquer to adhere the pieces, I then rubber stamped some images on the metal using StazOn stamp ink in black. (some images I stamped before and they are layered with the paper strips.)
Next I filled in portions of the images on the cover of the tin with Clear Crystal Lacquer.  Intending to fill the areas with Gem Particles I chose what I did by color. I did the wings first with Green Gem Particles, then once I had the excess dusted off I filled in the girl's flowers with Lacquer and sprinkled Pink.  To be sure you don't mix you could let each section dry before doing a new color... I am not this patient, and I don't mind if stuff mixes.
 While this dried (see my patience above) I trimmed several sheets of white cardstock to 5"x8.5" and folded them in half to make a booklet of 4 1/4"x 5"  The top sheet I ran through my Sizzix with a Tim Holtz Texture Fade (post card) then spritzed with Glimmer Mist and let that dry (so much drying I better go read a book!)  I reassembled my folded journal, punched 2 holes in the spine with my hole punch, and strung twine through a few times to make the binding.  Finally I ran the page side through my Distrezz It All for a fun, steampunk, antique look.
I colored in the rest of the images I wanted to make pop, and the stamped images with various different Color Lacquers, and Metallic Color Lacquers, then allowed them to dry before going to the next image, otherwise things run together.  Then let the whole thing dry overnight.  The image above is of the back of the tin.
 Front
 Inside and journal fits perfectly!

Voila!  I chique journal you can take with you in your purse, and keep safe in it's own little tin!  For more great ideas check out the Sakura Design Team Blog!
Merci
~Chelsea