Ocean Pendants

I thought it would be fun to do a deep sea theme with these findings.  Here's what I used.

3D Crystal Lacquer

Jewelry Findings Black

Gem Particles

Glass

Bail 

Antique GoldChain

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

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!

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

Sakura Jewelry Findings in Brass and Black

3D Clear Crystal Lacquer

Gem Particles

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

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

3D Crystal Lacquer

Color Crystal Lacquer and Metallic Color Lacquer

Gem Particles

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

Steampunk Brooches

I have always felt the allure of steampunk, since before I knew it had a name, or even was a thing.  The Victorian nostalgia combined with a future of steampower and gears, the mystery and genius of Nicola Tesla, yes please!  So when I saw these Deep Dish Jewelry findings, I knew I had to do something special.  Their design also held a wonderful surprise for me, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

MATERIALS

Zinc Jewelry Findings Oval and Rectangle

3D Crystal Lacquer

Steampunk Debutante Tags

Distress Stickles

Various Gears, charms and pins

Grungeboard Wings and Key

Teal Adirondack Paint Dauber

Distress Ink: Pummice Stone

Pinbacks

 As limited as my sewing ability is, I have built a corset, and I would really like to make steampunk costumes.  So I decided to start with some cool brooches that would have an industrial, artsy, slightly miliatry feel to them.  Obviously victorian, nouveau and gears are a must! One girly one for me and more Tesla for the Boy.(my boyfriend)
I put on my Caravan Palace Album for background inspiration, selected my images and used the shapes that came with the charms as templates for trimming though they were a little larger than the bottom.  Once I had my images trimmed to fit I put a dot of 3D Lacquer inside and stuck them down. MAKING SURE THE CHARM EYE WAS IN THE DIRECTION I WANT FOR MY CHAINS TO HANG!!

 I chose my tiny gears and a couple small charms for inside.  My initial plan was to layer crystal lacquer and gears, letting each layer dry, giving it a 3D feel, but here's the surprise... those shapes that came with the Jewelry Findings are actually nicely protected acrylic that fits perfectly on the top of the finding like a shadowbox!!  So I scrapped my Lacquer filling idea for a loose gear shadowbox.  It's kind of a "Duh Chelsea" moment I know, but I was super excited!  And I wanted to make sure you know you have the option of either one.  So I added a little Distress Stickles to my images inside, as well as some Crystal Lacquer on the Light Bulb, and let them dry overnight.  I also Embossed a clock image on the grungeboard wings and painted them with teal Adirondack Paint Dauber, and inked the Grungeboard Key with Pumice Stone Distress ink.(not pictured)  I left these to dry as well.

 The next day...
I peeled off the protective film from the acrylic shapes and arranged my charms and clock gears (from a real clock) inside.  I put a thin line of Crystal Lacquer along the top rim lip and placed the front window panes in place.
While that dried I sanded the raised surface of the wings, and inked them, then glued the wings and key to the backs of the Findings with Crystal Lacquer. Behind that I glued the pinback also with Crystal Lacquer. Finally I attached all the hardware using jump rings, a few charms and the chain on the Finding loop and then a couple charms and a pin in the other end of the chain. VOILA!!!

The top pin is my girly one and the bottom is the Boy's, more industrial one.

Here's a closer view of the Brooches themselves.  Feel free to comment, or ask questions, I love sharing ideas, that's what it's all about!  For more great ideas check out the Sakura Design Team Blog!  

Merci!

-Chelsea

Movies I had on for inspiration while I worked: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and Hellboy.

Playing in the Dirt: Part 4

Thought I would feature photos from the Boy's garden, since I have mostly posted ones from Mom's.

Everything is growing along great!  Been harvesting and deciding what to plant next as space is freeing up.  At the boy's I've harvested 12 huge green beans off the pole bean, 2 heads of bibb lettuce as well as the usual herbs.

 The herbs are thriving, even better than the ones at Mom's

 The tomatoes are starting to bud so that is very exciting too.

 Here is the most recent lettuce I harvested.

The neighbor's veggies we share half the garden with has a thriving zucchini that is shading some of our plot, so I have moved the eggplant in hopes it can get more sun.  All the onions I had transplanted from under that shade didn't make it so I have sewn more seeds.  

At Mom's the cucumber is getting close to harvest time, lots of tomatoes have been picked, lettuce too,  the strawberries in both gardens are gearing up for a nice big crop.  Next on the planting agenda, beets and red carrots.

Shiver Me Tin-bers!

This tin was so fun to make, the moment I saw it my mind swirled with ideas.  I jumped in with experiments and loved how it came out!  Summer eventually gets me excited about Pirates and they come hand in hand with Mermaids.  So naturally I ended up with this  swashbuckling Pirate/Mermaid theme.  Oh it's so fun, I am really excited to share!

Materials:

Crystal Lacquer, Gem Particles, Color Crystal Lacquer, Glass Tiles, Jewelry Finding, milk tin, StazOn stamp ink-jet black, Ship and mermaid rubber stamps, Rusty Pickle Pirate coupons, seashell stickers, key stickers.

First I selected my materials and decided how I wanted them arranged.  Next I stamped my images directly on the tin using StazOn Jet black ink.  It stamps on EVERYTHING!

 Next I arranged my stickers inside the Jewelry Finding and sprinkled in some Peacock Green Gem Particles, filled it with Crystal Lacquer and set it aside to dry for a few hours.  I also stuck 2 key stickers back to back to make it double sided and covered it with Crystal Lacquer letting each side dry before coating the other side.

While I waited on those I colored my stamped images using the Color Lacquer, I am pretty sure I used almost every color in every set!  It was fun to use the Glitter colors on the Mermaid tails.

I filled in the skull and swords of the Pirate  Flag with Clear Crystal Lacquer and once all the lacquer had dried, I started to attach my paper pieces with the Clear Crystal Lacquer

I punched a hole in the lid of the tin with my Crop-a-dile and attached it , the  Jewelry Finding and the key with some pieces of string.  Using the Clear Lacquer  I attached a small square glass tile over the X on the Treasure map to highlight it.  Then I added bubbles to the empty space around the swimming mermaid.   I waited for it to dry, and VOILA!

(Click on the photos to enlarge them)

I hope you enjoy this project!  Be sure to comment, I love sharing ideas, and follow my blog, I dabble in all kinds of fun stuff.  Also check out the Sakura Design Team Blog, those ladies are super talented!

Avast, ye skervy, land loving, knaves

~Chelsea