Midsummer Fun, Exploration and Fairy Specimens!

Its late August and that can only mean one thing, Midsummer Season. You probably thought I was going to say Back to School, didn't have the heart to blurt it out. In NJ students go back to school after Labor Day which is September 7th this year.

Midsummer is such a magical time of year, sunflowers glowing in the warm light, fireflies flickering in the night, last minute vacations and explorations. There is just so much to do this time of year.

After a month's break from heavy creating, I found my creative muse and started making a ton of projects from jewelry to paper craft and everything in between. I have a huge parcel from the Canvas Corp Brand of families that I just couldn't wait to dig into. Everything in their brand speaks to me.

I have started a series of exploration projects reflecting on the 1920's Egyptology era, African adventures, specimens and wizard-ology.  Some seaside whimsy and storybook tales mixed in there some where. 

The first series of projects are the fairy specimens, The first one is labeled "FAE" no.1, she is a Fairy Queen discovered off the coast of South Africa by a Museum Archaeologist named Brady Winthrop who discovered an old map and legend in the museum's private library chamber. Professor Winthrop along with Blake Davis, Cooper Vanderhoff and Casey Mellon sailed off on an exploration to prove fairies do exist.  What they found was more then just fairies.......

The first in the series of 12 specimens is "FAE" no.1, who has been named Ciara and  carefully placed in a specimen box with branch samples from the site. Legend has it that these specimens are actually mummy casings which cannot be opened until the Fairy Life Rites Spell is said. This secret spell can be found in the Ancient Book of Fairy Rites and must be read on a blue moon....

For now I'd like to share the first series of specimens, "FAE" no.1-Ciara.

Materials:

• Clear 3 by 5 inch Plastic Hinged Box (craft and dollar stores have these)
• Serengetti 6 by 6 inch Paper Pack-7 Gypsies
• Maritime Mini Ephemera Pack-7 Gypsies
• Printer Tray Label Holders-7 Gypsies
• Pearl Glimmer Mist Spray-Tattered Angels
• Tattered Leather Glimmer Mist-Tattered Angels
• Flat Back Frozen Charlotte-Lisa Kettell Designs
• Rhinestone Strand-Simplicity 
• Glues/Tools: Hot Glue, Hot Glue Gun, Glue Stick, Scissors
• Other: Copper Tape, Thin Branches, Beige Lacy Floral Leaves, Glitter, Stamped Lettering

Directions:

1. Line the bottom of the plastic box with two types of paper from the Serengetti paper pack using a glue stick.
2. Hot glue thin branches to the right side of the base and side of the plastic box.
3. Age the frozen charlotte with walnut inks, rubbing off excess with a soft cloth or napkin until desired amount of aging is achieved.
4. Cut the leaves to form whispy wings, age with more walnut ink and hot glue to back of the frozen charlotte. 
5. Next hot glue the winged frozen charlotte to the box center. Spray the whole box contents with mist spray a  few times. Embellish the frozen charlotte with copper tape and rhinestones.
6. Attach the plate to outside of the front rim of the box and add lettering.
7. Finally add any extra pieces to the box.

Tips/Tricks:

• The frozen charlottes I use are from my line of products and are perfect for painting, aging w/inks and gluing in paper projects and assemblages.
• For a realistic porcelain frozen charlotte coat these frozen charlottes from my line with resin glaze or spray glaze.
• I used the wrappings from ground cherries as my wings. But you could cut open floral chinese lantern flower pods or use bark shards or shells.
• Try vintage images in place of the frozen charlotte.
• Make a faux map and add a metal tag for more fun. 

Stay tuned for the rest of the exploration projects including more specimens, the book of Fairy Rites, Professor Winthrop's Journals, Casey's Treasures and more.

Under the Boardwalk, Altered Book Project

Here is a great altered book project I created, perfect for using vintage ephemera. images, mixed with modern day papers, inks, found objects and recycled items.

Under the Boardwalk was inspired by the history of boardwalk communities by the shore. It was inspired by my adventures to the Jersey Shore particularly Ocean Grove, Asbury Park, Seaside, and LBI. Vintage beauty pageants, and Victorian Seaside Splendor. By 1950's amusements and confections, candy apples, calliope music and summer nights.

If you love to recycle and use recycled items in your works, this is a great way to do that.

To make your own follow these instructions below: 

Materials:

• Sails and Shells Paper Pack, Canvas Corp.
• Seashore style ephemera, and vintage images, Lisa Kettell Designs
• Vintage or modern bingo cards,and wood bingo tokens Lisa Kettell Designs
• Chipboard style card stock, Canvas Corp.
• Basic office folders
• Paper Straws, Recollections Line, Michaels Stores
• Vintage style embellishments, 7 Gypsies
• Inks, Tattered Angels
• Found Objects: broken glass bottles, wood shapes, branches, cake balloons.
• Other: crepe paper, German glass glitter, tiny star fish, shells, muslin fabric, ribbon.cocktail honey combs stirrers,color clothes pins
• Tools/Glue: hot glue, hot glue gun, glue stick scissors, small paper hole punch, white floral wire

Directions:

1. Cut 2 pieces of the chipboard style card stock to 8 by 10 inches for the cover. Then cut out 4 pieces of basic office folders and 4 pieces of chipboard style card stock about 5 by 7 inches, for the interior pages,
2. Begin layering the cut interior pages with scrapbook paper from the Sails and Shells paper pack, Glue in place with glue stick.
3. Assemble all the pages together and punch 1 hole into the pages with a hole punch about 2 inches in from the top and another hole 2 inches from the bottom. Make sure you punch the holes 1 inch from the side. ( the side I'm referring to is the area where the book pages will have its binding.)
4. Thread each whole with white floral wire and twist around 3 small branches. This is your binding.
5. Start decorating the top cover with bingo board, scrapbook embellishments, paper straws, found objects, images, additional scrapbook paper cutouts,
6. Cut various strips of scrapbook paper from the Sails and Shells paper pack and cut fringe into them, then hot glue to the cover sides and interior sides,
7. Age ribbon, scrapbook paper and objects with inks from Tattered Angels.
8. Finally add the remaining embellishments: honey comb stirrers, ribbons, clothes pins and bingo tokens.

Tips/Tricks:

• Use old book covers or bingo boards instead of basic office folders or chipboard paper.
• Layer the whole cover with paper straws.
• Create these books with your kids or family on a rainy summer day.
• Turn this book project into a family vacation heirloom.
• Make a theme book. Example: fairies and pixies, flowerland, candyland, wizards, Santa Claus, etc.

I Hope you enjoyed this project and have fun making one of your own. If you do please post pictures and share, so we can all see the magic.  Stay tuned for more fun projects.

Thanks So Much,
Lisa :-)

Come Sail Away, DIY Large Driftwood Boat

"Come Sail Away" with me on a seaside adventure. This project is for a large 3 foot driftwood schooner boat made w/products from Canvas Corp Sails & Shells line, 7Gypsies trinkets, ink from Tattered Angels, shells and driftwood I found last week near my house. This boat is now sitting proudly in my loft space!

The benefits of living in NJ, means quick access to many lakes, and the shoreline. Some rivers such as the Raritan river stream to the bay, which extends into the Atlantic ocean at the Perth Amboy points of the state. Whenever I get the chance, I head over to Duke Island Park to explore and look for natures gifts and washed up treasures such as sea/river glass, tile shards, coins, shells and drift wood, which stream up line from the bay and wash up onto the land edges.

After a storm or high water, is the best time to explore, as new treasures surface. I never know what I will find on my exploration. This always leads to inspiration and a bevy of project ideas such as this project. After receiving a fabulous package of paper and goodies from Canvas Corp., line of products, I new my found objects would become a form of art.

I stumbled onto several pieces of driftwood, and new they were destined to become a large boat assemblage, the result this project; "Come Sail Away".

 Materials

• 2 large pieces of driftwood or thick tree branches
• Scrapbook paper, Sails & Shells Sampler Pack, Canvas Corp 
• Findings, clothes pins, 7 Gypsies
• White paper floral wire, seer sucker bakery twine (Hemptique), trims and muslin fabric ribbon
• Shells, tiny starfish 
• Parchment color treat box, vintage sailor ephemera
• Inks from Tattered Angels (fine wood, aged mahogany)
• Tools; scissors, hole punch, thin nails, hammer, hot glue and hot glue gun
• Extras/Optional: German glitter, small branches, tags, metal grommets, grommet setter, ink pad and number/letter stamps, cotton pad or cheese cloth for inking

Directions

1. Decide which piece of driftwood will be the base and which one will go on top.  Then hammer thin nails into the two pieces of driftwood to hold in place. I used 3 nails. Hot glue any openings for extra durability.
2. Crinkle a piece of parchment earthy color paper from the scrapbook sampler pack, punch two holes into one side of the paper. (one hole at the top, one hole at the bottom).
3. Cut 2 pieces from fabric ribbon measuring 12 inches each. Thread through each punched hole and tie onto the upward piece of driftwood.  
4. Hot glue a treat box to the middle of the upward piece of driftwood. Insert a small branch into it, decorate with tiny shell, vintage sailor image and wording from the paper sampler pack. Again, hot glue in place. 
5. Cut small rectangle strips from another sheet of paper in the sampler pack, hot glue to the bottom of the sail, line with trim of choice. 
6. Attach a piece of white paper wire to the top of the upward branch, and one end at the bottom right of the downward branch (the base). Cut triangle shapes from more paper and hot glue to the wire. 
7. Stamp lettering onto the muslin fabric paper sheet and cut into tile shapes. Trace two tag shapes onto the same fabric, cut. Then add metal grommet, and stamped tile shapes to the tags, tie to the top left of the sail with bakery twine. 
   
8. Create an anchor shape onto the front of the sail with more paper.
9. Spray tattered angels ink of choice into a cheese cloth or cotton pad, spread all over the edges of the sail and any areas you want aged or distressed.
10. Finally find a space in your home or studio for your driftwood masterpiece.

 Tips/Tricks

• For a truly sturdy boat use clear caulk and caulk gun where the nails and branches are.
• Try nautical ribbons instead of the muslin fabric ribbon.
• Created various sails instead of one large one. 
• Add more pieces of driftwood to form a larger boat, wider boat or make a row boat base.
• Add German glitter and chipboard lettering.

Stay tuned for more driftwood projects this weekend. Smaller in size, fast and easy to make, perfect for table settings and memory projects.

xoxo
Lisa

Wizard Soiree Necklace

 

Wizard Soirée! A new necklace I created using muted distressed gold findings, chains, beads, rhinestones and pin. I photographed this piece on my favorite dichroic stained glass boxes and books!

All the findings are from Bead Landing and the beads are from Halcraft USA, all available at Michaels Craft Stores.

Long ago there was a Magician named Oliver who believed in magic, he believed that he was a direct ancestor to Cornelius Morvette.  Cornelius was a wizard from Brush Hollow, a city which some how just disappeared, just as OZ did.

Oliver recently discovered a trunk period under heaps of copper scraps while fixing his flying air machine. He dusted the top of the trunk and opened it with the gleaming key still inside the trunks key lock.

They a puff of golden light sprinkled some glittering powder and the contents were made clear. An old large ornate book, some smaller books, journals, potion supplies, bottles, jeweled amulets and a map. What was all this stuff? he wondered. Could it be, could it really be true, was he the great great grandson of Cornelius Morvette. Afterall they shared the last name and finding this trunk just proves it.
Now Oliver must go on a journey to find the truth about his ancestry and see if he is really the great grandson of Cornelius Morvette. Also what happened to Brush Hollow? How could a town just disappear?

Are the disappearances of Brush Hollow and Oz a coincidence?or completely separate? Oliver packed the trunk and map on his air ship and set sail with his friends Miranda Sicklesby, Doey Muddstone and his pet Owl Puffs.

 Where will their first stop be? I'm thinking Jaggerville or Tuckerton. Who knows, as soon as I find out, I will let you know. In the meantime enjoy one of the necklaces from Cornelius's trunk.

 I hope you enjoyed the necklace and its story.
xoxo
Lisa

Up-Cycling Fabric Remnants, Pillows, Bar Cloth and Crochet Squares!

For the longest time I have been looking at my remnant and leftover fabrics grow from scraps, pillow casings, bar cloth wares, crochet and needle point squares, etc., I have huge containers filled since I started collecting when I was around a child, everyone gave me there fabric leftovers to sew doll clothes with and keep me busy. As an teen I started making aprons, skirts and purses, eventually pillows and curtains.

With the fabric department gone in Walmart, Rag Shop Closings, no fabrics in Michaels or ACMoore, limited Hobby Lobbies and Joannes's where does one get fabric anymore? Well of course online, but its not the same when you walk into a store a see it or get that insane sale or leftovers.

With the increase in recycling and hankering down to our homemade roots to find that re-invention in us their is a rise in flea market and rummage sale attendance, everyone looking for that bargain, that trash which will be their treasure, to turn into something else. In order to find these treasures you have to have an open mind and see things in a new way, a shirt is no longer a shirt but fabric for a purse, a doll, an apron, a stocking. A kitchen valance can become an instant apron, a child's puffy skirt or dress can be an apron, burlap can be a purse or sachet, the possibilities are endless when you have an open mind.

I try to hunt down thrift stores and rummage sales for bargains to craft with, keeping my budget at $10 and see how far it can go, you would be surprised at how far it can last at one of these places, its like treasure hunting meets bargain hunting for the creative soul.

Today I would like to share with you 3 up-cycled purse projects with items I had hanging around the studio and what I carry at the store. The project is; "Savannah's Garden Purse"
This purse was made using a crochet pillow casing, the pillow was in bad shape, so I ripped out the stuffing and turned into a purse. Its practically already sewn for you, just fold over the opening ends, add grommets, then insert with wire handles from a discarded knitting bag.
Next complete with vintage rhinestone trimming, rhinestone pins and pearls from a 1950's necklace!
This next purse is called:"Rhinestone Steampunk Purse" it is made from a Bar cloth material vintage shirt I found for 50 cents. I cut off the arms and buttons, folded in half twice, then stitched on the wooden handles and added on a collection of rhinestone pins and rhinestone necklace strip to the front. The pins don't match, yet they do for a more kitchy look!Notice the strip of pins, they are just pinned on, so you can change it up all the time!
Here is the 3rd purse I created called: Rhinestones and Flowers Purse, which is made from leftover French Tapestry fabric, Wooden Handles, vintage rhinestone trimming and more rhinestone pins/pendants!
This purse was made the same way as the bar cloth purse, the lining is the same as the outside design. You can add several pins to this, rows of rhinestones, red velvet flower pins, trimming to the bottom, the possibilities are endless!

Each of these purses can be made with or without rhinestones or add tons more, add rows of pearls, rhinestones in each corner, embroider onto them, add doll heads to them, use take smaller handles and turn into stocking purses for the holidays, so many things to do!

Hope you are inspired to keep recycling, remember to save those socks and mittens,like the post before, they can become a doll!

Magic and Joy,
Lisa!