On the Case

On the Case

Hallo Everyone!

Hope your week has started off

well and will continue on the up

We have a great week planned

and here is Louise Thomson to

start us off.....

"When my hubby and I got married, 

a friend of ours gave us a 'treasure box' to

 keep all the little bits and pieces you

 gather over the years from dates and 

holidays and such like. 

I loved it so much that I've made one for

 pretty much everyone I know who's got 

married since! 

This one is destined for a friend who is

 getting married shortly and is having

 a literary themed wedding. 

It started out life as very ordinary

 office storage.

I gave the whole box a couple of coats of 

gesso primer.

While the gesso dried, I stamped this incredible 

impression obsession book stamp in archival 

cobalt blue ink.

I kept going until the whole piece of

 tissue paper was coated!

Then mixed some pva and water and 

used it to cover the top of the box.

The base of the box also got a coating in gesso,

 followed by a coating of starlight paint in turquoise.

With the starlight paint dry, I softened 

the look using fresco paint in chalk, which I

 then sanded back. 

I also added in some scraps of paper, 

stencilling, and a few paint splatters for 

good measure!

I made a background card using 

distress oxide inks. I smooshed them on 

to my non stick mat, spritzed with water 

and picked up the colour on the card. 

I repeated this several times, 

drying between each layer.

Next I added some stencilling.

This was followed by some script stamping 

and some die cut birds and lettering.

To the top of the box I added more stencilling, 

this time using grunge paste.

 I repeated this stencil several times to 

build up the background.

 I also added some more of the floral stencil.

Once the grunge paste had dried, I replaced the

 floral stencil and added colour using

 cracked pistachio and worn lipstick distress oxides.

Using some leftover background card I cut

 out some little birds using an impression obsession

 die set.

I fiddled about with the layout for a long time

 adding some gorgeous graphic 45 papers

 and a few little extra details such as the

 stitching in this picture.

A feather quill from a Bo Bunny stamp set.

More inking and stamping

This picture shows up the earlier stencilling better, 

and a little bird die. 

I 'hid' birds perched all around the book shelves

 just for fun.

I looked up some quotes online and found 

this rather romantic one which comes from 

one of my friends favourite books. 

The background here is made by spritzing card

 with color bloom.

Finally the finished layout!"

Materials list;

Office filing box

White Gesso

Impression Obsession Cover a Card stamp - Books

White Tissue paper

Archival ink mini set one

Starlights paint - turquoise

Fresco paints - Chalk

Paper scraps from stash

Tim holtz layering stencil - floral

Distress oxides

Non-stick craft mat

Heat gun

Blending tool

Kaisercraft 12x12 mini mix stencil

Grunge paste

Impression Obsession small bird set die

Sizzix thinlits die delicate lower case

Bo bunny - Birds of a feather

Color bloom spray – Sorbet

Micron fineliner

Thank you Louise.  Your friend

is going to be so pleased with

her box after all the thought 

you have put into it.  

Such a lovely idea for a wedding

gift.  There are so many bits and pieces that

we collect on our journey through life

'Till tomorrow

Mickie xx