GOTHIC ARCH CHALLENGE "Marie Antoinette"

This week at Gothic Arches challenge the theme is Marie Antoinette and I chose to use my bees wax for this to give it that old vintage aged look. The pictures really don't do it justice but you need to try it, you will love it.
The image I got off the internet and applied to chipboard arch. Then added perfect pearls patina colors for the highlighted colors on the side. To add another dimension to the clothing, I took old fashion school glue rubbed a layer on with my finger let it dry just until it was tacky and then applied a another coat of bees wax. This technique works great with acrylic paints, actually makes great cracks in your art. The bees wax didn't work as well but still provided me area to distress ink for texture effect. The crystals hanging from the vintage flowers were purchased at Studio Garage Band Etsy Shop, they also have the Melting Pot & BeesWax for sale.
Thanks for looking xoxo Toni

Theme Thursday, Dragons Dream TIO, & Mixed Media Monday

Well this one piece covered 3 different challenges that I love to participate in. Theme Thursday is "Vintage Tag"; Dragons Dream TIO is "Say it with Numbers" & Mixed Media Monday is "Play Things". Awhile back I was experimenting with aging tags using coffee and baking them in the oven. Made the house smell real good, but didn't really like how they came out. I used to much coffee and the tags came out very dark. So this one was perfect for my Ouija board, looks alot like wood. All the stamps I used are from Oxford Impressions "Haunted" series.

Yea... back in the 70's my mom would play with the Ouija board with us. It scared me to death. Glad to say I know longer rely on a board for direction but I look to the Lord. Still I think the stamp is awesome, brings back funny memories of old play things....

Hummmm I predict you will be creating something in the future.... oh just go and have fun with your paper and scissors... :)

3 MUSES "Mail Art"

The theme this week at "3 Muses" is MAIL ART. If you have seen the movie Letters to Juliet, then you will get this piece of mine.

It's a charmingly romantic movie placed in Italy, and a young girl joins a group of ladies whom they call themselves the secretaries of Juliet. They respond to letters to Juliet seeking advice about love. This is my take on it. You see after 30 years of marriage I am divorced and one of the lines in the movie is "what if I have a second chance with love". I have always been a hopeless romantic, and even though I am vey happy finding "me" and enjoying "me " it would be nice to know that Romeo is somewhere out there for me... hahahaha. Hope you enjoy, The picture below is the beginning of my brick wall which I made from textured paper towels, masking tape and gesso glued on a canvas and then just gobs of paint...oooo so much fun.

Dragons Dream TIO "Shabby Chic"

The tag theme this week for Dragons Dream is "Shabby Chic". I made this tag in the shape of a house because if I had my choice my entire home would be decorated shabby chic. There is something clean, fresh, feminine, romantic about shabby chic.

Some of the most perfect embellishments for this project were ..... 1. Victorian Chandelier Crystals, 2. Dove stickpins, 3. Lullabye buds, all are sold at Studio Garage Band Etsy store

THREE MUSES challenge "Rust"

Three Muses always pushes you right out of that creative box with their themes, and this week is no different. If any one knows me, then they know I love that old, grundgy, vintage look, so I had a real good time rusting up some goodies. Dug deep into my basket of T!m goodies and used his clock masks for the back drop on my canvas, Word stick "Time" and birdcage die cut which I just love.

The canvas, birdcage and dove stickpins got a good washing of rusting chemicals. These bird cages in all their rusted and patina'd glory will soon be for sale at our store "Studio Garage Band"

. TFL... xoxo Toni

Small World of Inchies and Twinchies "Fishy"

This months theme at SW of I & T is "fishy". I just love textures of all kinds and recently came upon this beautiful Roving Merino Wool. I had some that resembled the oceans water so thought it would be a nice backdrop for my "fishy. I added fabric sizing to give it form and added it to my twinchie, then made lots of fish out of shrinky dink as well as my "Skools Out" sign, and you can't see it but I glued tiny sea shells all around the outside of the canvas... Hope you enjoyed :) xoxo Toni

The Envelope Project "Meet Me @ Mike's"

Thought it would be loads of fun to join this challenge. You send a few wonderful crafting items in an decorated envelope to the address in Austrailia and in a couple weeks a very lucky person is drawn and they get ALLLLLLL the goodies that have been mailed in all over the world... I am the 279th entry, so that means alot of goodies. My envelope included some vintage movie film strip and acrylic chandelier gems, both sold at Studio Garage Band store... a hand made tag using one of Mr. T!m's techniques, old ephemera and whimsical paper flowers. Check out the website to see more information. Can't win unless you play... :)

xoxo Toni