Melancholy Circus

Alpha Stamps has started carrying great little masonite ATC sized hutches. With one of those and lots of other Alpha Stamps supplies and collage sheets, I created a Melancholy Circus. I was inspired by the thought of kids running away to join the circus, and then discovering that circus life is really not all it's cracked up to be. Turns out it's a Melancholy Circus: even the trick dogs are sad. Sorry, kids!

The clown on the top was formerly a brightly colored cupcake pick. I painted it with gesso and then aged it with acrylic paints and ink. Here's a list of what I used, with the supplies from Alpha Stamps linked.

SUPPLIES USED

Clown Cupcake Pick

ATC Hutch Shrine Kit
Valance Curtain Die-Cut Chipboard

Patterned Paper from Graphic 45
Circus Arabian Collage Sheet
Little Imps Collage Sheet
Little Darlings Collage Sheet
Circus Horse Stickers

Red Rhinestones
3D Metal Stars

Star Ribbon

1/8" Red Ribbon
Thin Border Stickers (Black)

All the kids have been given a red clown nose and a circus hat, plus a stripey pennant and a clown horn. Even one of the dogs has been decked out in a party hat. They're still not happy.

 

Is it wrong that I love how morose all those kids look, now that they've been properly dressed and forced to perform? Even the depressed looking dogs delight me, poor things.

If you're following along at home, you may have noticed that lately I've done several circus pieces with not-so-enthusiastic kids attending. I'm working on a series. I have more sad circuses in the mix.

Happy Birthday, Craftster.org!

This month, Craftster.org is turning 10! To celebrate this momentous occasion, they're holding a "Tin for Ten" craft contest. Of course my tin had to be an altered Altoids tin.

I wanted it to be festive and fun and full of Craftster-y goodness. Here's what I came up with: a sweet little girl who's not afraid to be a little silly every now and then, along with her little dog, who never dreamed that anyone who is a fan of Craftster may just be inspired to dress up a pup in some crazy costume, just for the fun of it.

Stars for all the wonderful, inspirational people I've met through the site, and a balloon celebrating the 10 years of fun Craftster has provided. It was not easy tying that tiny bow around the neck of the balloon!

And last but not least, some bright bulbs to represent all the wonderful and creative ideas that Craftster members have shared.

If you're crafty, or want to be, go check check out Craftster. You'll be amazed at all the wonderful projects you'll find, many with tutorials.

Happy birthday, Craftster, and many more!

Formal Birds

Here's another 4" by 4" block with birds on it; this one went to a swap partner on Craftster. Basically, I grabbed a bunch of stuff from my stash and this is what happened.  I kind of like how seriously they are taking themselves.

4" by 4" Art

My mom needed a little pick-me-up, so I made her a little piece of art. It's a 4" by 4" block of wood, containing a fairy godmother, a bluebird of happiness, a word of wisdom, and all my love.

I love you, Mom!

Fairy Lantern

I got a little black lantern from Alpha Stamps, and decided to alter it using a fun collage sheet designed by my very talented friend, Nichola Battilana.
Here's the lantern, before. Isn't it cute?

And after:

I painted white stripes with gesso, and filled the lantern with moss and faux flowers. The tiny fairies fit right in! (It was easiest to make this by removing the back panel of glass in the lantern.) I then took tiny triangles of paper and glued them onto thread to make colorful banners to string all around the top of the lantern and along the back.

Copic markers gave the white daisy ribbon coordinating centers. I sure love those markers!

I've known Nichola, creater of the fairy collage sheet, through Craftster for years. She does the most amazing magical work. If you get a chance, check out her blog, Pixie Hill. She made some fairy lanterns, too. I think it's funny that she also put a pennant banner on one of hers. Great minds, and all that.  

Big Top Tunnel Book

In my last post I featured a couple of peekaboo cards made with the chipboard frame set from Alpha Stamps. Here's what else I made with one of those sets: a fun little tunnel book using one of my favorite themes: the circus!

Here's a photo of the book when it's flat, just so you can get a good idea of its size. The frame set itself is 4" x 4". I added a little cardboard for the peak of the tent. 

The Tiny Circus and Circus Parade collage sheets are probably my favorites from Alpha Stamps. I used images from both of them, plus some striped Graphic 45 paper, for this project. 

Sadly, it's really difficult to photograph the depth of the book. I would guess it's about 2" wide when opened. You can just barely see the string of stars on a wire which hangs across the middle of the opening in the tent.

 

Here's the side view, where you can see the accordion folds and see the depth a bit better. There are about five layers of images, causing, as the sign proclaims, "controlled mayhem". I drew those juggling pins that are scattered along the bottom, using some Google images for reference. Now I want some old juggling pins. I found some real beauties on eBay!

Figuring out the logistics on how to make this tunnel book was a bit of a challenge, but lots of fun. I have one more set of those cards. I may have to do another.

Peekaboo Card Tutorial

How cute are the new Peekaboo cards from Alpha Stamps? This month the swap at Alpha Stamps is all about Peekaboo cards. They're so versatile! I made a couple of very different designs with my cards: a beach card and a spooky Halloween card. It may be early summer, but is it too early for Halloween? I think not! Here's how you can make your own.

For this card, cover the sides of both pieces of chipboard frame set with scrapbook paper, and then use a piece of paper tape on the left side for a hinge. You can't really see the tape on the Halloween card, but it is visible on the beach card below. On the outer section of the card (the piece with the hole in it) glue on a section of small white picket fence. The fence comes in an 18" long section, but it's easy to clip a section off with pliers. Trim the other three sides with black and white braid. Clip the tines off of two black brads and glue them on the corners. This will cover any fraying caused by cutting the braid.

 

Some black stitched leaf ribbon makes a nice spooky vine for the pumpkins. To adhere those pumpkins, carefully cut a few pumpkin pods in half (I used a box cutter) and glue them down with E6000. Find a good image of the moon, and paint the back of it black, as you will see it when the card is opened.

See how the inside of the card shows through that hole? I used an image from The Black Cat collage sheet, and to add a little spunk, I gave the cat some 3D cat eyes. Make sure, when you place your elements on the inside of the card, to pay special attention to what shows through the hole when the card is closed. Save a few surprises for when the card is opened.

Here's the inside of the card. See how the fence, some of the pumpkins and the back of the moon show through the hole? I love the surprise on the inside of what you can't see from the outside.

In case you're not feeling that Halloween vibe just yet, here's a card that's a little more seasonally appropriate: a fun day at the beach!

And, the inside:

Happy card making!