An altered tin as a mermaid aquarium

Hi everyone!  I might be rushing the season just a wee bit, but when Gina designed these new mermaids, I simply couldn't wait to have some fun with them.  I'm calling this piece a mermaid aquarium.  The mermaids are available as a set of 12 in varying sizes.  I used the 4 inch size thinking I'd start small then once it gets closer to Summer, I can go much bigger with a 12 x 12 canvas project.  For this fun project, I used a tin I'd had in my stash for a couple of years.  It's a little bit larger than an altoid tin at nearly 4 x 6.  I used mod podge to apply Japanese lace papers to the tin for texture, used ink sprays in ocean colors, then coated it with clear glass bead gel.  I painted my mermaids with twinkling H2O's and then applied glass microbeads over a coating of glossy accents.  I also used our new catweed shape in the background, a clump of chipboard grass at the bottom, and a section of palm tree at the top for some extra tropical appeal.  Everything else I used was already in my stash.  My favorite part of a creation is looking through my stash to find things that are perfect, and it's so exciting when I find just the right pieces.  I wanted it to look like an aquarium so I found various wood pieces to create a stand.  I hope you like it!

Gina's Designs Products Used:

Mermaids Shape Set

Palm Trees Shape Set

Grass and Foliage

Catweed Shape Set

Fanciful Elements

Other Products:

Glass bead gel

Prima Lady Bird flowers

Japanese Lace papers from Dick Blick

Ink Sprays

Wooden decorative elements from Hobby Lobby

Gilder's Paste

Twinkling H2O's

Glass microbeads

Butterfly by Renea Bouquets on Etsy

An altered frame in a vintage shabby style

Today I am sharing this altered frame that I created as a gift for my friend.  Before I mailed it to her, I added this photo of my paternal Grandmother.  She passed away when I was young but I still remember how we used to sit outside in her yard and enjoy the sunshine.  I began with a 12 x 12 unfinished frame from Michael's.  I have altered several of these, and they are so much fun to play with as each one comes out so different.  This one I decided to paper instead of paint, but also did some stenciling with paint over the paper for a mixed media effect.  The project came together quickly and easily with some Gina's Designs chipboard shapes and some flowers.  I hope you like it!

Gina's Designs Products Used:

Chicken Wire (large)

Miniatures Shape Set - Guy Thing (antique bike)

Feathery Flourishes Set

Banner Border Strips

Skeleton Clocks

Steampunk 2 Shape Set (pocket watch)

Words and Phrases 1

Cardstock Doily Set - Sreampunk

Other Products:

Petaloo Flowers

BoBunny "The Avenues" Design Paper

TCW Damask Stencil

Folk Art Paints

Prima Chalk Inks

Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Powder

Prima Butterfly

Bo Bunny Trinket

A Bit of History

This layout is near and dear to my heart.  When I saw this design paper by Kaisercraft I was immediately reminded of my beloved old apartment in Hollywood.  I lived there alone for 12 years right in the heart of old Hollywood and they were the best years of my life.  Sometime after I had moved in, I had stumbled upon the first of Rachael Ashwell's Shabby Chic books in a used book store and I immediately started redecorating.  Suddenly there was vintage bark cloth and cabbage rose patterns, and lace everywhere, even thrown over the cat's beds.  All of my furniture got crackled and distressed.  Anyway, this photo is of my Willie who passed on about 9 months ago.  Here he was snuggled among the cabbage roses on my bed in happier times.  I can't stop looking at this layout because it's such a beautiful reminder of those days.  I never would have left if the landlord hadn't sold the four-plex.  I would no longer be able to keep my cats there with the new owner, so I moved 70 miles East to dullsville.  I try not to complain though, because my beloved pets have plenty of room and I'm sure they are much happier here.  Thanks for looking!

Gina's Designs Products:

Queen Anne's Lace

Skeleton Leaves 2

Words and Phrases 1

Fanciful Elements

Other:

Lace by Trseors Deluxe

Paper by Kaisercraft and Prima

Flowers by Prima

Dies by Marianne Creatables and Spellbinders

A Masculine Layout

I stepped out of my comfort zone to create a layout in neutral tones which was a little difficult for me.  The photo is of my Uncle Chuck many years ago.  He was recently killed in a motorcycle accident.  He was in his 70's when he was killed by a young woman who pulled out right in front of him.   He rode his motorcycle every day from his teens until the day he died.  I had always admired him growing up.  I will always remember him as a rebel, and as a child I was fascinated by him and his nomadic lifestyle.

Gina's Designs Products used:

Words and Phrases 1

Tulip Scroll Corners

Skeleton Clocks

Clock Hands Shape Set

Hinge Straps Shape Set

Thanks for looking!

February sketch challenge at Gina's Designs!

Here is the new sketch for February and below the sketch is my own challenge entry.  The challenges are an all new feature open to our followers or anyone else wanting to play along. Each month, on the first Monday, a new sketch will be provided in our gallery. Winner receives a $10 gift certificate to shop at Gina's Designs. Since only members of our Design Team entered last month, nobody won! We realized it would take some time before the word got out, but meanwhile it's your golden opportunity for a chance to win the gift certificate! Here's what you need to do:

You must register on the gallery in order to upload, and your entry must be entered into the area of the gallery designated for sketch challenges, and in the proper month. You will find the sketch challenges in the categories section. Winners will be chosen by drawing from all eligible projects and will be announced on the blog on the second Monday of each month. We encourage you to use Gina's Designs products in your project but it is not required to be eligible to win.

Below is the sketch for February along with my own sample entry.

Gina's Designs Products Used:

Steampunk Doily 

Feathery Flourishes Set

For The Birds (nest and eggs)

Flourishes 2

Skeleton Leaves 1

Other Products:

Prima flowers (Zephyr collection)

Butterflies by Renea Bouquets on ETSY

Design Paper by Mambi (Mixed Media Collection)