A Stroll Down Configuration Lane...

Farewell Weekend and Greetings Monday...
Welcome to my blog and a new theme at Simon Says Stamp & Show where houses are in the house! A house can be many things but I felt drawn to the idea of a home, a dwelling place for many memories. You know what they say, "If walls had ears..." I have never played with a Configuration Box and must admit I do like to bide my time when a new trend hits town. I like to wait until an idea that's 'me' begins to whisper. See, voices in your head can be a good thing!
Let's take a stroll down Configuration Lane...

I started by ageing my twelve Configuration boxes with a thick coat of Gesso, Mushroom paint and Distress Ink. I didn't go for Tissue Tape as I wanted to see the individual 'rooms'! Then I set about filling them with an array of findings and memories, each one with her own story. If you fancy a tour, then jump on board...

Wendy words stapled onto vintage lace and fabric. The box is lined with cotton tape with an old button to finish.

 A little design paper, a piece of vintage tape measure and an old lace bobbin.

A Grungepaper rose made with Tattered Florals. First I inked up the Grungepaper with Frayed Burlap, then painted it with PaperArtsy Crackle followed by Blank Canvas. Behind, a scrap of paper, a stamped word and two rusty nails... In some of the boxes I placed a layer or two of mountboard to reduce some of the depth so as not to lose the contents into the shadows and darkness!

I had an old, small fob-watch lurking in my drawer so I pulled it apart to create a keepsake locket. I used Alcohol inks to change the silver colour and then I filled it with a book page scrap, vintage lace, a tape measure scrap and a rose bud. The two tiny words are taken from Stuff to Say and the background is a piece of embossed and inked Sticky Canvas. I added a chain scrap and sat it on more vintage lace, adding a button to the corner. Onto quite a deep layered one lined with lace and a book page...

A crochet scrap, button and Glassine Paper. I cut wire supports for my butterfly adding a little typed FLY.

This one merits a larger photo, because it's my dear mum. I absolutely adore this image of her... look at those ringlets! I love it.

 I scanned the original photo and cut a Mica front so it would fit inside the Ornate Plate which I have distressed with Distress Powder and Alcohol inks. I glued cut-off brads in the holes and then taped the plate to the wire which supports itself due to the tension. The background is stitched, distressed paper and I lined the bottom with lace and press-studs. Goes without saying, my favourite box...

Five rosebuds, muslin and an old pen nib. I cut two of the second smallest Tattered Florals, laid them on top of each other, then folded them in half. Then I rolled them into a cone and glued them! Added some highlights with Viva Gold.

A shallow one this time.Three vintage buttons sewn onto design paper and a Tissue Tape lining!

This one was fiddily but so worth it. Glassine Paper lines the back and a hidden column supports painted chicken wire and a thickly gessoed heart. Love the texture. I added some scrap chain and ran some Copper tape through my Dynamo for the Beloved word. I emphasised the letters with Alcohol ink and sanding, adding two old bolts to continue the metal feel. I ended up using super-glue to fix the heart (Can you do that in real life too?)

This box was great because the old clock key fitted perfectly! The background is resist stamped using White Stazon and Rusty Hinge and I layered up two punched lace strips. 'Become' was taken from here. I like taking just one word from a whole stamp - the possibilities are endless.

I love words and my vintage typewriter gives me the chance to add whatever I want. The little fern flower is Wendy's...

And finally...You just can beat the beauty of rusty, distressed metal. I stuck metal tape to card, then used the Textile folder, lots of inks and a sanding block. I aged the tag by really overheating Distress powder and adding more ink (watch out for the fizz!) Added a vintage trim and lined the box with a Bible page. The roofs are corner bracket thingys from the hardware store, again aged as before. What an amazing fit! I was very chuffed...and think they are the perfect finishing touch.

I gave my Lego away years ago so I figured I would make my own arty version! The houses are not glued together so you can play around and create your very own street! So there you go, my houses. It was a big task but one that brought a lot of joy and satisfaction. I hope you feel inspired to play with your Configgy boxes too. I was literally thinking outside the box.

Even my hubby joined in...this is his take on Venice! How fab is that? I might let him make next weeks piece! That's enough boxes for a while for me, I'm only into ones full of chocolate for the rest of this week...

So now it's time for you to get your thinking cap on. Remember we like seeing ALL kinds of projects, big or small, from ATCs to Skyscrapers! Beginners or seasoned fellows. Just be yourself and have fun creating! Hop over to the Design Team blog and enjoy some fabulous takes on this theme - they are all so different! You'll love them...
Phew indeed! This was a mammoth blog post... so huge thanks for taking some time out to be here. I love creating and hopefully inspiring...do feel free to ask any questions. I'm away...be seeing you soon, Sarah.