Monday, October 17, 2011

Whatever you are...

Good Morning,
The weekend did but wink and she was gone! Well, so it seems. I was in Warrington enjoying a fabulous workshop with Lynne Perrella and here I am already, back home, creeping into Monday morning as I type! I shall dive straight in with the low-down. At Simon Says Stamp & Show, we want to see your Stripes! I grabbed some delicious Glitz papers, some scrap cardboard and created a full on girly shadow bow.

I wanted to just simply play with bright colours, dimension and butterflies, so I ran with it... Is it too sweet or cute? Will folk wonder if I've gone a bit doo-lally with my feminine side? Well, it doesn't matter. I was feeling Girly. So be bold and stay true to yourself, I say!
I used some strong cardboard to create the frame which means I can chose the dimensions, very handy indeed! Here you can see the back piece already covered in Love Nest striped paper, the frame and I'm just starting to make the supporting 'walls' with cardboard  strips and cardstock  hinges.
Then onto 15 Wendy Vecchi flutteries. I stamped them, cut them out and inked up the reverse side.
Of course you can use a die but I am woman of few dies and I just love this shape! You could use the same idea with  flowers, Christmas stockings or even little animals if you wanted to create something for a child's room. Love how Distress Inks can change everything. I added a few simple words to some butterflies with my trusty, handy typewriter. I chose different people but you could use a saying, a song, a poem or prayer. Playing with words is such great fun.
The flowers are punched circles cut from the same paper as the frame but they have been distressed and darkened with Rusty Hinge. The centres are upholstery studs - just cut the long bit off before sticking! On the butterflies I used a lot of Stormy Sky and Bundled Sage to get the right shades and variation in tone.


To finish off I added just one simple but strong sentiment from Afternoon Muse by Glitz. The frame had been lightly sanded and aged with Vintage Photo.

I love the bright yellow colours of the frame and the individual butterflies so I didn't want to add anything more.

The butterflies are mounted on very small foam pads which aren't visible so they seem to float. Here's a quick peek from the side so you can see a bit more of the depth.

So there you go, a simple idea for a shadow box... How about a huge one with say 99 Grungy butterflies? There's a challenge for you...


Hop over to the Simon Says Stamp & Show to see some great striped inspiration from my team-mates. I'm looking forward to seeing your creative offerings!!! As always, there's a chance of a $50 spree and the bespoke Top Three Title. Don't be shy, give it a try...!
Thanks for taking time to visit my blog, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to sound smart!
Have a great week wherever you go...À bientôt, Sarah.

22 comments:

JoZart Designs said...

Love your butterfly box and look forward to seeing the evidence and hearing all about your Warrington weekend too. I suppose it will be secret until they do Newport Pagnall?!
joZarty x

Franka Benjaminsen said...

Love all these butterflies and bright colours. You can make such beautiful things with these WV stamps. Maybe I have a go with it sometimes. Great project with a last glimpse of the summer.
xFranka

Craft Addicts - Tracy Evans said...

Hope you had a fabulous time at Warrington Sarah, I am sure you did, cannot wait to see your creations. Love love your shadow box, love the bright cheery colour palette and the way the butterflies seem to float, lovely. Enjoy your week. Tracy x

Ann B said...

Love the colours of your frame Sarah, just what we need on a coll day like today.
Itching to see what you made on Saturday. I peeked in to Lynne's class yesterday and there were some stunning pieces so can't wait to see yours. Leandra has a link to a video of one of LP's classes - it's on her Twitter account

Gabrielle said...

As always this is just so beautiful! I love the soft subtle colours... So glad you had a fab weekend! I'll pop and See Linda and get all the gossip but I bet, like you, she'll say it went so fast!

Marjie Kemper said...

So beautiful, Sarah! Love all your different butterflies and the way you've labeled just some of them. Fantastic piece!

Crafty Loops said...

This is so beautiful Sarah, such a pretty idea. Lee x

Alie Hoogenboezem-de Vries said...

Gorgeous creation...love the bright colors!

greetings, Alie :-)

Miss Emerald said...

Great idea, beatiful colors and original words!

505whimsygirl said...

Love this! I could see this hanging on my wall in any room of my home.

I also think I live on the wrong side of the pond! Seems that I visit mostly UK sites. Ah, if I ever get over that way......

Anonymous said...

This is fabulous. Thanks for the inspiration!

lilyandthelotus.blogspot.com said...

thank you Sarah for sharing your lovely work.

Siobhan Brignull said...

ooh I love that, the brightness is just right

Brenda Brown said...

So bright and attractive Sarah, love the colours and the butterflies.
luv {brenda} xoxox

kissinia said...

Sarah, this is a fabulous piece of art! Thanks for sharing and inspiration!

Nancy said...

Wow, Sarah! This is absolutely wonderful!!

Lesley Edmonds said...

Hi Sarah,
This is wonderful. I too have few dies - I really like to cut things out :)
Such a great idea to create your own shadow box. I shall definitely be trying this. Thanks for the inspiration.
Lesley x

Linda Coughlin, the funkie junkie said...

Nothing wrong with indulging your feminine side. I find these colors and your subject absolutely delightful and very la-de-da. Your colors are making me drool. I can feel your enjoyment of creating this piece spilling from your post. Love the way you created your shadow box - thanks so much for sharing.

Hope you are having a great week.

Hugs,
Linda

whyducks said...

Oh this is wonderful, I love it. Well done.

Terry said...

Hey there Sarah, I just love butterflies and yes I really DO love Your Butterflies, they are really amazing wowwwww fabulous colors on your project, your shadow box looks AMAZING. hugs terry xxxx

email: Steph@SimonSaysStamp.com said...

Absolutely stunning piece, Sarah! I love the colors and alignment of butterflies!!

*mwah*
Steph
Simon Says Stamp!

Dolly Daydreams said...

Ah another awe inspiring drop dead gorgeous creation from you..........so so beautiful.

Marie