You Are My Unforgettable

I always loved the look of a blank wooden box. I look at it and see so much possibility, it's almost overwhelming. 

This is a box from AC Moore and it is not a transfer. The top's base is painted and the rest of the box is a paper pattern I printed with a Laser printer. 

     The two envelopes, the lace and rhinestones are all attached with gorilla glue.

The letters I cut out of patterned cardstock paper, used distress ink and a stamp set I got from Michael's. Those are attached with Mod Podge Gloss finish.

  

I Mod Podged the entire box and noticed it was difficult to open even after it had dried for days. I had to open it with a knife and I sanded the edges and repainted them so it would be easier to open the box. I didn't notice it in person, but looking at the photos you can see the little flecks still in the box from me sanding it. Next time I might try the Matte finish, maybe that will make a difference.

The scroll I made from computer paper and a stamp. I stamped both sides of a strip of computer paper I crumbled up and flattened out. Then used Distress Ink to make it look aged and frayed the edges. Then I took a piece of string and rolled it in the Vintage Photo Distress Ink pad to make it look old and dirty.

The bottom of the box is a postcard. The top of the box is a couple of letters as well and put a picture of Bettie Page inside, not only because she is awesome but it also portrays a retro/vintage feel I was going for.

Harley Quinn

I went to a local comic book store and picked up  Harley Quinn invades Comic-Con International: San Diego issue #1. Inside was an advertisement and this image was it. I loved the tongue-in-cheek humor and figure I'd try it out. This time I chose to try to put it on canvas. Also, It's easier to glue comic book paper on top of wood and/or canvas than transfer it because it is thicker and usually doubled-sided, you the image hardly comes out as clear as it would if it was on computer paper.

I cut out the image from the advertisement and figured out where I wanted the place of the words/image and little trickets I decided to use. 

I visualized an explosive/dirty background with that retro pop look. So I chose little gears and this bold look for the background.

I covered the final product with Mod Podge Gloss glue which personally, I would take back if I could because I didn't like how super shiny the comic book paper came out. Comic paper is already shiny so maybe Mod Podge Matte would've been better. I've yet to use that as well so who knows lol.

Figured I'd put some staple catch phrase on the sides lol. 

Pet Mural

Anyone who knows my sister, even for a day, knows she is an avid animal lover. She has been taking in rescues for years. There has been two in particular that are near and dear to her heart. Her kitty named Moo and her pup named Ena. 

I decided to make a little dedication plaque for her in memory of them and she loved it!

Making it super girly (since they were both girls) was a bit of a challenge to me but still kept some of the elements I feel comfortable with like Distress Inks. 

*Note: The picture she chose was very blurry. Its not how transfers come out, its just how pixelated the photo she wanted was.*

 

Marlene Dietrich

Stumbling onto this photo, I was romanticized. I instantly felt a sense of melancholy and pensiveness coming from her body language and facial expression that I adored. I attached this quote to the plaque because of its somber vibe that seemed appropriate.

  

All stamps except for lettering are from the Tim Holtz collection. For the obvious reasons I chose clocks as accents on the plaque.   The plaque is longer than a piece of computer paper so i added some color on top to make it blend more.

The words are blended with regular pink ink, Distress Ink in Black Soot and Vintage photo on card stock paper with a Mod Podge Gloss glue over  it.

Lucille Ball

I had stumbled across this photo and totally fell in love. I adore the obvious concept  of the modernized Lucille Ball.  

I used a wooden plaque from Michael's and had bought fluorescent paint (the purple). 

For the circles, I used the bottom of a glue stick! I like to use tools rather than freehand.

For the quote, I bought Tim Holtz's card stock paper  and cut them into pieces. I bought normal font stamps, again from Michael's. I gave the words an aged look with Tim Holtz's Distress Inks and Ink Stamper. I watched a few youtube videos on this technique and got the hang of it pretty quickly.

I felt like the plaque needed more pop of color than the dripping purple and purple circles so I painted a tear drop (which seemed fitting to me because that is the vision I get from her in this photo) and painted on smeared red lipstick, as if she was under stress.

I am a huge fan of her show and naturally when my interest is sparked in anything, I read about it for hours. Over the years I have done a lot of research on her, her husband and her career.

I read  about her tumultuous relationship with Desi Arnaz and this quote came to mind.

"The people you love become ghosts inside of you, and like this you keep them alive."

Even though they were divorced 20 years at the time of Desi's death, Lucille is quoted saying how much she always has and always will love him. I think this quite moving quote fitted this photo of her very well.

  

And Suddenly I Felt Nothing - Helena Bonham Carter

When I saw this picture of Helena Bonham Carter, it struck a cord in me. The vibe of apathy mixed with danger was too much for me to resist so I felt compelled to add her to one of my "works".

I took a trip to Michael's and picked out a plain 11"x8" wooden plaque and went to  Staples with my  usb drive and make a copy about 2  inches smaller than the plaque. I decided to  make it horizontal and use acrylic paints and stamps.

As you wipe away the transfer, it can sometimes tear the photo, In this case, when that happened, I decided to make it a cigarette burn hole and liked how it came out.