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Friday, November 27, 2020

CHRISTMAS MARKET STALL

If you are looking for a Christmas project, perhaps I can tempt you with a Christmas Decoration Market Stall, which was inspired by a die-cut Market Stall & Base Kit, which makes assembly easy.  

The stall has four deep shelves which  I loaded with all kinds of Christmas decorations using beads, charms, paper images, boxes of ornaments, mini trees, snowmen, Santas, and nutcrackers.  You can see all the items I used in the supply list at the bottom. 

I made wreaths out of pine stems, candy canes, snowflake sequins and polymer clay slices. 


For the counter, I build a display stand to accommodate all of the cute ornaments made of glass balls filled with glitter, candy canes, polymer clay slices, charms, beads, and other mini holiday themed resin bits and bobs. 

In front of the stand is a sign (which you can download and use and is further down in the post) a 3D tree and snowman made from the Tiny Christmas Shape Set, a nutcracker made from the Mini Nutcracker Kit, and Christmas trees with a stack of packages from the Tiny Trees, Gifts & Ornaments Collage Sheet.

Trimming the counter and base are Scalloped Christmas Borders. 


To cover the market stall and for other elements, I used the 6x6 & 12x12 Hello Christmas Paper pad and Collection Kit plus the 6x6 Christmas Pets paper pad.

Below I’ll cover many of the details of how I constructed and decorated the market stall.


THE DETAILS

STALL ASSEMBLY

I started by gluing together the back and one of the sides plus the shelves. The widest of the shelves goes last. 

Next, I attached the other side, base, and roof support.

For the front counter, I attached the larger front piece and the smallest counter piece, which supports the larger counter piece.


I spray painted the market stall green then covered much of the surface with various decorative papers.

RIBBON BOWS

To make the bows, I cut 4 lengths of ribbon (the length is based on how big you want the bow to be) and then another four lengths that are approximately 2/3 the length of the first cut ribbon.  I put a dot of glue in the middle of each strip of ribbon then folded the ends to the middle.

Next, I stacked the longer folded ribbons in alternating directions.  I did the same for the shorter folded ribbons and then glued them together.

Finally, I made a loop from the ribbon and glued it to the center to finish the bow and hide the glue marks.



ORNAMENT STAND

To make the ornament stand, I used a metal snowflake as the base, and a large bead to support a straw.  I inserted pinheads into the straw to act as supports for the lightweight key rings.  I cut the heads off of the pins and used beads to cap the pointed ends.  The keyrings are glued on top of the pins.  Finally, I spray painted the entire piece (which acts as more glue to keep everything in place) and added the star charm to the top.





NUTCRACKER KIT

The nutcracker is made from a kit.  In the picture below, you can see there are two sides, two arms, a stand plus two pieces that go between the side pieces.  The middle pieces are for the hat/nose and the bottom of the coat.  Lastly, there is the handle, which also fits in the middle between the two sides.  The purpose of the holes and for the middle pieces is to accommodate a wooden peg, which allows the handle to be moved up and down like a real nutcracker.

I painted the pieces first, then assembled the kit and touched up the paint after assembly.  Be careful not to get paint in the hole for the peg or in the holes in the stand or it will be difficult to insert the peg through the hole and the nutcracker in the stand.

3D TREE/SNOWMAN/SANDWICH BOARD

To make the tree, I used two of the Tiny Christmas Shape Sets.  Each set contains two trees in two different sizes.  I painted all of the trees green, then cut three of them in half and glued the half pieces to the uncut tree.  This shape set also contains the components for the snowman and the stocking used in the polymer clay slice wreath plus many more items.

The sandwich board is from a kit  (I can see using this for lots of projects) and is accented with icicles from the Tiny Cardstock Icicles & Christmas Ornaments.  You’ll find the sign further down in the post; feel free to use it in your project.


BOXES OF ORNAMENTS - (seen on the second from the top and the bottom shelf in the picture below) 

I used boxes from the Holiday Bags, Tags & Boxes collage sheet and cut a hole in the lid, then backed it with transparency film.  The ornaments inside come from the Tiny Tree, Gifts & Ornaments Collage sheet.  To make them look more dimensional, I added Glossy Accents.

 

FREE IMAGE
Feel free to download the image below and use it in your artwork.  It is sized to fit the sandwich board kid.  Right-click on the image and select the "Save File As" option.

DETAIL SUPPLY LIST

Tiny Trees, Gifts & Ornaments Collage Sheet

Holiday Bags & Boxes Collage Sheet

Hello Christmas 6x6 Paper Pad

Hello Christmas 12x12 Collection Kit

Christmas Pets 6x6 Paper Pad

1:12 Scale Market Stall

1:12 Scale Sandwich Board Set

Mini Nutcracker Kit

Scalloped Christmas Borders

Gingerbread Cottage Buttons

Tiny Cardstock Icicles & Christmas Ornaments

Saint Nick Polymer Clay Slice Mix

Mini Red & Green Paper Bags

Bronze Ornament Toppers

1cm Clear Glass Globes

16mm Resin Christmas Tree

Mini Candy Canes

Tiny Ceramic Nutcracker Soldier Bead

Tiny Ceramic Santa Claus Bead

Mini Filled Christmas Stocking

3D Resin Christmas Tree

Flatback Resin Snowman with Shovel

Miniature Resin Deer

Unfinished Wooden Mini Snowman

Hello Christmas Polymer Clay Slice Mix

Christmas Cookies Large Polymer Clay Slice Mix

1 Inch Victorian Christmas Trees w Candles

2 Inch German Fir Trees

1.5 Inch German Fairytale Trees

Waving Snowman in Top Hat

Large Ceramic Nutcracker Soldier

Large Ceramic Santa Claus Bead

Tiny Green Sisal Wreaths

Mini Pine Fern

Wired Pine Need Stems

Tiny Christmas Shape Set

Frosted Mini Green Sisal Trees

Giant Snowflakes - Silver

Red Apples – 1:12 Scale

Mini Oranges

Green Apples – 1:12 Scale

Miniature Silver Tinsel Garland

Miniature Gold Tinsel Garland

Miniature Red Tinsel Garland

4mm Red Silk Ribbon

Nutcracker Clear Stickers

Large Hollow Silver Star Charms

Iridescent Snowflake Sequins Mix

Tiny Polymer Clay Candy Canes

Tiny Resin Christmas Embellishments

Santa Sleigh Silver Charm Set

Candy Cane Charms

Silver Double Bell Christmas Charms

14mm Clear Flat-Back Acrylic Rhinestone Stars

10mm Clear Flat-Back Acrylic Rhinestone Stars

Printed Wooden Christmas Stockings Buttons

Saturday, August 22, 2020

WELCOME TO ATLANTIS - TRIPTYCH & FAUX BOOK - NEW IMAGE SETS

I have two projects for you depicting a lost world beneath the sea (Atlantis), where the merpeople and sea creatures have adapted and integrated the materials and technology to suit their needs.  

The inspiration for these projects came from the Sea World Paper pictured below.  This is one of the most beautiful and whimsical paper sets I’ve seen in a long time.  I love the merging of Steampunk with sea creatures, which then inspired me to create two new collage sheets along the same vein, which are “Welcome to Atlantis 1 & 2” and other complimentary sheets containing seashells, coral, seaweed, and fish.

Further down in the post, I cover how I put these pieces together and the techniques I used to alter Steampunk and sea-themed chipboard shape sets.

These sheets contain whimsical steampunkish sea creatures I imagined a lost world beneath the sea (Atlantis) where the merpeople and sea creatures have adapted and integrated the materials and technology to suit their needs.  The scale of these images works well with my Mermaid Gardens and other sea-themed collage sheets and digital image sets.  
To purchase this sheet, click on the image below.
To purchase this sheet, click on the image below.

This sheet contains 48 unique colorful fish.  The scale of the fish works well with my Mermaid Gardens, Welcome to Atlantis, and other sea-themed collage sheets. 
To purchase this sheet, click on the image below.

This sheet contains 42 unique shells with 2 sizes of each for a total of 84 images.  The scale of the seashells works well with my Mermaid Gardens, Welcome to Atlantis, and other sea-themed collage sheets and digital image sets.
To purchase this sheet, click on the image below.

This sheet contains 22 unique coral and seaweed images.  The scale of the coral and seaweed works well with my Mermaid Gardens, Welcome to Atlantis, and other sea-themed collage sheets.
To purchase this sheet, click on the image below.


THE DETAILS - TRIPTYCH

The triptych is constructed using three chipboard frames.  To connect them and make them stand, I trimmed some of the scroll work from the bottom of the frames and from the sides of the frames.

I painted the frames with copper-colored paint and then used Distressed Ink to add touches of teal.

I backed the frames with paper from the 8x8 Sea World paper pack and used images from my Mini Hardware Collage Sheet to attach the frames to each other.

 

I started adding background components which were a combination of images from the collage sheets and chipboard seaweed.

To add color to the seaweed, I painted them with metallic paint and then rubbed them with Distress Ink for additional color.
Next, I added the focal point images (mermaids and a sea horse). 

To add more dimension to the seahorse, I added a chipboard propeller and metal gear.  On many of the images, I added Glossy Accents to add dimension.  

At the top of the center frame, I added a chipboard clock and compass. 

I then added more images on top of and around the focal point images.


DETAIL SUPPLY LIST - FRAMED TRIPTYCH

Welcome to Atlantis #1 Collage Sheet

Welcome to Atlantis #2 Collage Sheet

Colorful Fish Collage Sheet

Seashells Collage Sheet

Coral & Seaweed Collage Sheet

Mini Hardware Collage Sheet

Sea World 8x8 Paper Pad

Elegant Chipboard Frame

Coral Chipboard Set – 4 Pieces

Chipboard Tall Seaweed Silhouettes

Deep Sea Shape Set

Steampunk Gears Chipboard Set

Metal Gear Mix

Enameled Seashell Charm Mix – Set of 3

Large Patina Anchor Charm

 THE DETAILS - FAUX BOOK

I started with a faux book I purchased some years back at a craft store.  The colors worked great with the papers. So, I didn’t need to paint or paper the edges or spine.

I started by papering the outside (except the spine) and inside using Sea World Paper.  As I was using 8x8 paper and the surfaces of the book were larger, I cut up and pieced the paper with the designs I liked.

For this project, I used chipboard and wood gears to embellish both the paper pad images and the collage sheet images.  To make them look rusted, I added glue and then sand from my yard.  The sand makes it look more like it is rusting, bubbling up, and flaking pieces of iron.

Next, I painted the gears with a flat dark orange color; then, to give them more dimension, I applied a small amount of bronze paint to various areas on the gears (don’t cover all of the oranges).

I used the same coloring techniques for the seaweed and coral that I did for the triptych, but I also used clump foliage to add more dimension.  I started by painting one side of the chipboard.  Next, I tore the foliage into smaller pieces.  I applied glue to the painted side and then pressed the chipboard into the foliage.  Once dry, I used scissors to cut away the access foliage.

Below you can see how I used various gears (chipboard, wood, and metal) plus clock hands to embellish the paper image.

For the chipboard turtle, I added blobs of paint and, when dry, painted over the blobs of paint with a gold color paint, which is how I achieved the bumpy texture.  I added a chipboard key, a clock part from my stash, and then metal gears.  To the face, I added a bronze anchor.

To the image of the submarine, chipboard and metal gears and a steampunk sea creature attaches themselves to the front of the sub.

The architectural pieces seen in the picture below, which help to give the scene structure, are from my MermaidGardens Digital Image Set.

Below you’ll find the “Welcome to Atlantis” sign I used on the front cover.


FREE IMAGE

Feel free to download the image below and use it in your artwork.

Click here to jump to the complete supply list for the Faux Book at AlphaStamps.

DETAIL SUPPLY LIST – WELCOME TO ATLANTIC FAUX BOOK

Welcome to Atlantis #1 Collage Sheet

Welcome to Atlantis #2 Collage Sheet

Colorful Fish Collage Sheet

Seashells Collage Sheet

Coral & Seaweed Collage Sheet

Mermaid Gardens Download Set

Sea World 8x8 Paper Pad

Chipboard Shorter Seaweed Silhouettes

Chipboard Tall Seaweed Silhouettes

Deep Sea Shape Set

Steampunk Gears Chipboard Set

Flourish Sea Turtles

Anchor, Starfish & Fishnet Medley

Coral Chipboard Set – 4 Pieces

Metal Gear Mix

Wooden Gear Mix

Bronze Anchor Charm

Clump Foliage – Fall Mix

Teal Glitter

Large Patina Starfish Charm