The Poison Room

Last year I read a number of books by Alan Bradley in a series called the 'Flavia deLuce Mysteries'. Clever, witty books written with a precocious child as the main character. At an early age Flavia discovered her great uncles forgotten old poisons laboratory at the top of the huge crumbling family estate. By the time she was 12 she was putting poison ivy oil in her older (and beastly) sisters lipstick and solving crimes with Scotland Yards finest.
This little 'Poison Room' was inspired by Mr. Bradley's snarky pre-teen heroine, Miss Flavia deLuce.

A shot so you get the idea of scale.....

Looks like someone is not the best housekeeper and who doesn't need a large economy-sized bottle of Chloroform?!
And all the hand written journals on Venom, Toxins, Acids on the shelf above....some excellent bedtime reading.

 Is that a poisoned cup of tea?

And what about the slightly creepy skeleton guy peeking around the corner? Is that the mastermind? An experiment gone wrong? Or just some really skinny Boo Radley type hanging out in his favorite room.......

Probably don't want to know.

Here is a quick tutorial on how to make a plate rail/bracket shelf like the one holding all the book above.

First off, I did all of the interior work on the box, like papering it and painting around edges, back and side. While I was at it, i painted the frame as well.

Next, I measured the interior of the papered box and decided how wide I wanted my shelving to be. I cut seven pieces. One goes across the entire back wall, two extend from the the back shelf (side walls) and four 45 degree triangles that make up the brackets or shelf supports.

I lined up the back shelf on my handy mat full of measurements and glued the sides and back together and after those set up, glued the brackets on.

After the shelf was completely dry I dry-fitted it into the box, making sure it was snug.

I then removed the shelf, painted it and glued it in place. And with a bit of Quinachrodone gold and a little black acrylic paints, I 'aged' the walls and the shelf. I did the same with the little bottle rack and the table and then glued them in place.
And then it's all set up for filling in all the fun stuff.
Wait a minute.....what's he doing there? I've had a lot of trouble keeping him out of the photographs. You don't know how many times I've had to redo shots as he wants to photo bomb everything.
And I thought he was shy......

For a link to all the supplies from the incredible Alpha Stamps click HERE.
Supplies List:

Small Frame Shadowbox
Simple 1:24 Table
Small Spice Rack
Skeleton Slide Mailers Collage Sheet
Mini Old Windows And Doors Collage Sheet
Secret Spell Book Labels Collage Sheet
Little Potions Collage Sheet
Little Library Collage Sheet
Large White Turquoise Skull Beads
Tiny White Turquoise Skull Beads
12 Tiny Glass Bottles
Mini Mason Jars-Set of 3
Corked Vials
Miniature Hurricane Lamp
Set of Miniature Books
Pewter Measuring Spoons
Bronze Teacup and Saucer Charm
Tall Bulb Perfume Bottle
Tiny Wooden Flower Pots
1mm Micro Beads (in Teal and Red)
Tiny Wooden Bowls
Tiny Glass jar with Lid

Additional supplies
Chipboard scrap
Matte Brown Acrylic Paint
Various beads for bottle making


Thanks for stopping by!

One hundred years old.

I live in a very small town of about 1,000 people. Along with our wonderful farmers market, our library is a huge part of what makes this little town a wonderful place to live.
Our librarian is the soul of the library and has the most wonderful knack of knowing the exact book you want when you need it. He does a lot for us all and we think he is spiffy. His mum is turning one hundred years old this coming week and he has asked friends in the community if we would make her a card....the goal being one hundred cards for her one hundred years.
This is my small contribution to the paper flood that I am sure is coming her way!

 The inside of the card.....

Detail of the left side.......

Such a lovely lady! I hope she gets a veritable sackful of birthday wishes this week!

I was inspired by the wonderful quote on the front of the card, attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, a fabulous lady herself.
I started out with my quote and some flowers that I played around with on illustrator. Then cut some card stock to the size I needed for my image....

I glued that on the front and while it was drying I painted all of my Gypsy Soul Laser cuts white. Which include;
Ivy Corners
Filigree Frames Shapes Set
and

I made little 'signs' to go inside the frames, glued them in and added sparkle.
I cut out more flowers from my chosen image and then added some fun sparkle to Mom Librarian's glasses and a couple of Swarovski flat-back crystals.

I glued in all the components and added embellishments and little dots to places I felt needed a little pop.
And there she is! All decked out for her birthday!

Happy Birthday pretty lady!

Supplies List;
Ivy Corners
Filigree Frames Shapes Set
and

Additional Supplies:
Acrylic Paint Pen
Stickles Glitter
Swarovski Flat Back Crystals
Collage Images
Card Stock

Pretty Spring Flower Treasure Chest

Hi folks, Lora here today with a pretty Spring Flower Box. A friend of mine asked me for a little box that she could store things in on her desk at work....something springy and girly that would cheer her up on long days spent at her desk. Her favorite color is pink, so I went with that, and here is what I came up with!

She is a rather elegant person, so I worked under the premise that 'Less is more' and didn't get too fussy, but hopefully, I achieved the necessary girlyness.

 I began with the Treasure Chest....

I glued the basic box together and then glued that on base.

While the glue was still wet, I used a Q-Tip to wipe off any excess glue inside and out. Everything fits better when I do this and you'd be surprised at how a lump of glue shows up after you paint over it!

I gave the structure a good coat of gesso and set it aside to dry.

I wanted to use the pretty flower images I found on some napkins, so I peeled the napkin apart. Usually napkins are three-ply, so make sure you get them all apart or your image will not be glued on properly and will peel off.

I used matte medium, first on the box, attaching the napkin and making sure there were no air bubbles, and then put a coat on the napkin. Then I let it dry without fussing with it. Otherwise, it can tear orslide off the box and you'll be smooshing it back into place or having to start over.
Not that I have ever done that.

After it dries, tear away the excess napkin toward the inside of the box. Then using a piece of sandpaper, and the same 'inside' technique, sand of the rough edges.

While I was waiting for things to dry, I gave the rest of the treasure chest pieces a coat of gesso, let that dry and after sanding the napkins, gave the whole piece a nice coat of white acrylic paint, including the inside and the bottom of the chest.

I have some pretty little beads I found rummaging around in a second hand shop that I have been slowly using up. I got scads of them and they are great because they are a little flat and easy to glue. Pearls would work as well and if you want to get really snazzy you could use flat back crystals or beads. I glued these around parts of the chest, making a pretty borders.

I added a cute little knob on the top and at the last minute, glued a flower on it. I like how pretty and whimsical it looks! A couple of brass findings in the top corners of the lid and a few of those little beads glued around around the base of the knob and I think I'm done.
An elegant and feminine box for an elegant and pretty gal!

Supplies:
Treasure Chest

Additional supplies:
Gesso
Acrylic Paint
Beads
Knob
Silk Flower
Brass findings (little flowers)
Don't forget the napkins!

Thank you for visiting!

Pretty Little Everyday Ornaments

Hello everyone! Lora here taking my turn for GSLCuts and happy to be here on this beautiful spring day.
I like making ornaments that I can hang all year. These two were inspired by my newly awakened garden and some recent baking experiments involving little pink cakes.
They were delicious.

 This was a very straight forward project, so instead of a step-by-step tutorial, I'm going to pass along a couple of tips for cutting tidy angles for things like Dresden trim and how to make a wee doorway that opens with linen hinging tape, one of my favorite things.

I started out with the Simple House Ornament. Love these! They come two in a pack and if you have half the obsession I do with houses, you'll love them too.

 I covered them with the papers I chose and on the green and blue house I decided to add some Dresden Trim. Dresden trim, for those not familiar with it, is an embossed, die cut paper trim made from old molds in a village just outside of Dresden. Often foiled in gold or silver and cut into very complex designs. They are gorgeous and a staple for me when I want added detail.
A very easy way to cut an awkward angle that for example, matches the angle of your roof line on your wee house, is easy peasy.

Glue the piece of Dresden where you would like it to go, making sure there is some extending off either end of the piece. After it dries completely, simply turn it over and cut of the excess, using the angle of your house as a guide. Make sure what you are cutting with is very sharp. I use a scalpel, but a good sharp craft knife will do.

There is a little bit of waste, but not much and for me, worth it to get those edges nice and neat.

This happy little house has a door that opens and I'll give you some tips on how to make it. Again, easy peasy!

First of all, save all those little scraps that pop out of GSLCuts pieces. You never know when they are going to come in handy! This door is two scraps that popped out of a couple of the frames I have. They are the perfect size and shape for this purpose. I pre-cut the paper (you only need three pieces as the one side will be glued down)  and I taped the chip board together with linen hinging tape (you can get it on Amazon) making sure the bottoms of the scrap were even with each other and that the space between them was wide enough for the door to close properly when I added paper and embellishments.

I glued the papers down, making sure the inside edge near the linen tape was aligned with the edge of the chipboard perfectly. It's easier to trim paper from an outside edge than it is to try and trim over lap off of an area where you have to fuss. I also colored the tape a similar color to the paper with  copic marker.

After my papers dried I sanded and inked all the edges. Not something you need to do, just a preference I have. And then I worked on the inside of the door, before I glued it to the house. After I glued it down, I added the details to the outside of the door.

I thought this little stamped brass curlicue would make a pretty hinge, so I cut it in half and painted it black. The door knob is the head of a straight pin I cut off and glued down.

 This pretty girl doesn't have any secret tips other than I'd like to point out that her head sticking out from the edge of the house is intentional. I could have trimmed it off as I did her shoulder, but liked the way she looked with her crown and hair intact.

And one more thing that we sometimes forget......

Sign your work!

SUPPLIES:
 Simple House Ornament

Dresden Trim
Double Dot Vintage Scrapbook Papers
(both can be purchased from Alpha Stamps)
Copic marker
White paint pen
Sandy Gordon Collage Sheets (from Art, Tea, Life)
Thanks you for stopping by!

The Girl in the Garden

Hello all! Lora here continuing my obsession with old masters paintings in combination with mixed medium.
What I've got for you today is a beautiful painting done by Antonio del Pollaiuolo called 'Portrait of a Young Woman' that I have surrounded with very modern watercolor flowers. Love the juxtaposition!
I am calling her, 'The Girl in the Garden'.

A detail shot of her pretty face.....

I began with the ATC Shrine Box and the Layered Frame-Aria. I primed both pieces (well, three pieces as the Frame is two pieces) and then painted both background pieces black and the front filigree of the frame gold. After the filigree piece dried, I added a little Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold over the top. It makes the gold pop and it looks oh so much richer.

After things were completely dry, I papered the outside of the box (which i forgot to take a picture of) and I began to play around with the composition of the interior of the box.

I thought I could work around the fact that the frame was a bit shorter than the box was, but I decided in the end to cut the bottom bar off of the frame.
I am always trying to find the perfect solution to getting different levels of depth inside of a shrine/box and this time I chose to cut up lengths of a semi translucent green straw.
Easy to cut and easy to glue....

I also used foam tape when I needed just a little lift.

After the interior was glued in and everything dried, I attached the frame around the shrine box with glue. (I love Aleene's Tacky Glue)
And was nearly there. However, I didn't like how unfinished the bottom of the piece was since I cut off the bottom of the frame.
Then I remembered I had those awesome Victorian Corners-2. I prepped one just as I did for the frame and attached that to the bottom.  Much better! My junk store find of a cute little brass candlestick finished the piece off.

As a finishing touch, I added some dot detail to the filigree to tie it in to the detail I added to the image of the girl.

 SUPPLIES
 ATC Shrine Box
 Layered Frame-Aria
 Victorian Corners-2

Additonal Supplies
Liquid Pearls in White Opal and Garnet
Black Acrylic Paint
Gold Acrylic Paint
Quinacrodone Nickel Azo Gold Acrylic paint
Antonio del Pollaiuolo's Portrait of a Young Woman
Floral collage images

Thank you very much for taking a look!