Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Stephanie's Bracelet!


The above bracelet was created by the talented Stephanie Peters! Isn't it wonderful!


Remember the Bird Bracelet Tutorial? Putting her own spin on it and using 1" Circle Masonite Blanks, Stephanie created a fabulous piece! I really like the larger, chunkier version too!



As and added bonus, you can used a 1" circle punch and 1" Circle Collage Images for this piece. See Stephanie's full tutorial here.


Thanks for letting me share Stephanie! I adore your bracelet! xo

Friday, April 20, 2012

Collage Sheet Giveaway Winners and 11 NEW Land of Enchantment Collage Sheets!


Hi everyone! Today is the day to announce the winners from our last Digital Collage Sheet Giveaway!

And the winners are #1 JMexicanMoon, #10 Mimi Cross, and #59 Astrid!
Winners please email me at retrocafeart@gmail.com to claim your prizes! Big congrats!


And speaking of Collage Sheets, I just listed 11 fabulous new Land of Enchantment Collage Sheets. Personally, I'm really fond of the Gear Head Steampunk Collage Sheet! Check them out HERE!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Gift Certificate and ATC Box Giveaway!


I have something extra special for you today! The fabulous Denise Phillips is celebrating 1 year of blogging this month, so she has created these awesome ATC Boxes using our ATC Box Kit!
In celebration, she is offering a giveaway for a $25.00 Retro Cafe Art Gallery Gift Certificate AND she is giving away all three of her completed ATC boxes! Hop over and enter HERE on her blog!


This one is Denise's favorite and I can see why. In addition to the ATC Box Kit, she also used a Square Basic Pin Kit, Fancy Box Feet, and a Feather Crown!


Even the insides are fabulous! You can learn more about how she made them in her post!


Each box can hold and display several ATCs so they are really handy to have around! Wouldn't you love to win one of Denise's ATC boxes? Or a Retro Cafe Art Gift Certificate? Go Enter! xo

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Perfume or Poison Bottle Necklace Tutorial and Fun with Vintaj Patinas!


Hi Everyone! Today I'm going to show you how to make this lovely keepsake necklace while showing you how to use the new Vintaj Metal Patinas and Glaze!
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I'll be using the Victorian Gable Vintaj Metal Patina Kit, The Vintaj Metal Glaze, and a lovely assortment of goodies that I put into a Kit for you available here.
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First, you will need a collage image shrunk down to 15mm or any photo, ephemera bit, etc. that you would like to use. You can place your 15mm Crystal Clear Cabochon on top to see how it will look. I'm using the Lovely Land of Enchantment Collage Sheet DP103.
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Peel off one side of the crystal clear double sided Incredi-sheet paper backing. This tape is the best!
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Press the flat side of your cabochon onto the exposed adhesive.
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Cut around your cabochon.
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Peel off the second second paper backing and you now have a cabochon "sticker" ready to stick anywhere! (this is also great for adhering to mixed media and collage pieces).
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Place your cabochon on your image and press down. Be sure it's where you want it as it's permanent and not repositionable. If you do happen to make a mistake, you can soak your piece in warm soapy water overnight and then start again. As an alternate method, you can also attach your cabochons to your images using Diamond Glaze, Glossy Accents, or a similar product.
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Cut around your cabochon.
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Burnish the back of your piece using a bone folder or something similar to ensure your piece is nice and stuck.
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Easy and no mess!
I did an acrylic charm tutorial a while back using this same method. You can view it here.
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Now for the fun fun part! Colorizing the Perfume bottle using the Vintaj Patinas!
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You'll find that the bottle has a wonderful, fine precision tip. You can squeeze the Patina directly onto your piece, or add it using a paint brush and/or your fingers. I pretty much use my fingers for all art mediums. I squeezed a bit of each color onto a paper plate.
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I started with a base coat of purple. I was surprised and delighted by the opaque coverage with just one coat. Ranger refers to this as an "ink", but the consistency and color is more like a runny paint. I was very pleased with the results! It does dry fairly fast, so I had to work quick. The Patina can be layered however, so just add more if you aren't satisfied.
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I added a few layers, blending with my finger until I was happy. I also added a touch of water while blending. This gave me a bit more time to work.
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Next came the Glaze. While the Patina seemed pretty durable without the glaze, I wanted to try it out. The bottle says you can use it as an extender and mix it with the Patina prior to applying, however I decided to use it more as a sealer. I simply rubbed it on with my finger. It also seems like a spray acrylic sealer such as Krylon would do the trick, especially if you want more of a matte look. The Glaze is somewhat glossy. You can also use the Glaze to seal metal (without the Patina).
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I also added a bit of the Patina to the brass accent beads on the chain. They looked like cute little eggs.
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Back to our cabochon. Attach your finished cabochon to the brass setting using a strong glue such as E6000. It's not a bad idea to seal the back of your image using Diamond Glaze, Gloss Accents, or Mod Podge first. This will ensure that the E6000 doesn't seep through or turn your images yellowish at all (that has happened to me before!). Once dry, attach the back of your brass setting to your bottle with a strong glue such as E6000.
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The Perfume bottle already comes with 2 jump rings attached. Simply open them up using some jewelry plies and attach to each end of the chain! The chain is long enough to slip over the head, no clasps needed, though you could add one if you wish.
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Finished! The top does unscrew from the bottle, so if you would like, you can fill it with perfume, scented oils, glitter, flower petals, etc.
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I wanted to play a bit more and show you how awesome the Patina is on raw brass charms and stampings. Here we have some cherubs and sweet brass wings.
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I added some of the Patina using a quick swipe of my finger. I used one color on the middle two, and blended on the top and bottom charm. On the wings I used all three colors from the Victorian Gable collection. Such an EASY way to add a lovely patina. So what if you want a darker, grungier look?
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I thought I would try some Black Gilders Paste on my pieces to make them even more "aged".
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I was thrilled with the results! I simply rubbed some of the Black Gilders Paste on the raised areas with my finger. How cool would these look on an ATC or jewelry piece! Try adding the other Gilders Paste colors too. Maybe some Gold or Silver! Just think of all the fabulous charms you could make!
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Ahhh.... these made me think of colorful pegasus wings!
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That's it for me! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!
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Supplies:
15mm Antique Brass Lace Setting
Small Piece of Incredi-sheet
Small Image from DP103

(You can also get the necklace components as a Kit)

Friday, April 6, 2012

24 NEW Collage Sheets, 5 NEW Coffee Break Design Shrine Kits, + a GIVEAWAY!


Hooray! We have some WONDERFUL new goodies in the shop! For starters, 24 new Collage Sheets by Cassandra Vancuren. We've got Theaters, Owls, Dresses, Ephemera Backgrounds, and so much more! They are all fabulous, but if I had to be pressed for a favorite, it would have to be the owls!


I'm also excited that my two favorite Shadow Box Shrine Kit Designs, the Pocket Watch and Retro TV, are now available as Trinket Shrines and Tiny Trinket Charms!



Here are some super cute earrings I whipped up using the new Tiny TV Trinket Charms and Tiny Pocket Watch Trinket Charms. For the TV, I left the masonite natural and simply added an image of Superman, coated with Diamond Glaze. For the Pocket Watches, I added a layer of Black Gilders Paste and then some   on the top. Inside I added watch parts and covered them with Diamond Glaze. Finally, I attached Earring Posts using E6000. So easy and fast!


And, our Exquisite Shrine is now available in LARGE! I hope you agree this is great news!

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Our Design Team has some wonderful samples for you highlighting the new Collage Sheets and other goodies. The above journal page is by Bianca Mandity. The two new Collage Sheets used are Blue Ephemera Backgrounds and AlphaBianca also used the Cracked Egg Stencil, Egg-splosion Stencil, and Large Egg Background Stencil. The chicken came from one of her drawings - isn't he fabulous?


Next up, Design Team member Jennifer Ingle created this adorable card using the Altered Owl Collage Sheet and Altered Tree Collage Sheet. Such a sweet, clean design. Jennifer makes the most wonderful cards and makes it look like a piece of cake, though I know from personal experience it's not! You rock the cards Jennifer!


Design Team member Gerri Herbst created this gorgeous piece titled "Beautiful Together". It's a standing reversible black and ivory ATC. The new Collage Sheet Gerri used was the Ephemera Backgrounds ATC Collage Sheet. She also used DP122 for the faces, Masonite Heart Cut-Outs, Tidings Tissue Tape, and Silver Stickles.


Fantastic work Design Team!!!

Ohhh, I almost forgot to mention, I'm also in love with our new Vintage License Tags! They make this jewelry makers heart melt!

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With all these great new releases, how about a GIVEAWAY!


1. Leave a comment on THIS post and let me know which of the NEW GOODIES you like best.

2. On Friday April 20th, I'll use a random number generator to select THREE winners to receive 3 of the new Digital Collage Sheets. (Guess I like 3 today!)

3. If you are a winner and already a Facebook Fan, you'll receive an extra goodie too! Go here to 'like" us. Let me know in your comment if you are a fan, and please only leave one comment. Good luck and XOXOs to you all!

Monday, April 2, 2012

Annette's Metal Etched Treasure Boxes and Vintage Perfume Bottles


Isn't this piece STUNNING! It was created by the talented Annette Husband!


Annette started with our Brass Treasure Boxes, etching the metal. I was so excited when I saw them, and asked her if she could write a tutorial to share with you! And she said yes!


Inside Annette used Ice Resin and one of our Mini Pencils too.


And just LOOK at these gorgeous etched Vintage Perfume Bottles. Wouldn't you love to make some? Well, you are in luck. You can learn how right HERE on Annette's blog! She can also send you a word document with step-by-step photos. Don't forget your Brass Treasure Boxes and Pefume Bottles!

THANK YOU ANNETTE!