Amazing Carousel Doll Shrine Kits and More!

Happy Saturday everyone! We have some awesome new goodies in the shop! I'm just about over the moon for our new Carousel Shrine Kit and Carousel Doll Shrine Kit! Both were fun to design, and I couldn't help but hear carousel music in my head as I was working. The Carousel Doll Shrine Kit is a perfect compliment to our Theatre Doll Kits and more!

 

CHECK IT OUT HERE

Can you hear the carousel music and feel the warm summer breeze on your face as you whirl round and round? I sure could as I was playing! Starting with my already assembled kit, I spray painted my entire piece with gold spray paint. These kits just BEG for German Dresden so I added the Mini Scalloped on the "poles" and Baroque Fuschia around the bases. Two strips per circle worked perfectly. The pearls and flowers around the doll are just thrown in. The decorative border holds them in. The beads rolling around reminded me of the game Hungry Hungry Hippos :). In the center I added a little Giraffe Paper Cut standing with a Theatre Character Stand. He's a bit hard to see. He's shy :).

Supplies Used: 3-D Articulated Carousel Doll, Turquoise Inka Gold, Fairy Doll Head Paper Cuts, Glue N Seal, Mini Antique Gold Scalloped Dresden, Fuschia Baroque Dresden Border, Carousel Horse Paper Cuts, Paper Roses, Round Pearls, Circus Paper Cuts, Theatre Character Stands.

It's worth mentioning that the NEW Carousel Shrine Kit can be combined with our Victorian Exploding Box Kit to create a Double Decker Carousel! Or you can use just the lid! ADORABLE! I'm offering the lid as an add-on so you don't necessarily need to by the whole box kit.

I'm loving our new Carousel Horse Paper Cuts. The Carousel Kits come with the Classic Horses, however this set can also be used. As I was working I thought of Wizard of Oz, "A Horse of a Different Color"! Remember?

I'm still working on my handmade hearts for the Sweetheart Fairy Shrine Swappers! I used our Masonite Hearts, Lots of Paper Cuts, Washi Tape, and my favorite Gold UTEE! I'm anxious to try the other UTEE colors!

This STUNNING Santos Doll is by the talented Denise Phillips! I absolutely love the cool tribal flair. Those gorgeous feathers are from Denise's bird Buddy! You can read more about this piece on Denise's blog HERE. Thank you so much Denise!

This gorgeous Santos Doll is by the talented Lisa Rupp! We met Lisa a few weeks ago and I'm thrilled to share her work again! You can read more about Lisa and her amazing creations HERE on her website. Thank you so much Lisa!

Just wanted to say hi so you could put a face with the name (and art goodies) for those of you not on Facebook! This is moi, the one designing all of those Coffee Break Design Kits and Cut-Outs, packing those orders etc. etc. This is my happy art face (which I have most of the time!). I was trying out a side braid for the first time, otherwise, I don't take too many selfies. Since I had one handy, I thought I would share. It's wonderful to meet YOU!

xoxo Kristin

MINI Santos Cage Doll Shrine Kits, Chalkboard Signs, and More!

Happy Saturday everyone! We have some awesome new goodies in the shop! You know we love MINIS so we could not resist a MINI version of our Santos Doll Shrine Kits! They are the same size doll as our Mini Theatre Shrine Kits and now there are MINI Fairy Doll Heads to fit them all! Not to mention super Chalkboard Sign Paper Cuts, embossing goodness, and more.

 

CHECK IT OUT HERE

The Mini Santos was so fun to play with! I decided to emboss all of my pieces with Gold UTEE before assembling. And I tried stamping directly into the UTEE for the first time. I loved the result and was even happier once I rubbed on some Inca Gold! I simply coated one piece at a time, first covering with my Embossing Dabber. I dumped my UTEE onto a paper plate, shaking it a bit to distribute. Once you have the embossing ink on your piece, just place it in the UTEE pile. You will get nice, thick coverage. Heat with your embossing tool, and if you want to stamp into it, simply press your rubber stamp into the UTEE and then let it SIT. Once the UTEE is cool (a few minutes) your stamp will pop right off. UTEE will not harm your rubber stamps. Just be patient and let it cool before removing.

Supplies Used: Mini 3-D Santos Cage Doll Shrine Kit, Mini Fairy Doll Head Paper Cuts, Small Angel Wing Cut Outs, Embossing Dabber, Gold UTEE, Turquoise Inka Gold, Chalkboard Sign Paper Cuts, White Sharpie, 10mm Brass Cabochon Tag, 6mm Jump Ring, Silver Bird Cage Charm.)

(Photo below shows the UTEE embossing/stamping I did on the back and bottom. I loved the way the compass came out on the bottom.)

Fun tip: As you can see, my birdcage is hanging from the bottom. I had no desire to drill, so I started thinking and then I grabbed a 10mm Cabochon Tag and bent the loop to a 90 degree angle with my jewelry pliers. I then glued the tag to the bottom (make sure the loop is in the center) and then covered the tag up with UTEE. Finally, I attached my bird cage charm with a jump ring. Perfect! This is a great way to form a charm hanger for any type of dangle you desire :).

This STUNNING Valentine Santos Doll is by the talented Kim Collister! I keep looking at her and seeing more and more incredible details! Her embellishments are just fabulous. You can read more about Kim's doll and find more photos on Kim's blog HERE. Thank you Kim!

Here is another lovely piece by the queen of romantic art, Design Team Member Lynn Stevens! Lynn used our Scrap Angel Ornament, Brass Crown, and Valentine's Day Word Paper Cuts to create this gorgeous piece!

I'm over the moon about UTEE at the moment and here is great project by Design Team Member Linda Cain showing you how to use it to create something of a faux solder look! You can find more info on Linda's blog HERE.

FINAL Swap Reminder, Sweetheart Fairies are due in hand February 24th! That means they should be mailed within the next few days to make it on time. To be fair to all participants, we are firm about our deadlines! Get them flying this way!

These lovely ladies were created by Swapper Rebekka Reinsch!

You can view more of the entries we have so far on our Facebook Page and Pinterest Page.

I'm still working away, making handmade hearts for the Sweetheart Fairy Shrine Swappers! That gorgeous paper there is from swapper Bonnie Ashurst! She wrapped her swap box in it, and I'm re-using it! Too lovely for the trash :).

Antique China Doll Head Shrine Kits and a FREE GIFT!

Happy Saturday everyone! We have some super sweet new goodies in the shop including lots of embossing supplies and my favorite, Antique China Doll Shrine Kits! They are SO Retro Café Art Gallery and I'm so in love! They come in two styles and of course the Doll Head Paper Cut is included! Sweet!

 

CHECK IT OUT HERE

I decided to play with one of the new China Doll Shrine Kits (of course!). And while I was at it, did a bit of embossing too! It was my first time using the Embossing Dabber, and I really loved it! Tons of control and as promised, gives you plenty of time to add your powder. The other extra fun part of this project was using our Hinging Tape to attach the doors to my shrine. I do love metal hinges, but sometimes they can be a bit tricky. Using the hinging tape was a breeze and it will stay put forever.

Supplies Used: Antique China Doll Shrine Kit Style 1, Medium Double Doors, Angel Wing Cut Outs, Ornate Crystal Door Knobs, Hinging Tape, Sweet Bent Antique Doll Arms, Glue N Seal, E6000, Emboss It Dabber, Black Embossing Powder, Black Archival Ink, Sepia Archival Ink, Ink Blending Tool, Paper Roses

(Photo below shows the embossing I did on the back and sides.)

Back when we had our Mini Day of the Dead Shrine Swap, I fell in love with this shrine by artist Constance Taylor! And I know several others did too! This shrine was a big part of the inspiration behind our new Door Cut Outs. You can get them in two sizes. Small, to fit the Tall Mini DOTD Shrines and Medium to fit the ATC Shrines. Thank you for the awesome inspiration Constance!

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I had to share this adorable piece by Design Team Member Gerri Herbst! Gerri used our Cupid Stand Up and Brass Love Letter Charm. The base is a repurposed candy container. So clever and cute Gerri!

Not exactly a Valentine's Day piece, but most certainly romantic, is this gorgeous Santos Doll by Design Team Member Lynn Stevens using our Medium Santos Doll Kit and Santos Doll Head Paper Cuts. Below is her home in Lynn's beautiful studio. She is fabulous!

Swap Reminder, Sweetheart Fairies are due February 24th!

CHECK IT OUT HERE

These lovely ladies were created by Design Team Member Lynn Stevens!

You can view more of the entries we have so far on our Facebook Page and Pinterest Page.

We have a FREE Vintage Candy Ad Digital Collage Sheet for you. Our way of saying thank you for supporting Retro Café Art Gallery! This vintage ad was generously donated by artist Sherry Matthews for us to edit and share with YOU! Thank you so much Sherry! Feel free to share this "candy" with your friends too!
Download it FREE on our site HERE. xoxo

Cool Charms, Santos Doll Inspiration, and more Birdy Fun!

Hi everyone! I hope you are having a fabulous weekend! I have several new goodies for you this week, many inspired by other goodies. Last week when I was playing with our 3-D Bird Cage Doll and Chipboard Bird Cages, noticed that the cages were already the perfect size for Doll Skirts! So some new ladies were born and I didn't even have to re-size for the Medium gals! I also realized that the decorative door on the 3-D cage would make fantastic windows, so there you go! (or there I went). We also have several cool new charms. I'm loving those nesting dolls of course!

I love both of the new dolls so much that I decided to do one of each style. I did a small and a medium, and started with the same basic base of VerDay Paints. Scroll down for a little tip!

Supplies Used: Medium Articulated Scalloped Dome Bird Cage Doll Shrine Kit, VerDay Paint and Patina Kit, Angel Wings, Gothic Arch Scroll Window, Fairy Doll Head Paper Cuts, Large Brass Heart Skeleton Key Charm, Gold Wire, White Sharpie Paint Marker, Glue N Seal Matte, Diamond Glaze, 25mm Clear Cabochon, Poe Circles Collage Sheet, Prima Mulberry Paper Butterflies

Supplies Used: Small Articulated Ornate Bell Bird Cage Doll Shrine Kit, VerDay Paint and Patina Kit, Angel Wings, Santos Doll Head Paper Cuts, Hello Dollie Valentine Collage Sheet, Gold Wire, White Sharpie Paint Marker, Glue N Seal Matte, 12mm Pink Metal Rose

For those of you that have used this cool paint, you know you can achieve several combinations. Normally I use a combination of all of them, but I wanted the body and cage to have contrast. This much I know: If you want just a rusty look, start with a base coat of Brass, and then use only Iron as your top coat. For the lovely blue/green patina on the bodies, start with a Base of Brass and then Use only Copper as your top coat. For all coats, cover entirely. I used a sponge brush and did one coat of each. You can get your paint to go a long way by dabbing it on with a sponge brush rather than trying to brush it! 

Now, if you are impatient and a slight perfectionist like me, you might want to add more of the rust color. I was able to do this by mixing Burnt Sienna and Yellow acrylic paints, and dabbing it on with a sponge brush. I also forgot to VerDay my Wings, Crown, and Scroll Window, so I used this same technique for those pieces as well. The dark Masonite base is perfect. Just dab on certain areas, letting the Masonite show through in parts.

I just had to share this stunning steampunk Santos doll created by artist Lisa Rupp using our Small Santos Cage Doll Kit, Angel Wings, and Gear Cut Outs. Lisa posted this beauty to our Facebook page and I nearly fainted. Personally, I think she looks like she should be in a museum! Lisa is amazingly talented and you can view more of her work on her website, Mixed Media Max. She also has an Etsy shop where she sells her creations. Thank you so much for sharing Lisa! 

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Design Team Member Linda Cain has created this stunning gal using our Medium Dress Form Doll Kit. Look closely at her skirt. Don't you just LOVE how she left the "back" parts natural to create more dimension? I thought that was just brilliant! Not to mention the cool stamping on her body. Hop on over to Linda's blog for more photos and instructions. Amazing Linda! See more HERE on Linda's blog. Go say Hi!

You still have lots of time to join in the Sweet Heart Fairy Shrine Swap! Fairies are due February 24th!

CHECK IT OUT HERE

These beauties were created by artist (and swapper) Sherry Matthews! I especially love the embossed areas! So cool Sherry!

You can view more of the entries we have so far on our Facebook Page and Pinterest Page.