Alter it Monthly Guest Artist and Sponsor

 This month I'm delighted to be the Guest Artist over at Alter it Monthly! The theme for November is:
"Drawers doors and secret compartments.
Make an item that has a working drawer or door in it. Something that can be opened and looked into..."

This theme was so inspiring to me, that it inspired me to design 3 new Coffee Break Design Door Shrine Kits! "an item that has a working door" check!

I had a blast creating this piece. You can view my full tutorial HERE.

Also, for more inspiration check out what the Retro Cafe Art Gallery Design Team created HERE!

This piece is also functional and holds ATCs!

Retro Cafe Art Gallery is the sponsor this month at Alter it Monthly. Be sure to enter beginning November 1st for a chance to win a $50 Retro Cafe Art Gallery Gift Certificate!

Happy Halloween! A treat for you - FREE SHIPPING on orders of $100 or more for 2 weeks!

Happy Halloween! One last Halloween Design Team piece to share by Gerri Herbst!
Gerri used the Spiderweb ATC Overlay, Spider Cut-Out, and the Edgar Allen Poe Collage Sheet. What a fantastic piece!

And now for our treat for YOU! For the next two weeks, orders of $100 or more will receive FREE SHIPPING. Even on International orders! Ends November 13th.

This is a great time to stock up for your Christmas projects. Some of our top picks include Christmas Collage Sheets, Dresden (lots of gold, silver, green, and red!), ATC Arches and Windows (great for ornaments! Simply secure ribbon between your front and ATC Arch Base or ATC Base), Chipboard Houses (also great for ornaments or Christmas villages), Shrine Kits (make em' Christmas!), Christmas Muse Tokens, and so much more!

I Love Retro Cafe Art Gallery CONTEST! Over 5 FABULOUS prizes!

It's that time again for another fantastic contest! This time the contest celebrates all things Retro Cafe Art Gallery! And because we love our customers, we have some awesome prizes for you! Speaking of awesome prizes, we are super excited about a really fun addition to our contest. We have teamed up with our friends at 100 Proof Press, and they are going to be a guest judge for the contest. Their team will be selecting their favorite to win a $30 100 Proof Press Gift Certificate! How cool is that. They have amazing stamps so this is a great prize!

There will also be two $50 Retro Cafe Art Gallery Gift Certificates and two Coffee Break Design goodie packs! Not to mention everyone who enters will get a fabulous Digital Collage Sheet plus we will be adding prizes as we recieve entries (see below). And it's so easy to enter. All you have to do is submit art that incorporates at least 1 product from Retro Cafe Art Gallery! You don't even have to purchase it from us. As long as we currently carry it, you are qualified! We have SO many goodies in the shop, you are bound to have something at home. See the details below!

The Rules:

1. Submit up to 3 pieces of art! Each piece of art must include at least one item carried by Retro Cafe Art Gallery! You don't even have to buy it from us, as long as we currently carry it you're qualified. Of course it can have more than 1 product, but at least 1 is required. You can have 1, 2 or 3 entries. All mediums are welcome!

2. Email your photos to retrocafeart@gmail.com subject: I Love Retro Cafe Art Gallery. Please send a separate photo for each entry (just 1 image per entry - and yes you can make a photo collage). Files between 200 -300 KB preferred. I will post these photos on our Facebook page in this album as they are received. Please include your full name in your email and the Retro Cafe Art Gallery product(s) used. We only need photos, not the actual art! You will immediately receive your FREE Digital Collage Sheet via email after we receive your first entry. You can even use it for your 2nd and 3rd entries :).

3. Deadline to enter is Sunday December 4th.

4. We love our International customers and you are always welcome to play!

The Prizes:

1. There will be two, $50 Retro Cafe Art Gallery Gift Certificates awarded using a random number generator. *NEW* The 100 Proof Press team will also be voting on their favorite for a $30 100 Proof Press Gift Certificate! In addition 2 Coffee Break Design goodie bags will also be given out to 2 random winners. No doubt they will contain Shrine Kits, Stencils, Cut-Outs, and more. AND for every 25 entries received, a 5 pack of Digital Collage Sheets will be added to the prize pool. So FIVE+ prizes. $130 in Gift Certificates alone. What are you waiting for? Get those entries in early so we can all be inspired!

2. ALL players will receive a special Digital Collage Sheet just for playing, so everyone WINS! The sheet will be emailed to you immediately after submitting your first entry. And yes, the sheet can be used for your other entries.

3. Please help share the love by posting about this contest on your blog, Facebook, website, etc. Remember, for every 25 entries we receive, we will be adding to the already awesome prize pool! Feel free to use the Retro Cafe Art Gallery button at the top of the post. Good luck and let's have some fun! xo

Land of Enchantment Collage Sheet Giveaway WINNERS!

A huge thank you to everyone who left a comment to enter the Land of Enchantment Collage Sheet Giveaway! 141 comments, wow!

I have another lovely art piece to share with you by Jennifer Ingle using the Love Who You Are Large Image. She also used some lovely Metal Corners! So sweet.

And the winners are....

Congrats to Teri Gordon, Marsha Marsha Marsha, lindy, and Cher!

Please email me to claim your fabulous prizes! I know several of you are Facebook fans so you will be getting an extra goodie!

Stay tuned for another awesome contest coming soon! xo

New Design Team Art to Share!

Hooray, I have lots of Design Team work to share with you! The piece above was created by Jennifer Ingle using the Spider and Web Cut-Outs, Corked Vials, and an image from the Steampunk Parts Collage Sheet. I think the piece is adorable and would make a great place holder at a spooky dinner. You could personalize them with names!

The sweet card above was also created by Jennifer Ingle. The dollie image is from the Hello Dollie Halloween Collage Sheet. Love it!

This awesome card was created by Gerri Herbst, again using the Hello Dollie Halloween Collage Sheet. Gerri created the background using her old spin art machine! How cool is that!

For the above piece Gerri used the Lace Quatrefoil ATC Arch, Dead Tree Cut-Out, Bat Cut-Out, and Gravestone Borders. This piece is super cool and I love how she created so much depth!

Another gorgeous piece by Gerri Herbst using the Vintage Striped Sewing ATC Collage Sheet. I think the colors she used are fabulous together!

And the final piece by Gerri tonight using the Fancy Frame 3 ATC Frame. She also used one of the images from the Vintage Grunge ATC Collage Sheet behind the frame. Love the bit of sparkle.

And lastly, an awesome journal page spread by Bianca Mandity. She used one of the images from the Fairy Doors Collage Sheet and created an image transfer. Such a cool look.

And here is a closer look at Bianca's image transfer! Awesome. 

Oh, and if you enjoy Shrine Art and Day of the Dead Art you should have a look at the photo album I added HERE on Facebook. Come see Bianca's amazing Shrine Installation at the Indianapolis Art Center and more!

I hope you enjoyed the inspiration, and don't forget to enter the Giveaway below. You might just win some fabulous Collage Sheets! xo Kristin

Land of Enchantment Collage Sheet GIVEAWAY and Denise's Fabulous Samples!

So far I'm thrilled by the response to having Land of Enchantment Collage Sheets at Retro Cafe Art Gallery! I'm delighted to bring them to you both in digital format and for the first time in printed format! I know several of you are happy about that. I thought it would be fun to have a giveaway with several chances to win some of the 200+ wonderful sheets! The amazingly talented artist, Denise Phillips created some wonderful pieces to inspire you!

Denise started with the Masonite Stand-Up Houses for these cuties. The images are of course Land of Enchantment Collage Sheets. The sweet birds are from this Circle Collage Sheet and the backgrounds were made using the fantastic postcard image in this ATC Collage Sheet. As a final touch, Denise added our Tiny Brass Crowns!

Next, she created this wonderful Shadow Box! The background ferris wheel can be found in The Vintage Sepia Collage Sheet and the hot air balloon in this Circle Collage Sheet. The vintage Carnival Tickets and Alpha Beads can also be found in the shop!

And last but defnitely not least, the "French Peacock" shrine! In this piece you will find our ATC Shrine Kit and Arch Shrine Kit. As well as a gorgeous brass Feather Crown! The gold paint and Hitch Fasteners are also from the shop. As for the collage images, Denise used this lovely Rose Collage Sheet for the shrine background (and the display background). The text on the bottom of the shrine and the fabulous egg pedestal can be found on this gorgeous Large Journal Image. This piece is so Denise and every single supply came from Retro Cafe Art Gallery!

A huge round of applause to Denise Phillips for her amazing pieces! Please go pay her a visit on her blog! You really should become a follower while you are there as she is always sharing amazing art and techniques. She too is also a fan of giveaways and has more to come! Tell her we sent you! 

Speaking of GIVEAWAYS! Let's have one NOW!

1. We will be giving away FIVE Land of Enchatment Digital Collage Sheets to FOUR lucky winners! That's right, four winners! Yep, 20 sheets!

2. To enter for a chance to win, simply leave a comment on THIS blog post!

3. Deadline to enter is Wednesday October 26th. I will use a random number generator on October 27th to select the FOUR winners!

4. As you know I always like to sweeten the pot. If you are a winner and also a FACEBOOK fan you will get an extra surprise with your winnings! Let me know in your comment if you are a fan and please only comment once! Simple click HERE and "like" us!

Latest Giveaway Winner!

The time has come to announce the winner of the recent giveaway, co-hosted with Denise Phillips! A big thank you to all who joined in the fun!

And the lucky winner is #5, Francine! Francine is also a Facebook Fan, so instead of a $25 Retro Cafe Art Gallery Gift Certificate, she gets a $40 certificate. Congrats! Stay tuned, more fun contests and giveaways to come!

PLEASE VOTE - Anything Goes Halloween Contest!

(Artwork by Debbie Patterson)

The Anything Goes Halloween Contest has come to a close, so now we need YOU to vote!

There was NO WAY we could narrow this one down with 89 amazing entries! Please vote by "liking" your favorites. And yes, you can like more than one! You can also "Share" the album and have your friends and family vote too! Check out the awesome entries and vote HERE!

Voting ends on Monday October 17th at 6pm EST.

UPDATE: Congrats to all the winners! Hop on over to our Facebook page to see the results!

Gilders Paste - New in the Shop and a Tutorial

 I'm really excited to announce that Gilders Paste is now available in the shop! This exciting medium is wonderful for adding a patina to many different materials including Wood, Resin, Metal, Ceramic, and just about anything else you can think of. I absolutely love the stuff! For this quick tutorial we're starting with Resin Octopus Cabochons, Masonite Gears, and Raw Brass Fleur De Lis Stampings.

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 I simply opened up my tin of Gilders Paste and applied the paste to the stamping using my finger. Yep, that's pretty much all there is to it! Add as much or as little as you would like to achieve your desired look. And of course you can also apply the paste using a brush, sponge, cotton swab, or even a rubber stamp. If you are using a rubber stamp, just be sure to clean your stamp soon after using.

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Ah, so lovely! I used Patina Gilders Paste for the above piece. Patina is fantastic with raw brass.

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 If you aren't happy with the look, you have a few minutes to wipe it off with a paper towel and then start again.

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Next, I tried Black Gilders Paste. It gave a fantastic aged/burned look.

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 You can also mix and layer the colors. Here I layered a bit of the Patina over the Black.

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 Look how amazing the Silver Gilders Paste is on the black resin octopus and the Masonite Wood Gear! Just a quick swipe with the finger and voila!

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 The Silver Gilders Paste looks really cool on raw brass too!

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 Here is another instance where I used two colors. I used the Verdigris and the Antique Gold, applying both with a Q-tip.

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I love how the White Gilders Paste looks on the resin octopus. Of course you can use less to achieve a grayish color. The white has many possibilities for that antiqued look, especially when added over a painted piece.

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 Look how much more awesome this octopus looks on the gear now that both have been gilded. I used Copper Metallic on the octopus and Violet on the gear. The Gilders Paste dries to the touch really quickly (in just a few minutes on all of my pieces) and cures in about 12 hours.

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And here is a group shot of all my pieces. While I added the Gilders Paste directly to the brass, resin, and masonite pieces, there are many other options. For instance, using the Masonite Shrine Kits or Masonite Cut-Outs, you can paint them first and then use the Gilders Paste to add antiqued accents. You can also dilute the Gilders Paste to create a spray. One tin goes A LONG way covering 30 square feet and if your paste dries out, you can easily revive it! I hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial. You can read more about Gilders Paste here on our website and buy all 17 colors here! P.S. the paste easily washes off of your hands with regular soap and water. xoxo

Published - 1000 Steampunk Creations and a Few New Jewelry Pieces

I just wanted to share that I have a few pieces published in this fantastic book! 1000 Steampunk Creations is a great book (and I'm not just saying that because I'm biased). It's packed with inspiration and the pages are nice and heavy with beautiful color. I also love that the cover looks like a stencil. You can't tell in the photo, but it's actually cut out from the cover. I'm completely honored to be in this book with so many fabulous artists!

That's me!

A few closer shots.

I have several craft fairs coming up, and here are just a few things I made today. I make things all of the time, but often forget to share :). This Friday I'll be at the Indieana Handicraft Exchange!

These guys are pins and hair clips. A big hit last year! Tis the season :). 

I also did some soldering. I tried to challenge myself and worked with a few materials that are new to me. I really like how the buttons and broken china turned out. And of course the rhinestones and watch faces are real vintage pieces.

And while I have your attention, don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY and the HALLOWEEN CONTEST!

xo Kristin

A Fabulous $50 Gift Certificate Giveaway and Denise Phillip's Coffee Break Design Shrine Kit Samples!

 I'm sure you've heard me mention Denise Phillips before! She is a FANTASTIC Mixed Media Artist and a huge fan of Retro Cafe Art Gallery and Coffee Break Design products, and boy does she know how to use them as you will see from her amazing projects! The first uses the ATC Shrine Kit, Alpha Beads, Acrylic Cabochons, Corked Vials, and Denise's magic. You will often see fabulous nature themes throughout her work!

This next piece is AMAZING!

 For this gorgeous piece, Denise used several Coffee Break Design and Retro Cafe Art Gallery products including the Halloween Mini-Dash Shrine Kit, Spider and Web Cut-Outs, Bat Cut-Outs, Alpha Beads, Silver Scalloped Dresden, and a Blue Ballerina (which she painted black, clever girl!). She made it for a dear friend who happens to have a birthday on Halloween!

 Denise tells me she has now added a pedestal and doilies!

Denise has a fabulous blog and she posts regularly. She started it fairly recently and is off to an amazing start... that being said... the GIVEAWAY!

Retro Cafe Art Gallery will be sponsoring TWO $25 Gift Certificates! One and this blog, and one on Denise's blog! Denise calls me the "Contest Diva" so it seems only fitting!

Details:

1. To enter a chance for the gift certificate on this blog, simply sign-on as a follower on the right side-bar, and then leave a comment letting me know you've done so and you are all set.

2. Next, if you hop on over to Denise's blog, she will also be giving away a Gift Certificate in the same format so you have TWO chances to win!

3. Deadline to enter is Saturday October 15th. I will use a random number generator on October 16th to select the winner!
4. As you know I always like to sweeten the pot. If you are a winner and also a FACEBOOK fan I will make the Gift Certificate $40! Let me know in your comment. Please only comment once (or twice if you want and I will delete one of the posts before drawing the winner)! You can simply hit "like" below!.