Sunday 18 March 2012

Enjoy the Journey...

This is one of those projects that will never be finished, but I've been working on it on and off for four months now and it's about time I showed it to you! Without further ado, my first configurations box...

"Enjoy the Journey..."

First off was to cover the box using Tim Holtz paper and tissue tape. A sheet of patterned paper was cut into pieces to fit the back and base of each aperture.

"Stamped tissue paper"

The tissue tape was homemade by stamping distress inks onto tissue paper then cutting into strips. Lots of masking was used in order to get the effect of lots of layers of travel labels, and each label was stamped in its own colour, keeping the colours consistent for a more realistic look. The colours were chosen to match the backing papers. The strips of tissue paper were used to join the boxes and cover the edges of the papers by applying with a very thin coat of PVA. All the horizontal edges are done first, followed by the vertical ones.

"Paris"

The boxes each have a theme based on travel. "Paris" has an eiffel tower charm and vintage postcards with handwriting, printed in miniature and aged with distress inks.

"Treasure Chest"

This is what the traveller is looking for! The miniature treasue chest was made from card and covered in wood-effect papers then filled with beads and trinkets. I dug that tiny gold-coloured bracelet up from the garden so thought it was really apt for this project :-)

"Books"

I always take plenty of reading matter when I'm travelling - it's great for passing the hours in airports and hotel rooms. These little books are handmade by stapling tiny bits of paper and a cover on the spine, then giving each a title with a fine promarker. My favourite is "If they don't understand, just shout!" :-)

"Treasure Map"

Here's the map showing the location of that chest, and a lovely pen nib that was used to put "X" marks the spot! In the foreground is one of the embellishments made from stamping shrink plastic with black archival ink, cutting out with scissors, shrinking with a heat tool and gluing to the box with Pinflair or glossy accents.

"Medicines"

Every traveller needs a well-stocked first aid box, and these pills should come in really handy! I couldn't resist adding the funny looking cat, just the sort of weird animal you might come across on your travels abroad :-)

"Beach Fun"

I love the figure of the surfer in the background in this box, so this one had to have a beach theme with shells and sea creature charms. That bracelet came from a buddhist monk in Thailand and I wore it for years. This seems like a fitting home for it now.

"Vintage aeroplane"

This little vintage aeroplane is another embellishment made from shrink plastic.

"Don't care was put in a pot and boiled 'til he was done!"

Did this worry the weary Victorian traveller? Being eaten by cannibals? As a little girl, if I ever said "Don't care" to my Nan, she would say "Don't care was made to care, Don't care was hung, Don't care was put in a pot and boiled 'til he was done!". Perhaps that was the inspiration behind this main scene, which is the end of our interpid traveller. Lee sent me these fantastic stickpins and I knew immediately what I would do with them. They look so scary, they just had to be cannibals. There's a cooking pot full of skulls, skulls and fish bones strewn on the ground, bats peeking out from the rafters, a strange mask hanging for the main character to hide behind, and weird decorated poles (empty lipstick cases covered in gold peeloffs!). Could this be some sort of strange religious ceremony?

To the traveller I say. "Enjoy the journey, for who knows what you'll find when you get there!"

Ingredients:
Tim Holtz paper pad: Lost and Found
Graphic 45 paper pad 8" x 8": Tropical Travelogue
free vintage printoffs from the Graphics Fairy
wood effect patterned paper
scrap card & paper to make treasure chest & books
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz stamp set: Travel Labels
Tim Holtz clear stamp set:The Journey
Creative Expressions stamp set: Vintage Aviation
Distress Inks, various
Archival Ink: black
adhesives: PVA, pinflair
Shrink Plastic
gold peeloffs
charms & metal embellishments: skulls, bats, cat, used lipsticks, eiffel tower, fish, starfish, fish bones, drawbridge, shells, braid bracelet, beads, chain, decorative pins
two small vials of seed beads with stoppers, decorative stickpins, pen nib (all thanks to Lee)

Entered for the following challenge
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes
The Artistic Stamper - Travel

33 comments:

  1. Wow Maddy this is an amazing creation, every single detail is fantastic. another work of art, well done. Kathy xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Absolutely brilliant. Fantastic project - so much detail.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A Gorgeous project ... I know exactly what you mean about just keep adding to it ... I do the same! Thank you for joining the team at Simon Says Stamp and Show this week ... we hope to see you again soon!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What an amazing project, LOVE it! So much fab detail and such humour. xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gosh this must be a project and a half. It is so detailed. Very unusual. Great. xxx

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fab project, really detailed. Tinaxx

    ReplyDelete
  7. This absolutely fantastic, you must have lots of patience!!
    Anne x

    ReplyDelete
  8. WOW this is absolutely fabulous. Chris xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. This looks absolutely brilliant! Heike xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow - a stunning piece of art - love everything about it!
    Linda

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow, that's a breathtaking piece of art. So many wonderful details.

    ReplyDelete
  12. this is stunning soo much detail xx

    ReplyDelete
  13. Not only a piece of art but a memory journey as well. This will be a family heirloom and you can tell the younger ones all the stories behind each piece!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I absolutely adore this. It is a wonderful project and I have studied each and every section. It is amazing and I would love to be able to produce a keepsake such as this. I am so glad you added your name to the bloghop this week so I didn't miss it.

    ReplyDelete
  15. oh wow Hun,this really is amazing each and ever part is just stunning,the elements,and all those papers just perfect Hun,oh just love this too bits,one stunning work of art Hun,hugs Cherylxxxxxx

    ReplyDelete
  16. Maddy this is awesome! So many great things to look at and inspire. Your attention to detail is very clear here. A wonderful project. Thanks for sharing it early. Michelle x

    ReplyDelete
  17. absolutely amazing so much work and so many hours must have gone into this you must be very proud of it xx

    ReplyDelete
  18. wow how super ... You must have had such fun making it ... thank you for sharing it with us ... so much to look at ... just doing a bit of blog hopping ... bit busy yesterday ... thank you for visiting me happy crafting and love sandy xx

    ReplyDelete
  19. Ive not seen anything like before, it brilliant, so many hours of work :D

    ReplyDelete
  20. This is amazing! :) Wow! So much to look at, and utterly brilliant. It must have taken hours, but so worth it.

    hugs

    xxalisonxx

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wow! This is a gorgeous configurations box...really fab!! Good luck and thank you for joining us at The Artistic Stamper Challenge Blog.
    Emma xx

    ReplyDelete
  22. OMG!!!! this is stunning
    Hugs Kate xx

    ReplyDelete
  23. This is amazing, I love your homemade tissue tape, and all the fabulous little scenes you have created x

    ReplyDelete
  24. That is so cool! Fabulous stuff ;) Thanks for joining us at The Artistic Stamper this month.
    xoxo Sioux
    Good luck with the on going development....its' FAB so far:)

    ReplyDelete
  25. This is AMAZING!!! Wow Maddy this is amazing. I got my very first configuration box today in my birthday kit.....did I tell you about the kit I ordered that was my pressie from Mark? Got here today and boy was I spoiled rotten. Anywho, I love this. Im so glad the stickpins found a very comfortable and spooky home, lol. Lee x

    ReplyDelete
  26. I really enjoyed my journey around your configuration box. You are quite the intrepid crafter. I love the saying don't care was made to care...that is so cute.

    ReplyDelete
  27. This is the most amazing piece of art. Absolutely wonderful, I love the story that goes with each little vignette and that you have included details of the creative process. My daughter and her partner are wanting a "Mad Hatter Teaparty" type influence to the decor on their wedding tables rather than flower arrangements, to stimulate curiosity, wonder and conversation. I think this is the kind of thing that they were looking for but hadn't yet seen or had a clear image in their minds. Thank you for the inspiration and for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  28. This is the most amazing piece of art. Absolutely wonderful, I love the story that goes with each little vignette and that you have included details of the creative process. My daughter and her partner are wanting a "Mad Hatter Teaparty" type influence to the decor on their wedding tables rather than flower arrangements, to stimulate curiosity, wonder and conversation. I think this is the kind of thing that they were looking for but hadn't yet seen or had a clear image in their minds. Thank you for the inspiration and for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Wonderful creation, full of curiosity. It's like a memory scrapbook without photos.Imagination let loose.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Wow what a lovely project. so much detail. Its just amazing I love it. x

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for leaving a comment, it's nice to know I'm not just talking to myself :)