LAYER IT! ~ A CRAFT HOARDERS ANONYMOUS CHALLENGE

It's Monday!  

Welcome to my blog and my other Guest Designer Spot for Gloria Stengel's Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge.  The name of this challenge blog cracks me up because there are SO MANY OF US HOARDERS OUT THERE!!

This challenge is being sponsored by Lindy's Stamp Gang and Add A Little Dazzle. THANK YOU to these fine folks for their sponsorship!

For this challenge, we are asked to pull out all of our hoarded goodies and layer them up!  It could be papers, laces, buttons and trims.  It could be inks, texture pastes, paints and glitters.  It could be stamps, rubons, dies and punches.  Whatever you've got ... layer it up and join in on the fun of this challenge.

Grab a cuppa something and I hope you will enjoy this creative journey I am sharing with you as I definitely "LAYERED IT"!

The project I created is truly fitting for this challenge as it is layers upon layers of pockets and tags and flaps. Half of the pockets have layers upon layers of all sorts of things to create unique designs on each one.  I will open the box and reveal all of the layers in a minute.  But first, let me tell you about the box itself ...

This is a wonderful pattern by my friend, Jim The Gentleman Crafter.  It is appropriately called "The Falling Photo Box" and the pattern is available in his Etsy Store. Click HERE to whisk you away to the store and all of his amazing patterns. 

The box is a very showy piece measuring approximately 7 1/2" x 5 1/2". From the outside, it looks like an interesting but regular vintage box. But ... open it up and ...

Wha-lah!  The sides fall down and there are cascasdes of pockets and flaps and tags for journaling and matting treasured photographs!  Now you see what I mean about layers upon layers??

Just the exterior of the box contains several layers:  heavy chipboard, glue, Scor Tape, patterned cardstock, ink, lots of Tim Holtz Ideaology pieces including Box Corners, Pedestal Legs, a Pull Knob, a Monocle, Vial, Light Bulb, Link Chain, Enamel Tag with Rubons and ink, Type Charm, Cash Key and Collage Keys.  

While I would love to give you the step by step in creating this fabulous box, that would not be fair to Jim The Gentleman Crafter.  So, I will share as much as I can about the layers involved. You can purchase the easy to follow instructions from Jim and get all of the construction instructions from him.

After creating the exterior box and covering it with some papers I've had for a long time from Tim Holtz' French Industrial and Prima's Engravers, it was time to make all of the components for the interior.  I used papers from Prima's Ledger Pad to create all of the pockets.  

There are 17 pockets in all.  They all started out as pictured above ... the Ledger Pad paper that I then distressed with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.  I used the lesser scripted papers to give half of the pockets their own special look.

For example ... here is one of the pockets in the beginning stages. I pulled out and tore some old book text; then distressed it with Gathered Twigs ink. Since this is a photo box, I really liked the sentiment on this piece of ribbon that I've had forever. So, I added the distressing with Gathered Twigs. I also liked the Prima brads. I would add more layers to this pocket, but this seemed like a good start.

Here is the finished pocket.  There are at least FOURTEEN layers on this: the base cardstock, the ink, the glue and Scor Tape used in adhering all of this pocket together, the "journey" stamp and ink, the distressed book text, the sentiment ribbon, the brad, the Journaling Ticket, the Remnant Rubons on the Journaling Ticket and the harlequin design on the pocket, the Tissue Tape of the eye glasses, the filmstrip, the measuring tape, the butterfly and dragonfly stamps, the Perfect Pearls Powders and water to colorized the butterflies and dragonfly and the lace. 

As you can see, each layer adds something of interest to this pocket and contributes to the design.  Don't be afraid to layer!  It adds so much!  

In this Falling Photo Album, I used primarily Tim Holtz stamps but there are some other random ones as well. I also used a variety of tissue/washi tapes that I have had for a long time, old buttons and laces; whatever I thought might look neat. Nothing is new.

So, how do you build layers?  

Well, here is a step by step example of how I did another pocket:

I began with the basic distressed pocket made from the Ledger Pad.  Using Jet Black Archival Ink, I stamped this beautiful face from one of Tim's Classics stamp sets.

I cut a "mask" out of manila cardstock and laid it over the face image.  Then I laid this beautiful Finnabair Prima vintage doily stencil on top of the pocket and masked face.  The color spray is Heidi Swapp's Teal (my favorite color) Color Shine.

Removing the mask to reveal this lovely subtle shimmery pattern, I then colored the face using various Distress Inks and a Detailer Water Brush. You can already start to see the "warmth" that the added layers provide. I also added a striped ribbon using 1/4" Scor Tape across the bottom of the pocket for interest and also to hide the obvious line at the bottom of her neck.

Next I added a piece of torn fabric that I gesso'd on the backside of the fabric so that it would soften the color and allow me to stamp a sentiment on it. I have a friend, Andrea Ockey Parr who does some AMAZING stuff with fabric. This is one of her little tricks; to turn the fabric to the wrong side. You still get the color and pattern.  It's just not as vivid.  Adding the gesso on top further softens the fabric color and patterns and gives you a good base to stamp a sentiment. Leave the stringy stings. They are fun!

  

I added a little almost dry brushed gesso over her head to try to remove the obvious line up there. Next I did a little more stenciling above her head and blended the colors of the pocket with distress inks, further erasing that line. Now, it almost seems as if her face is emerging from the background, not stamped on top of it.  Here you also see the added sentiment to the fabric strip (glued on using Matte Multi Medium) and a vintage button with one organza rose from Tim Holtz' rose ribbon trimmings (sprayed with pink) that was hot glued in place.

So this pocket has a total of at least TWELVE layers: basic cardstock, glue, Scor Tape, hot glue, ribbon, vintage button, sprayed organza rose, torn fabric strip, gesso, inks, stamps, stencil (spray). 

  

Here is another pocket with stamping, Remnant Rubons, Filmstrip Ribbon, stamped images and sentiments, stencils (done with Distress Inks), Tiny Attacher staples, Perfect Pearls Powders (mixed with water and used more like a paint), Distress Inks to color the gentleman with a Detailer Water Brush. 

Still more stencils, stamps, Perfect Pearls Powders used as paints, Distress and Archival Inks, Tissue Tape, a button

  

A pocket mainly done with stamping and both Archival and Distress Inks, a ribbon running across the top held in place by 1/4" Scor Tape. There are less layers here but sometimes not as many layers is still very effective.

A little more "artsy fartsy" design using Tim Holtz' dressform and sentiments paired with red washi tape, Dina Wakley's script stamp and Tim Holtz' Queens Gold embossed wings stamp. The little red circles are from a little stamp set that I've had for ages and ages.

I love this washi butterfly tape and I thought it went perfectly with Tim's Papillon butterfly stamp.  All are colored with Distress Inks and a Detailer Water Brush.  The black circles are from dipping a paint lid into black paint and randomly "stamping" it on the pocket. The script is added using Texture Paste and a Crafter's Workshop 6x6 script stencil. 

I HAD to include this sweet little gentleman from Tim Holtz' Paris Memoir stamp set. He is one of my favorites. I masked the center of Tim's famous Weathered Clock stamp so that I could add the sentiment. I like the way it turned out. The elephant at the top of the clock face is from Tim's Tiny Things stamp set. I really like his randomness as well. 

Here are all eight of the special pockets I created for the Falling Photo Box.  I love how different each one is and it is the LAYERS that really give them depth, color, interest and design.

Once the pockets are all made, they need to be attached to the opposite sides of the box so that when the box opens, they will cascade out.  I used 1/4" Scor Tape to attach each of the pockets to their perspective "tabs" created out of black cardstock. 

Here is one side of the Falling Photo Box with all of the pockets in place.  See how they cascade?  Isn't that cool? The opposite side of the box also has this same arrangement of cascading pockets. To the left, you can see the back of the box with the "tabs" in place to attach large tags for journaling.

And here are the large journaling tags attached to the back side of the falling photo box.  They will also be layered in between the photo pockets when the box is folded up. Each is distressed and stamped with various (mostly Tim Holtz) stamps at the tops.  But, they are mostly left blank so that lots of journaling can be done ... or more photos or other ephemera could be added here as well.

When the box is folded up, this what the interior looks like:  layers upon layers of pockets and large tags. 

Yet ANOTHER layer coming up!  These are the blank tags made from manila cardstock that are slipped into each one of the pockets.  Photographs are to be mounted to them.

And here is the way the tags look inserted into the pockets as they cascade.  I love it!

And again ... here is the Falling Photo Box when it is removed from the legged base, the top is removed and the box is left to open similar to a square "exploding box" design.

NOW do you see why this Falling Photo Box was such a perfect project for this Layer It Challenge?  Layers, Layers Layers!!!

I hope that you've enjoyed this blog post and that somewhere in all of this, you found some inspiration to start rummaging through your hoarded goodies and create something with layers for the challenge.  The link up your design to the challenge.  You may be a winner!

Thanks for sharing part of your day with me and GOOD LUCK with the challenge!