THINGS WITH WINGS

Simon Says .... "Show Some Things With Wings."  I love butterflies and they definitely have wings.  So, my challenge piece this week is all about butterflies.

You need to check out the amazing designs my Design Teammates have made for you at Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge.  Every week...they rock!!  Then, after you get your inspiration, create your "Things With Wings" piece and enter it in our challenge.  You could be the lucky winner of our generous sponsor's

  

WooHoo!!  And ... you could be recognized as one of our TOP THREE artists for the week!  We have some amazing entries every week ... so this is quite an honor to receive our Top Three Blinkie for your blog!

Now ... on to my Butterfly Suitcase ...

Before I go any further...I believe in giving credit where credit is due.  The basic idea for this suitcase came from Kathy Orta of The Paper Phenomenon.  She actually did an entire suitcase made out of paper.  While I didn't want to make an entire suitcase out of paper, I did love the idea of a suitcase interior that was interactive.  So, I modified some of her ideas from her paper suitcase, added her basic paper wallet (with my own design), did my own dimensions and construction and came up with ....

this shabby chic style butterfly suitcase using the beautiful Gabrielle papers from Bo Bunny.  Unlike Kathy's suitcase that is all paper, this is a very sturdy wooden suitcase that I bought at Hobby Lobby on sale for $5.  It measures 12" wide, 8 3/4" tall and 4" deep.  It's a perfect size and weight!  All of the gluing was either done with Ranger's Glue 'N Seal or Wonder Double Sided Tape.  After I applied the papers, every edge was sanded and inked to really give it that shabby chic look.

As I said, I used Bo Bunny's Gabrielle papers entirely on my suitcase.  I love the rich, wonderful warm colors of these papers...the teals, the creams, the browns.  Pure shabby chic elegance!  

The front of the suitcase features a pocket.  I made accordion sides on the pocket so that it can expand.  It is held shut by two velcro tabs on either side and straps made out of kraft paper that really work.  I bought the antique gold buckles and little keyhole brads on the tabs at JoAnns Fabrics.  

 

Here is the back of the suitcase.  The kraft paper straps go all the way around. All of the kraft paper accents are distressed using Vintage Photo Distress Ink and edged in Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  Then I lightly dusted over all of the kraft paper accents with Sunflower Sparkle Perfect Pearls.  All of the papers are distressed with Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain as well.

All of the hardware on the suitcase was originally a shiny silver.  I removed all of it with a little screwdriver and pounced Metallic Gold and then Ginger Alcohol Inks all over the handle, hinges, latch and even the screw heads.  This transformed the shiny silver into shabby chic hardware that blends perfectly with the rich gold and brown hues of the papers.

Hanging from the newly colored hardware are some charms I created.  The patina dragon fly charm was added to some color coordinated beads I strung and wired to the handle base.  The little butterfly girl collage was something I put together and added inside a metal Industrial Chic piece I bought at Michaels.  Originally, it was an antique silver color so I altered it with Gold Alcohol Inks to better match my suitcase.  Then I added just a touch of Juniper Paint Dabber by brushing it on with my finger to give my charm a more patina look.  I love the charms dangling from the handle! 

Here is a picture of the interior of the suitcase without anything in it.  The straps were part of Kathy Orta's paper suitcase.  I thought they were so cute, I made them for my wooden suitcase as well.  The antique gold swivel hooks were also purchased at JoAnns and really do latch and unlatch...just like an old suitcase!  The ribbon is dark brown twill.  The top compartment folds down ... much like a regular suitcase; to reveal yet another pocket behind it.  It is held in place with a kraft paper strap and hidden velcro closures.

Here is the suitcase with all sorts of "treasures" inside that I made using various materials.  More about those in a minute.

And here is the upper portion of the suitcase when it is flipped down to reveal the hidden pocket in the interior of the lid.  The partition is made from chipboard, covered in the Gabrielle papers and distressed on all edges with the Distress Inks.  I also added a butterfly twill ribbon at the base of the interior pocket for decoration.

The bottom of my suitcase is home to my butterfly collection board.  This board was made using a piece of chipboard covered in more of the Gabrielle papers.  The chipboard butterflies are also from Bo Bunny and coordinate with the Gabrielle papers.  I used various Stickles including Platinum, Fruit Punch, Aqua, Waterfall and Patina to accentuate the detail on the chipboard butterflies.  I stamped the butterfly sentiment on a blank chipboard frame and I pop dotted all of the butterflies in place on the board.  The cover on the board is simply some plain plastic packaging from Tim Holtz' Grungeboard.  He says to NEVER THROW AWAY THE PACKAGING!!  He made a believer out of me!!!  I covered the edges with more of the twill butterfly ribbon and made a pull out of the brown twill ribbon that I used on the straps of the suitcase interior.  I added a few "vintage" metal buttons on the corners and the butterfly board was complete.

Here are the other items I made to put on the interior of my suitcase....all about butterflies! 

I found the magnifying glass at Hobby Lobby.  It was black plastic.  I used some Metallic Gold Acrylic paint and swiped it all over the magnifying glass with my finger to give it a shabby chic finish.  Now, I have an antique gold magnifying glass!  I added a butterfly charm and some pretty brown ribbon complete with black butterflies already on the ribbon.  Behind the magnifying glass are some vintage butterflies images that I had on my computer.  I sized them to fit in the pocket, printed them out on newsprint paper and then distressed them with Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Inks.  They really do look and feel really old! 

On top of the butterfly papers is a little blank journal that I made using plain newsprint paper, chipboard for the covers and then some black masking tape as the spine.  I also had an old vintage book cover titled "The Butterfly Chase" that I had in a file on my computer. Perfect!!! I sized it to fit the cover of my little journal and printed it out.  Then I distressed the edges with the distress inks.  Next, I colorized the cover; especially the little boy and girl and butterflies using Perfect Pearls powders and a small Sakura Water Brush.  You simply dip your water brush into the powders, mix the water and Perfect Pearls into a "paint" on your craft mat and then paint your image.  It's that simple!   

 

 

Next to the little journal is a butterfly net.  I made this using a 4" wooden embroidery hoop, painted with dark brown paint and some loose netting that I made into a small net.  

Here is my bug jar with a butterfly captured in it.  It really does have holes poked in the top of the metal lid...just like we did when we were kids!  The pretty teal lace trim is from Bo Bunny's Gabrielle coordinates called Gabrielle Ribbon Wraps.  The butterfly was cream colored but I sprayed him with various color mists I concocted to match the beautiful salmon color in the papers.

Finally, I made a paper wallet to slip in the interior pocket; using kraft paper and covering it with more of the Gabrielle papers.  This is the exterior of the wallet.  "How To Know The Butterflies".  What a perfect vintage book cover to add to my cover.  I found this modified version of an original cover on Vintage Catnip.  It was all done it browns and creams.  So, I added some Tumbled Glass and Vintage Photo Distress Ink to give it just a hint of color.  Then for texture and also a little "bling", I added some Patina, Platinum and Picket Fence Stickles.  It really is a beautiful accent to the cover papers I chose to use on the paper wallet.

Here is the interior of the paper wallet.  As you can see, it has lots of pockets.  In here, I used the 6x6 Gabrielle Paper Pad on the pockets because the images were smaller than on the 12x12 papers.  I also added some embellishments from Bo Bunny's Gabrielle Trinkets.

Here is the paper wallet with some little ATC cards I made stuck inside.  We did an ATC card challenge a couple of weeks ago and I said that I would be showing you some more ATC cards that I was working on for a future piece.

Here are three little vintage ATC cards I made especially for the suitcase.  I loved the little vintage children and I made the backgrounds from scraps of the Gabrielle papers that I layered, spritzed and altered.  I added the sentiments and butterfly wings behind those vintage babies.  So sweet, so delicate ... just like butterflies!!

I love my new suitcase and it fits perfectly in a guest room that I am continually redecorating into a shabby chic room.  I'm working on another suitcase now using Graphic 45's Wizard of Oz papers. When it's finished, I'll share it with you!



Have a wonderfully creative week and remember to take time to PLAY!!  It's SOUL FOOD!