CAN'T VISIT THE BEACH THIS SUMMER - THEN COME TO MY MINI COTTAGES BY THE SEA

For this month’s theme at AlphaStamps, which is Vintage Beach Cabanas, I’ve used the new Cabana Row House Set to create 3 mini cottages by the sea.  I came up with names for each of the cottages, and that drove their unique designs.

Shell Cottage

Using House C from the Cabana Row House Set

Shell cottage is the beachiest of all of the cottages, surrounded by sand, seashells, and palm trees.

The palm trees are die-cut chipboard.  I painted the trees using various acrylic paints.  The base of this cottage is a foam core.  I cut slits in the foam core, inserted the trees, and glued them in place.

For all of the cottages, I first assembled the house (minus the roof), and then in the case of Shell Cottage, I papered the house and roof using an 8 x 8 paper pad titled French Riviera. 

The doors and windows are from the Window Frames & Shutters collage sheet.  I used a tiny double-sided seahorse charm for door handles.  If you snip away the loop at the top, the seahorse comes apart into two pieces.

For the roof, I started by painting the chipboard white using acrylic paint.  I then glued the seashell sequins in place using E6000 glue.  I added some of the French Riviera paper to the top of the roof and trimmed the peak with the Under the Sea chipboard border painted with acrylic paint.

In the front of the cottage are two white beach chairs painted with turquoise acrylic paint.  The chairs have a slit at the top, where I inserted the cocktail umbrellas.  In front of one of the chairs lies a beach babe, which you can find on the Bathing Beauties #2 collage sheet.

Shell Cottage Supplies from Alpha Stamps

• Cabana Row House Set – House C
• Window Frames & Shutters Collage Sheet – Door and windows
• Bathing Beauties #2 Collage Sheet – Girl lying on a towel with an umbrella
• French Riviera 8x8 Paper Pad
• Palm Tree Silhouettes
• Seashell Sequin Mix – Roof tile
• Under the Sea Chipboard Border – Roof trim
• Tiny Double-Sided Seahorse Charms – Door handles
• Miniature White Beach Chairs
• Cocktail Umbrellas
• Seashells in Plastic Tins – In sand

Sailors Cove

Using House D from the Cabana Row House Set

For this house, I again used the French Riviera paper. 

The door and windows are from the die-cut chipboard set, Seaside Doors & Windows.  I dressed the door up with a brass anchor and seahorse charm.  Around the window, in the front, I used corrugated saucer beads.  The ladies coming out of the door can be found on the Vintage Beach Babes collage sheet.  The lady in the window is on The Fourth of July collage sheet.

At the top of the roof are a ship's wheel and a nautical flag glued to a toothpick inserted into the roof.

The trim on the roof comes from the Seaside Décor & Beach Umbrellas chipboard set.

Below you can see the two umbrellas from the chipboard set.  In front of the cottage is a paper sailboat with two children which you can find on the Seaside Victorian Children collage sheet.  You'll find all of the nautical flags I used on the Sea Calls to Me collage sheet.

On the sides are more windows from the Seaside Doors & Windows chipboard set.

Sailors Cove Supplies from Alpha Stamps

• Cabana Row House Set – House D
• Vintage Beach Babes Collage Sheet – Women coming out of the door
• Seaside Victorian Children Collage Sheet– Little sailor boy and girl in the boat
• The Fourth of July Collage Sheet – Woman in window
• The Sea Calls to Me Collage Sheet – Ship flags
• French Riviera 8x8 Paper Pad
• Seaside Doors & Windows Set – Front door and windows
• Seaside Décor & Beach Umbrellas – Roof wave trim & beach umbrellas behind the boat
• Tiny Double-Sided Seahorse Charms – Door handle
• Brass Ship Wheel
• Corrugated Saucer Beads – Around the front window
• Large Anchor Charm - Bronze

Rose Cottage

Using House B from the Cabana Row House Set

The Rose Cottage is papered with House of Rose on the Porch, scrapbook paper on the house part, and French Riviera paper on the roof.

The base is foam core which is covered with Natural Grass scrapbook paper.  I cut out cobblestones from the Provincial Cobblestone scrapbook paper to create a path.

The front door is from the Mini Old Windows & Doors collage sheet.  Around the door are pink, and cream mini rose buds.  Above the door is a brass bee.

The fence is made from flat matchsticks painted white with acrylic paint.  I poked holes into the foam core and inserted the matchsticks into the holes.

The windows on the sides are from the Window Frames & Shutters collage sheet.  On the fence at the front are pink roses.

The flower boxes are made from the ends of matchbox drawers.

Rose Cottage Supplies From Alpha Stamps

• Cabana Row House Set – House B
• Window Frames & Shutters Collage Sheet – Windows
• Mini Old Windows & Doors – Collage Sheet - Door
• Seaside Victorian Children Collage Sheet– Little girl
• French Riviera 8x8 Paper Pad - Roof
• House of Roses on the Porch Scrapbook Paper – Front, back & sides
• Natural Grass Scrapbook Paper
• Provincial Cobblestone Scrapbook Paper – Stepping stones
• Giant Brass Bee
• Mini Rose Buds - Ivory
• Mini Rose Buds – Pink Cream Variegated
• Tiny Paper Roses – Pink Cream Variegated
• Tiny Paper Roses – Medium Pink

MASTER SUPPLY LIST

This list has the supplies used for all three houses.

• Cabana Row House Set
• Under the Sea Chipboard Border
• Palm Tree Silhouettes
• Seaside Doors & Windows Set
• Seaside Décor & Beach Umbrellas
• Seaside Victorian Children Collage Sheet
• Vintage Beach Babes Collage Sheet
• Bathing Beauties #2 Collage Sheet
• Window Frames & Shutters Collage Sheet
• Mini Old Windows & Doors – Collage Sheet - Door
• The Fourth of July Collage Sheet – Woman in window
• The Sea Calls to Me Collage Sheet – Ship flags
• French Riviera 8x8 Paper Pad
• House of Roses on the Porch Scrapbook Paper
• Natural Grass Scrapbook Paper
• Provincial Cobblestone Scrapbook Paper
• Mini Rose Buds - Ivory
• Mini Rose Buds – Pink Cream Variegated
• Tiny Paper Roses – Pink Cream Variegated
• Tiny Paper Roses – Medium Pink
• Giant Brass Bee
• Brass Ship Wheel
• Tiny Double-Sided Seahorse Charms
• Large Anchor Charm - Bronze
• Corrugated Saucer Beads
• Seashell Sequin Mix – Roof tile
• Seashells in Plastic Tins – In sand
• Miniature White Beach Chairs
• Cocktail Umbrellas

Over the Summer Sea

To wrap up the summer, and before I start throwing Halloween projects your way, I have a collage piece to share with you. 

The red netting is made from cheesecloth died with Red Pepper Alcohol inks.  The silver leaves were originally part of a huge green spray of leaves I purchased at the craft store.  The leaves are very tiny so I thought they would be a perfect size for small projects.  I spray painted the leaves silver and added blue Microbeads. 

Other embellishments include paper leaves, real seashells, and brass fish from my stash.  I also added blue mulberry paper tulips and white foam stamen.

Collage Sheet and Digital Images I Used:

BeachBabes – Sea Gulls

The Sea Calls to Me – Victorian Woman

The Deep Blue Sea – Coral and Sea Shell

Frames & Borders – Weathered Blue Frame

On the Boardwalk by the Sea Diorama

It’s summertime on the boardwalk by the sea in this vintage diorama.  My inspiration came from the new Graphics 45 By the Sea papers.

 

The base for the diorama is round paper mache boxes which have become a staple in my stash.  I think using round shapes makes it more interesting. You’ve seen me use these boxes many times in my projects

I used a combination of one bottom and several lids to create the stair-step effect.  The paper mache is covered with a combination of By the Sea papers.  In some, I inserted wooden skewers into the lids and glued them in place.  The skewers act as support for some of the elements.

On the left side of the diorama, the beach cabana is the focal point.  I used one of the Tent Digital Image sets as a pattern.  One of the great things about the set is if none of the color schemes work for your project you can just print and use them as a pattern to create a tent with any color/design scheme.  In this case, I used them to make a tent from the By the Sea papers.

Click here for information about 3D Tent Collage Sheets & Digital Sets with a Tutorial

Notice that one of the wooden skewers is the support for the tent as well as a place to attach some of the bathers inside the tent.  At the top of the skewer, I attached a Dresden boat, flags attached to fibers and a fish bead.  On the side of the tent, I attached netting and wove fibers through the holes.  

In the center of the diorama is a compass and ship’s wheel attached to another one of the skewers.

I used a mini wooden pot (purchased at the craft store) and a piece of brass from my stash to create a bucket for seashells.  I glued on paper die-cut sand dollars to give the sense of steps and a path up the box lids.

On the right side of the diorama is a collaged “Beach Rules” sign from the papers attached to another of the skewers and a wooden direction sign in front.

Note the ocean waves lapping up against the back of the diorama.  

The ocean waves on the back of the diorama serve two purposes; one decorative and the other to help attach the base pieces to each other (which are also glued to each other).

Four Seasons Altered Tea Tin– ATC Storage/Display

I had so much fun creating the holiday themed tea tins that I decided to make a Four Seasons Altered Tea Tin.  Just like with the holiday tins, this one is the perfect size to store and display ATCs.  The process started with decorating a wood window for each season.  I think using a window makes a great backdrop for the change of seasons.

THE WINDOWS

FALL

The windows are close to the size of an ATC.  I think they would also work great as separate pieces or attached to an ATC.

I used Alcohol Ink to color some of the brass leaves.  The clusters of red berries are beads.  I stained the window using Vintage Photo Distress Stain.

Alpha Stamps Products Used for the Fall Window:

Tiny Oak Leaf Garland

3 Connected Brass Leaves

Acrylic Leaves in Tin – Fall Havest

Brass Oak Leaves

Raw Brass Rose Leaves

Florentine Brass Leaves

Mauve/Red Bead Mix

Distress Stain – Vintage Photo

Winter Birds Collage Sheet

Crows #1 Collage Sheet

WINTER

 I stained the window using Brushed Pewter Metallic Distress Stain.

Alpha Stamps Products Used for the Winter Window:

Royal Christmas Red Drop Scallop Trim

Christmas Green Buttons

Snug in their Beds Collage Sheet

Winter Birds Collage Sheet

PlasticPearls (Strands)-Ivory

Small Brass Snowflakes

Giant Snowflakes – Antique Silver

Antique Silver Snowflakes

Fresh Snow Buttons

Metallic Distress Stain – Brushed Pewter

SPRING

I used Avocado Liquid Pearls to color the window. The gold and red acrylic sprays around the windows are originally clear.  I used Alcohol Inks to color them.  The orange roses were originally white.  I used Lemonade Stain to color them orange.

Alpha Stamps Products Used for the Spring Windows:

Liquid Pearls - Avocado – Used to paint the window

Clear Acrylic Bead Sprays - Wheat

Forget Me Nots - Orange

Small White Apple Blossoms

Old Fashion Roses – White – Colored with Lemonade Stain

Acrylic Leaves in a Tin – Spring Green

Distress Stain – Squeezed Lemonade

Butterflies Collage Sheet

Umbrella Kids #2 Collage Sheet

Puppies #1 Collage Sheet

SUMMER

The red material wrapped around the windows is cheesecloth died with Red Pepper Alcohol Ink.  The window is painted with a Metallic Pearl Paint Dabber.

At the Beach Collage Sheet

Paint Dabber – Metallic Pearl – Used to paint the window

Travel Stick Pins

Starfish

Seashell Sequin Mix

Gold Starfish Bead Caps

Antique Silver Seahorse

Acrylic Flowers in Tin

Alcohol Inks – Red Pepper – Used to dye the cheesecloth

The Tea Tin

I used the same Tea Tin as I used in the Holiday versions.  I covered the inside and the outside of the tin with paper from the Olde Curiosity Shoppe line.

I used a wooden egg cup for the base.  In addition to the fact that I like how the tin looks propped up on a base, it also made it possible to have decorative elements that hang off the bottom of the windows.  

To distress the egg cup, I started by staining the wood with Vintage Photo Distress Stain.  I used a cotton swab to get into the grooves.  

After letting the stain dry, I applied a thick layer of Picket Fence Crackle Paint.

You will see the stain bleed through the paint.  I let the Crackle Paint dry (you should see fine crackling).  I then applied a second coat of Crackle Paint and let it dry.  You should see more crackling and some parts of the paint flaking off.  I picked some of the paint off that was loose.  Once you get it the way you want, coat it with a sealer like Modge Podge to keep more paint from coming off.

Alpha Stamps Products Used for Altering the Tea Tin:

Square Tea Tin

CandlestickHolder

Oval Window Wood Flourishes

Picket Fence Crackle Paint

Distress Stain – Vintage Photo

The last step was to attach the decorated windows to each side of the tin. 

FALL

WINTER

SPRING

SUMMER

"See the Alpha Stamps newsletter Sunday morning for info about a year-long ATC swap that would be perfect for this project."

A Summers Day

The combination of soft yellows, browns and creams are one of my favorite combinations.  The woman that is the focal point of this ATC is the same one I used for the Lovely Moments Canvas Book.  I loved so many of the images I used for the book, I decided to create a series of ATCs using scaled down versions of the images.