Thursday 9 June 2016

Friday will Bee Fun Day.

Welcome to all my new followers, hope you enjoy the journey.

I've been working on a mini shrine this week and I would like to show you the stages in making.
So here we go.

Deciding how to decorate the shrines never comes easy, well not for me Lol!
They are such works of art in themselves that I am eager to do justice to them.

None the less after much thought this is where I ended up.


 
And this is the shrine I chose to use.
Again this is from That Craft Place and available here.

 
Although I had an idea in mind of some of the things I wanted to use, this time I have to say that this project just kind of evolved as I worked on it.
 
So here are the stages in making:
They arrive flat but no worry because they fit together really well.

 
On this occasion I am constructing the shrine before starting to
colour it.
 
Usually I cover them with a coat of white Gesso and then put them together but this time it's not necessary as I will be adding elements to it and then covering with Black Gesso later.
 
So here goes:

 
First an MDF lizard I had in my stash.
Placed him on the back.

 
Then added other embellishments around him.
Any bits and pieces work well with this even a corned beef can key Lol!


Next I moved to the front.
Building up the design with shells from nuts, bottle top, little gems, pen nibs and some brass bees and other objects. The inside is a honey comb die cut from card. I actually added more of this to elevate the inside.


 
 At this stage I was ready to cover the whole thing with Black Gesso.

Front.

 
Back.



 It really starts to look quite different.
 
I actually like the black, however!
 now the rusting paint.
 
To give a little more texture I started by adding some Art Stones to the paint and added some Soft Gel to the mixture for additional adherence.
There is some fine sand like substance in the paint already but I wanted larger pieces too.

 
I continued to add the colour until I felt satisfied with the effect.
This paint dries really quickly which is useful as you will want to add the three different colours as you go along to give the rusty effect but also blend them without intermixing the colours too much which could happen if they were too wet.

 
 This close-up shows the texture quite well.


I felt it needed a little bit of green adding and I used some Paper Artsy paint for this and also some black. I applied the black and then rubbed some off.
Finished this by adding gilding wax to bring out the details.
Just rub this on and then buff gently.

Finally it was time to add the main embellishments.
You may have guessed what this might be!
I have some gorgeous bronze bees and just had to use one in this project.
So here is the finished shrine once again.









 
The eye is a replacement dolls eye and is there to watch over the bees!
You may wonder what this design is all about and where the idea came from.
Bees are very important creatures probably more so than we realise as without them many plants that we depend on would not be pollinated so this is a tribute shrine to the Bees.
 
 

I took the following information from:

 

SUSTAIN

the alliance for better food and farming 

 

The humble bumble
Many domestic and imported fruits and vegetables require pollination. Examples include avocados, soybeans, asparagus, broccoli, celery, squash, and sunflowers for oil, cucumbers, citrus fruit, peaches, kiwis, cherries, cranberries and melons. For crops such as blueberries and almonds, the honey bee plays an essential role in pollination of commercial crops,  with around 80% of the US crop said to be dependent on honey bees. Honey bees can also pollinate clover and alfalfa, which are fed to cattle, so there are implications for the meat and dairy industry too. And that is not to mention the huge range of manufactured food products made from all these ingredients.
 
Products used:
 

 
I hope you like it, I would love it if you leave a comment relating to any of the post.
 
Have a great weekend
and
happy crafting,
Angela xXx

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:

SanDee & amelie's Steampunk Challenges: Anything Goes Steampunk/Industrial June 2016
Anything But Cute: Challenge # 14 The Birds and the Bees
Altered Eclectics Anything Goes New Challenge for June
Rhedd's Creative Spirit: June Challenge 
Paper Artsy# 11 Our House Challenge 
I loved the Bird House by Claire Lloyd so why not a Bee House!
Things to Alter: June Challenge Anything goes.
A Vintage Journey: Texture or Embossing Paste.
 

32 comments:

Brenda Brown said...

Brilliant Angela, I love your mixed media bee house and what it stands for. The layers and colours are fabulous, the bee is beautiful and the ever seeing eye a very clever addition. Have a great weekend xxx

Annie said...

Wow. The finished results are stunning Angela and it's so lovely to see how you build up the layers. Thanks for sharing.
Hugs,
Annie x

That Craft Place Ltd said...

Just beyond WOW.... I adore you and your work lovely lady, and thank you for showcasing this for me... you are incredible!

Bee Crafty said...

This is gorgeous xxx

Barb said...

A really beautiful shrine Angela. Bees have a special meaning to my hubby and me from when we got married. Have a lovely weekend. Barbxx

Cara said...

Fabulous shrine. Those brass bees are gorgeous! I'm glad you're another bee lover, Hubby keeps bees and they are amazing, I always tell them the gossip when I visit them as folklore dictates! Cara x

Lisca said...

Wow! What a transformation! Thank you for showing how you did this 'magic'. It's amazing!
I love bees, so I did appreciate you wrote something about bees.
Have a great week,with lots of smiles,
Blessings,
Lisca

pam said...

Fabulous project Angela, thanks for info how you created your shrine, love the bee, not sure on the eye though for me! lol.
Hugs Pam x

mamapez5 said...

This was a really interesting post Angela. It is so different from the kind of craft that I do. I wouldn't have known where to start. But your post explains all the steps and makes it all make sense. I love the bee theme. We need to keep an eye on our bees, or we will lose them. Thanks for sharing this. Kate x

Lynne Mizera said...

OH MY! I am late this week to visit for WOYWW and am I ever glad I was becasue I would have missed this amazing post... SWOONING! Your shrine is stunning Angela and you have lit a fire in my creative soul with all your lovely photos of the steps! Thank you for sharing!

Sandra Wright. said...

A fabulous work of art..love,love,love it..all the detail and that eye is just so cool...such a great entry for our challenge over at Altered Eclectics...x

Sue said...

This is amazing Angela, a gorgeous shrine and I love how it all came together. Who would have thought to add a corned beef key and monkey nut shells - just brilliant, and of course bees make everything better. Have a great weekend xx

Claudia N. said...

Hahah! Who would have guessed that pistacchios form such a fab texture! Your shrine is just gobsmackingly brilliant and I love the worn look and the elements you have put together to make this cool shrine, Angela! Absolutely fantastic!
Thanks bunches for sharing it with us at SanDee&amelie's Steampunk Challenges!

Hugs,
Claudia x

sarascloset said...

Angela, your bee shrine is just a delight for the eyes and a wonderful tribute to our bees! Love all the ways you've added texture-so clever to use castoffs in this way! And those bees look great in there! Thank you for joining our Birds and the Bees challenge at Anything But Cute and for your fabulous step by step. Hugs! Sara Emily DT

sandra de said...

Great project Angela, and lovely to see the creative process. A big thank for your ATC which arrived Friday. :)
sandra de

Pawsitively Creative said...

Well hot diggity! This is fantabulous and those pistachio shells were well used for the added texture! Your step by step pictures are awesome sauce and show all of the detail on achieving this rusty goodness shrine! I adore the bees and the textures. Awesome sauce and wowzers! So glad you went with your gut and let the process evolve naturally! Stunning!

Thanks for joining us at SanDee&Amelie's Steampunk challenge and also for joining us at Anything But Cute for our "The Birds and the Bees" challenge! Hugz. ~Niki DT

Chana Malkah said...

Great work, Angela! Thanks for sharing with us at Altered Eclectics!
Hugz,
Chana

Zsuzsa Karoly-Smith said...

Oh my, these are in a league of their own! Or is that two sides of the same shrine? Fantastic textures and I love that rust effect. The eye is more than a bit freaky, by so cool! Happy Saturday night! xx

Candy C said...

Angela...your mini shrine is awesome! I love every angle and side of it! Great dimension and use of objects! You did a fabulous job! I also wanted to thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving such a nice comment.

Pamellia said...

WOW WOW WOW!! Angela, this is just incredible! I keep scrolling back up to take another looksie! Wowzers on the texture, every detail is incredible, and you even did the back!! LOVE LOVE LOVE your metallic bee as a focal point, what a glorious work of art!! Thank you so much for joining us at Anything But Cute for our 'Birds and Bees' challenge! Hugs, Pamellia DT :)

Elaine aka Ellapu said...

I really love what you have done with this shrine and also the indepth detail of the process. TFS over at Rhedds Creative spirit this month.Handcrafted by Ellapu
Mother Hen for Altered Eclectics
Mother Hen for Eclectic Ellapu
DT Rhedd's Creative Spirit

Neet said...

Thanks for the instructions! A lot of work has gone into this but it is "Oh So Worth It."
Hugs, Neet xx

TangledBlueRose said...

Stunning tribute this shrine to Bees! I love the texture and stroy of your creation, thanks so much for sharing!
~kim
Things to Alter

Katie said...

Stunning project and love all the texture and tutorial. Thank you for playing along with Things to Alter

Rupa Swaminathan said...

What a wonderfully done up shrine! I love the textures and the colors and what an honor for the bee in focus! Thanks for sharing this with us at Rhedd's Creative Spirit this month. Good luck, Rupa(DT).

Redanne said...

I must have missed this whilst on holiday... Angela this is an utterly superb, fantastic, brilliant project!! I love how you took all those elements and made them into this stunning shrine. A perfect place for the beautiful bee to rest - and the eye is magnificent!

Thanks so much for sharing this with us at Anything But Cute!! Hugs, Anne xx

Astrid Maclean said...

Just one word for this one Angela, STUNNING!! Thanks so much for adding it to our challenge at A Vintage Journey!

Julia Aston said...

What a wonderful shrine you created - thanks for sharing all the steps you used - love the depth and rusty sandiness of it! Thanks for joining us in the AVJ challenge! Julia xx

Juliz Design Post said...

I nearly missed this beauty Angela and am so glad caught up now with it. Absolutely stunning. Thanks for joining in the challenge at AVJ and good luck.
Julie x

Julia S-W said...

Really love this gorgeous, quirky piece! Wonderful texture using some unlikely elements!Thanks for joining us at A Vintage Journey. Julia S-W

SewPaperPaint said...

This is so very cool and each detail adds so much to the very complex nature of this project. I love the bee focal and gorgeous texture/color you've worked. What an inspiration! Thanks a bunch for sharing with us at Anything But Cute. <3

Pamellia said...

Congratulations on being chosen a DT Favourite at Anything But Cute!! Don't forget to come and grab your winner's badge! hugs :)

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