Monday 3 June 2013

Summertime Bliss



      Welcome back to a very summer themed Laurart creation!

   'Frilly and Funkie' wants us to focus on holiday destinations for their latest challenge and although it isn't far away or exotic I do always love to go to the seaside....And boy was I so happy when I saw the latest 'Simon Says' challenge!...Simon Says wants the letter 'S'! YAY! I LOVE it when challenges combine so smoothly!

      For me, the ideal holiday destination is the southern coast of England. I was born in Weymouth and lived for a few years on the beautiful Isle of Purbeck. I have lovely memories of the gorgeous Dorset beaches, when we moved away we were able to see Dorset again because my grandparents lived there. During our holidays with them we seemed to spend every single day at the beach - ice-creams and sandwiches, buckets and spades, the smell of the salty air....such bliss. I still go on holiday there now and my husband calls it my 'spiritual home'.

      For this project I wanted to capture the look of holidays of long ago, weathered wooden beach huts, striped deckchairs, bunting and hunting for seashells.



      How to put all that seaside inspiration into my crafts? First I used the Tim Holtz Vintage Cabinet die cut. My usual way of using it is to cut a piece of balsa wood using the die cut as a template and make a hanging. I needed to make a window so I decided to use two pieces of the die cut, and this time use card and create a wood effect. One piece was the back of the project - covered in Antique Linen DS, stamped with a woodgrain stamp using Frayed Burlap DI and covered with a diluted wash of Picket Fence and Vintage Photo DP. I made the effect deliberately streaky to give a weathered sand washed look. The second diecut piece was one that had the center cut out and that got the same stain, ink and paint routine.

       Then I got a piece of card, and painted some Frayed Burlap splodges on it, spritzed with water and then covered with Picket Fence DP. I cut a cross out of it and used this as the window.


      I cut a slit either side of the base cabinet die cut and bending the window frame slightly, slotted the edges into place. Now I had a bay window style effect.


     I chose a gorgeous vintage seaside picture and attached it to ivory card that had been edged in Vintage Photo DI.


    A 'Wish you were here' stamp was stamped on pale mint printed paper with Coffee Archival ink. I found a vintage postcard in my paper stash.



I cut bunting from sheets of printed paper and edged them with Vintage Photo DI and attached them to hemp string. Crochet lace was placed behind the window as curtains.




















    I chose some gorgeous striped card - To me it added to the scene looking like old fashioned deckchairs that you see on the beach. I tore one edge and using the Vintage Photo DI again I gave it a rustic shabby edge.


      Some frayed beige material was added to the edges along with some seashells that my children collected on our last visit to the Dorset beaches - Lovely to get some more memories into the creation


   ......and some twisted string, that once had been the handles of a gift bag that I had been saving to use when the oppurtunity came along, gave a vintage seaside look of ropes.




















    The words Sun and Sand were obviously important. I cut out these words from an old pad of 6x6 'Holiday' papers that hadn't I used for years! So lucky I found them lurking in the bottom of the paper drawer - Edged with the Vintage Photo it completes my Sunny Seaside creation....


     I do like all the creations I make - but this one has a very special place in my heart. When I missing the sounds of the waves, the smell of the wonderful sea breeze and the feel of soft sand under my feet I can look at this and remember happy holidays of the past and look forward to wonderful beach holidays in the future.

        Hope you like it too!

     





I would like to enter this in the following challenges -

Frilly and Funkie - Holiday destinations through a window
Simon Says - Challenge brought to you by the letter S
Vintage Stamping Challenges - Childhood
Anything but a card - Dust off your old supplies
Make My Monday - Use lace and/or ribbon


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23 comments:

  1. Laura...your Sea and Sand piece is so pretty and such a lovely vintage feeling to it. You always include so much detail into each of your pieces....beautifully done! <3 Candy

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  2. Wow Laura, you are always so imaginative! This is yet another gorgeous make! So much to admire, the curved cabinet card, the curtains and little banner, the bit of wood and the shells, well I guess the whole piece really... This looks just great!!

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  3. Oh, how pretty, Laura. All of the things that I love...shells, sea and sand and nostalgia. I'm even getting to the point where one of those old bathing suits is lookin' good...covers up what time (and too many carbs) has rearranged...LOL!

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  4. This is an absolute delight to behold Laura, you have put so much detail in, I love the shells, the rope, the stripes - well everything really. A beautiful piece and a wonderful way to remember lovely holiday times. Hugs, Anne x

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  5. Laura this is just stunning. I love your little window of vintage seaside memorabilia and the effects you have achieved. I too love Dorset and the Isle of Purbeck, I have wonderful memories of taking groups of children to Fontmell Magna for a week visiting Corfe Castle and other sites of interest and Swanage has a very special place in my heart. It is where my parents holidayed twice every year and my hubbie and I would spend the weekends with them while they were there.
    Have a good week.
    hugs {brenda} x0x

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  6. That's a wonderful creation, so many fantastic details. Thanks for joining us at FlonzCraft Vintage Stamping Challenges.

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  7. What a fantastic project, gorgeous details and I love the image,
    Rosie x

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  8. Fantastic project Laura and with so much meaning behind it too ! Love the bay window and the view through it is perfect ! Thanks for joining us at Frilly and Funkie. Sue C x

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  9. Oh wow Laura! Your attention to detail never fails to amaze me and this has so much to indulge the senses. Thank you so much for joining us at Frilly and Funkie with this gem. Hugs, Jenny x

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  10. This is a really stunning and inspirational piece of artwork Laura and I can tell reading your post so much of you has gone into it.

    Thanks so much for joining us at FlonzCraft Vintage Stamping Challenges.

    B x

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  11. What an amazing creation Laura...so many details that fit so well

    kind regards, Alie :-)

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  12. Well I LOVE all the creations you make, like The wood beyond the world which had amazing work, It's a small world, which I soooo loved, also Memories are made, which was so very special, this is another BOMB,It really looks like a bay window, amazing, all the details and the love incorporated, makes for a sensational piece of art. Thanks for sharing all the detail on the make and for such inspirational work always, have a wonderful day..

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  13. Fab project Laura!d Love the dimensional quality, vintage feel and the way you incorporated the shells~ beautiful! So glad you joined us at Frilly and Funky!!

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  14. Amazing project Laura with a lot of beautiful and great details.

    Greetings Janny

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  15. I can honestly say that you have captured the romance of going to the beach some years ago and I love peeking through the lace. You have made such a fabulous creation - love the rope and shells too!!
    sandy

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  16. What a view out of this window! Your Sand and Surf scene is gorgeous as is the window! I love all the beachy elements! Thank you for showing us your S inspiration this week here at Simon Says Stamp & Show!!!

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  17. Fabulous creation! It so evokes a vintage visit to the seaside.
    thank you for joining us at MMM
    Suzi b x

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  18. Laura - one word STUNNING!!!!!- you now have a new follower! MMx

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  19. Laura, sorry I'm rather late in commenting on this wonderful creation. (think my time was taken up commenting on a massive blog entry elsewhere!).This is a lovely, lovely piece with so many beautiful elements and each time I look, I spot something new! I too love the sea and everything about the environment around it - I was a seaside baby so I suppose it's in the blood.
    Thanks for joining us at Anything But A Card this time.
    Hugs, Juliaxxx

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  20. Laura, I read the first few paragraphs of your post before even looking at your project. When I finally looked at the picture it brought tears to my eyes. I can tell that everything you wrote was poured into this piece! I just love every single detail! Thank you for playing along with us at Frilly and Funkie!

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  21. Its so fantastic - a great artwork!!!! I love it so much!

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  22. This is just so special, Laura: imaginative, inventive and full of charm. I am so in awe of your exceptional creativity. You are a real inspiration. Julie Ann xxx

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