Gracielle Designs Fall Blog Hop

Hi everyone, and welcome to the first of three days of our Fall Fest blog hop.  This month, Gracielle Design is celebrating with lots of giveaways, sales, and inspiration!  Follow our blog hops each day and you'll have the chance to win a digital stamp set of your choice from Gracielle Design Digital Shop.  There will be lots of beautiful projects for your crafty inspiration, so we invite you to join the fun.

For my inspirational projects, I chose this gorgeous digital stamp set called Bee Kind.  I think the Sunflowers speak Fall to me, and the sentiments are so appropriate, too.

My first card uses these gorgeous sunflowers as the focal image.

I printed multiple images of the sunflowers, colored and fussy cut each one out.  On the top image, I added brown Flower Soft to the flower centers.

  

Cut black card stock to 6-1/2" x 10", fold in half to make 6-1/2" x 5" card, and the green print paper slightly smaller than the card front..  Die cut black chipboard and print papers with cabinet card die.  Use the smaller cabinet card die to cut another piece of black chipboard and the brown paper.  The brown paper was embossed with chain embossing folder.  

Distress the edges of the first layer and adhere to the card front.  Adhere the chipboard to the back of each cabinet card.  Hit the high spots on the embossed paper with Vintage Photo distress ink.  Use the Vintage Market die to cut out FALL from black card stock.

Adhere all pieces to card front, as shown.

Adhere Fall to the top of the card.  Adhere the first image layer to the cabinet card layer.  Place pop dots as shown for the next layer.

Continue adding the next image layer to the first, again adding pop dots to lift the next layer.

A few closeups of the dimension after the final image was layered onto the two beneath it.

Print out one of the sentiments from the set onto stationery paper, cut to size and adhere inside card.

My second card used this sweet little bee as my focal image.

Cut kraft card stock to 6-1/2" x 12", fold in half.  Trim print paper slightly smaller, to 5-7/8" x 6-3/8".  Die cut yellow print paper using honeycomb die.

Cut honeycomb in half unevenly, adhere to print layer.  Use 1-3/4" circle die to cut three holes in paper, through honeycomb, if necessary, as shown.

Adhere print layer to green print paper, cut away excess paper.

Adhere to card front.  

Add one complete bee to each circle, as shown.

Cut legs and head off of three bees, leaving only the body and wings, as shown.  Place bee upside down onto soft foam and emboss with a large ball stylus.  Shape wings and add hologram glitter glue.

Add pop dots to body portion of each bee and adhere over bees already adhered to card front.

A few closeups of the dimension.  Glitter glue was also added to the wings for extra sparkle.

Print out one of the sentiments from the set onto stationery paper, cut to size and adhere inside card.

Gracielle Designs Digital Stamp Set - Bee Kind
Daisy D 8x8 Beacon Hill paper pad
Fancy Pants 8x8 All Fall paper pad
Cardstock: Black, Kraft
Black chipboard
Lifestyle Crafts Chain embossing folder
Sizzix/Tim Holtz dies:
  Vintage Cabinet Cards
  Vintage Market
Teresa Collins Honeycomb Project Die
Spellbinders dies:
  Nested Circles (1-3/4" size)
  Fleur de Lis Rectangles (smallest)
Distress ink pads: Vintage Photo, Black Soot
Hologram glitter glue
Water-based markers
Foam dots

Blog Hop Order:

October 15th:Graciellie Design - http://gracielliedesign.blogspot.com/
Barbara Rankin - http://blackholeartstudio.blogspot.com/
Autumn Clark - http://sewpaperpaint.blogspot.com/
Gloria Stengel - http://gloriascraps.blogspot.com/

October 16th:Graciellie Design - http://gracielliedesign.blogspot.com/
Helen Holmes - http://handcraftedbyhelen.blogspot.com

Karen Heins - http://kaleidoscopicsparkles.blogspot.com/
Graciellie Design on Facebook* - https://www.facebook.com/HandmadeByGraciellie/

October 17th:Graciellie Design - http://gracielliedesign.blogspot.com/
Samra Leshinski - http://papertalkwithsamra.blogspot.com/
Donna Phelan - http://craftingbytheseashore.blogspot.com/
Graciellie Design on Instagram** - https://www.instagram.com/gracielliedesign/

*Be sure to stop by each blog on each day and leave a comment.

** For an extra entry, LIKE, share, and leave a comment on today's post at Gracielle Designs Facebook Page.

*** For an extra entry, LIKE and tag a friend in a comment on today's post at Graciellie Design's official Instagram page.

Be sure to stop by the Gracielle Design Digital Shop for some great promotional sales during our Fall Fest.  And we have two more days of inspiration for you, so be sure to come back and check out the ultra-talented artists for Day 2 and Day 3.  

Winners will be announced on Gracielle Designs Facebook Page on October 29th.

Thanks for stopping by, and check out your next stop, Autumn Clark,  to see what fabulous project she has prepared for you.

Hugs,
Barbara

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Reine des Abeilles Shadow Box

Hello everyone.  So glad you stopped by, because I have another really cute project from Gina's Designs Lasercuts.  I got this gorgeous bee themed shadowbox  that I could hardly wait to decorate.  The ideas were going round and round.  I decided to call it Reine des Abeilles, which is French for Queen Bee.  

Print French Florals Overlays collage sheet onto cream card stock.  Trim to size to fit the back of the shadow box, but do not cover the dovetails that will be glued together.

Cover the sides with damask paper, again leaving the dovetail sections untouched.  I like to lay out the pieces so I can glue them together correctly.

Before putting the box together, cut out a frame piece from print paper to cover the front of the frame after it is glued together.  Set frame and paper aside, but glue the box together.  Save the center piece of the paper to adhere to the back of the box.

Paint the back of the frame with Burnt Orange chalk paint, as well as the outside of the box.  Add a wash of Vintage Mustard over the orange color to tone it down bit.

Print Queen Bee collage image, cut out, and layer onto a slightly larger scalloped circle from brown card stock.  Adhere to center of box with foam dots.

Paint both bees with black and orange paint pens.  Cover the thorax (upper body) of the bee with glue and add black Flower Soft®, and the abdomen (lower body) of the be with glue and yellow Flower Soft®.  I just love how my bees have fuzzy bodies, like in real life.  

Paint Stargazer Radiant Gels dimensional paint over the wings.  Add a coat of clear crackle paint to the wings.  Aren't those wings awesome?

Paint the bee skip with Vintage Mustard chalk paint.  Glue to a piece of scrap chipboard.

Glue pieces of natural sisal inside the openings.

Trim a piece of the bumble bee paper to 2-1/2" high by about 6-1/2" inches long.  Tear a piece away from the middle, inking and rolling the edges back, as shown.  

Paint a piece of the honeycomb chipboard with the Vintage Mustard chalk paint, and distress with brown chalk ink.

Turn paper over, glue a strip of heavy chip board or mat board (1" x 5-3/4") to the lower portion of the bumble bee paper, turning the ends to the back, as shown.  Add the piece of honeycomb.

Glue two bottle caps inside the box, as shown.  Yep, I save everything, but sometimes there is a method to my madness!

Adhere this piece to the inside of the box, onto the bottle caps for support, as shown.

Add a couple of pieces of scrap mat board to the back of the skip to lift it up for dimension, and adhere to the right side of the box.

Paint another small piece of the honeycomb, and the knockout pieces, with Vintage Mustard, adhere inside box, as shown.  

Add the bees to the box, as shown.  The bee in the lower left corner is lifted with foam dots for dimension.

Glue the chipboard frame piece to the box, then cover the frame with the cutout print paper.  

Paint the "Bee Yourself" chipboard with Oatmeal chalk paint, adding brown chalk ink to give it depth.  Adhere to frame, along with a crown inked with Delicata Gold and Silver ink.

A few closeups of the inside of the box.

Supplies Used:

Gina's Designs:  7x7 Themed Shadowbox Bee
ColourArte:  Radiant Gels: Stargazer
Burnt Orange and Oatmeal Chalky Paint (Plaid)
Flower Soft® Black and Sunshine Yellow
Collage Sheets:  Bees; French Floral Overlays (AlphaStamps)
Liquitex paint pens (black, orange)
Buzz & Bumble Paper Collection (Close to My Heart)
White gesso
Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue
Clear Distress crackle paint
Delicata Gold and Silverink
Natural sisal rope

I really love how this turned out, and I find that I am always experimenting with different ways to use Gina's chipboard.  It is so much fun, and I just know you will enjoy working with it, too!  So pop on over and see what other chipboard shapes tickle your fancy!

Have a wonderful and creative week!

Barbara