CASEing Linda Cain's Stunning Paper Artsy Shrine!

Over on the Paper Artsy blog they are continuing with their wonderful challenges to use their stamps, Fresco Finish Paints, and other products. This week's guest artist is Suzanne Czosek who has been making some beautiful items to drool over. I love her joie de vivre shadow box! Well, all the items are gorgeous.

As usual, I am a week behind the rest of the world and I am still stunned by the triptych Linda Cain made which you can see here. It is so inspirational and I love every detail of it. As you can see, I have totally CASEd it, mainly because I loved it so much, but also as a way of trying to change the style and colourway ruts I get myself stuck in. The only things I have changed are where I didn't have a particular item, and also I couldn't find my stash of these wooden icons, but I found this one I had already painted in copper and blue, so this partly influenced my colour scheme.

For the main image I used Lynne Perella 014. I love this beautiful woman's face, which I painted with Vintage Lace and Rusty Rose (Yes, I got it right this time!), with London Bus lips. Then I used Smoked Paprika, Autumn Fire, London Bus, Eggplant, Snowflake, and Limelight. I would like to say I stamped the word Imagination upside down on purpose but actually it was a mistake, and it would have been quick enough to redo the piece of card but I rather liked the quirky look.

Linda made metal birds for her piece which I much prefer to mine. I used a home-made mould, taken from a Tim Holtz charm, and then made up in clay and painted gold and dusted with gold mica powder.

I took a piece of Paper Artsy card-backed metal and ran it through a cogs Cuttlebug folder. I only chose this folder because it is the only large one I have to fill the whole sheet and it wouldn't have been my first choice, but actually I think I like the contrast of the soft flowers and beautiful lady with the more steampunk look of the cogs. I wanted a more copper effect to the silver metal so I rubbed Fresco Finish paints over it in Little Black Dress, London Bus, and Autumn Fire. It still wasn't coppery enough so I used alcohol ink in Rust, Orange, and Copper Mixative. Now I'm happy!

I glued thin strips of the metal around the top and sides and it really finished it off nicely. I put a copper metal embellishment behind the flowers which follows the curve of the arch and gives them a backdrop.

The final triptych - thank you so much Linda for a wonderful design and tutorial!