"Safari" - a Memory Tray Shadowbox by Rhonda

It's week three as a Guest Designer for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts and I chose this wonderful Memory Tray Shadow Box for my project along with the new Safari Chip Board Animals.  Alpha Stamps (my regular awesome Design Team) just happened to get these new Graphic 45 papers called the Safari Adventure Collection. Perfect for my African trip.  

To start, I always lay my pieces all out, like a puzzle, to make sure I know for certain which part goes where. Then I'm ready to start building. 

When putting the edge pieces on, I like to hang the whole piece over my desktop so I can more easily place the piece into place. Just a better angle for getting it together more quickly.

After it is all together, I like to put a dab of glue on the joints just to give it additional strength. 

Messy is better and finger brushes make one more in tune with their project, lol.

This step does not take long at all, if you are willing to get a little messy.

I also applied glue to the back of the piece, but this is not necessary if you are covering the back as well. Personally, I must do the backs of all of my projects or I just feel naked and unsettled. 

After adding this darker designed Natural Habitat paper to the back of my piece, I smoothed it out as much as possible with a bone folder. 

Sandpaper can be a best friend at times for smoothing edges down so they look more like a part of the whole instead of just a glued on piece. 

Emery boards work great for those tiny spots. Don't spend a fortune on expensive "weathering" tools when a good ole' $.99 package of emery boards can do the trick. 

Next I did a little rub down with an ink pad to bring it all together and darken the white core of the paper that was showing. 

After my paper is all in place, it's time to paint. For this project I used corresponding black paint to coincide with the back. 

Now that the painting is done and dry, the real fun begins!

I started by placing different elements into place, deciding exactly where I wanted my placement which then led to me knowing which side of my chip board animal to paint. 

Good ole Distress Paints for the main color of each animal made it a quick and non messy project. Love these little dabbers so much! Wild Honey, Mustard Seed, Picket Fence, Weathered Wood

Then I used markers to "paint" on the details. This beautiful page from G45 Safari Adventure was great for inspiration and guidance. What do you think?

I combined my painted animals with animals and items from the Alpha Stamps Collage Sheet Out of Africa .

I knew I wanted to place my cheetah "in the trees", so I had my youngest run outside and get me a small stick to use for the tree branches. 

After cutting out my leaves from my collage sheet, I used a pencil to give them a bit of shape. 

I always have foam tape on hand to give my items dimension. This way my cheetah can relax on his branch and the leaves can pop out and help him hide while he looks for prey.

I wanted my bottom trim to not be so stark and have a vintage feel, so a swipe or two of a brown ink pad did the trick.

I also added images from the G45 Papers like the camera and lantern that I added some Liquid Pearls to, to make the lantern look like it was actually lit up.

I had some vintage miniature animals that my mom passed on to me and the monkeys were perfect pals for this rhino! 

A few feathers and a vintage broach are the perfect touch for my "vintage" safari Memory Tray Shadow Box.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you find a wonderfully, creative adventure this week! 

Rhonda...

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Supplies Used:

Memory Tray Shadowbox

Safari Shape Set (Coming Soon!)

Alpha Stamps Supplies Used:

Graphic 45 Safari Adventure Collection 12x12 pad

Graphic 45 Safari Adventure Collection 8x8 Pad

Graphic 45 Safari Adventure Collection Patterns and Solids 6x6 

Out of Africa Collage Sheet

Bronze Camera Charm

Bronze Passport Charm

Bronze Binoculars Charm

Liquid Pearls - Cantaloupe 

Distress Paints - Picket Fence

Distress Paints - Wild Honey

White Adhesive Foam on Roll

Safari Mini Album Display Case - Part 2

Hello, chipboard lovers! It is Gloria with you today. Welcome back to the Safari Adventure project! I am sharing the tutorial for PART 2! 

The tutorial for today explains how to create the four mini albums that fit into the Mini Album Display Case (coming soon to the GSLCuts Store). I used Graphic 45 Safari Adventures and Tropical Travelogue (retired) paper collections to decorate. I also used the GSLCuts Safari Shape Set (coming soon).

To see Part 1 of this project, please click HERE to learn how to make the display case. 

The display case has a 3 5/8" x 4 3/8" opening which fits four little mini albums. The kit comes with chipboard covers and spines to create all four books, each approximately 3 1/2" x 4 1/4" x 1".

I added minimal decoration to the front of each album to make sure that all four would fit into the opening.

Each album has a theme (clockwise from top left): lions and big cats, tigers, elephants and giraffes, zebras. 

Each album contains three pages, with pockets and tags. The basic design of each book is the same, but I varied the papers and embellishments to match each theme. (To see each mini, click on the video link below.) Now, let's get starting creating your own mini albums!

1. Cut paper to 5 1/2" x 12: and ink the edges with brown ink. Select two cover pieces and one spine piece from the kit. Construct a binding piece from black cardstock (see below). 2. Place the paper face down onto your work surface. center the covers and spine piece onto the paper. Keep a 1/6" gap between the covers and the spine.

3. Trim the corners and the spine section as shown. Fold the center spine section over the spine. Cut a strip of paper 3 3/8" x 1" and cover the spine.

4. Cut black cardstock to 3 3/8" x 2 1/2". Score at 1/4" across the 2 1/2" side. You will have 9 score lines.

5. Fold the cardstock into pleats to create three page tabs. You will end up with three 1/4" tabs with 1/4" gutters. Attach the tabs to the spine as shown. 6. Place strong adhesive around the edges of the paper.

7. Fold the paper toward the center. Cut two pieces of matching paper to 3 1/2" x 4 3/8". Sponge the edges with brown ink.  8. Attach the paper to the inside of the covers. Using a bone folder, gently score on both sides of the spine. Slowly bend the covers toward the center. To avoid the spine tearing, continue to score and fold gently.

9. The book is now assembled and ready for the pages. As  you my be able to see, my paper tore just a tad in the lower right corner of the spine. If this happens, you may ink the area to disguise the tear.

10. If the torn area is large or it bothers you, simply cut a spine cover piece (3 1/2" x 4") and sponge the edges with brown ink. Attach the piece to the spine, wrapping around the book. Each little mini album is assembled in the same manner.

11. Decorate the cover, making sure that your decor is low profile in order to fit four albums into the display case.

12. The mini album pages are all 3 3/8" x 4" when assembled. For each mini album you need black cardstock cut to the following: (1) - 3 3/8" x 4" piece with a 1 1/4" half-circle notch cut into the right edge (1) - 3 3/8" x 6" piece, scored at 2" from the left edge to create a side pocket (1) - 5 3/8" x 4" piece, scored at 2" from the bottom edge to create a standard pocket (3) - 3 3/8" x 4" pieces

13. Cover the FRONT of each piece with decorative paper as shown. Decorate as desired.

 14. Use strong adhesive to attach the notched page to the first tab.

15. Add adhesive to three sides of the back of one of the 3 3/8" x 4" pieces and attach to the back of the notched page, sandwiching the tab between the pages. The creates the first page of the album, and is also a large, side pocket.

16. Decorate a Graphic 45 black ATC tag and tuck it into the pocket you just created. (This page is from the elephant book.) You need two ATC tags for each mini album, for a total of 8 for the project.

17. Attach the pocket page to the second spine tab. Fill with small tags and ephemera.

18. Attach the second 3 3/8" x 4" page to the back of the pocket, sandwiching the tab between the pages. The creates the second page of the album. You may choose to make this page a side-pocket also, but I did not.

19.  Attach the side pocket page to the third spine tab. Add the second ATC tag.

20. Attach the third 3 3/8" x 4" page to the back of the pocket, sandwiching the tab between the pages. The creates the third page of the album. (Please forgive my zebra. I tried to draw stripes onto the chipboard zebra from the Safari Shape Set, but, my skills in that area are not that great!)

Each mini in the set is constructed in the same manner. Click the video link below to see each mini up close.

Thanks for looking!

Find all these wonderful chipboard items at the GSLCuts Store!

~ Gloria Stengel: Scraps of LIfe

Supplies:

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts: 

Mini Album Display Case (coming soon in an updated format)

Safari Shape Set (coming soon)

Partner Products:
Graphic 45 Safari Adventure and Tropical Travelogue (retired) Collections
Graphic 45 Artist Trading Tags - Black

Other: 
Ink: Ranger Distress Gathered Twigs, Colorbox Pigment Black, Red, Orange
Pen: PITT artist pen
Pencil: white colored pencil
Twine: Really Reasonable Ribbon (various)
Wood signs: Maya Road
Punches: Stampin' Up 1 1/4" and 1 1/2" circle , Fiskars notch border
Adhesive: ATG tape runner, Ranger Glossy Accents, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L 3D Foam Squares