Deep Roots Workshop Archives

Ciao Bella Sound of Summer Beach Shaker Card and Altered Bottle

Hello, Friends! If you’re longing for the sound of surf hitting sand, then today’s Summer Beach Shaker Card and Altered Bottle is just what the doctor ordered! My clever son turned another little apothecary bottle on his lathe. He’s experimenting with his carving tools, and added some neat details to the face and back of this cherry wood bottle. The moment I saw it, I imagined an old bottle washed up on the shore. Thus, I dubbed it, “The Castaway.” Peter was kind enough to let me alter it into the vision I had in my head. Then I just had to make a card to go with it. And here we are.

The Castaway

I’m always a little nervous about altering these apothecary bottles because they are so beautiful in their natural state. Peter works with primarily reclaimed wood. Lots of it is really old, salvaged from falling down barns, estate sales, fallen trees, etc. The goal when altering these bottles is to let the beauty of the wood shine through while creating a vignette that tells a story.

Sometimes a tag is all it takes. Fill a little glass vial with beach sand, a real shark’s tooth and itty bitty shell. Tap a copper starfish charm with Speckled Egg Paint to age it. Then cluster up some Spanish moss, sequins and beads to add texture and shimmer. Add a feather, some burlap string and BAM! You’ve got a miniature beach on your hands.

Highlight the bottle edges with more paint. Then tap the carved areas with gold mica gel to add a little shimmer. Burlap trim adds the perfect rustic touch.

The neat wood piece at the bottom of the bottle is something I picked up after a storm. I love it clustered up with some little shells and beads. Create a sandy beach with Distress Embossing Powder. I’m not gonna lie…this was fun!

The Shaker Card

Since I already had my Ciao Bella Sound of Summer collection out on the desk, I decided to go ahead and make a card to keep The Castaway company. This is a 5″ x 7″ top fold card with a 1/2″ spine. The shaker box is a Reneabouquets Shell Frame that I altered with Shabby Ivory Embossing Enamel. It’s hard to see in the photo, but there are little flecks of gold that shimmer like the sun on water.

To keep with the shell theme, I added a vintage ribbon slide. This came in a big box of buttons that our son and his wife gave me for my birthday one year. It looks to be carved from Mother of Pearl or Abalone. The delicate carved edges are simply elegant. Striped ribbon mimics the sails on the little boats.

A Peek Inside

I had as much fun designing the inside of this box pocket card as I did the outside.

This little flap feature opens to reveal a gorgeous seaside view. It also has a little tea bag pocket.

The box pocket is a “two for one” creation. Three small folios fit into the little pocket on top, while a bookmark, seashell spoon, cookie, chocolate, and magnet fit into the larger space.

These little folios are a great spot to write secret messages or quotes. They are also great for tiny photos or gift cards.

Here’s a closer look at the magnet, bookmark and spoon.

If you’re interested in purchasing either The Castaway or the Shaker Card, you can find them in my ETSY shop.

To see more projects made with Ciao Bella Sound of Summer, Click HERE.

Thanks for sharing a cuppa with me this Saturday morning! I hope you find time to make something beautiful today. Creativity is good for the body and good for the soul!

Thanks for stoppign by!

Cheerio,

kathy

SUPPLY LIST

Ciao Bella Sound of Summer
- 12×12 Paper collection
- A4 Paper Pad
- 6×6 Paper Pad
Ribbon
- Capri Blue Double Faced Satin
- Ivory Burlap String
- Blue Stripe…discontinued?
Mixed Media
- Reneabouquets Square Shell Frame
- Stampendous Shabby Ivory Embossing Enamel
- Versamark Ink Pad
- Distress Brushed Corduroy Embossing Powder
- Speckled Egg Distress Paint
- Stamperia Gold Glamour Gel (sold out)
Charms, trims, bits and bobs from my stash

Tell the Bees Altered Bottle and Hanger Card for Throwback Thursday

Hello, Friends! I’m “buzzing” with excitement over this Altered Bottle and Hanger Card for today’s Throwback Thursday post! It is a collaborative effort between our son Peter (Deep Roots Workshop) and Kathy by Design! Peter turned this lovely apothecary bottle on his lathe, He was trying out some new carving tools and showed me the results. The minute I laid eyes on this beauty, I saw a honey comb. So I asked him if he would let me play around with it…and he trusted me! Yay!

The Bee Bottle

Peter creates his art pieces from reclaimed wood. This poplar wood bottle was once part of a 100 year old barn here in North Carolina. There’s nothing like starting a project that has weathered years of history! After turning the wood on his lathe, Peter carved the little circles with carving tools. Then he treated the bottle with his homemade Danish oil. This is a mystery concoction of his that really brings out the grain of the wood. Then he handed the bottle over to the Kathy by Design Day Spa for a little face lift .

First, smoosh Speckled Egg Distress Oxide Ink onto a non-stick craft mat. Spritz it with water until small droplets form. Then pick up the ink with your fingertip (or a sponge if you don’t like inky fingers) and tap it along the edges of the bottle. Then lightly dip the sides of the bottle into the inky puddle. Let the ink run, and spray with more water to fade it out.

Next “pollinate” the honey comb design with some mica gel medium. I used Stamperia Glamour Gel.

Making the Tag

Next I pulled out my Craft Consortium “Tell the Bees” paper collection. I purchased this ages ago along with the matching linen ribbon, stamps and a shaker mix. Here’s how I made the decorative tag.

First, create the background. Swipe a 4×4 panel of manila cardstock in a lovely puddle of Speckled Egg Distress Ink. Create the puddle of ink by smooshing the ink pad onto a non stick craft mat and spritzing with water.
Now dry the tag. Then go in for another dip. This time just tap the panel lightly in the ink to add layers of color. Heat dry again.
Then look for little beads of ink and lightly tap the card into them to pick them up. This creates a gorgeous speckled effect on the background. Heat dry.
Now sponge on a little Wild Honey Distress Ink in a random fashion. Spritz the card lightly to blend the colors. Spatter water droplets for an even more distressed look. Heat dry.
Use bee themed stamps (mine came in the bundle I purchased way back when) and stamp the panel. Archival Ink works best for this. I used Coffee, Saffron and Black.
Finally, die cut the panel into small tags.
Tie a tag around the bottle neck with waxed linen thread. Add embellishments.

Tell the Bees Hanger Card

Because I already had all the supplies out on my work table, I decided to go ahead and make another Hanger Card. This one measures 5″ x 7″ and I love the way it turned out. The burlap is stitched to a panel of cardstock. Then I just layered up some scraps from Tell the Bees, stitched a pocket in place and embellished.

Several of you asked about these little metal hangers. They were a closeout item on the Melissa Frances website. There are a few left if you are wanting to add them to your stash. This one has been painted with Speckled Egg Distress Paint.

Here’s a look at the mixed media tag and a little note card I tucked into the pocket.

Creating this project reminded me that I actually do like to ink and stamp. I think maybe I need to schedule a day every now and then to get inky!

Peter and I enjoyed this little project so much that we are already planning our next caper. We want to shoot some video next time to show you the turning process and the altering process. If you’d like to learn more about Peter’s artistry, you can check out his ETSY shop. You can watch him salvage the wood used to make this apothecary bottle on his YouTube channel, He’s always posting something interesting on his Instagram account. And if you’d like to follow him on Facebook, you can keep up with his antics there.

I hope you enjoyed this slightly different take on Throwback Thursday. It certainly was fun for me to share this crafty adventure with our son.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy