I Dream of the Sea

It is funny, I can't swim a lick but love the ocean and the sight, smell, and feel of a beach!  Just don't let the water go above my knees!  I also love the concept of shrines and love the ones that SilverCrow Creations and Retro Cafe have for sale to decorate.  But you do know my love of all things cardboard so a tight budget and the idea that I can make a form of a shrine (not nearly as neat as theirs!) led me to this one made by fitting a lid inside a bottom of a jewelry gift box from Christmas last year.  Yes, I am a hoarder!  So with inspiration from a magazine for the top of the shrine, this came into being.

The page behind her came from a brochure of the Alabama beaches and is a very weird fish sticking his head out of a hole so I decided they would be friends like that "movie" about a mermaid :)  The netting is filled with strings of pearls and she has some actually bright blue beads that came out green in the pic! all from Mardi Gras parades over the years. All the sea shells including the huge shell she is sitting on are from Gulfshores, Alabama, my slice of heaven!  She is a dollar tree doll that the body proportions were alright but her head was HUGE!  So she got a face lift/replacement with the "Doll Face" stamp  from Lost Coast Designs.  The word magic behind the clear bauble on front is also from Lost Coast Designs new releases "Mis. Words" I have used this collection of words on almost every project I have made since getting it!  The letters were a Michael's find when the bargain bin was still a dollar down here and had a set of fall covered chipboard letters in it. I base coated them in a light blue and then used DecoArt's white interference paint in drops on each letter with their blue fluid acrylic paint drug through it with a paint brush. Then a light top coat of pearl white. The hanging bauble was from Christmas decorations from dollar tree and a wire earring that I made a bunch of sets and ended up with a leftover.  Her dress is gold silky fabric hand stitched and just hot glued in place and tucked around her.  Too long a post, so I know most of this is pretty easy to see what is what!

I can now say this is my second shrine; the first being another homemade one with "Standing Alfred Hitchcock" and "Large Skeleton Shrine" from Carmen's Veranda Stamps.  I have a lot of room for improvement but am happy with it.  She will sit in my newly almost clean craft loft to remind me of the beaches and the happiness they bring me!

I am entering her in the following challenges:

Altered Eclectics

Try it on Tueday  "Letters and Numbers" I have used letters for the "SEA" and "MAGIC"

That Craft Place Challenge Blog

Lunagirl Moonbeams  "Babies and Children" 

My mermaid is a little girl to fit this challenge, well, she is a little girl so she fits the challenge theme :) 

Avenue 613Anything Goes with a Twist of Birthday/Anniversary
Creative Fingers Anything Goes