shrine-a-long

[amaryllisroze]

I agree with Rackycoo on the edges. You can also use a makeup sponge and a tiny bit of brown paint.

Start soft, you can alway add more. Also, the edges of the paper will take the color darker & quicker than you might think so use a light touch. That's my experience anyway.

[alwaysinmyroom]

In the I love Mexico Swap, I used a black and white photo that I copied onto regular paper.  I covered it with mod podge and then wiped on oak stain and hurry up and wiped it off.  I use oak stain for anything that I want to "age" .  I used it today to "age" a crochet doily for a project I am working on.

I love all of your tips and inspirations... pinkmafia--your project is looking good to me!  I think I am overthinking my project... I like the idea of being monochromatic--my box looks way too busy for what I wanted!!

OK--starting over....

[aliastriona_angerboda]

I looked at the boxes and dollhouse supplies while I was at the craft store the other day, but everything that appealed to me was out of my price range.  One thing I was thinking about, though, was these simple wooden slide-top boxes that were really cheap.  They're meant to be used as kids summer camp/VBS decorate-your-own pencil boxes sort of things, but they might work out really neat as simple little shrines.

Now if only I hadn't been too angry over the knitting needle selection to pick some up 

Of course, what I have in my head is this overly elaborate India shrine (since I've got a mild obsession with the place), but I've never done anything of the type before so I should probably start simple.

[amaryllisroze]

Check out the wood section at Michael's. That's where the wardrobe boxes that everyone is talking about come from. They are about $1 full price.

As for India...think color. Rich red, gold, purple. You can do so much with just paint to get the depth & feeling you might be looking for. Also, go to a scrapbook store and look at their paper. Even the most elaborate scrapbook paper is usually less than $2 a sheet on an expensive day and there are ones that have wonderful metallic accents to them. And some awesome paisleys might do the trick.

For embellishments, go for cheap looking plastic things, then bling them up with paint, rhinestones & sequins. Take that plain jane grey plastic elephant you can get a toy store for a buck or tow and paint her red. Cheapo plastic palm trees? Go for gold. Mardi Gras style beads come in all kinds of awesome colors and can be found pretty cheaply. Check out dollar stores and thrift stores for funky things.

You don't need expensive elements to make something look expensive & super fancy! I tend to just wander stores and pick up bits & pieces as I go, not necessarily with any specific project in mind, because you never know what you might find a use for later.

Whew! I think its time for bed!

[rocknroll]

amaryllisroze: I love that base! And I like how you're doing everything in shades of white/ivory...that will look amazing with the sepia photo. I can't wait to see it overall!

PinkMafia: The shrine-masters have already given you some great tips for "aging" your shrine. When I want to age paper I use the old tea-dipping technique... but that's before I've attached it to something. You could try using it like watery paint, but the sponge suggestion might work better.

aliastriona_angerbo da: I agree with amaryllisroze, picking up little things that you know you can make cooler with a little paint or snip of the scissors is cheaper than wasting money on something that has been modified already. that's the great thing about being crafty!

[aliastriona_angerboda]

Thanks 

I actually have a semi-concrete vision in my head.  I have the correct colors of paints and such (since I use them to paint things all over my walls and furniture), but knowing what I want and getting there are two separate things.  I've got a few simpler ideas so I figured I'd start with those, that way if I make stupid beginner mistakes I won't feel like I ruined something fancy personally important.

Micheals is on my list of places to go - it's on the other side of town through wacko traffic and I lack a car of my own, so it takes a little more work to get there than A.C. Moore, who's selection of products often leaves much to be desired, at least for me.  What I want always seems to be gone and what they have costs three times more than the amount I'm willing to spend.

[amaryllisroze]

I don't think there is any such thing as "beginner mistakes" because their are no rules...you just go with your gut.

Generally, unless you take something structural away, anything can be fixed if you don't like it. You might have to repaint the whole thing, you might have to rip everything off of it and start over, but in general, you can fix just about anything.

And if something happens, and you can't fix it at the moment, put it in a drawer and come back to it later. I do that a lot. There are times I go thru a lot of fits & starts before I can get something headed in the direction I want it to go. Its frustrating and I get angry and I slam things around (just ask my husband. He heads to the garage when I start slamming things). Then I just walk away and go watch mindless tv or read or surf the web for awhile until I can go back and look at it clearly again.

Its all part of the process, I guess.

[Stifflersmom]

Giving birth is never easy, even if it's to a piece of art.

Check the dollar stores and thrifties, too. I rarely buy shrine bases at a craft store, but sometimes it would be faster to start with a "blank" slate.

[beautifulloser]

I finally got a chance to work on mine again, it is slowly coming together, but i think i overthink it too much, i need to loosen up and just enjoy the process. I'm doing Frida, and i really want to stick in some plastic monkeys and parrots, but havn't found any yet.
I love all the ideas here.
I think next i'm going to do something more personal, a shrine to the birth experience.
Off to the thrift store to look for supplies...

[PinkMafia]

PinkMafia: The shrine-masters have already given you some great tips for "aging" your shrine. When I want to age paper I use the old tea-dipping technique... but that's before I've attached it to something. You could try using it like watery paint, but the sponge suggestion might work better.

Thanks for the tip! I don't have brown paint so I'm going to try tea with a paintbrush.