Friday, September 23, 2022

My New Mixed Media Beach House Diorama


Back in 2014 I decided to take the Artful Gathering Session 1 Class - Let's Go For A Ride by Julie Haymaker Thompson. 

This class taught you how to make a mixed media shadowbox "doggie" wall decoration, which was a lot of fun to make.   

Like other classes I've taken I usually make more than one item and this class was no exception.  I created two base shadowbox pieces but, for some reason, only used one of them for the class project.

So, when I was looking at my supplies for the Spring and Summer mixed media shadow box diorama's I wanted to create I decided to use the extra mixed media base I had created for this class.  

As you know, I always save everything. You just never know when you might need the perfect thing for the creation you are making.

This time I wanted to create a wall house decoration with a window beach scene shadowbox diorama, which is shown in the picture above.

Here, too, I decided to use scrapbook papers for the outside and inside of the front and back and all the sides versus sponge painting all of them, like I usually do.

I selected two scrapbook paper collections to use: P13 - Beyond The Sea Scrapbook Paper Collection and Graphic 45 - Catch of the Day Scrapbook Paper Collection as well as bits and pieces from other scrapbook papers as well.


I also decided to use mixed media trims along the house edges, alpaca roving for the bottom of the window frame to create a sand dune, paper flowers, and paper leaves and reeds to create the effect of sand dunes with beach flowers and reeds leading down to the beach.



I was really happy with the way this decoration came out and decided to hang it in my kitchen year round.  It looks great there and compliments the "Let's Go For A Ride" decoration I had made that is also hanging on that kitchen wall.


Copyright © 2004 - 2023 - All Rights Reserved - Designed and Written By Linda Walsh

Thursday, September 22, 2022

New Mixed Media Shadow Box Diorama Trio For The Summer


I've been crafting my whole life and love the Fall and Christmas holiday season.  As a result I have made more decorations for those two seasons than any other season or holiday.

The Fall and Christmas holiday season only lasts for 3 months from October to December so there are 9 other months that need decorations too.  

Over the years I started adding more decorations for the Winter, Spring and Summer months but always fell short on the Summer decorations for some reason.

So, I decided to make some additional mixed media shadow boxed dioramas for the Spring and Summer seasons.  Of course, I just made them and, of course, the Summer season is basically over.

God forbid I should ever make decorations ahead of the season....lol 

The three new diorama's shown in the picture above will be put away until the next Spring and Summer season.  It'll be a delayed viewing but be enjoyable anyway.

Usually for the shadowbox decorations I make I use wood shadow boxes and, generally, sponge paint them inside and outside for the backgrounds and sides.


This time, however, I decided to use scrapbook papers to cover the wood shadow boxes inside and outside and on all the sides.

I wanted all of these shadow box dioramas to have a 3D effect from the bottoms and sides of the shadow box so I cut some of the figures I wanted to use with bottom or side tabs and glued them in various positions within the 2" bottom and side areas of the shadow boxes.

I also wanted to use mixed media paper flowers, various types of fibers, alpaca roving with and without Angelina fibers, and various other mixed media effects to get the looks I wanted.


I just loved the Stamperia - Romantic Sea Dream Scrapbook Paper Collection and decided to use only this paper for the 4" x 4" wood shadow box diorama shown in the picture above.