Happily Ever After Off-The-Page Project {Altered Tray}Prima Product Pick April 2015

Hello friends :)  Today I am here to share with you my take on the 

Prima Product Pick HERE. I shared my take on the BAP yesterday

so if you missed it please go back a post - I only have several hours

between these posts because time is of the essence for me to get

my Prima Design Team application in & this year they are allowing

a dedicated blog post to it - which is coming up next!

Who wouldn't like to be a Prima girl?!?

A quick snap of what I began with!  

A little tray I bought locally a while ago at Mr. Price Home & didn't use.

  The base was too rustic & not entirely flat, which drove me  crazy, but 

it was too pretty to throw out  so I thought it would make a great, 

commemorative wall decor piece for my daughter's recent graduation.

Well as you can see the PPP was pretty WOW this month.

AWESOME colours & how fortuitous for me that my daughter was 

wearing magenta & that her room is turquoise!!  Thank you GOD!!!

I began by collaging the bottom of the tray using various papers from the

Prima School Memories Collection then whitewashing over them with gesso.

Next I painted the rest of the tray with Broken China Ranger paint, 

followed by a layer of crackle glaze, then a layer of white gesso

dry-brushed on top.  Rather a lengthly process but very relaxing.

I printed off my 3 favourite prints of my daughter's graduation day,

using my very handy little Canon Selphy printer.  I just can't recommend

this printer enough.  It is ultra-convenient & the quality of the prints is fantastic!

I raised the photos up slightly using 3D foam tape then framed the centre photo

 with the Ingvild Bolme shutters after first painting them with color bloom sprays.

Next I added the other resin pieces, also water-colour painted using Color Bloom Sprays

in a diluted form.  Next I added micro-beads to the fountains to look like water spilling over.

I printed off the quote, found on Google Images, then cut it into pieces 

& glued them on.  I used my glue gun for the bulk of my sticking here.

My daughter's nickname is Squirrel so I have been squirrelling this resin embellishment

away for the perfect day!  I painted it with color bloom spray again then coloured the 

tail & eye in with a marker.  The Coffee Break books were also perfectly appropriate.

I forgot to mention that before attaching my resins I added a couple of pieces of ribbon

underneath each photo - in yellow & lime - just to make sure that all of the colours of

the PPP got a place on my creation.  Next I adhered my blooms & tucked in some

colourful rafia & added suitable embellishments including a broken binder clip.

I used a Tim Holtz Key as to me a key always indicates a new start {now that she 

is free from her studies} but I the EXPLORE metal is a Prima one, as is the 

Happily Ever Ticket from the Ann Marie Collection & probably intended 

for wedding layouts but I love to use things in different ways to that

for which they were intended - such is Prima's versatility!

Just to show the 3D nature of the tray.

And lots of yummy details that would have made the post far too long 

had I shared them all individually!  Thanks for swinging by today!!