Mosaic Monday

This was our second time staying in the Big Bay Point Lighthouse. My daughter, knowing I love lighthouses, did a little research online and found this place. She bought us a gift certificate for a stay there for Christmas. What she didn’t remember was that we stayed there on our honeymoon, when she was just 11!

I cried when I opened our gift and realized all of the time she took to look for something really special. I mean, who would even think to Google “Lighthouse Bed & Breakfasts”! And, the fact that it was a return to one of the wonderful places we spent on our honeymoon made it even better.
I created quite a few layouts of the lighthouse for our scrapbook. This one shows the interior of the building and some of the grounds around the lighthouse. I love using the Mosaic Moments system for pages like this. The grid paper makes it easy to showcase just the details — like the nameplate on our bedroom door, the Victorian doorknobs, the view from our window and the brick that used to divide the house into two houses. These types of photos are hard to scrapbook without the page looking cluttered or unorganized. Mosaic Moments Grid Paper allows you to add in all sizes of photos while maintaining a sense of organization. And the mixture of detail-oriented photos and those taken at a distance keeps it interesting.

Etched Shadowbox

I created this shadowbox to showcase our new love of rock hunting. I included a map of the area (although it ended up getting mostly covered up), some of the rocks we collected and photos from our vacation. But this idea would work with any theme — memories from a wedding, birthday celebration, anniversary or any special event. And, with etchall etching creme, you could include names, dates and other things on the front glass. For my piece, I used the word “found”. Here’s how I did it …

I started with a shadowbox from a big box store.

I adhered a map of the area to the base of the shadowbox. I used glaze and paint to calm down the bright colors a bit.

Then, I used stencils, pastes and inks to create the background. I added photos and rocks and then put the shadowbox back together.

I took a piece of etchall etch mask and used my Big Shot to die cut the word “found” from a Tim Holtz die. Etch mask is stronger than the vinyl sold for electronic cutting machines, which means it doesn’t tear and is easier to work with. But, I used a Thinlits die and it cut like butter!

After pulling out the word from the etch mask, I peeled off the backing and stuck it to the glass. Then, I carefully replaced the inside of the o, d and f. I used the etchall Squeegee to make sure everything was well adhered and to remove any air bubbles.

I taped off the edges and poured on the etchall etching creme. Then, I set a timer for 15 minutes and walked away.

When I came back, I scraped the etchall etching creme back into the container (it’s reusable!) and then wiped away any residue and removed the mask and tape.

I love how the word seems to float because it is on the front of the glass and the other elements are at the back of the shadowbox.

This is the perfect way to remember our trip rock hunting!