Long Distance...Tray Project

Sheila and I enjoy the long distance projects we do, where we start with a similar idea or object and then give it our unique interpretation. We love sharing these with each other and with all of you.  Our latest project was to take a tray and alter it, so here is what we each came up with.

Maura's take on the project:

7 Gypsies Tray, Graphic 45 SteamPunk Debutante

I had a lot of fun with this project!  As soon as I saw the Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante line, I knew I had to do something really cool with it.  Pairing it up with the 7 Gypsies Receipt tray was just the thing.  I added a lot of metal embellishments, especially gears into the design, along with some Victorian elements.

Steampunk is a very unusual melding of Victorian, Science Fantasy, metals, and just plain weird things. I have to say it was fun shopping and going through my stash to see what elements I had that would work with this. I tried to use those concepts with each section. If you look closely, you will see a lot of those ideas here.

One of the more unusual techniques I used was to stamp on transparencies and incorporate that into this project.  My friend, Doris, had just the right stamps to borrow. Check out the bird one with the lace skirt...or the Victorian ladies in the teacup. This was definitely a project of the imagination!

If you are interested in learning more about Steampunk, this is a neat website with many unusual ideas.  Thinking of redecorating your home in this style?  Here's a blog to check out. I mean, now that I have completed my tray project, it's going to need a home to go with it, right?

Hmmm....wonder what Sheila has created???

Well I knew when SteamPunk first debuted that it was right up Maura's alley and she has certainly proven that with her altered tray. This is another perfect example of our two very different creative styles. Maura has done a fantastic job with all the mixed media and collage elements that she used and I love it! 

I'll be the first to admit that my tray is very simple, clean (and honestly, not a whole lot of work). I had grand plans to do a printer's tray on a much larger scale but the direction of that project changed into something that will end up being a labor of love over a very long period of time. So, I had to still come up with a tray project because I did not want to disappoint Maura---who kept sending emails that she was hard at work on hers.

So, this is what I came up with:

 I have collected these soaps over the past 10+ years and saved them all for that one day when I would finally know what to do with them. I hot glued them into a 7Gypsies ATC Tray.

 I removed the handle and re-attached it so that the spaces were the correct orientation. It is now a home decor piece in the bathroom. Here it is attached to the wall. 

 and I love it. This is right up my alley as far as style. Yes.....obviously Maura spent a whole lot more time and effort in her masterpiece (which I cannot wait to see in person next visit), but I am glad to have a display of my soaps. You may even notice that quite a few of these are from her neck of the woods-The Sagamore, Long Lake, the Adirondacks.

Hope you enjoyed our altered trays! Hmmmm......wonder what we will do next?