Lost and Found Reliquary Dome

Hello friends,

I'm so excited to share one last Easter make with you all before the holiday passes! This project showcases the wonderful idea-ology Reliquary Dome, a personal favorite. And of course, it wouldn't be Easter without the adorable Salvaged Rabbit and some glittery Tiny Eggs. A highlight of this project was creating the tiny white Easter baskets to perfectly cradle these eggs, resulting in a sweet and dream-like springtime scene. I hope you will read through the tutorial and find something that you might like to incorporate into a make this Easter season.

It's a lot easier to see with the glass dome removed!

I started the project by coloring idea-ology Tiny Eggs with tinted Rock Candy Glitter. Tim has a great video where he explains how to tint Rock Candy with Alcohol Ink. The VIDEO is timestamped so you just click on the timestamp and it takes you to exactly that point in the video.

Now back to the colors I chose for the Rock Candy - Dandelion, Eggplant, Pool, and Shell Pink. I found that these color worked really well for me, but so many other colors can be used. Admittedly, it is kind of addicting...I made about 10 in total! Afterwards, I set the eggs aside to dry completely while I worked on other parts of the project.

Starting with the cork base. You could leave it brown but I decided to switch it up and paint it with Rustic Wilderness Distress Paint. Let it dry while you work on the baskets,

 

I had the idea to make Easter Baskets out of Thimbles and wire. I used a flexible 18-Gauge Stem Wire I bought at Michaels in the floral department. When I say flexible, I mean it is very easy to bend into a shape. The first one I did with just my hands (that's the wonky one in the center). Then I figured out that I could use a Distress Crayon and bend the wire around the outside to get the perfect handle. I decided I still liked the wonky one so I left it. I used a generous amount of hot glue to attach the wire to each Thimble. 

Next up is painting. I used a craft paint instead of Distress Paint because I wanted it to be a thicker mat paint (and its also quick drying).

Once dry, I highlighted the Thimble texture with Walnut Stain Distress Crayon. I just scribbled it on and rubbed it in with a damp finger. It worked perfectly. They are really starting to look like baskets!

For the "grass" in these tiny baskets, I used a fine weave Grade 90 Cheesecloth (can be bought on Etsy) . I colored a large piece with Peeled Paint Distress Spray about 5 years ago and I am still using that piece. I just cut off a bit when I need it and shred it up!

NOTE: There is a hot glue gun in this shot because I filled the Thimbles with hot glue, leaving about a 1/4" at the top. When they were almost dry, I pressed the shredded cheesecloth into the barely warm glue. If you miss the window, just use Collage Medium to add the cheesecloth.

You can see that the hot glue does not go all the way to the top of the Thimble, leaving room for the eggs.

So, so cute! I probably should have made 10 of these, not three!

Okay, on to the Salvaged Rabbit.  

The rabbit can be any color. I went with two coats of Pumice Stone, letting it dry between coats.

Once dry, I added Walnut Stain Distress Crayon with a damp brush. I started with a wash...

Then just kept working it over the rabbit as the crayon started to dry. When I was happy with the way it looked I just set it aside to finish drying.

Cut a bamboo skewer about 4" long to use as a sign post. I colored it with Distress Ink and a bit of water to help the ink wick out.

I pulled a couple pieces of Ephemera from the Keepsakes Ephemera pack for my sign (one for each side of the sign). I added a piece of chipboard to the back so when I attached it to the skewer, the ephemera on the front would stay flat. 

This is the back - it did not matter that the bubble is showing on this side. 

Now just push the skewer into the cork. Super easy!

Next - the rabbit and the three baskets are added with Collage Medium. I set it aside for an hour or so to let the glue dry enough so the basket did not move when I added the eggs and moss. Once it dries overnight the baskets will be secure.

Break up the moss into small pieces and add to the surface with Collage Medium. If the moss is too "fluffy" you can shoot hot glue underneath and press down.

Then add the Tiny Eggs in and around the baskets and moss.

While the eggs were drying I worked on the dome, adding one of the Transparent Layers. First I had to round the corners of the transparency and cut about 1/2" off the bottom to make it fit. I added Scor-tape to the bottom edge so it will attach to the glass dome.

Lay the dome on it side and slip the transparency into the opening, adhering the Scor-tape to the glass. Test it out with the base.. does the transparency need to be adjusted? Now is the time.

I added string around the glass, held on with Cello Sticker Tape. Then added a Remnant Rub - "Lost and Found" to the glass, right above the bow. Then I had an idea...

If the eggs are "lost and the found", my rabbit would need something it dig them up with. So I grabbed an idea-ology fork from the Silverware pack to use as the digging tool. I had to remove one egg I had glued in that spot, but no matter, the fork was worth it. I did need to use my Texture Hammer to get the fork to go into the cork base (no hammering on the glass mat though).

You could add more eggs if you wish but I ended up with what was good for me (2-3 of each color).

Please Note: Salvaged Rabbits and Tiny Eggs are retired products. So if you think you might make this in the future, they will only be around for so long before they are gone. Just something to keep in mind.

Now carry on,
paula

Palette Neutral Wall Pocket

Hello friends,

I'm so thrilled to finally share a project I've been working on – a wall pocket with a vintage-inspired twist! The idea sparked when I saw the beautiful Neutral Palette fabric. I knew its subtle elegance would be the perfect backdrop to complement my love for all things vintage.

More than just a practical storage solution, this wall pocket has become a little piece of inspiration for me. It's designed to hold some of the things I reach for constantly. But what truly makes it special are the details – the old string, the hanging lace and ribbon, and the charming vintage buttons. Every time I glance at it, I'm reminded of the beauty in these simple, time-worn elements. It's amazing how fabric and a few found objects can create something so inspiring!   

The finished size of the wall pocket is approximately 17 x 13", but honestly you can make it whatever size fits your space.

Here are my fabric choices but any combination will work. My front and back are the same, but even that is flexible. 

Palette Neutral Wallpaper - front and back (cut 18 x 14")

Palette Neutral Stamps - pocket 1 - cut one 14 x 6"

Palette Neutral Map - pocket 2 - cut one 14 x 6"

Palette Neutral Gears - pocket 3 - cut one 14 x 6"

Palette Neutral Wood - binding - cut two 3" x 44" strips 

Palette Neutral Collage - patch

cotton batting - cut one cut 18 x 14" and three 14 x 2 1/2" 

Cut two pieces of fabric + cotton batting - 18 x 14". I always cut the backing pieces a little larger than the finished size so the panel can be squared up after quilting.

Use a Friction pen to mark the stitching lines. The pattern does not matter. 

To start, I drew a line every 1" from top to bottom. 

Once I sewed all the 1" lines, I went back and sewed additional lines using the stitched lines as my guide. 

I love the outcome. 

(there are no pen marks on the fabric because I have already ironed over the top to make the pen lines disappear).

Cut three strips of fabric for the pockets - all are 14 x 6".

Iron in half so they are now 14 x 3"

Open up and add a strip of cotton batting. The batting is cut 1/2" short so when you sew, you are only sewing through fabric, not batting. That will allow you to fold the pocket up into place without folding the thick batting.

Fold back down and now you are ready to sew.

Make marks with the pen starting at 5", then 10", then 15" from the top.

Pin the strips to the backing (raw edges facing up) so the top of each strip matches the pen marks.

Sew each strip to the backing.

Then iron the strips forward creating a pocket with each strip.

Back to the cutting table so you can square up before stitching the pockets.

This is a part where you need to decide what you will use the wall pocket for. I got out the tags, ephemera, really anything that needed a special size pocket. I laid everything out so I could determine how small or large the pockets needed to be. Once I marked my pocket stitching lines with pins (just through the pocket layer), I added the things that needed to be sewn on before sewing the pockets down. Any ephemera was added first with a glue stick.

Then stitching. Both of these pieces came from the Layers Remnants pack. 

And because the pocket are still free to move back and forth, it was easy to add any machine or hand sewing.

Next, I added some "patches" from the Neutral Collage fabric. Again, I used the glue stick first, then went to the sewing machine.

I also added the Word Plaque with Button and Carpet thread (thick thread).

Run a basting stitch (that just means a long stitch length or big stitch) along each side of the panel stitching the pockets into place. *Do not skip this step. It is so much easier to add the binding if you know your pockets are flat and in the correct position.

Now add the back. I used a Quilt Basting Spray to secure the fabric to the batting before sewing the binding on.

I picked Palette Neutral Wood for my binding. You will need two 3 x 44" strips sew together to get a strip long enough to go all the way around the panel. Once your pieces are stitched together, iron strip in half so you have a very long 1 1/2" strip of binding.

I'm not going to explain here how to sew the binding on because I am just not that good of a technical writer. There are a million YouTube videos that will show you how to do it (I'm also a visual learner so I need someone to show me, rather than reading how to do it). I suggest this video, "Brilliant Machine Binding Method", because the lady is very calm and explains it well. She shows you four times how to turn the corner, using a simple trick that works every time. When I first wanted to learn the corner trick I made a 10 x 10" quilted panel and used that to practice turning the corners. I also have her video saved on YouTube, so every time I need to do binding I can pop right over and see her do it once or twice then I'm good to go.

I added grommets at the top for hanging. You might think it scary to add grommets (giant eyelets) but it is actually very easy. I bought my package at Hobby Lobby. It was $1.99 and it came with the tool that you need to set the grommet. You will need to cut a small hole in your project (that might be the only scary part) and you will need a small hammer to pound the two pieces of the grommet together using the tool. There are enough grommets in the package to be able to try one on a scrap piece of fabric/batting just so you can see how easy it is.

And there you go. Wall pocket is done. 

Now the best part...you get to fill it up!

top right

Ephemera, vintage buttons, metallic string in the pockets. 

Dyed ribbon and vintage lace hung from Loop Pins.

top left

More ephemera and vintage lace, #8 tags in the middle pocket on their side.

bottom left

Montage Collage Frames, hand dyed string, and #5 Mixed Media tags.

bottom right

Salvaged Tags and #5 Mixed Media tags.

I hope you love this as much as I do! I just love the Neutral Palette for this project. It brings out the best of all the vintage things I have added.

Now carry on,

paula