Treasure Box

In the early days of my mania for stamping, Dawn, the owner of our local rubber stamp store and instructor for our loosely formed stamping club gave us a challenge.  Handing out three wildly different materials, we were encouraged to make something – anything – with the three items.  These were a length of Japanese rice paper, a piece of aggressively gold-bordered gauzy ribbon (ie: let’s face it, it was sleazy), and a rubber stamp of three rectangular shapes.  The only rule was that this was not multiple choice:  all three items had to be used.  I freaked, because that ribbon stopped me dead in my tracks.  And then, I threw all caution to the winds, and proceeded to learn a most useful tenet . . .

 . . . minimize whatever you don’t like by distracting the eye with items you DO like!  So I went to town with fun things from my stash of favorite bits and pieces:  wooden buttons, a Chinese coin, twigs, a paper button, shells, brass charms, cigar labels, and more.  I turned it into a triptych that stands on a living room shelf.  As for the ribbon?  Two tiny pieces of it are lurking behind the face upper left and the starfish.  Hiding in plain sight:  a most useful ploy . . .