RA Pocket Shrine 271/? – Look at me

/ April 17, 2022

Happy Easter everyone!

I have an Easter egg for you. The inspiration has been flowing recently. This year I am determined to finally round off the current 100 shrines and create vol. 3 of my Art of Shrining book series. And the result of the inspo will be raffled off to one lucky reader. The usual shebang – leave me a comment and you are in the draw for the shrine. I’ll let randompicker draw the winner on Tuesday, 19 April 2022, after 11pm GMT. It’ll be a late Easter gift, but I’ll send it to the winner, anywhere in the world 🐣.

No video today, but here’s another insight in my way of working:

The actual crafting of a shrine is always preceded by a rather time-consuming process of finding the appropriate images that will populate the RAPS. It’s not a hardship per se *doh* but it takes so much time because I invariably get distracted by what I am seeing 🤤. Once I have identified the images I want, I need to re-size them and print them. And since I am a total cheap-skate, I don’t like wasting valuable photo paper by only printing the two images I need for the current project. Therefore I also source and re-size other images I like for a future shrine. You can see one such print example on the right – including a picture that I am using for today’s shrine.

By the time I use the other images, I have often forgotten what scenario I had in mind for them. But no matter, just already having those images printed out usually sparks my creativity and I will use them up one way or another. So you can already look forward to a Ray Levine shrine in the future… Cheese sandwiches, anyone? 😂

So with the camera-wielding RA already printed out, and recently having looked through my mint tin stash, I knew that I wanted to make a photography-themed RAPS.

Cute tin, but it has one draw-back – the lid design is portrait format. So I created another design on the other side of the tin.

So, the theme is set, and you already know one of the pictures that is going to make it into the shrine. Here we go.

Yep, I replaced the 8mm camera in RA’s hand with a little camera charm. (Just because a film camera doesn’t rock my boat as much as a stills camera…)

Sorry for the picture quality and unsightly reflections. That mini-film strip is very shiny. But as you can see I created lots of small “positives” for the shrine. There is a little gimmick to them, though.

Most of them (apart from two) have magnets glued to the back, so the mini pics can be swapped around, as can the “Look at me” magnet.

I’ll make sure to put a few blank film positives into this RAPS so that the future owner can print and glue her own picture underneath the positive and place herself into the shrine, if desired. Or print out her favourite pics of RA and add them to the shrine.

This was definitely a shrine after my own heart… And now imagine RA as a photographer and saying “Look at me” to you…

Look at me. Look back at me…

😵 Yep. Epic.

Don’t forget to comment below to be in the raffle! Good luck and have a lovely Easter Sunday – hopefully with lots of chocolate eggs, family fun and sunshine on the egg hunt! 🐇 I have just taken a couple of traditional Easter loaves out of the oven. Yes, I got up at 7am in order to bake them. But what could be better than freshly baked bread and butter? Happy Easter, everyone ❤️

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88 thoughts on “RA Pocket Shrine 271/? – Look at me”

  1. This is hands down one of the most stunning pocket shrines you’ve ever created; and you know I’ve been here since the beginning. I love it! Thanks for showing us the photos. Maybe Ray will come home to me, although I know our mutual friend A will definitely want him. Ask her about the fanfic she recommended to me!

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  2. Good morning and Happy Easter to you and your loved ones 🐰🌸💕😊. ! I love this one, the tin alone is lovely and the decorations you chose are fabulous, this is definitely a shrine for me 😉. Well done 👏. The Easter loaves look great, too, enjoy them 😋.

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  4. Welcome back and Happy Easter 🙂 What are those (I presume) sweets? They look similar to sweet bread sweets they make in my village in Italy. As a big fan of the “white jumper” photoshoot I can’t miss this opportunity! WOW 100 shrines…you’re going to be a busy be. Have a great day!

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    • Happy Easter, Manu! The “sweets” are the traditional German Easter loaves, a sweet bread that is plaited. Mine turned out smaller because I halved the dough in order to bring one with me as a gift to my in-laws where we will have Easter lunch today.
      Yep, I still have 30 shrines ahead of me in order to fill the “300” 😬

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  5. Oh, a shrine for non-crafters to try to craft, äh, to glue äh to add…. No it is perfect for distraction, only to look to the pictures. What a great easter egg.
    Happy Easter with a sunny peaceful Sunday morning. Easter loaves with butter – hmmmm

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  6. Good morning Sonja , Happy Easter to you and your family. I think you have excelled yourself with this shrine , it is stunning. Those images of RA are a favourite for so many people. ❤️

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    • Happy Easter across the country to you, Deirdre! I loved creating this shrine – the photo theme really appealed to me (for obvious reasons), and I am happy that so many people especially like the new images of RA. He definitely is hot in them.

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  8. The thought of bread fresh out of the oven reminds me of home. The one I grew up in. What wonderful memories to bless this Easter morning.

    Your latest shrine is a perfect combo of classic and cleverly inventive, with just the right touch of silver fox. You know my weakness, G. 😉

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    • There is nothing better than the smell of freshly baked bread, right? I used to bake all our bread, but have given up both because I am trying to avoid carbs and because our children have moved out – and one loaf is simply too much for Mr Guylty to eat on his own… But on special occasions…
      The silver temples really are a weapon of mass destruction… Hence I am happy to work with those recent images of RA.

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  9. Sonja, with this Easter egg you excelled yourself once again. Must be the theme! Frohe Ostern to you and your family. Glad you are back with us.
    ♥️ Jacqueline

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    • Thank you Jacqueline – I am really happy to be back again, too. Being off Twitter was nice and quiet – but I also missed the news and the fun. Back to business now :-). Frohe Ostern back to you! X

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  10. (Not an entry)

    I always love insights into your process. Mine works in a similar way. I recently had to print one picture I needed for a third project inspired by your second 5 Things shipment (yes, I am milking this one for a lot of projects) and I also filled in the remaining space in the photo with other shots I may or may not use soon. Crafters are frugal by nature.

    This shrine is great and interactive. Now I shave to go. I hear the niece and nephew approaching for the hunt.

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    • “Frugal”. I like that word much better than my “stingy”. It just makes sense to use the materials as economically as possible, right? And then it also means that there is material already printed and at hand for future projects. Sometimes it’s just easier to follow the flow when there aren’t added complications such as finding, resizing and printing new images. Can’t wait to see what else you have planned with your craft stash!
      Hope you had a great egg hunt with the family!!!

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      • It helps so much to work within a narrower margin (and I fully admit that the picture selection-sizing-printing part isn’t my favorite). It’s one of the great things about the5 Things swap. Speaking of which, we should probably announce Round 3. Might try to rustle up some Easter motivation and get in that…

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        • I am totally on for round 3, now that I am back. I unpacked my spoils from the German travels, and boy-oh-boy. My desk is completely laden with books, paper, embellishment, fabrics etc… 😱 I really bought too much, but then who can resist the temptation? So yeah, all that stuff has to be used, so bring on round 3.
          Picture sourcing-sizing-printing is exactly what sometimes puts me off making a shrine. Just because it is so time-consuming, and not quite creative yet. It’s the necessary evil…

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  11. This is awesome 🙂 The idea of using magnets on the positives is so cool 🙂 Happy Easter! Have a wonderful and peaceful day.

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    • I always prefer the shrines that have a bit of interactive fun. It’s just a different feel when you can touch and not just look 😉
      Buon Pasquale, Ilaria! X

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  13. Happy Easter Sonya, your family, and to all here. The shrine is amazing and it also has those two recent photos of RA, amongst the best ever, and the magnets are great. You have egg-celled yourself (not egg-shelled)!

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    • 😂 Egg-shelled! Hehe, well, I did a bit of egg-shelling this morning. Ha, but yeah, the recent photos really lent themselves to some egg-citing shrine activities 😉 Happy Easter, J! X

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  15. Gorgeous RAPS Sonja! That shot of RA in the cream jumper is up there with my absolute favourites. I love how you have made it look as though his legs would stretch right out of the tin hehe. Happy Easter to you and your family and welcome back! 😘

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    • That shoot has really revived some of my interest. I am not a huuuuge fan of photos with props, but they sure are something different, and the whole look RA is sporting, is very attractive indeed. Happy Easter down under!

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  16. Ohhhhh that shrine is beautiful! Keeping my fingers crossed for myself (is that bad…?). You outdid yourself again!!! And that bread looks yummy. Hefezopf? You know, if it wasn’t so far I’d come to Ireland and steal it from you *gggg*
    Btw, welcome back on Twitter, it’s good to see your name again.
    And HAPPY EASTER to you & your family!

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    • Hello and thank you for the lovely welcome :-). It’s good to be back on Twitter, too.
      Absolutely nothing wrong with keeping your fingers crossed for yourself.
      The Hefezopf was great, even if I do say so myself. Just a really nice kind of bread for breakfast… yum.

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  17. Wow Sonja you’ve out done yourself with this one! One of his best photo shoots. He only gets more handsome with age (swoon).
    I love that you put extra film positives in for the new owner to try their hand at crafting.
    Hope you and your family have a lovely Easter Sunday and welcome back! 🧡

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    • Many thanks for the Easter wishes and welcome, Suzanne!
      He is ageing very very finely, our good Mr Armitage. Let’s hope for some juicy pics from the upcoming projects…

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  20. You’ve done it again, Sonja! Stunning – truly. You have a gift and I’m grateful you share it with your RA sisters. 🎁❤️

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  21. Happy Easter
    I am in Norfolk on holiday, and the last time I visited I went to Holt hoping to see Helen but she had gone to Italy! however I haven’t seen anything from her (on your site) for a while
    I hope all is well
    Lovely shrine

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    • Oh hello – how was Norfolk? Were you able to catch Helen in her studio/shop? Yes, she has been distracted by personal life for the last while. I know she occasionally drops in here to read. Hopefully she is well. (And note to self: Must send Helen a snail mail card…)

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  22. Look back at me, indeed. What a fabulous combination of…so many references. Sigh. Curious, though, what’s that background paper in your shot that has all the (old?) camera images in it? (Not an entry, will happily let someone else be inducted into the shrine use club.)

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    • The mark of a shrine connaisseur: you notice the background picture 😉. It is actually an illustration of a camera, taken from an encyclopaedia. Keeping the photography reference going…

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  23. (Not a comment!)
    A very happy Easter to all. I hope you’ve been enjoying your Easter eggs, special dinners and/or visits from the Easter Bunny, depending on your own particular traditions.

    I’m so glad you managed a trip back home to Germany, Guylty, and welcome back from there. The bread looks scrummy, as does the shrine. You’re a woman of many talents and a whole lot of energy.

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    • Thank you Jenny. We had a lovely Easter Sunday with Easter lunch at my in-laws. As a surprise, two of my brothers-in-law turned up with their children, and it was nice to see them again. (Last occasion was the Christmas Day walk, four months ago…)

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    • Die Inspiration kam von dem “Fotoband”, das mir Lolo mal vor einiger Zeit geschenkt hat. Das sieht gleich schon so aus wie Mininegative. Ich musste nur noch ein paar Fotos verkleinern und dahinterkleben 😉

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  25. Wonderful shrine, as always! I really like the idea of being able to move the photos around. We had hot cross buns, this morning. (store-bought, but still yummy.)

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    • Yummy, hot cross buns. (Mr Guylty baked some, too, and we had them hot from the oven… can’t beat that!)
      The interactive fun is always the best bit about the shrines, I think… So I love integrating some moving parts.

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  26. Hope you had a lovely Easter day! Those bakes are special indeed! They look amazing and kudos for the uniform platting. 👏
    The shrine is brilliant I really love all the detail, a special celebratory one:-) hope you enjoy the day off tomorrow as well xx

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    • Many thanks, Hari. Hope you had a nice, restful weekend with opportunity to just relax and enjoy.
      Glad you like the shrine… squeezing in as many pictures as possible 😆

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  27. Hope you are enjoying the extended weekend. That loaf looks so yummy! Are there any leftovers? 😀

    And the shrine is great, something new … I thought you would leave it for the auction, but since it’s raffle – hey, why not enter? It would cheer me up after 3 weeks of bronchitis.

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    • Hehe, yes, we are still eating the left-overs. And even though it was only half the recipe, there is enough bread left for tomorrow morning…
      Ha, you are right, Andrea. I should’ve left the shrine for the auctions. 😣 I think that was even my intention. But well, now it’s a raffle. And that means, I’ll have to do some more crafting between now and August 😁

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  28. Hello, dear Sonja. It is good to have you back here.I love that shrine, the photos are beautiful, well the model (RA) is one of a kind… You made a masterpiece again!!! Take care.

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