Quick and Easy Birthday Card

Hello everyone, its Angela here with you today with a quick and easy birthday card. It was our oldest Son's 15th birthday on Monday and I honestly can't believe where the last 15 years have gone! I made this card for him as he is not really into anything in particular at all (apart from computer games like most other teenagers around here)

First I made a card blank for an easel card by taking a 12 by 6 inch piece of card and scoring it at 6" and 3" as you can see below

With the other side of the 12 x 12 sheet I used some spray inks and the numbers from the Mixed Media Fragments 1 to create backgrounds - I cut the sheet in  half first so the 2 bits would be different.

I then used the parcels, hat, balloon and sentiment from the Birthday set. First I painted them with a white paint pen. I then took some distress inks to ink up the sentiment however I didn't like the effect it gave me over the paint pen as it was way too light. I then took out some of my Copic pens and coloured them with those instead - this gave me a much better result.

Once everything was the colour I wanted it I decided that the sentiment needed a bit of highlighting so out came a thinner white paint pen to do this with.

I cut the 2 background cards down to give me an edge around them so one was 5 3/4" square and the other one was cut into 2 pieces 2 3/4" x 5 3/4".

I stuck these to the aforementioned card blank.

The other pieces were then stuck on the folded top (being careful not to apply glue in to the top or they would stick to the card and not fold out.

Here we have the finished card:

Supplies used:

Birthday Shape SetMixed Media Fragments 1

Ranger sprays
White card

A simple fascinator

"Do you have your hat yet?"
"I'm not wearing a hat."
"YOU HAVE TO WEAR A HAT! Your grandmother was told she must wear a hat. You've got to wear something."

Apparently I have to wear a hat of some sort to my cousins wedding. I love hats (serious affinity to crowns!) but a) I get a bad case of hat head when I wear anything on my head and b) I have to pack it in a suitcase.

The solution? A simple fascinator!

A fasinator is "a type of formal headwear worn as an alternative to the hat; it is usually a large decorative design attached to a band or clip."

Most instructions I found for creating a fascinator said to use a 8" round, but I wanted something quite small. Instead, I opted for the Layered Frame Bella Oval as my base. I painted it black then sandwiched a piece of scrapbook paper that matches the colour of my dress in between the layers.

I applied a pair of Fantasy Wings to a Punchelements 1 inch Scalloped round and topped that with a paper rose. This element holds a length of tulle in place.

I backed the frame with a piece of felt and glued the entire thing to a headband. To secure things even further, an additional piece of felt is added over the band to keep it sturdy.

And that's really it! So simple. Done in not time at all with just a few materials. Best of all you can colour coordinate perfectly with your pretty frock.

This project is super simple. To make your own, here is the list of all the materials I used:

Layered Frame Bella Oval
Fantasy Wings
Punch Elements 1 inch Scalloped

Headband

Felt

Tulle/Mesh/Net

Paint

Scrapbook paper

Hot glue

White glue

Paper flower 

And if you aren't attending an event that requires headwear, make yourself a fascinator and drink high tea at home with pinkies out and fancy something upon your head.

Glitter House Lane

Hello crafty friends!  It's Susan on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts blog today, sharing a bit of cold weather cheer during this August heat.

I've created a wee Glitter House Lane using 3 House Ornament Kits, accessories, and a platform.

I used 3 house ornament kits - primed 2 with gesso after taking them off the original chipboard sheet, and primed the third while still attached.  Both needed touch-up gesso on edges after gluing together.

I assembled chimneys, a dormer, and porches, and added those and window trims to the houses and painted with gesso.  In the future, I'll wait to gesso until after this step.

I used the 12" x 4" platform for the lane.  Gesso'd white and added coordinating scrapbook paper to the bottom (photo below). 

I used most of 3 sets of House Ornament Fence and cut them down for better scale.  Once all the glue dried I gesso'd the fence white and then painted it light teal.  Once *that* dried, I finished the platform with white acrylic paint.

I painted the houses in a variety of pastel colors and added white to the tops for snow.  I used white glue to paint small areas and added clear glass glitter.  This was a long process with all 3 houses and the platform, but patience was the key.

Earlier, I cut out vellum shapes for the inside walls, and after all paint was done I added glue to the edges and slid the vellum pieces up through the bottom openings.

Front

Back

Snow!

Inside the platform

Thanks for your visit today!

Cheers
Susan

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Used

Platform 12x4 #C3P
(3) House Ornament Kits #D172HO
(3) House Ornament Chimney & Dormers #D172HC
(3) House Ornament Window Trim #D172HW
(2) House Ornament Porch #D172HP
(3) House Ornament Fence # D172HF


Other Supplies Used

White glue
White gesso
Pastel acrylic paints
Diamond Dust clear glass glitter
Vellum paper

beachy bath storage-altered containers

Hey there! Lynne here with a simple project showing how easy it is to spruce up small containers to coordinate with your decor. My bathroom has beach-themed items and shades of beige and soft blue, so I came up with this duo :

As you can see, the glass jar just received a layered bow and dangling shells and chipboard pieces, but the other piece underwent a bit more of a transformation; the container coordinated with the room's former colours but hasn't suited it in a long time...

I decided to add texture by podging some tissue paper to the surface, then coating it with tan acrylic paint when dry.

I dry-brushed the surface with small amounts of grey and white, then rubbed Rose Gold Metallique Wax over the creases for added definition.

The chipboard border and small pieces were painted with cream-coloured acrylic paint, then misted with Tattered Angels mists, blending a couple shades of blue and a light silver colour. When that was dry, I brushed on a layer of semi-gloss clear finish to make these items stand out a little more from the background.

I used twine to attach the dangling chipboard elements and added some small shells. I layered decorative jute ribbon below the small twine bow on both containers

A few slightly larger shells were added to the border strip along the bottom edge.

I love that Gypsy Soul chipboard can be used in so many ways; a few small pieces like these can totally change the look of plain household items, and they can be finished to suit any theme. I love making elaborate and eyecatching projects  a lot of the time, but I appreciate the chance to do something simple like this to make use of something I already have as well. I hope you're inspired to give some of the items around your home new life and added interest....have a wonderfully creative week, and thanks so much for stopping by!

GYPSY SOUL ITEMS USED

Under the Sea Border

Beach Shape Set, small

OTHER ITEMS USED

Tissue paper
Mod Podge
Art Alchemy Metallique Wax, Rose Gold
Decoart acrylic paints
Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists
Wired jute ribbon by Recollections
Natural twine
hot glue gun

Sweet lavender and chipboard

It's Teresa here sharing a sweet gift set I did with some of my favorite papers from 49th and Market.  I love the business card holder we have and I thought with the papers being printed with these super gorgeous flowers I could create a simple yet beautiful holder for her cards. 

I also had extra lavender papers that I used to make a cute card with the "Circle Doily Set".  This set has lots of pieces that you can stack or use separately for lots of cards to give away.  I painted mine with white chalk paint in thin layers until I got it nice and opaque.  I added a little bit of a sheer lavender ribbon across the middle and also a matching bow with roses.  The glittery white letters are from my stash. 

And here is just a closeup of the business card box and the flowers.  You could add more dimension by cutting out a second layer of flowers and adhering them to the others with 3D Foam dots.  Anyway you make it, you will have a wonderful gift for any of your friends or family :)

Thanks for stopping by for a little chipboard inspiration!!

Teresa

Supplies:

GSLC

Business Card Holder

Circle Doily Set

49th and Market papers

Adhesive by Scrapbook Adhesive by 3L

Wanderlust anchored at home by Betsy Skagen

My crafting often turns me into somewhat of a hermit. It is easy for me to spend days in my studio--especially during less pleasant months--and only venture out in the world to run errands.

I fill my studio with fun vintage items that remind me to enjoy life outside my little corner of the world. When I created this organizer storage unit for my studio I used it as an opportunity to remind myself both of travel adventures and vintage treasures I had yet to discover.

To make this storage unit, begin by assembling the Organizer System using a strong adhesive like Beacon Fabr-Tac.

Next spray paint the entire unit with a flat brown paint.

 Make sure you spray the inside of the Stickle holder.

Next select the base papers you want to use and cut them to fit each box. Adhere with Modpodge or a craft glue. 

Next fussy cut travel ephemera. Ink the edges with brown ink to give an aged look. Then adhere the ephemera to each unit. 

Cover all the units with a coat of ModPodge. Let dry and repeat with another coat of Modpodge. 

If you have any doubts about the durability of an storage system made from chipboard, let me assure you it will be sturdy. I made another Gypsy Soul organizer system about three years ago. It sits on my art table where I use it every day and it still looks new.

Great Stuff

Organizer System
Modpodge
Adhesive
Authentique Pastime Collection

Being organised can also be pretty with Alica Barry

This past week, I started at a new school. It's been a while since I had my own classroom, so it has been a lot of fun decorating, and my skills as a paper designer have definitely come in handy.  Unlike my craft desk at home, I like to keep my work desk very neat and organised, but something I have already noticed is that I keep putting my  phone down  during the day, and it gets hidden under math papers and kid drawings.

To try to combat the problem, and to make my desk look pretty, I have created this holder for my phone with the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts ipad and phone holder. This is actually the second one I have made. I also made one for my son a while ago. This is a simple three piece set that has so many possibilities for decorating.

I upped the decorative aspect of this project by adding a pretty Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Flourished Frame- Valerie rectangle to the back panel, giving the project a little more height, then decorated the project with a vine piece from the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts  Leaves and Flourishes set, along with paper leaves, flowers and mesh.

To create this project, I applied black ink to  the raw edges. I then glued pretty patterned paper to the base and both sides of the back panel. The paper pad I used also had some die cut borders, which I used on the small front panel. Once dry, I slotted all the pieces together and secured with liquid adhesive.

For the frame, I first gave the whole piece a coat of silver gilding wax. Next, I put liquid adhesive around the inner frame and sprinkled with glass glitter and mica fragments. I lined the back of the frame with co-ordinating patterned paper. I may even add a small photo into the frame at some point, but it is also nice on its own.

Finally I took the leaf flourish and coated it with silks paint in two shades. I used a cotton tip to apply the paint so that I could blend the two shades a little. Notice how I have glued it so that it is on both the front of the small panel, and on the base. I then tucked some mesh around the leaves and added small paper leaves and roses. I continued this onto the back left of the project and the top right to create a visual triangle.  A white ribbon bow was the final touch.

Ipad and phone holder

Flourished Frame- Valerie rectangle

Leaves and Flourishes Set- coming soon