Potages Cauldron Shope

I'm embracing my inner Potterhead once again and this time I've created a miniature version of "Potages" the cauldron shop located on the North Side, Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter universe.

I've used a 7 by 7 Corner Room Box as the base for my little shop. I've also added a
Double Window Ornate on both the inside and exterior of the 'building'.

The signage is are printouts pasted to thick board with small brad heads added to the corners.

Simple trims, which are just various sized strips of card cut from a cereal box, are a super easy way to create a finished custom look.

Wooden floor was created with coffee stir sticks, stained with washes of acrylic paint. And how perfect is that wallpaper with it's pattern of tiny spiders?! That's "It's Elementary" from Graphic 45s Master Detective Collection. Scrapbook paper makes excellent roombox wallpaper.

To fill my shop, all sorts of little cauldrons. I even designed some products for proper cauldron upkeep like wax, cleaner and polish. To be honest, those little packages put me almost a whole day behind... totally worth it :P You can download the collage sheet to create these at the bottom of this post.

Want to create your own Potages? Or maybe a shop from your own imagination?! I have a video walkthrough for creating the basics of this room that might help you in making your own masterpiece. You can find it HERE

Finally, here are supplies used in my wee cauldron shoppe:

7 by 7 Corner Room Box 

Double Window Ornate

Black Plastic Cauldrons

Metal Cauldron or Pot

Tiny Wooden Bowls
"It's Elementary" Graphic 45, Master Detective Collection

cereal box card

thick card

wooden stir sticks

acrylic paint

drywall compound

small metal brads

transparency paper

glue, glue, glue
Cauldron Shop Printable

Have fun!

Christmas in July Cards

Hi everyone!  Leigh Ann here for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts today.  In my recent design team box I received these circle and square holly frames that I absolutely loved.  I knew I wanted to make a card with one of them, but I couldn't decide which one I wanted to use.  So I made two cards and used both frames!

My first step was was to give both frames a coat of white gesso.  While that dried I dug out my Christmas supplies and picked out the papers and ephemera I wanted to use.  The papers are leftovers from old collections and the ephemera is from the Tim Holtz Christmas pack.  I then discovered my paper was more of an off white, so I gave the chipboard a coat of ivory chalk paint and it matched perfectly.

I assembled the base layers of my cards and attached my chipboard.  On the square frame, I snipped it in two corners to create an overlapping corner and a smaller square. 

Next I used an assortment of paper flowers, small pine cones, pine stems, and twine to embellish the cards.  I added Prima's snowflake paste to the edges of the pine cones and flowers to give them a soft snowy look. I used Unicorn Hair Sparks paint to color the centers of the white flowers. 

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and have some ideas to get started on your Christmas cards!  I know I'm excited just having two completed this early in the year!

I used the following Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts products on these cards:
Holly Frame Circle
Holly Frame Square

Trick or Coin Book Treat by Betsy Skagen

I'm not ready for Christmas in July, but since we all know that crafts take preparation time, I can  at least muster Halloween in July (but just barely).

I am sitting lakeside on vacation this week, so I kept my project short and sweet. You can easily complete this in just one short evening.

I plan to add addition embellishments when I return home, but used what I had on hand up here in vacationland to create the main structure of this mini Halloween coin book. 

Tutorial: How to make a Mini Halloween Coin Book

We'll begin by making the pages. Prepare both sides of a 12" x 12" sheet of paper with lots of layers of acrylic paint. Add only two or three colors at a time, then dry with a heat gun so you don't end up with a muddy mess. 

Build up your paper with layers until you are happy with the results. I kept my layers fairly minimal for this projects--sometimes I go on adding layers for hours on end--it can be rather cathartic.

Next, cut two 12" strips of your paper that are slightly wider than the Artist Trading Coins. At one end of one of the strips trace around the Artist Trading Coin. Fold the strip back and forth so that each fold is at the edge of where you traced the coin. Then cut inside along the circle you traced, leaving an uncut gap on both sides where the folds are. Don't worry if the first or last piece is not a full circle.

This may sound complicated, but it is not. Think back to childhood when you likely learned how to make a paper chain of people. You are doing the same thing now, except with circles. 

Look at those yummy layers! 

Take the circle chain and adhere it to one of the Artist Trading Coins. With the circle pages folded, adhere the last circle to a second Artist Trading Coin so that you create a front and back book cover. Don't worry if these do not fully cover the the chipboard coins. 

On the second strip of paper, trace the Artist Trading Coin four separate times and cut out. Adhere one circle over each of the inside book flaps, covering where you glued the first page down. This also covers any areas where the circles were not big enough.

Glue the remaining two circles on the outside of the coins to create the outside of the book. Then use a blending tool to ink the edges of both sides of all the circles. 

Now cover the Halloween Trading Coin Covers with black ink. 

Add a layer of embossing ink and then cover with Black Magic Embossing Powder. Heat with heat gun. 

Adhere the coin covers to the front and back of your book. 

Stamp spooky images to your inside pages. 

Now that your book is complete, you can happily return to enjoying summer--because it always goes by much too fast. -Betsy

Great Stuff

Artist Trading Coins

Halloween Trading Coin Covers

Eileen Hull Black Magic Embossing Powder

Embossing ink

Black ink

Acrylic paint

Assorted stamps

Beacon Fabri-Tac

Birds of a Feather

I’ve always enjoyed bird watching and have a favorite one for each season. Spring is the Jenny Wren, as it reminds me of my mom hanging out laundry to dry on the clotheslines as the lilacs were blooming. Summer is for the Indigo Bunting that can be discovered on the river trail in the nearby State Park. Autumn is reserved for the mysterious Ravens made famous by Edgar Allan Poe. Winter is the chickadee; whose colors remind me of the most gorgeously weather barnwood found in my old neighborhood. I have joined MD Birding Facebook page and am thrilled to know so many amazing creatures yet to be discovered. These are the inspirations for this art pieces. I am also using a new technique for me, the layering of paper napkins but I wanted to give them a tintype appearance as I love everything vintage and antiquity.

1.  Take apart GSLC Triptych Arch Frame.

2.  Paint back portion with white gesso.

3.  On front portion use WOW Embossing Pad and ice Resin Enamels in German Silver and Pewter along with Allure Hammered Metal to give it your desired look.

4.  Cure with a Heating Tool.

5.  On back panels trace onto aluminum foil and cut carefully with scissors.

 

6.  Glue onto back panels with Weldbond, smoothing down and wiping clean with rubbing alcohol and a paper towel.

7.  Coat edges with Silver leaf Rub N” Buff, clean again if necessary with rubbing alcohol and paper towel.

8.  Take apart 3-Ply Paper Napkins.

9.  Once you have the desired pieces collage your back panels using Matt Varnish Medium.

10.                I wanted a layered look so I put down the tree trunks and branches first then added the birds and apples later.

11.                As a final vintage layer, I made a wash out of Quinacridone Gold Azure Acrylic Paint and Matte Varnish Medium.

12.                Put GSLC Arch Frames together securing with Weldbond.

13.                Sandwich with deli paper and press tightly together with clasps.

14.                I added a thin layer of Interference Blue Fine acrylic paint over top to give a more metallic glow.

15.                As I will be using these for panels for my book or boxes I did not latch them together. For directions on doing that go to my Becoming Butterflies Post from earlier.

Some final thoughts. Tintype Photographs always seemed a bit mysterious to me, a treasure rarely found in our modern world. They remind me of a forgotten world and time. They have a way of settling me and putting me into a calm space. I keep a few in a wooden bowl on my nightstand and look at them if I am having trouble sleeping. I make up stories for my “collected relatives” and slowly find my place of rest. Bird watching is another activity that calms me and brings me great joy. I like to imagine the birds with personalities and stories of their own to tell.

Supplies:  Triptych Arch Top-D9B, White Gesso, WOW Embossing Pad, Ice Resin Enamels in  German Silver and Pewter, Allure Embossing Powder-Hammered Metal, Heat Tool, Aluminum Foil, Weldbond, Scissors, Pencil, Rubbing Alcohol in a Spray Bottle, paper Towels, Silver Leaf Run ‘N Buff, Paper Napkins of Your Choosing, Matt Varnish Medium, Paintbrush, Quinacridone Gold Azure Acrylic Paint, Interference Blue Fine Acrylic Paint, Clamps, Deli Paper,

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!