Moon Phase Garland - Home Decor Project

Hello everyone,

It's Elle here from Empire of the Cat and this time on the blog I have a fun home decor project to share with you.



GSL don't have any Moon phase chippies (maybe they will soon hint hint!) so I cut my own from some ATC coins. I started off with these ATC coins from GSL.  They come in a pack of three, and for this product I used eight of them, so I needed three packs, but it depends on how many moons you want on your garland.

   

 Decide how many full moons, half moons and quarter moons you want to have on your garland and then using scissors, cut the shapes from the coins.  To get the crescent moon shape, place one coin on top of the other, just overlapping enough to give you the crescent shape.  Draw around the curve with a pencil and then cut it out.  You can see how to measure this more accurately in my earlier post when I used these coins to make a moon canvas.

   

Next step is to gesso both sides and the edges of each coin and leave to dry.  

   

To cover my coins, I am using a white and a black Glimmer Paste by Nuvo.  There are plenty of similar options available or you could make your own using glitter and a transparent paste!  I chose to cover all my moons with white paste and then use the black paste to cover the oval shapes leftover from cutting out the crescent moons, just for a bit of interest.  Cover one side at a time and leave to dry before starting on the other side - don't forget to cover the edges too!

   

To make the garland I am using some metallic embroidery thread from my stash.  Spread out all your moons and decide how far apart you want them to be spaced, as this will be the length of your garland, then measure out the thread leaving enough on either end to tie a loop so it can be hung. 

 

Using some strong glue like this E6000 jewellery glue, attach the thread to the back of all the moons by making a line of glue across the centre of each and placing the thread on top of it.  Leave to dry, then if you want to hide the thread, add more glimmer paste on top of the thread.  Once everything is dry - hang it up!

   

So here are a couple of hanging options - horizontal using the loop on each end or vertical using just one loop.

   

I must apologise for how dark these photos are, but all my daylight seems to have disappeared with the good weather. 



Hope you enjoyed the project and will give it a try.  This is my last project for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Design Team, having been on the team for just over two years.  This last year has brought a lot of changes and I have less free time now, and so I must say goodbye. 

Let me know what you think in the comments.   

As always, thanks for reading!

Elle
Empire of the Cat

Ingredients

GSL Artist Trading Coins D81M,
gesso, glimmer paste, E6000 glue, metallic embroidery thread,

Le Chat Noir Reimagined-A Peek-a-Boo Project

 

There is a famous poster referred to  as "Le Chat                     Noir", it is actually an ad for the entertainers, who                 also performed outside of the Paris cabaret and                         specialized in unique pieces of shadow theater                         inspired by the Chinese shadow puppet shows, this is             the inspiration for this artwork.

1.  Gather Supplies.

2.  Use UHU Gluestick to Adhere Tim Holtz Worn Wallpaper and Abandoned Paper to Cigar Box Lid.

3.  Coat with Matte Varnish.

4.   Paint Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Cafe Table & Chairs Set with Golden Acrylic Paints-Transparent Red iron Oxide, Burnt Sienna, Quinacridone Magenta.

5.  Add Highlights and Patina with Neon Pink Paint, Vintage Gold Aged Brass Metallique Wax and a Paintbrush.

6.  A Happy Accident Happened when Drying My Covered Cigar Box Lid, Some of the Paper Stuck and Peeled Off. I Added TH Distress Stain  Bundled Sage to it.

7.   Use UHU Gluestick to Attach Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Cafe Table & Chairs Set to the Covered Cigar Box Lid.

8.  Coat Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Creepy Critters  with Black Embossing Paste and  Sprinkle With Pure Sheen Black Glitter While Still Wet.

9.  Once Fully Dry Use Golden Heavy Gel Matte Medium to Attach Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Creepy Critters to Covered Cigar Box Lid.

10.                Dry Fully Pressing Down With Heavy Container.

11.                Coat Entire Piece With Matte Varnish to Give a Uniform  Feel.

Some Final Thoughts.

Le Chat Noir cabaret is thought to be one of the first avant-garde to open its doors in the Montmartre neighborhood in 1881 attracting Bohemians and Bourgeoisie alike from near and far to the colorful medieval-inspired interior. It was a place where aristocracy and common people could partake in all the pleasures it offered, and come and go as they pleased. An eclectic encampment of eccentrics. How I wish more places like this existed, a mixed-media artist's merry-land.

"The avant-garde in every field consists of the lonely, the friendless, the uninvited. All progress is the product of the unpopular"        -Chuck Palahniuk

A Bohemian can be described as unconventional or nonconformist, a gypsy or wander, a free-spirited person who believes in truth, freedom, and love. They can be marginalized and left on the fringes of good society.

"I'd rather play here with all the madmen, for I am quite content, they're all as sane as me." -David Bowie

"I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference"-Robert Frost

"I do my thing, and you do your thing, I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in the world to live up to mine. You are you and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it's beautiful" -Frederick E. Perl

Supplies: Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Creepy Critters, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Cafe Table & Chairs Set, Cigar Box Lid, Tim Holtz Worn Wallpaper and Abandoned Paper, UHU Gluestick, Matte Varnish, Golden Acrylic Paints-Transparent Red iron Oxide, Burnt Sienna, Quinacridone Magenta, Neon Pink Paint, Vintage Gold Aged Brass Metallique Wax, Paintbrush,  TH Distress Stain  Bundled Sage, Black Embossing Paste, Pure Sheen Black Glitter, Golden Heavy Gel Matte Medium,

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!

Pumpkin Carving

Happy Saturday, everyone! I have a good friend who made me a set of pumpkins for Halloween and wanted to have a spot to showcase them. I used a GSL Composition Display Stand (coming soon) for the setting and the project came together in a jif. 

The display stand is basically a box with a tall rear wall. Here are the pieces along with the papers I chose from Graphic 45's gorgeous Happy Haunting collection.

I added a coordinating checked paper from Graphic 45's Mother Goose collection for the surface of the stand.  It looked great as-is but I decided to add a pumpkin detail to the front. I cut a section out of a GSL Pumpkin Border and it fit perfectly.

The pumpkin outline was painted black then glued to orange cardstock.

Here's a close-up of the pumpkin carving scene. I added a miniature carving knife and a few seeds I made from polymer clay.

Thanks for stopping by!

GSL Products Used

Composition Display Stand (coming soon)

Pumpkin Border

Other Supplies Used

Tacky glue

Acrylic Paint

Graphic 45 Happy Haunting

Graphic 45 Mother Goose

Orange cardstock

Polymer clay

Miniature carving knife

 

 

Egyptian Enchantment-A Peek-a-Boo Project

 I have always been fascinated by the Pyramids of Egypt and wonder how they were actually built. There are many myths and theories of how they came into being, they are the inspiration for this artwork. 

1.  Collect Supplies

2.  Use Resin Scarab As Focal Point

3.  Decide on Arrangement of GSLC Hieroglyphics.

4.  Use Golden Acrylic Paints-Quinacridone Magenta, Ultramarine Blue, Nickel Azo Yellow to Paint GSLC Hieroglyphics in Chosen Pattern.

5.  Use Lumiere Metallic Copper Paint on Scarab Mold to Add Pattern to Painted GSLC Hieroglyphics.

6.  Use Brown and Gray StazOn Ink and Script Stamp on Old Book Cover.

 

7.  Use Heavy Gel Matte Medium to Place GSLC Hieroglyphics and Resin Scarab Into Chosen Patterns.

8.  Once Completely Dry Use a Needle to Randomly Sew  Copper, Blue, and Scarlet  Threads Onto Your Artpiece.

9.  Use a Needle to Add the Embroidery Thread to the Outside of Artpiece to Form a Frame.

10.                Seal in All Loose Threads Using Weldbond and a Piece of Cut Bookboard.

Some Final Thoughts.

An explanation of some of the Egyptian hieroglyphics. The Scarab symbolizes renewal and rebirth, The Ankh-sometimes said to be the Key of Life or the Key of the Nile-is representative of eternal life and balance of life, The Eye of Ra symbolizes protection that comes from power, violence and fury, while the Eye of Horus symbolizes regeneration, healing, and divine protection from the gods, The Snake could be seen as both dangerous and helpful, when attached to the front of a Pharaoh's crown it likely represents the Goddess Wadjet and was hoped to ensure protection, the Bird also may represent rebirth, the Egyptians believed that when someone died, Their soul would be taken by a bird to live with Osiris on his throne, The Lotus Flower is the national flower of Egypt, and the Pillar or Djed represents stability and strength.

  Supplies:  Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Hieroglyphics, Old Book Cover, Resin Scarab, Golden Acrylic Paints-Quinacridone Magenta, Ultramarine Blue, Nickel Azo Yellow, Lumiere Metallic Copper Paint, Scarab Mold, Brown and Gray StazOn Ink, Script Stamp, Heavy Gel Matte Medium, Copper, Blue, and Scarlet  Thread, Needle, Embroidery Thread, Scrap Bookboard, Weldbond   

 

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!