Tuesday, April 23, 2024

A Nesting We Will Go-A Peek-a-Boo Project

In my last blog I wrote of the migration of many song birds that spend the winter in the tropics, now coming north to spend the summer in the United States and Canada.

Some of these birds are dozens of species of warblers, thrushes, vireos, orioles, flycatchers, tanagers, grosbeaks, they are traveling north to find a mate, make a nest, and lay their eggs. This is the inspiration for this artwork.


  1. Gather Supplies.
  2. Use Embossing Dabber to Apply Gel on both Sides of GSLC Scribble Frames- Oval Ivy.
  3. Sprinkle with Allure Charred Gold Embossing Powders and Cure With a Heat Tool.
  4. Add Patina to Cured Frames using Acrylic Paints-Gold, Copper, Green Gold, Gold, Browns and a Paintbrush.
  5. Cut Book-board  to Use as Backdrop for Prepared Frames.
  6. Use a UHU Glue Stick to Add Scrapbook Paper.
  7. Trace Center Part of Frame on another Piece of Scrapbook Paper.
  8. Cut out Ovals and Use as Guideline for Collages.
  9. Choose Stickers form Antiquarian Sticker Book, and Collage onto Scrapbook Paper , Securing With a UHU GlueStick.
  10. Use WeldBond Glue to Attach Collages to Frames and Also to Prepared Background Pieces.
  11. Dry Full, Pressed and Weighted Down.
  12. Once Fully  Dry Add Glossy Accents Medium to the Locations you Desire.
  13. Allow to Dry Fully Creating a Glasslike Center Over Top of Collages.




Final Thoughts

I’ve always been fascinated by bird’s nests and their eggs. I wrote about them in this blog, Waiting for the Robins.In Part: “A little further up the paved road was a farm road that led to the left. It was heavily posted that trespassers would be prosecuted so he ran the first few yards to get under the cover of the faithful trees that would shelter him from all harm. The boy is aware of the chirping of the birds as they flutter about making preparations for their expected families. The boy always remembers to put out pieces of yarn and cotton because he liked to imagine himself a nest maker or at least a nest provider. Perhaps the ‘Jenny’ Wren, his mother's favorite, would use some of it to brighten her home. He loves how the tiny bird makes his mother's heart sing. Her face brightens with a smile whenever she hears the birds bubbling song as she hangs the clothes out to dry on the spring's gentle breeze. 



He noticed a goldfinch that was becoming more recognizable as a male because he was getting the bright yellow color back into his feathers. The boy hopes his favorite springtime bird will return to one of his parents many bird feeders. The indigo bunting is an awesome sight to behold because of their brilliant, almost iridescent blue that will always outshine that of the bluejays or eastern bluebirds.



An observation the boy has made is that birds sing loudest in the springtime. Their songs can seem overpowering. some birds sing with their whole hearts, while others sing with their whole beings making their proclamations of joy.  He is reminded of the mourning dove; whose sorrowful song is strangely silent when they take flight upon their whistling wings. While some birds have beautiful songs, the boy believes that others are no so lovely. In fact, he thinks the blackbirds, the crows, and the starlings, are the troublemakers of the bird kingdom with their robust calls and squeaky cackling.”

I like the classic “cup or bowl-shaped nests”made by robins, flycatchers, larks, thrushes, hummingbirds, warblers, and many others. They are made with twigs, leaves, mosses, lichens, seaweed, mud feathers, fur hair from animals. Furthermore, birds often line their nests with additional softer materials. Some even use spider webs or cocoon silk. Although most reptiles lay eggs, and even some mammals (such as the platypus) too, birds are the only backboned animals alive today that can lay colorful and patterned eggs.



Supplies:  GSLC Scribble Frame Oval Ivy , Embossing Dabber, Paintbrush, Allure Charred Gold Embossing Powders, Heat Tool, Acrylic Paints-Gold, Copper, Green Gold, Gold, Browns, Buckboard, Cutter, UHU GlueStick, Pencil, Scrapbook Paper Scraps, Antiquarian Sticker Books, WeldBond Glue, Glossy Accents 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!


Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Double Sided Coins-A Peek-a-Boo Projection


In early spring, March through April, billions of birds migrate back into the United States from their southern wintering grounds. These birds are teaching for nesting locations for breeding season, with abundant food sources. In the United States the bird most associated with our coinage is our bald eagle, but around the world there are other coins with birds on them. Usually when tossing coins, you want a two-sided coin that are different. For these trick coins, tails side always wins. They are the inspiration for this artwork.



  1. Gather Supplies.
  2. Glue GSLC Artist Trading Coins to Magazine Pictures Using a UHU GlueStick.
  3. Once Dry, Take a Damp Cloth to Rub Around Coin Edges. Gently press out coins.
  4. Use a Nail File to Sand Edges.
  5. Use Highlighters on Edges of Sanded Coins.
  6. Seal With Matte Gel Medium.
  7. Search Through Antiquarian Sticker Books for Desirable Stickers and UHU GlueStick to Create Compositions.
  8. Use Assortment of Green Acrylic Paints and Dry Brush Technique on GSLC Fern Fronds.
  9. Spray with Cheap Hair Spray and Sprinkle on Iridescent Glitter.
  10.  Cut Apart Fern Fronds and Secure to GSLC ATC Coins Using WeldBond Glue.
  11.  Press Flat with a Weighted Object.
  12.  Use Polymer Clay Leaf and Flower Molds to Make Additional Embellishments.
     
  13. Use Mica Powders and an MakeupBrush to Add Shimmer to the Pieces.
  14.  Cure as Directed on Package in a Polymer Clay Oven.
  15. Once Cooled Add Clay Embellishments to Prepared Coins.
  16.  Add Patina Using Colored Pencils and Seal with Cheap Hair Spray.



Final Thoughts

One cannot talk about coins without mentioning the Witcher. Toss A Coin To Your Witcher, is such a catchy tune. Just as we all know there are two sides to a coin There are two sides to every story.



Besides the American Eagle being featured on many of our coins, there is a Cuban Coin with a Hummingbird on it, UK Farthings with Wrens, Russian Federation Ruble wit a Two-Headed Eagle, a mythological bird, the Simurgh, on the Iranian Rials,  Australia has coins with a lyre burn and an emu on them, The Canadian Loonie coin has a loon on it, and at one time they had a River Dollar Flying Goose coin. I am sure there are others but these re the one I discovered during my research. 



For Migrating Birds there are two most prominent seasons, Spring and Autumn, and two lands where they call home. While not all birds migrate and have adapted to survive the cold winter, many do. Some may only migrate a few hundred miles to escape the worst of the winter weather and food shortage, others  wile other may fly thousands of miles.  The Arctic Tern fly more than 49,000 miles round-trip each year  from their breeding grounds in the Arctic to winter foraging areas in the waters off Antartica.




Supplies:  GSLC Artist Trading Coins,  GSLC Fern Fronds, Antiquarian Sticker Books, UHU GlueStick, Magazine Pictures, With cloth, Nail File, Highlighters, Matte Gel Medium, Paintbrush, Assortment of Green Acrylic Paints, Cheap Hair Spray, Iridescent Glitter, WeldBond Glue, Polymer Clay, Leaf and Flower Molds, Mica Powders, MakeupBrush, Polymer Clay Oven, Colored Pencils


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!