Love Finds a Way

As I have stated before one of my favorite bands is Over the Rhine, their latest album titled “Love & Revelation” in one of their more sorrowful, soulful ones in my opinion. It feels full of lamenting to me and I’m drowning in their luscious lyrics.

But for this blog I return to an older song titled “All My Favorite People Are Broken”

Believe me

My heart should know

Some prayers are better left unspoken

I just wanna hold you

And let the rest go

All my friends are part saint and part sinner

We lean on each other

Try to rise above

We're not afraid to admit we're all still beginners

We're all late bloomers

When it comes to love

All my favorite people are broken

Believe me

My heart should know

Orphaned believers, skeptical dreamers

Step forward

You can stay right here

You don't have to go

Is each wound you've received

Just a burdensome gift?

It gets so hard to lift

Yourself up off the ground

But the poet says, We must praise the mutilated world

We're all workin' the graveyard shift

You might as well sing along

All my favorite people are broken

Believe me

My heart…

This is the inspiration for this art piece.

Supplies:  Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Barbed Wire Shape Set, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Barbed Wire Deco Frame Rectangle, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Flying Heart Wall Hanging, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Steampunk Hearts, Magazine Images, Pencil or Pen, Sanding Block, Coarse Sandpaper Sheet, Tim Holtz Distress Stains Antique Linen and Bundled Sage, Range Alcohol Inks in Honeycomb and Ginger, Weldbond, Matte Varnish Medium, Vallejo Red Oxide Paste, Spices-Chili Powder, Nutmeg, and Cinnamon, Weathering Powders in Pink and Orange, Suave Hair Spray, Rubbing Alcohol in Spray Bottle, Wow Embossing Pad, Ice Resin Enamels in Copper Glitz, Raspberry, Garnet, and Tarnished Brass, Allure Embossing Powders in Charred Gold and Hammered Metal, Wendy Vecchi  Red Germanium Embossing Powder, Heating Tool, Weldbond, Alligator Tool, Grommets, Deerskin Lace, Scissors, 24 Gauge Vintage Bronze Wire, Tweezers

1.  Gather Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Chipboard Pieces: Barbed Wire Shape Set,  Barbed Wire Deco Frame Rectangle,  Flying Heart Wall Hanging, and Steampunk Hearts. Take out piece you would like to use for your composition

2.  Find Magazine images you would like to use on the two large frame portions from the GSLC Flying Heart Wall Hanging Kit.

3.  Trace using a pencil or pen, so they will fit securely onto these pieces.

4.  A fun technique to age glossy new magazine images is to place them on top of a course grit sandpaper sheet and gently rub is a smoother sanding block until you get your desired patina.

 

 

5.  Use Range Alcohol Inks in Honeycomb and Ginger on back of newly distressed images, some will bleed through onto the front this is part of the technique.

6. Now edge and patina the front of your image with Tim Holtz Distress Stains Antique Linen and Bundled Sage.

7.  Glue onto your backboards using Weldbond.

8.  Give a quick coat of Matte Varnish Medium to seal the pictures in.

9.  While this is drying quickly add Vallejo Red Oxide Paste with a paintbrush to the corrugated cardboard pieces from GSLC Flying Heart Wall Hanging.

10.                To add a rustier appearance, use Spices of Chili Powder, Nutmeg, and Cinnamon, and Weathering Powders in Pink and Orange sprinkled randomly over the pieces.

 

11.                Seal and secure with Suave Hair Spray and Rubbing Alcohol from a Spray Bottle.

12.                Attach these corrugated cardboard pieces to the backboards using Weldbond.

13.                 While these are drying and pressed flat, begin embossing your other pieces.

14.                 I used Ice Resin Enamels Copper Glitz and Allure Hammered Metal Embossing Powders on the GSLC Barbed Wire Pieces and cured with a heating tool.

15.                I used Ice Resin Enamels of Raspberry and Garnet and Wendy Vecchi Red Geranium Embossing Powders and Chili Powders on the Hearts and cured with a Heating Tool.

16.                The wings and key were treated with Allure Charred Gold and Ice Resin Enamels Tarnished Bronze and cured with a heating tool.

17.                Assemble composition and Glue into place using Weldbond.

18.                Press flat to dry thoroughly.

19.                Once dry use the alligator toll to add grommets to the appropriate locations.

20.                Use brown Deerskin Lace to attach the two backboards together and to give it a loop for hanging from the topmost portion.

21.                I used 24 Gauge Vintage Bronze Wire and Tweezers to secure the key to the bottom of the wall hanging.

22.                Your Project is now ready to hang in the location of your choosing.

 Some final thoughts.

Another of my favorite Over the Rhine songs is titled, “I’d Choose You” It reminds me of my love for my partner and how we are a bit of an odd couple, different in many ways but a perfect pairing. I celebrate him on this my birthday month. I’d not be the man or artist I am without his amazing love.

If the moon fell from the sky

Rendering everything black and blue

I’d want you

I’d want you 

If the swallows fell like snow

Tumbling tiny angels with wounds

I will lay my body down

When the storm is finally through

If my faith should ever fail

Faltering look what I dragged it through

If the music all went still

Enabling all my fears to come true

I'd want you, I'd want you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

Witchful Thinking Halloween Decor by Barbara

Howl-o everyone, and welcome to my bewitching blog-o-ween post!  I love Halloween, and so I made this fun and funky wall hanging to celebrate the occasion.

I found this MDF sign in my local dollar store.  I did not care what was on it because I am going to alter and transform it to my own taste.  And I cannot think of a better way to do this than with Gina's Designs Lasercuts chipboard shapes.

Prepare the base by first sanding off the glittered areas, then base coat twice, if necessary, with black gesso.  Adhere strip of spiderweb paper to bottom section of base, as shown.

Spread graphite paste through shatter stencil on left and right side of base, as shown.  The graphite in the paste dries sparkly, which is a really cool effect for my spider webbing.

Mask boots with a piece of removable tape and paint socks with orange paint mixed with some white gesso.  This was not shiny enough for me, so I went over it with Orange Peel Silks.

Spread black modeling paste through bat stencil over socks only.

Spread clear crackle glaze over boots and allow to dry naturally.  To bring out the cracks, rub white antiquing cream over boots and wipe away excess with damp paper towel.

Add Rich Cobalt dauber to base and spritz with water to allow the color to run and blend over the background.  Set aside.

Paint chipboard pieces with white gesso to seal it.  Any pieces that may stick past the base will need to be gessoed on the back side as well.  I also cut two pieces from a scrap of corrugated cardboard to resemble shoe buckles (shown lower right below).

Paint chipboard pieces as follows:



Barbed Wire Deco Frame - Paynes Grey, dry brush with Metallic Silver



Witchful Thinking - Quinacridone Violet, Paynes Grey, Carbon Black, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna,  Titanium White



Witch - Carbon Black Paynes Grey, Green Gold, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Translucent White



Raven - Paynes Grey, Translucent White



Buckles - Diarylide Yellow, Metallic Gold, Burnt Umber Antiquing Cream

Begin adhering the pieces to the base.  Adhere the barbed wire deco frame first, then adhere the title in the center of the frame.  I glued slivers of chipboard behind the letters to raise them before adhering it.

Pop dots were used to raise the witch up for some added dimension.

The raven was adhered to the toe of the right boot.

And a close up of those batty socks and crackled boots!

Ginas Designs Supplies Used:

Barbed Wire Deco Frame Rectangle

Title Witchful Thinking

Witches

String Alongs - Gothic (Raven)

Other Supplies used:

Dollar store Halloween sign

Spiderweb paper

sandpaper

Corrugated cardboard scrap

Stencils

Graphite paste

Black and white gesso

Acrylic paints

Black Modeling Paste

Clear Crackle Glaze

ColourArte Orange Peel Silks Acrylic Glaze

ColourArte Rich Cobalt Radiant Rains dauber

Thanks so much for stopping by, and be sure to check out all the great holiday shapes at Gina's online store.  And for inspiration from the team every single day, be sure to come back to the blog regularly.



Have a wonderful and creative week, and a very Happy Halloween.



Barbara

Steampunk Altered Tea Box

I've had these awesome papers for ages and until I started browsing through the my great collection of Gina's chipboard, I really had no idea how I wanted to use it. The papers and chipboard pieces ended up being a match made in heaven (or in my scraproom!) for this tea box I had saved.

I used Dusty Attic Rusting Powder on the barbed wire frame, then rubbed it with Smooch ink for a worn, vintage look.

 The gears were finished the same way as the frame. The dress form was painted, then stamped with Versamark and heat-embossed, and the bee was covered with black flocking. I had a blast picking out pieces that worked with the papers and giving them different looks and textures!

Here's my bow/topper; just paper strips and black tulle, with a couple butterflies added here and there. Thanks heaps for checking out my project, and remember to hang on to interesting boxes and other containers; you never know when you'll be inspired to create something interesting with them :)

Gina's Items Used

Dressforms 1 Miniature Shape Set

Gears Shape Set

Barbed Wire Frames Rectangle