Squeaky Shutters-A Peek-a-Boo Project

 It's no secret that Halloween is my favorite holiday. I also am a closeted Scooby Doo fanatic, it is still one of my favorite cartoons. I loved the Mystery Machine, the creepy locations the gang went to, the Scooby Snacks, the unveiling of the monsters true identity-these are the inspirations for this artwork.  

1.  Gather Supplies

2.   Cut a Piece of Bookboard the Size of Open Window.

3.  Trace and Cut out a Piece of Halloween Cardstock of Your Choosing.

4.  Glue Halloween Cardstock to Bookboard with Weldbond.

5.  Use Rubber Roller Brayer to Randomly add Layer of Cosmic Shimmer Lava Paste to Both Side Of Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Window with Shutters.

6.  Cure with heating Tool.

7.  Color Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Creepy Corners-1 and  Haunted House from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Trading Coin Covers-Halloween With Oil Pastels.

8.  Add Blue Opal Magic Mica Powder with a Paintbrush to the Cobweb Corner

9.  Glue all Pieces Together with Weldbond.

10.                Once Fully Dry  Add a Layer of One Step Crackle Finish to Open Window Part of Artwork.

11.                Once Dry Fill In Cracks with Colored Pencils.

12.                Seal with Matter Varnish and Allow to Dry Fully.

Some Final Thoughts.

Excerpt From "the House With Nobody In It" -Joyce Kilmer

"Whenever I walk to Suffern along the Erie Track, I go by a poor old farmhouse, with its shingles broken... I have never seen a haunted house, but I hear there are such things: That they hold the talk of spirits, their mirth and sorrowings, I know this house isn't haunted, and I wish it were, I do. For it wouldn't be so lonely if it had a ghost or two."

 

"When owls, bats and ghost are seen. It must be time for Halloween."

"Scooby Doo taught us that the real monsters are humans..and if that isn't deep I don't know what is."

Supplies: Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Window with Shutters, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Creepy Corners-1, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Trading Coin Covers-Halloween, Halloween Cardstock, Pen Scissors, Weldbond, Bookboard, Cosmic Shimmer Lava Paste, Rubber Roller Brayer, Heating Tool, Oil Pastels, Blue Opal Magic Mica Powder, Paintbrush, Matte Varnish, One Step Crackle Finish, Color 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!

 

 

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!

Gothic Garden

I hate seeing supplies going to waste and I enjoy a bit of a design challenge. That is the inspiration for my Gothic Garden Project. 

1.   Separate all snowflake shapes from both Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Winter Shape Set and Snowflake Shape Set.

2.  Stack them into sets of three these will become your flowers.

3.  Measure black velvet paper carefully to line bottom sections of Bamboo Desk Organizer. This will become our "frame"

4.  Spend some time going through your acrylic paints and using spare shapes from GSLC Winter Shape Set to make your color scheme.

5.  After about an hour I settled on shades of blue, green, red, purple, and iridescent. They needed to look complimentary and pop once placed onto the black velvet background.

6.  Map out your garden using a piece of paper to assure best composition.

7.   Paint your snowflake flowers and place them  aside to dry completely.

8.  Paint two of the Fancy Dragonflies from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts collection.

9.  Assemble your flower once they have dried and allowed to dry again completely and weighted down.

10.                Attach the two GSLC Fancy Dragonflies together only in the center body portion. Wing should remain free as we will use it as a design feature when assembling our garden.

11.                Distress the Mini  Hardware using Finnabair Mechanical Metal Embellishments and Rust Paste Set.

12.                Glue one to each center of the flowers using Weldbond.

13.                Add Green Sequin Leaves to each to further the flower illusion.

14.                Allow to dry completely and weighted down.

15.                Use Versa Mark and Ice Resin Enamels of Torched Copper and Tarnished Bronze to distress the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Art Deco Corners and Gothic Border-Cure with heating tool.

16.                Use Versa Mark and Judi Kin Opaque White and Perfect Peacock to emboss the spider web and Rangers Black Sparkle Embossing Power for the spider of Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Creepy Corner Set-Cure with heating tool.

17.                Spider web looked too crisp so I toned it down with DecoArt Dark Gray Fluid Acrylics.

18.                Add a Washi Tape Border around the outside of Desk Organizer Frame using glue stick and bone folder to assure a perfect fit.

19.                Add a bit of the Washi Tape to the Center Border that separates the two sections.

20.                Reassemble your garden making not of where you will need to hammer your nails to giving variety of depth to your flowers.

21.                Carefully remove items from garden and use a hammer to place nails in correct locations.

22.                Use Weldbond to carefully glue all items into garden.

23.                Carefully glue GSLC Art Deco Corners and Gothic Border into their correct places.

24.                Allow to dry completely and weighted down.

25.                Add GLSC Spider Web to the top gluing into place with Weldbond allowing to dry completely and weighted down.

26. Add a decorative paper bee to the bottom portion securing with Weldbond.

27.                Because the desk organizer has a lip on the back you can use this to hang your gothic garden or you can add a small saw and tooth picture hanger if you prefer addition stability.

Over the Rhine's Wildflower Bouquet is the perfect song for this project:

If I die in the winter send roses
In the spring, magnolias
If I’m called in the summer or in the fall
Best of all – bring me a wildflower bouquet
In the dirt and clay don’t lay me down
And stare at a cold lonely hole in the ground
When I go to my Maker in smoke and ash
It won’t be your grief I crave
Your tears will not be necessary
Build a blazing fire, drink something merry
When the sparks fly off into the wind
That will be me blowing away
Bury my ashes with the dogs I’ve loved
My faithful companions from God above
And ‘neath a sycamore we’ll grow strong
And the roots will bear us away
If my one true Love should join me there
Mother nature soon will be aware
That sycamore will thrum and sing
And we’ll have left it that way
So I don’t want you to feel sorry
God knows how I despise your pity
And I’ll no longer bear the weight of worry
Those angry robes all fall away

Supplies: Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Winter Shape Set, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Snowflake Shape Set, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Dragonflies Fancy, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Creepy Corners 1, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Gothic Border 6 Inch, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Art Deco Border & Corners, 2 Sections Bamboo Desk Organizer,  Black Velvet Paper, Weldbond, Bonefolder, Acrylic Paint-Shades of Blue, Red, Green, and Purple, Small Paintbrush, bag of BBs or kitty litter, Versa Mark, Ice Resin Enamels Tarnished  Bronze and Torched Copper, Judi Kins Embossing Powders- Opaque White and Perfect Peacock, Rangers Black Sparkle Embossing Powder, Heating Tool, Green Leaf Sequins, Mini Hardware Finnabair Mechanicals Metal Embellishments, Glue Stick-I prefer UHU, Washi Tapes, Nails with Large Flatheads, Hammer, Dura Clear Matte Varnish, DecoArt Dark Gray Fluid Acrylics,

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!