I grew up in a home without a television or a phone and had to rely on my creativity to keep me company as we lived four miles from the nearest town. There were children who lived within walking distance and we would often get together to ride bikes, play in the creek building dams, go sled riding, build forts or go a’walkin. The neighbor lady Mable had small beauty shoppe through the garage and passed the screened in porch. She had a rotary phone on a party line that she would allow us to use in case of emergencies. It was a simpler time, we joked we were the Walton’s or Little House on the Prairie the few shows we could watch if we went to a friends house or up to my Aunt Blanche and Uncle Lester’s house some Sunday evenings when my parents and them would play 500 Rummy or High, Low, Jack card games and we’d get to eat snacks in the living room watching tv. I still have Mabel’s Rotary Phone and used in in several of my apartments when I moved to Maryland. This is the inspiration for this instillation.
1. Take apart all GSLC products you will be using.
2. Distress a page of Graphic 45 Communique Paper using Distress Ink-Vintage Photo, Blendable Dye Ink Acorn, Poppy, and Garden Patina and a Blending Tool.
3. Cut our 4 squares for each side of the coaster making them slightly smaller so they will create a quiltlike grid on them.
4. Paint: Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-4 Inch Trading Coasters with Acrylic Paints in Brown, Tan, and Red Tones using a dry brush technique. Remember Random is our desired effect.
5. Once coasters are dry glue on the Graphic 45 Communique Squares you prepared earlier using Weldbond.
6. After they have dried completely distress coasters using sandpaper blocks making sure edges are smooth.
7. Varnish with a mixture of Matte Gel Varnish Medium and Diarylide Yellow acrylic paint.
8. To further the patina randomly add Teach Acrylic Paint to the coasters.
9. Use Allure Embossing Powders of your choosing a Versa Mark Ink Pad and a Heating Tool to prepare the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Vintage Phones and Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Eyeglasses Shape Set.
10. Once satisfied with the look and they have cooled assemble your GSLC 4 Inch Coaster gluing with Weldbond.
11. Weight down with something heavy to assure all components will be held securely in place.
12. A final step is to seal everything with Matte Gel Varnish Medium, if you wish them to be Waterproof and used as coaster you must add further layer of varnish to make them more durable.
Some Final Thoughts.
Summertime for me is a time of remembering and catching up with old friends, it was a time for me to travel when I was younger now, I use it mostly to restock for my Crooked Tree cottage Creations Business. My style has been described as vintage retro, urban decay, creepy cool, ugly unique or glamorously gross. I love the nostalgia of bygone days and repurposing found or disregarded objects. Ever since we moved from landlines to mobile phones I must admit that I have become a texter preferring the quiet calm of a quick check in, but nothing will ever replace the phone call from a dear faraway friend to say, “ I just called to say I’ve been thinking of 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!
