Never Been a Beach Person-A Peek-a-Boo Project

I grew up in the country and my family rarely went on vacations. We would sometimes visit my Aunt Irene and Uncle Bob who lived in New Jersey. Their property must have been near the ocean as I remember they had sand instead of soil in their yard. They also had a bathroom that had “Naughty Mermaids” wallpaper in it, with their breasts a showing. I was also raised a strict Baptist so that bathroom always made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

I don’t remember seeing the ocean until I was in college and spent time on the beach then. I now live in Maryland and the ocean seems a lot closer, but it does not entice me. I am a mountain person but do  love the beaches of the New England Coastline and the Pacific Northwest, they seem more haunting and less crowded. This is perfectly suited for an introvert like me.

My partner and I enjoy going to antique stores looking for treasures that can be added to my mixed media art pieces. These Wooden Coaster have been waiting for an upgrade and are the inspiration for this instillation.

1.       Take apart the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Artist Trading Coins, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Trading Coin Covers Under The Sea.

2.        Use a Pencil to trace GSLC Trading Coins into Scraps of Sea Themed Papers like Authentic Sea Maiden Collection. Then Cut with scissors.

3.       Use Weldbond to glue paper to GSLC Trading Coins.

4.       If they are not a perfect fit a quick rub with a damp cloth and a sandpaper block is an easy fix.

5.       Sometime when using the sandpaper block the paper peels, this also can be used to your advantage and should cause no aggravation.

6.       Coat quickly with Glassy Accents.

7.       While still wet randomly sprinkle with transparent glitter.

8.       Use White Gesso to lightly paint the GSLC Under the Sea Coin Covers.

9.       Randomly Color GSLC Under the Sea Coin Covers with Colored pencils.

10. Add depth and detailing using random acrylic paints.

11. Glue the GSLC Under the Sea Coin Covers to the prepared GSLC Artist Trading Coins using Weldbond.

12. Hold securely into place with metal clamps.

13. While they are drying use dry brush technique to add patina to the Wooden Coasters, I used Green Gold and a Medium Grey Acrylic Paints.

14. Glue prepared GSLC Trading Coins into Antiqued Wooden Coasters, securing into place using the metal clamps.

15. Once completely dry I added Soft Touch Varnish and One Step Crackle Finish to the coins to make them look like sea glass you might find along the beach.

16. Once they are fully dry, I added a wash of diluted blue alcohol ink to highlight the crackle.

17. I sealed everything with a quick coat of hairspray.

 

 

 

 

 

 Some Final Thoughts.

I have found solitude and solice on both the beach and in the woods. For me it tends to do with the amount of people at these locations. I would never intentionally go on vacation to the beach in summertime nor would I go to any of the National Parks at this time either. My soul is restored by time spent in nature and find inspiration whenever I partake in its offerings. No matter your preference I hope you find peace and joy wherever you find yourself as summer wanes into Autumn.

Supplies:  Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Artist Trading Coins, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Trading Coin Covers Under The Sea, Found Sea Themed Wooden Coasters, Scraps of Sea Themed Papers like Authentic Sea Maiden Collection, Scissors, Pencil, Weldbond, Damp Cloth, Sandpaper Block, Glossy Accents, Paintbrush, Transparent Glitter, White Gesso, Colored Pencils, Random Acrylic Paints, Metal Clips, Rubbing Alcohol, Light Blue Alcohol Ink, Eyedropper, Hairspray

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!

A Book of Shells - Seahorse Book Box

Today I have a small beach-themed faux book box that I thought I would make look more real and less faux by giving it textured pages.  I'm going to be using the ATC size faux book box chipboard set and for decoration, the ATC coin covers - under the sea edition.  This is a quick project that requires minimum supplies as I will just be decorating the box using the chipboard and some paint.  I used Paperartsy Fresco paints but you could use any paints you have, though bear in mind that your result might vary if you do.  Here's the end result...

First of all, I assembled the box using collage medium on the box itself, and masking tape on the wraparound cover.  This cover consists of the front cover and the spine, which need to be taped to each other.

Then I covered all of it with white gesso, and once that was dry, I applied a thin layer (1-2mm is fine) of texture paste.  DO NOT leave it to dry!  It needs to be soft for the next step!

To make the faux book look like it has pages, I drag this texture brush through the texture paste before it dries.  This brush is part of a set, and this particular one has teeth that are just the right width apart for the effect I am trying to achieve.  If you don't have a similar brush you could use toothpicks or skewers taped together to make a "comb" or even an actual comb!  After doing all three sides, I left it to dry.

Once the texture paste is dry, it looks like this. Give a little light sanding to get any of the rough or loose bits off.  If you just have a few loose bits of texture paste, you should be able to brush them off with just your fingers.

To decorate my book cover, I chose two of the Under the Sea Coin Covers that I thought would look good together - the seahorse and the coral.  

I painted both with white gesso.  I could have done all my gesso-ing at the same time but I hadn't decided on my decoration at that time.

Using my Fresco paint, I painted the inside of the box in Sand as part of my beach theme and the texture paste pages with Snowflake (white).

For the outside of the box and cover, I chose three colours - Aqua Duck Egg, Aquamarine and Beach Hut and sponged them on using an old paper towel.  Then I started painting the coral and seahorse chipboards.  You can see the coral already painted, unfortunately I don't have a photo of the actual painting of these elements.  I was out of Coral paint so I used Cherry Red and Banana mixed together which resulted in this reasonably close Coral colour.

For the inside cover I used a darker colour called Inky Pool to paint a beachy wood plank effect to fit with my theme.

I attached the cover to the box using Collage Medium and held it in place until it was dry to ensure it didn't move as I wanted my cover to close properly.

I painted the seahorse using Tangerine Twist and Bougainvillea paint colours, and Inky Pool again on the frames.  Then I used more Collage Medium to attach both coin covers to the front of my "book".

And the book box was complete!  I told you it was quick!  Here's another view of those textured "pages".

So what to do with a book box like this?  Well maybe you use it to keep some of your special shells collected from a favourite vacation or local beach like I have done here.

Or you could send this to a friend or loved one as a memory of a fun holiday you had together, perhaps add a rolled up note stuck in a tiny bottle?

I hope you enjoyed this project and that you find inspiration to create your own.  Please let me know in the comments.

Till next time,

Collect beautiful moments and memories :)

Elle

Empire of the Cat

PROJECT RECIPE:

ATC size faux book box BD12T, Trading coins covers under the sea C10V
White gesso
Collage Medium
Chalk Paints
Texture paste
Masking Tape
Texture Brushes