Cozy Miniature Reading Nook

Happy Saturday, everyone! Connie here with a snug little reading nook set inside a GSL House Shrine Box. 

The house easily assembles with tacky glue. It has a rear, two sides, a floor, a front and two roof sections. I glued the base of the shrine together and added a dreamy milky way paper from Ella & Viv.

For the seating cushion, I had a scrap of blue and white upholstery fabric in my stash that had piping on it. I considered sewing and stuffing it with batting then decided to take the easy way out and just glue it to something solid. After considering cutting a piece of wood to size, I realized I had a large block of polymer clay that was way beyond it's 'easy to work with' stage. I cut a piece to size, baked it off and glued the fabric in place.

The seating cushion was set in place then the front of the shrine was glued down. I used the front as a template and cut a gray woodgrain paper from ms. sparkle & co. to cover it. I painted the interior of the roof sections with gray acrylic paint before adding some glittery DCWV silver paper.

 

See how the ceiling sparkles?

 

I made pillows from gluing fabric scraps around a bit of batting. Super simple, no sewing necessary.

The roof is made from staggered sections of GSL Scalloped Chipboard Shingles.

Inside the little hutch I added a lovely painting in a resin frame and a miniature book of fairytales.  A paper flower at the roof peak was the finishing touch.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

GSL Products Used

House Shrine Box

Chipboard Shingles – Scalloped

Other Supplies Used

Tacky glue

Acrylic paint

Ella & Viv Galaxy Collection – Milky Way

ms. sparkle & co. woodgrain paper

DCWV glitter paper

Fabric scraps

Resin frame

Miniature book

Paper flower

Winter Wonderland

Hello and Merry Christmas to all our Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts friends who celebrate!  Today I have a sweet winter wonderland scene to share with you, using the House Shrine Box, selections from the Winter Shape Set, and a couple 'flakes from the Snowflake Mini Set.

In order to fit the inside paper layer, I laid out the back and side chipboard pieces and traced around with a pencil.  Once cut out, I used a scoring tool to mark the inside folds.  An alternative to this fiddly method is to cut individual back and side pieces, but I like the continuous design (and I'm not a fan of seams).

I used Mod Podge to adhere paper to the back piece first, then cut out the notches for the roof boards.

The sides aren't added yet, so I used the table edge to fake the 90 degree angle in order to mark the notches for the sides.  You'll see I originally cut more than I needed for the walls, knowing it would be trimmed later.

Here I have the bottom inside layered with paper, and I've cut out the roof inside piece.  When assembling, it's best to glue one side to the back, then the bottom, then the other side.  Save the roof for last, since it will have to fit into the front pieces top notches.

I used a paper cutter to reduce the tree width a bit.  I inked all the pieces dark brown, then embossed for texture.  Not pictured, but here I put spots of glue and snow on the brach tips and allowed to dry.

I glued the small branches toward the back of the box, then added the full tree in front for dimension.

This scene needed icicles since it almost looks like we're peering out a window.  I cut the icicles apart and painted white, then used glitter glue on top.

I outlined the front piece on coordinating paper, cut, and used Mod Podge to adhere to the board.  I sanded down the rough cuts in the center and along the bottom.  You can also see I painted the inside bottom black,

Add the icicles to a corner with white glue.

Carefully glued the front to the rest of the box.  Now it's time to add the roof.  You can see here I ended up cutting the single roof paper into two pieces.  It was easier to handle.

I used two snowflakes for a star -- painted gold then layered with gold glitter glue.

And that's the last in-progress photo!  The roof is a single cut of paper, scored in the center.  The back was measured and cut in the early stages and set aside.  The feet and inside bottom are all black paint.

Thanks for your visit today!  I hope you have a great day.

Cheers,

Susan

House Shrine Box D11A
Winter Shape Set (tree, icicles) D38C
Snowflake Mini C33D

House Shrine Box For A Vacation Treasure

Hi everyone, this is Connie Littell. I'm so excited to be on Gypsy Soul Laser Cut's design team! This is my very first post.

For my first project, I was inspired to make a home for a pretty little religious statue I recently picked up on vacation using the GSL House Shrine Box. It's a really great size to show off lots of treasures and this one fits perfectly inside. 

The first thing I do when I start a project is lay out all the pieces. This house shrine box is super easy to assemble and straightforward as to where the pieces fit together.

Before I glue anything in place, I cut my scrapbook paper. I use the front and back pieces as a template, which makes it easy to lay out exactly which parts of the paper I want to use.

 

Here's everything cut out and ready to glue down.

I start by gluing the interior rear and side wall papers in place using a tacky white glue. I then glue the back, front, floor and side walls together. I use rubber bands to hold everything in place while the glue dries.

The base of my figurine is a little bit too wide to fit inside the shrine so I glue a domino for her to sit on. It's the perfect height for her base. Around the domino, I glue a grassy green felt scrap into place to serve as the shrine's flooring. 

Shingles and roof come next. I used GSL Chipboard Shingles- Pointed to jazz up the roof.  I painted the shingle strips with brown acrylic paint then give them a thin wash of quinacridone azo gold paint. I painted the roof brown before gluing the shingles in place just in case any tiny section of it peeked through after I glued them in place.

Next I cut the shingles into 1 3/4 inch strips, which I then glued in place. This project required four of the shingle strips in all. 

Once I glued my scrapbook paper on the outside shrine walls I was ready to get into my crafting flowers and embellish away.

 

Thank you for stopping by!

Gypsy Soul Laser Items Used

House Shrine Box

Chipboard Shingles - Pointed

Other Items Used

Figurine
DCWV Once Upon A Time scrapbook paper

Timeless Blue Fern Garden scrapbook paper

Acrylic paint

Domino

Felt scrap

Assorted flowers

White glue

Santa's List

Hi Gypsy Laser peeps!  Cherry here today with another guest post.  I have had so much fun playing with all these wonderful products.  Today I have a sweet little shadowbox type house that I altered.  Here it is all complete!

I loved playing with this adorable little house.  I painted it red and than assembled it.  

It was so easy to put together and is very sturdy. I used Beacon's glue to assemble.  It made the perfect home for my Santa whom I nestled behind a window.

I layered my main image and added dimension using Victorian Corners 2,  Snowflake Shape Set,  and this gorgeous Believe sentiment.  A little bottle brush tree was added along with some pretty ribbons and doodads to the roof.

  Also added were some icicles from the Winter Shape Set. 

Tinsel was added along with a snowflake border also from the Winter set.

Other than that a light dusting of faux snow was added and my Santa House was complete!  Hope you enjoy!  Hugs, Cherry

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Products- 

House Shrine Box

Windows 6 panel 

Victorian Corners 2

Snowflake Shape Set 

10 Words

Winter Shape Set 

Ex Voto Shrine by GDT Member Rhonda!

I can't believe it is my final week as a guest designer for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts. It has been an honor and I could never thank Gina enough for this opportunity!

For my final project I chose this House Shrine Box. It was calling for me to make it into a grand exhibit. I have always loved Ex Votos and have a beautiful collection of several vintage ones. An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity. I was thrilled when Relics & Artifacts began to sell several blank designs. I decorated several and have been trying to think of a way to display them. This was the perfect display for not one, but two of my designs. 

I found this beautiful piece of jeweled fabric that I decided to use as my for background.

After tracing, I roughly cut out the design. I knew I didn't want the fabric to fit over the joints, so I trimmed it to fit just inside.

Before attaching the fabric I gave the edges a good coat of Viva Decor Inka Gold - Gold. That way my edges would blend together.

I then added more to inside parts of the shrine. 

Next, I began to assemble my shrine, starting with the side pieces and a touch of glue. 

I aloud the glue to dry for a few minutes before moving forward with my assembly. I added the lower piece as well as the front part of the shrine, again with a tad of glue and dry time.

 

The next part I attached was the roof. But first I wanted to cover it with a paper that reminded me of an old, weathered roof. 

I think this one did the trick.

I liked the combination of this hat fabric with my background fabric, so I chose it for the back of my shrine. I was still undecided on which of my Ex Votos I was going to use, but since they were all done in rich colors it didn't matter. 

For the lower back area I decided to use more of the Viva Decor Inka Gold - Gold. Then I would chose some trim to neaten it up.

I tend to be a spur of the moment artist sometimes, decide as I get to the part that is current. That posed a problem for the front of my shrine. I decided I wanted to cover it with one piece of designed paper, so I had to get creative to cover the piece and trim out the center opening. Hmmmmm, What to do, what to do?

I decided to trace the piece onto the paper of my choosing and knew I had a new, sharp, exact o blade for trimming.

Some extra trimming, a bit of filing, and some touching up with more gold. Perfect!

I wanted the Ex Voto to be "protected" so I decided to use this Wrought Iron Set to really embellish several areas. You can see below how many pieces come with the set. Don't be afraid to trim parts off that you like. It makes it your own and adds such creativity. 

Now that my shrine is all built, it is time to decorate!!

I added a touch of Distress Stain in Vintage Photo as well as some Distress Paint in Cracked Pistachio, to give the "metal" an aged look.

Not only did I put an Ex Voto on the inside, I also attached one to the back. They are covered with several vintage jewelry pieces.

Gold Dresden is always a wonderful addition to any piece, especially when you want it to look luxurious. 

I added Garnet Cabochons to the top on both the front and back to give it a royal look. Large Red Glass Window Beads were used on the legs. 

I hope you have all enjoyed my Guest Design Team work and that I have inspired you to create something of your own. Many thanks to Gina of Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts for this amazing opportunity. I have loved every moment and have so much more I want to do. You MUST check out the web site. I guarantee you will find excitement to create and loads of inspiration. 

Special thanks also to everyone at Alpha Stamps for many years of growth as an artist and joy in creating.  I so love my "job" with this team! 

xoxo

Rhonda...

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Supply List

House Shrine Box

Wrought Iron Set

Alpha Stamps Supply List

Double Dot Vintage Gingerbread Scrapbook Paper 

Viva Decor Inka Gold - Gold 

Distress Stain in Vintage Photo 

Distress Paint in Cracked Pistachio

Garnet Cabochons 

Large Red Glass Window Beads