Noel Rejoice

Bo Bunny a gift of love

This is the A side of  a lovely paper I found in my Christmas stash!

 

I used the B side for the base of an ivory A2 (5 1/2" x 4 1/4") card.

This Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts frame Scribble Frames Flowers is about 4 1/4" round.

Using Versamark and Ranger Super Fine Gold embossing power and a heat gun,

gave the chipboard a beautiful finish.

This sentiment on the BoBunny paper was just the right size to cut and tuck behind the frame using some glue dots to adhere the two.

Stampin' Up Dimensionals gave the frame just enough pop when adhered to the card.

Some Poinsettias, also from my stash, were just the right size to cover the flowers on the frame. I used clear Wink of Stella to add just a bit of glitter to the flowers and the "Holiday Magic" sentiment.

We could all use a bit of Holiday Magic!

Giraffe's Gilly (aka circus wagon)

Hi everyone, Ann here today, sharing an inspired vintage circus wagon with you.
I was recently fortunate enough to see The Greatest Showman at the theatre. Wow, I was completely in awe of the incredible sets and costumes, and most amazing music. I found myself wondering how I could alter one of my Gypsy Soul Laser Cut boxes into a vintage circus wagon; as a multitude of fabulous visions from the film were playing through my head, I could not wait to get started.

I began with the ATC Shrine Box. This box arrives flat and contains five pieces. It is easiest to figure out how the pieces fit together before adhering paper or any adhesive. This box will form the cart portion of the wagon. The cart will sit on four 1" Wheels. 

Using a quick grab tacky glue, I assemble the box and set it aside. While it is drying, I consider papers for the exterior and interior of the piece that will be rich in color and convey the circus theme I have in mind. I select a red and white striped paper for the interior.  I cut an eight inch long strip of paper that equals the interior height of the box. I measure the interior of the box from left to right for depth and width and mark those measurements on the strip of paper. It is always best to measure twice and cut once, so I double check that I have the correct measurements and then cut the strip the appropriate length. I score the strip at 7/8" from each end to wrap the interior.

I envision a wagon that transports circus animals from city to city. This type of wagon requires a caged opening.  The front/caged side of the wagon will have a decorative opening for the cage to attach to. I first cut a piece of red Distress cardstock that covers the entire opening. Using a Tim Holtz Sizzix labels die, I center it where I would like the opening to be and run it through the die cutting machine. A modified Tim Holtz Gothic Gate die cut will create the cage. This cage piece is covered with embossing ink and coated with Emerald Creek charred gold embossing powder and heat set.

All of the remaining exterior sides of the box are painted with Distress Paint in fired brick and candied apple. Once the red coat has completely dried, I apply  Distress Paint in walnut stain and black soot with a stiff dry brush to create  a time worn patina.  This process is also used to paint the wheel housings. The interior ceiling of the wagon is painted with a coat of antique linen and the floor is painted with a mixture of antique linen and walnut stain. The floor will be covered later with a thin layer of straw pieces.

After the paint has completely dried, I adhere the paper to the interior. I add a metallic remnant rub in each upper corner. I resize a piece of Tim Holtz "traveler" ephemera, and add details with a gold gelly roll pen. This is inked around the edges and adhered to the back wall. Once the interior is complete, the caged panel frame is applied to the open face of the box. Ideology stars are added in each upper corner and a fussy cut CIRCUS banner is attached to the topmost center. 
When attaching the wheels to the wagon, I want the wheels to be situated apart from the housing. To do this I place a very small wooden bead between the wheel and the housing with hot glue. A brass nail serves as an axle to align and hold all the pieces together and another wooden bead is located on the inside of the housing. After assembling all four wheels and housings, I attach them to each side of the wagon.

The back side of the wagon is covered with circus posters. I searched for images of vintage circus signs and resized them to be a compatible scale for the wagon. Once they were printed, I cut them out, distressed the edges with ink, crumpled them, and rolled the corners to make them look authentic. I arranged the pieces to create a desirable layout and adhered them to the box.  I also added a pennant banner punched from Tim Holtz paper and strung on jute string.

 My wagon would not be complete without an occupant. I found wonderfully vintage circus giraffe and elephant images that I fussy cut. The giraffe stands inside his gilly, eager to arrive at the next destination.

Thanks so much for visiting the blog today,
I hope you experience something that inspires you to create.
~Ann

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts used:
ATC Shrine Box
Wheels 1 inch Fancy

Love Note

I am a huge fan of handmade valentines.
 There is something so absolutely wonderful about a token of love that has been created with care, for someone special. Handmade love notes seem to be few and far between these days. Today I am sharing "love note," a piece I created with Valentines Day in mind.   

I started with Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Arch Top House Silhouettes. These chipboard pieces are so nice and sturdy. This set could be used to create three individual pieces or used in multiples, as a pair or even a trio.
 I used all three to create my piece.

Once I had an idea in mind, I looked through my stash of paper in search of something that would lend itself to being a good base to build upon. I then coated one side of the chipboard piece with collage medium and placed my paper onto the shape, centering the design. I used a brayer to make sure there were no air bubbles and that the paper was completely flat. I repeated this process for each of the three panels. After allowing the glue to dry completely, I turned the pieces over onto a cutting mat and used my Exacto knife to trim the paper around the edge of the chipboard shape.

Next, I completed this same process for the back side of each panel using a coordinating paper. I inked the edges of the pieces and inner areas of the paper with Distress Ink in brushed corduroy. 

I knew that I wanted the pieces to be "hinged" at the two interior seams when the pieces were situated side by side. Contemplating a few ideas for how I would accomplish this, I settled on using wire.

I first marked the location of each hole. Using a dremel, I drilled four holes onto each panel edge. Be sure to use a cutting mat or board beneath the piece that you are drilling through so that you don't ruin your tabletop. These holes aligned with four holes along the edge of the adjacent panel. I threaded a piece of soft wire through the holes to create an "x" at two locations along each seam.

Now it was time to add all the special details. Using the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Words & Phrases 1, I carefully removed the word "Love." I covered it with embossing ink and coated it with Ranger embossing powder in pink. Using a heat gun, I melted the embossing powder.  I repeated this step three times, giving the word a faux enameled finish. This set of Words & Phrases contains two sheets of different sentiments, and can be used in so many different ways.  

I cut a piece of pink parchment paper and using black soot archival ink, I stamped an image from the Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Nature set and allowed it to dry. I distressed the edges, inked with worn lipstick and brushed corduroy distress ink, and then spritzed with a bit of water and rumpled the paper to give it a tattered look.  

I die cut some roses out of coordinating paper using Tim Holtz Sizzix tiny tattered florals dies. These were inked along the edges and rolled into shape, then glued and set aside. I colored a Tim Holtz idea-ology paper doll with distress ink, Copic marker and distress crayons. Everything was arranged on the panels and manipulated until I was pleased with the layout. I like to play around with the embellishments before gluing everything down. That way I can make adjustments and decide if it needs additional pieces without disrupting everything.

 When I examined the piece, I decided that I wanted to increase interest by adding a few more elements and removing some others. On the first panel, I added an idea-ology sticker from the clippings collection. The sticker was inked around the edges and then layered onto a piece of chipboard that had been inked with worn lipstick distress ink. Using a charm from my stash, I cut a circle of coordinating paper inked around the edges and added the "love" rub-on to the middle. I used a mini hex-head fastener as an "attacher" and glued this onto the face of the panel. I also added a charred gold heart and a couple mini heart cutouts leftover from a different project.

 On the central panel, I decided to add a larger heart to give added height. Using the Tim Holtz Sizzix mini love struck die, I cut a heart out of thin chipboard.  I inked directly onto the chipboard with Distress Ink in worn lipstick. I then embossed around the edges with Emerald Creek charred gold embossing powder. I brushed a small amount of Ranger alcohol ink in gold onto an idea-ology pen nib and then adhered it on the heart to give the impression of an arrow. When the piece was dry, I adhered it to the top of the middle panel with a quick dry multi-purpose glue. I also added some mini hearts that I inked around the edges with brushed corduroy distress ink.

The third panel only needed a few hearts to tie it in with the other panels. I heat embossed a small and a medium heart with charred gold, and combined them with a few mini hearts.  

 Once I was satisfied with the layout, I glued everything into place and allowed it to dry.

Wishing you a love-filled February and beyond, and hoping that this inspires you to create a love note for someone special.

 ~Ann

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts used:

Arch Top House Silhouettes

Words & Phrases 1

A Soulful Journey

Hi everyone, today I am sharing "a soulful journey" with you.
Some of the first Gypsy Soul laser cuts I was drawn to were the triptychs. I have always been in awe of antique triptychs. Growing up, we had a few prominently displayed in my family's home that had been passed down through the generations. Many of these were religious; however, more and more nowadays I notice a number of mixed media artists utilizing triptychs as a canvas for all types of art, both secular and religious. I am excited to share my altered triptych with you.

The Triptych - Towers Top is comprised of 6 pieces. Each of the three components has a solid back and a frame front.

 

When I look at the design of the towers top arched frame, I envision a bronzed and copper patina. I set about creating this with some of my favorite embossing powders. I coated each framed top piece with embossing ink and covered it with Emerald Creek burnt copper leaves powder. Before heat setting it, I sprinkled a pinch of turquoise antiquities embossing powder by Ranger in various spots. I then heat set the powders. I wanted a varied texture, so I only heated it all the way smooth in spots and other portions are only partially melted creating a bumpy surface.

Once the frame pieces were completed, I set about selecting a background paper for the three openings. I selected a paper from Tim Holtz Menagerie paper stash that I felt complemented the frame and had plenty of depth to set off the accents that I will be adding to each opening. I traced the outermost edge of each frame onto the paper and fussy cut them out. 

When the papers were placed between the frame and backing piece, I felt that the uppermost portion that has open framework needed to be brighter. I was hoping to end up with a "glowing" effect. To achieve this, I traced the boundaries of the open framework onto the paper while the top piece was in place, then I removed the uppermost triptych frame pieces and painted the outlined area with Dina Wakley acrylic paint in penny. I also painted the innermost edge of the "frame" to give the appearance of added depth when it was put back together as well as to tie the upper areas to the lower. I try to use similar colors throughout a project so that it all ties together when it's complete.  

Once the frames were done, I set them aside and painted the backsides of each of the triptych's solid back panels. I first painted a layer of Distress paint in walnut stain and then went over it with a dry brush and a small amount of the penny acrylic paint. I also painted the front edges of these panels just in case they did not align perfectly when I put them together (since I will have multiple layers in between.)

I glued 1-5/8" long antique bronze colored hinges to the triptych backs and allowed them to dry before I adhered the painted and inked papers. In order to ensure that the hinges lined up and that the triptych would be level when placed upright, I used a straight edge below all three backs to keep them in place. I marked the location for the hinge placement and then measured the correct distance on all pieces. Although the hinges have holes to be screwed in place, for my purposes, I simply used a strong multi-purpose glue.

I then began work on the inner areas. Using Hero Arts manuscript background stamp, I lightly inked with Brilliance cosmic copper metallic ink, and I stamped the script design to the paper backing piece. I did this to all three papers, randomly inking areas of the stamp to simply add some interest instead of the solid stamp image. The metallic ink blends nicely, and reflects the light when viewed from different angles. I inked all the paper edges with walnut stain distress ink as well as some areas on the front face of the paper.

Next I die cut three ironwork gates from heavy weight cardstock with the Tim Holtz Sizzix gothic gate die, each of these were inked with an embossing ink dauber and coated with Emerald Creek burnt copper leaves embossing powder, then heat set to a smooth finish. I painted some highlights on the embossed fence with the penny acrylic paint once they had cooled. These gates were placed behind the triptych frame front, trimmed to the correct size, and then glued in place.

While the ironwork pieces were drying, I stamped a Character Constructions Doll stamp from the Timekeepers Garden collection on watercolor paper. I colored her with distress inks, Copic and fine tip Steatdler markers. I also stamped butterflies from the Stampers Anonymous flutter collection on watercolor paper. I reduced the size of the stamps on my copier and colored those in as well. I then fussy cut the butterflies and die cut the doll stamp. These pieces will be located on the open areas of the triptych.

Now it was time to assemble the piece. I glued each piece of background paper to the respective back panel, covering the hinge flanges. Each of the side frames (with ironwork embellishment intact) was then placed over their respective back panel and glued in place. Since I had multiple layers between the two chipboard pieces, I made sure to put a heavy weight on top of them while they dried.

I adhered the colored butterflies, as well as a small key for her hand. Lastly I added a Tim Holtz word band that has been dabbed with gold and mushroom alcohol ink. I felt that this sentiment was a perfect finishing touch. I used leather cording and secured it around the bottom of the middle triptych panel.

I hope that you are inspired to create something in this new year.
~Ann

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts used:
Triptych - Towers Top