Tipsy Gypsy Wagon

Happy Saturday, everyone! Today I am sharing my colorful take on a portable bar made from a GSL Gypsy Wagon. My fellow design team member Nichola Battilana posted a fabulous walk through on assembling a GSL Gypsy Wagon on YouTube. Let me show you how I made this one my own.  

I wanted to add counters at both windows, so simply cut a tongue depressor the width of the window and painted it white. To stabilize the counter, I cut a piece of square basswood dowel, painted it white, and glued it inside just under where the counter will sit. The colorful papers I used in this project came from Graphic 45's Fairie Dust and Rare Oddities collections.

One end of the wagon has a doorway and the other has a window. I opted out of the window by papering over it as I wanted a shelf to hold liquor bottles inside. The shelf is another length of dowel painted white. 

I hung cocktail and gypsy themed images on the interior walls.

The little signs were made from a chalkboard sign generator found here. I edged the windows with black dresden trim and gave them little purple accents at the top by using bindis, which you can find online or in an international market.

I made little cheese platters from polymer clay and poly clay canes. The platters are made from a round disc of cardboard covered with a scrap of woodgrain paper.

Here are the wagon's accessories. I made a little table from the GSL Round Table & 2 Chairs 1 to 24

set. I put the chairs aside for a future project. After assembling it with tacky glue, I painted it with acrylic paint and edged it with a small length of black and white trim. The crystal ball is a marble glued onto a bead cap.  I also used bead caps to decorate the wheels.  The little pillows are made from a small piece of batting with fabric glued around it. The cocktails are tinted Ice Resin. 

Here is a view from the top. The flooring is a scrap of woodgrain scrapbook paper. I like being able to see inside the wagon so much I decided not to glue the roof in place.  I am, for now, just setting it on top so it can be removed to view and/or refurnish the interior.

I set up a little picnic spot on the rear bumper of the wagon. So inviting! 

I adore peeking through the windows!

Thanks for stopping by!

GSL Products Used

Gypsy Wagon

GSL Round Table & 2 Chairs 1 to 24

Other Supplies Used

Acrylic paint

Tacky glue

Graphic 45 Fairie Dust and Rare Oddities collections

Basswood dowel

Printed images

Polymer clay & poly clay canes

Resin bottles

Ice Resin

Miniature glassware

Fabric and batting scraps

Marble

Bead caps

Dresden trim

Bindis

Christmas Shadow Box by Betsy

Happy Wednesday and Happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the U.S. You know what this week also means don't you? Yes indeed, it is time to break out the holiday decorations! I won't admit how much dismay this brings to my husband and kids because of the work involved. Yet last year when I was the one who insisted on scaling back, they were the first to revolt.

It has been such a delight to work with Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts. For my last project as Guest Designer, I thought I would share with you a mostly monochrome Christmas shadow box.

To make this project, first assemble and glue together the House Shadow Box, Use cream-colored spray paint to cover the entire box.

Cut scrapbook paper to fit the back of each of the individual boxes. As you can see from the picture, I actually cut the pictures before I spray painted the box. After ensuring the papers fit perfectly, adhere with glue.

Cut several narrow strips of scrapbook paper slightly wider than the width of the shadow box edges. Rough up the edges of these paper strips with a scissors, then add brown ink. Glue onto the shadow box edges.

Assemble, glue and paint the Round Table and Chairs set. Paint a Stars Corner with dark red acrylic and accent with a cream-colored acrylic.Cover a small round tart tin with brown acrylic paint. Once the tin is dry, insert some sheet music into the tin and add glitter. I apologize for the lack of "how-to" pictures here. The SD card on my camera went bad and I lost dozens of photos.

Now is time for the fun part of making little scenes within the shadow box. Gather lots of new and vintage doo-dads and play around with different designs until you find one that works well.

Once you get everything in place, go ahead and glue it down.

Good Stuff

• House Shadow Box 
• Stars & Flourishes Border and Corners Set
• Round Table & 2 Chairs 1:24
• Graphic 45 St. Nicholas 12 x 12 Pad
• Sheet music
• Tart tin
• Assorted Christmas doo dads (from personal stash, Alpha Stamps and Factory Direct Craft)
• Cream colored spray paint
• Tuscan Red acrylic paint
• Brown acrylic paint
• Cream acrylic paint
• Beacon Fabri-tac
• Beacon 3-in-1 Adhesive
• Vintage Photo Distress Ink
• Red Stickles
• Silver Stickles