She's Got a Ticket to Ride by Betsy Skagen

What does your creative process look like? For me, some vintage Silver Star tickets sitting on my desk reminded me of the old Beatles song. That inspired me to search through my stash to find the perfect saucy woman.

A lingerie model from a 1940s magazine and several elements from Gypsy Soul, including a silver star,  set me on the path to create this mixed media / altered art wagon.

Tutorial: How to Create a Retro Mixed Media Wagon.

Begin by covering a shallow box with black gesso.

On cold press watercolor paper prepare a multi-layered mixed media background using acrylic paints, dry brushes, stencils, inks and other mixed media tools. 

Use an embossing ink pen and a stencil to create the rocket cone. Add Deep Sea Baked Texture and activate with heat gun.

Cut your newly created mixed media paper to fit the inside of your box. Score where it will fold and make corner slices so you can create the box shape. Below I am showing the messy back side ( I am never a tidy crafter!) of the mixed media water color paper so you can see how I scored the paper and cut the corners.

After making sure your paper fits inside the box, Fold the paper into a rectangle, add glue and let dry.

Use paint or a marker to color the edge of your paper so that you won't have a glaring white edge.

Depending on the size of your box, you may want to trim the wheel axels so that they don't overwhelm your project.

Then cover all of the chipboard pieces--Ticket Strips, Stars String Alongs, Wheels, stars from the Celestial Shape Sets and a rectangle from the Four Panel Door with black gesso. When dry, paint the stars with metallic silver paint.

Select a paper straw that will fit through the axel and wheel holes and four washers that also fit. Paint the straw with black gesso. When dry cut the straw to fit the axel base.

Attach black Tyvek to the axels so you can strengthen the bond between the alexs and the box. I just love black Tyvek. You can use it for so many purposes such as creating incredibly strong folding hinges on books and journals. I used to color white Tyvek envelopes with a black marker until I found that I could purchase a black version of it.

Ink the Star String Along with embossing ink, cover with silver embossing powder and use a heat gun to activate it.

Punch a hole in the top of your mixed media paper box and thread the star through it. Cement the star in place with strong adhesive tape.

Adhere your mixed media paper box inside the cardboard box.

Using a strong glue like Beacon Fabrfi-Tac, adhere the axels to the bottom of the box. Slide the straw pieces through the axel, add the wheels and glue the stars from the Celestial Shape sets onto the straws. Add the chipboard rectangle to the front of the box to create a handle or carriage coupling.

Fussy cut a vintage lingerie model, adhere to black cardstock and cut around the image. Use a metallic silver paint pen to paint her shoes silver.

Tear one end of the tickets and the chipboard ticket strip. Distress the edges of vintage tickets with black ink. Adhere the tickets to the chipboard strip, then adhere the woman to the ticket strip.

Next add foam adhesive squares to the back of the woman and tickets to add depth to the project. Because I didn't have any thicker adhesive foam on hand ( and was too lazy to go to the store), I stacked three adhesive squares together to give extra dimension. Line up the tickets with the embossed arrows to create a rocket. Adhere the woman and tickets to the inside back of your box.

Use a printer or typewriter to create your title piece. Cut into a rectangle, ink the edges with black ink and adhere to a black cardstock background.

Cut a rectangle of clear acetate, score in half and adhere to the back of your title piece to make an invisible stand. Adhere inside the carriage box.

Apply metallic silver paint to a foam blending tool and stencil assorted graphics to the side and back of your carriage.

Add black Dresden trim.

Your Ticket to Ride Carriage is now complete! I hope you were able to find a little inspiration or knowledge from this tutorial. Have a great weekend! -Betsy 

Great Stuff

Chipboard Ticket Strips
Moon & Stars String Alongs
Wheels
Stars from 2 Celestial Shape Sets
Rectangle from Four Panel Door
Cardboard box
Vintage tickets
Vintage ad
Black Tyvek
Deep Sea Baked Texture Embossing Powder
Silver embossing powder
Embossing ink pen
Black ink pad
Assorted stencils
Foam blending tool
Foam adhesive squares
Black Dresden trim
Clear acetate
Printer or typewriter
Paper straw
4 washers
Cold press watercolor paper
Black cardstock
White cardstock
Black gesso
Acrylic paints
Metallic silver paint pen
Beacon Fabri-Tac
Beacon Zip Dry

Trick or Treat Frame

Hi there paper peeps!  Cherry here today at the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Blog.  I know it is Summer but I have a Halloween project to share.  How is that for a season change?

I started with the Victorian frame and easel.  I have used this frame before ...this time I had it in mind to use it horizontally. I gave it and this cute Moon some love with the Tattered angels spray in orange.

I also aged it a bit with Tim Holtz distress ink .

while the easel was drying I backed the frame with pattern papers and images and layered the frame on top.

 I added my Moon with foam adhesive and also added this awesome Halloween fence coming soon to store.  I embossed it with black embossing powder.

I added interest to the front of easel with some handmade crepe paper stitched together.

 From there I just started adding some final touches to bring this piece to life!

Here it is finished!

Thanks for visiting the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts blog, Cherry

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Supplies

Victorian Frame and Easel

String Alongs-Moon and Stars

Facebook Challenge for August by Dianna

Hi everyone, Dianna here with a new Project for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Monthly Challenge.  The first of each month there is a new challenge. This month's challenge is a color challenge! You can submit a new project that has anything to do with Fairy Tails - any Character or Characters (i.e. fairies, mermaids, dragons, etc). 

All you have to do is become a member of the Facebook Craft Group and submit your entry on the Facebook Craft Group page.  The winning entry will receive a $10.00 gift certificate to Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts.

I choose Graphic 45's Mother Goose Collection for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts - Hidden Drawer Book Box Large.  I assembled the box and painted it cream. I then inked it brown, then used a bronze paint and dry rubbed it on the box for a burnished look.  

I assembled the inside box and painted it a green that matches the green in the paper. 

The mini album is something I made up to fit inside of the book box.  Cut the paper at 9-1/2 wide and score at 4-3/4 cut the length at 7-1/2 long and score at 7 inches and cut one side and corner the ends.  I used scrap chipboard and cut it down to 7 x 1-3/4 for a base to attach the spine.  I wanted something sturdy that could be used to take the mini album in and out.  The spine is 3-3/4 with a score on each side at 1/2 and 2-3/4 with a score at 1/2.  

I painted Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts String Alongs - Moon & Stars white then used yellow chalk ink and Stickles for bling.  

I painted the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Star and Flourish Borders and Corners, light blue and used white Stickles for added bling.  

I created flaps with extra pieces from another project.  

I used Copic Markers to create pages on the ends of the book box.  

I fussy cut sections of Graphic 45's Mother Goose front pages and used my Xyron Creative Station and Stamp Maker for a clean layering effect.  

Finished!

Thank you for looking!

Items Used

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts

Hidden Drawer Book Box Large

String Alongs - Moon & Stars

Star & Flourish Borders and Corners

Other Items

Graphic 45

Mother Goose Collection

Xyron

Kissing Reindeer Standing Dome by Betsy Skagen

Despite one politician's recent coffee cup hullabaloo, I am
over-the-moon delighted that the season has arrived to greet each other with
holiday greetings--whether it be Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas or Happy
Kwanzaa. 

As crafters, many of us have been making holiday items for
months, so if you are anything like me, Betsy Skagen of Paper Calliope, you are
more than ready to share some holly jolly spirit.

 

Tutorial How to Make the Kissing Reindeer Standing Dome

As Gina's November 2015 Guest Designer, I chose this project
because the shape of Gina's Standing Dome Frame Oval reminded me of a piece of
furniture that used to stand in my grandmother's front hall. That, however, is
where the similarities end. A relatively stern woman, my grandmother would
never have had something so sparkly and frivolous in her possession.

Step 1: Paint fence, backdrop and base of Standing Dome
Frame Oval and the Moon String Along 
with gesso. Let dry. Do NOT paint the Flourished Deer with gesso as the
layers get too thick for the intricate cuts. Trust me on this, I know. If you
don't trust me, trust Gina because she had to drop everything and send me
another pair of reindeer when I messed up the first pair. Good thing she is so
efficient that she puts Santa's workshop to shame.

 

Step 2: Paint both sides of Flourished Deer, back drop and
base with a rich brown matte acrylic paint. Let dry.

Step 3: Paint both sides of moon with a matte yellow acrylic
paint. Let dry.

Step 4: Paint both sides of fence with a gloss red acrylic
paint. Let dry.

 

Step 5: Lightly coat one side of moon with Mod Podge and
cover with extra fine glitter. Let dry. Repeat on other side of moon.

 

Step 6: Adhere blue glitter foam sheet to front of backdrop.
Flip over and use a utility blade to carve out the oval.

Step 7: Using a strong adhesive, assemble the Standing Dome
Frame Oval (the backdrop, fence and base).

Step 8: I found it tricky to get the deer to adhere the deer
in a way that they stayed perfectly upright. I tried a few different solutions
and this was what worked best for me.

First, determine the placement of your deer and lightly mark
the location of their front and back hooves on the base with a pencil. Use
masking tape to temporarily adhere the deer in place.

 

Then find four long nails with large flat heads. Temporarily
place one nail upright against the back of a front deer leg and determine where
to pierce the base so that the nail best supports the deer leg. Mark this spot
on the base. Repeat this for a front and rear leg of each deer.

Remove the deer from the base. Use a hammer and pierce the
base where you marked with each nail. Flip the base over and insert the nails so
that the flat head is snug against the bottom of the base.

 

Return the base to its upright position and adhere the deer
hooves to the base with strong adhesive and adhere the deer legs to the nails
with narrow strips of brown or white duct tape.

Step 9: Determine the best height to hang the moon and cut
off the unneeded stem of chipboard. Adhere the stem to the back of the
backdrop.

 

Step 10: Add faux snow to the fence, base and reindeer legs.
Make snowdrifts to hide the nails. Let dry.

I hope you found inspiration in this tutorial. Don't forget
that in just a few days Gina's Lasercuts will become Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts.
Happy Holidays! -Betsy

 Gina's Designs

    Standing Dome Frame Oval

    Flourished Deer

    Moon String Along

Great stuff you will need

    Foam blue glitter
sheet

    Gesso

    Matte acrylic
paint in brown and yellow

    Red glass acrylic
paint

    Four 3" nails
with flat heads

    Mod Podge

    Aleene's True Snow

    Extra fine glitter

    Beacon Fabri-Tac
Adhesive