A general card for lots of occasions

Hi everyone, Heather here again today with a card that can be used for almost anything. The colours are a bit feminine, but  these could be changed to make it more masculine. Also I have to admit that I forgot to take the pictures of the lovely Gslcuts items that I have used. I just saw the relevant pieces and began putting them together before I remembered that I needed some photos, so just to make life different I am going to list the items that I have used at the beginning rather than the end, then you will be able to see for yourselves what the original items look like.
Gsl items used:
Chicken wire Large (for the background)
Flourished frame Valerie square
10 words
Word elements 1 ssmall
other items used:
ready made flowers
pearl spray
backing paper (from my stash
Prima papers Zephyr paper
Carina Gardner watercolour floral paper"
8" x 8" scalloped greeting card

First of all I decided on the size of card  and chose an 8" x 8" scalloped card. I cut a piece of the floral paper to measure 7 5/8( seven and five eigth inches square), this just fits within the scalloped edge of the card and leaves a small border on the fold of the card, I cut some of the chicken wire to fit diagonally onto the  paper. I used a corner punch to cut two corners on the flowered paper, so that they fitted with the corners on the card

Now I come to the centre piece of my card and I used the flourished frame Valerie square for this

As you can see I covered the frame with white gesso then white paint, I used the Prima Zephyr paper for the back of the frame and as the paper is predominantly yellow I thought that maybe yellow roses would look nice in two corners. The other two corners I used believe and dream from the small word elements 1 and backed both these with the Prima Zephyr paper. When I looked at this again I decided that the yellow roses didn't  look quite right with the  amount of pink that was on the background paper, so I changed the yellow roses and replaced them with pink ones.

I also had a few wire pieces with pearls on the end,and I thought that these would look nice behind the roses, so I pulled out one length of wire which had three pearls on the end and I glued the rose to it, then glued these into two corners I chose the live and laugh from the 10 words in the store to use in the centre of the frame but I had lost the love word, so I used one of my dies and ran it through my cutting machine on a spare piece of chipboard. It didn't cut through completely but it left enough mark for me to fussy cut  it out and use it with the live and laugh in the middle.

I do believe in Fairies!! Layout by Lynne

I absolutely love the wire fairy sculptures by Fantasywire, and have used several of them on layouts; I loved how magical this fairy image looks in the gorgeous frame from Gypsy Soul!

I used the Flourished Open Circle frames and Prima Royal Menagerie papers, fussy-cutting elements from the papers and adding layers and handstitching for interest and dimension. When I handstitch on a project, I usually draw my lines in pencil then poke the holes with a good-sized needle or pin, working with a mouse pad under the project as I pierce it. It is much, MUCH easier to stitch when the holes have been premade like this, and a lot easier on the paper too! I usually use 2 or 3 strands of embroidery floss, depending on the thickness I want.

This butterfly was painter with acrylic paint then heat embossed in clear; I allowed the melted embossing powder to swirl around a bit and make the colours flow.

This butterfly was also painted with acrylic paint and then inked a bit with coordinating colours, but the layer of clear embossing powder was thinner and just meant to give it a bit of a sheen.

The frames and word pieces were all primed in white, then heat embossed with Donna Salazar embossing powder in Jasmine, which created a lovely smooth and shiny surface. I then sponged them with dusty rose pigment ink to echo the colours in the papers.

I popped up the fussy cut bits with some foam tape and added some of my beloved stenciling, and some acrylic dots which echo the touch of warm colour in the photo. I hope you liked my page and wish you a magical day!

GYPSY SOUL ITEMS USED

Flourished Open Circle Frames Medium

Butterflies & Dragonflies

Word Elements 1-small

OTHER ITEMS USED

Prima stencil
Fiskars border punch foam adhesive
acrylic dot stickers
Donna Salazar embossing powder-Jasmine
Versamark Ink
clear embossing powder
Colorbox pigment ink-Dusty Plum
embroidery floss and needle

A Steampunk Card for a Friend

I think that I had this ambition to get as much as I could on an 8" x 8" card and with the help of gorgeous  gslcuts embellishments I was able to succeed.
                                                                         
                                                                        

 

I used an 8" x 8" scalloped card that I had in my stock and cut a piece of creative expressions foundation card in white, slightly smaller than the card, making the curved corners to match.

 I used creative expressions gilding polish (colour heather) to cover the whole of the white piece of card, then embossed this with cogs & gears creative embossing folder. After I had embossed it I went over it very lightly with silver dream gilding polish.
Next I chose which embellishments I wanted to use, which were:- gears shape set, butterfly of gears, heart of gears, dragons shape set, hot air balloons net style and word elements 1. 

                                                                   

  I also had some flowers in my stock and thought they would look good too.
I covered all the embellishments in white gesso and let them dry, then coloured them with different coloured distress inks and some with gilding polish.
The colours that I used on the embellishments I also added to the background card using the hot air balloon as a template, but did some "splodges" as well.

                                                           

I had the flowers in my stash so stuck these in two corners then took the larger embellishments and placed these where I thought they looked good. 
Before sticking the heart on I threaded some ribbon around the top and stuck it to the card, and the larger gears set I stuck on myself, however, the small pieces of gears I just put in my hand, held them above the card and let them drop. I stuck them to the card where they had landed so that I didn't end up doing a uniformed pattern.
I added two heart pins from my stash to the top of the butterfly to form antennae, and added the friends word in a frame to the top corner.

                                                           

Gslcuts items used:-Dragon shape set
                                     Butterfly of gears
                                     Heart of gears
                                     Hot air balloons net style
                                     Gears shape set
                                     Word elements 1.
Other items used:- Creative embossing folder, cogs & gears
                                    Creative expressions foundation card
                                    Creative expressions gilding polish
                                     Distress ink (any make)













      

Jewelry Pieces by Linsey!

Hello! I'm Linsey and I'm absolutely thrilled to be the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts guest designer for July! Each Wednesday this month I'll have the pleasure of sharing a lovingly made project with you and today, these DIY necklaces are up. I enjoyed making this fun fashion jewelry so much, it was hard to stop! I wanted to try a few different designs and used a combination of GSL chipboard pieces and wooden charms to accomplish this.

First up, my framed diamond charm which I altered with some gears and a set of wings from the Steampunk Shape Set. I used a combination of DecoArt Metallic Lustre paint in Black Shimmer (which appears more pewter than black--I like it), Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Vintage Pink and Glimmer Glam Glitter Paint in Tail Fin. For more sparkle, I added a line of bling around the diamond frame. I also added rub-on words "rise-shine-fly" to the wings and looped a bit of pink cord and bling cord through the top of the charm hole.

Next up, my Small Wooden Dome Charm necklace. I loved the rich wooden tone this dome piece came as, so I simply heat embossed the frame with a coat of clear hologram embossing powder, then added bits of gold mica flakes to the inner part. I then laid down the words "be true" and added a tiny key inside the center of the little dome.

Finally, a couple of pieces made with the Large Wooden Circle Charm, Word Elements 1 and the Small Wooden Circle Charm. On the large circle, I first covered the wooden base with more hologram embossing powder and heat set, then heat embossed the word element "believe" in copper, and glued that on top of the base, which is a perfect fit. The small circle is done with the same hologram embossing powder and a clear bubble epoxy sticker from Amy Tangerine glued to the center. These are not only great to make into unique and cool jewelry, but also for making key chains, planner charms and so much more! Your imagination is truly the limit!

Thanks so much for visiting  and allowing me to share my project with you today! I hope you have enjoyed this easy diy jewelry and are inspired to make some of your own!

Friends - a Simple Winter Layout

Hello dear crafty friends! This past weekend I was at a crop with some ladies from church who tend to do simple layouts, many with multiple photos. A lot of us began our papercrafting that way and then found our personal style and preference along the way, myself included. I began this page while I was there and decided to stick to a simpler style that showcased the photo, which is very special to me.

My father has had a series of strokes and can no longer get around on his own. His best friend took him "skating" one day and he posted a video. It was clear my dad was having a blast! Everyone should be blessed to have such a wonderful and caring friend. I used this "friends" word piece to emphasize their bond; after priming it with gesso I heat-embossed it with glitter embossing powder and mounted it on patterned paper that had foil stars on it.

The snowflake strip was finished in the same way and embellished with pearl centers.

I had so much fun with these cute little skates! I covered the boot with patterned paper and painted the blade with silver acrylic paint. I then cut shaped pieces and stitched "laces" with embroidery floss before attaching them to the skate.

I used the gorgeous Kaisercraft "Silver Bells" collection for this page and added some stencilling with texture paste. I plan to add some journalling before I put it into my album.

I love how versatile Gypsy Soul Laser Cut pieces are; great for layouts, cards or a variety of 3-dimensional projects...along with anything else your lively imagination can come up with! Have a great week and I wish you creative bliss!

Gypsy Soul items used
Winter Shape Set
Word Elements 1 small

Other items used
Kaisercraft Silver Bells paper collection
Recollections adhesive pearls
Ranger embossing powder-Bridal Tinsel     

Friend Altered Canvas

Hello, everyone! Amy love here with my first project of the new year!! This is a canvas shadowbox I made for a special friend. It has turned out to be one of my favorite canvases I have created. I hope you love it too!!

Follow this link to a full tutorial of this project: Friends Canvas

Items used from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts

Build a Layout Love Birds

String Alongs- Hearts

Word Elements 1

Hang on to Hope - Layout by Lynne

Hello fellow crafters! Here in Southwestern Ontario we're deep into fall and heading toward (ugh) winter. When I saw this image, it made me think of how springtime is hope fulfilled after a long cold winter.

The tree branches were perfect for extending the image. I ran them through my Cuttlebug in a wood grain embossing folder then painted them brown to match the photo. The leaves were painted green then dabbed lightly with other colours like the ones in the photo. I brushed the pieces with Glossy Accents to give them a bit of a sheen.

The word piece was painted with acrylic paint then heat-embossed with clear embossing powder. I then mounted it on coordinating patterned paper.

Punchwork along with some stencilling and stamping completed the background then I added a few paper strips to mimic the design on the bottom of the photo.I had a great time creating this cheery project and love the way the branches fit onto the design so perfectly-thanks for stopping by and hang onto hope today and every day!

Gina's Items Used

Leafy Branches with Birds

Word Elements 1

Other Items Used

Marion Smith Posh papers

embossing powder and Versamark ink

acrylic paints

Glossy Accents

How to Art Journal with Chipboard

Hi everyone! Amylove here!! To say that I am enjoying art journaling would be an understatement! I absolutely love it. For this piece I used a scrap piece of paper and some chipboard pieces that I used as stencils before. I was really feeling the bright colors!!

Click below and follow along as I show you how I made this art journal page:

How to Art Journal with Chipboard

Gina's Designs:

Mixed Media Fragments 1

Mixed Media Fragments 2

Word Elements 1

Delicate Frames and Ornaments

My Stash:

Gesso

Napkin

Acrylic Sprays

Lindy's Sprays

Watered Down Mod Podge

Glossy Accents

Hot Glue

Altered Tin Featuring Robin's Nest Papers

Hi everyone! Amylove here sharing one of my favorite items to alter. I have been altering Altoid size tins for the last year and I truly enjoy them. I was excited to use these beautiful Robin's Nest papers and thought what an amazing contrast the black would be against these yellows.

 

              

                                      

If you would like to see the step by step process of this project, please follow this link to my video tutorial:    Altered Tin Process Video

Products used:

Gina's Designs:

Parisian Shape Set

Dress Form Shape Set 2

Miniature Ladies Choice Shape Set

Delicate Frames and Ornaments

Word Elements 1

Robin's Nest:

Saffron Sunrise Collection

items from my stash:

Destress Ink

Glossy Accent

Fabritac

Embossing Powder

Black Chalk Paint

Stamps

Archival Ink

Lace Trim

Double Sided Tape

Tape Runner

Twine

Tin

Flowers