The Baroness of the Bramble Patch-A Peek-a-Boo Project

This is Jon David Lowe for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts, July in the farmland and foothills of rural Pennsylvania is black raspberry pickin' season and gardens are full of fresh vegetables. It was a also the time in my youth that I read 53 books in one summer. One that I remember vividly is "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett and later "The Secret Life of Bees" and "The Mermaid Chair" by Sue Monk Kidd. I'm sad to say that I have lost my love of reading. These are the inspirations of this artwork.

1.  Gather Supplies-I did not use Creepy Tree 5 Inch.

2.   Use Cosmic Shimmer Lava Paste by adding  Chili Powder, Nutmeg, and Green and Gold Mica Powders Adding Just Enough Water to Keep Paint Like Consistency.

3.  Spread on Upper Portion of GSLC Arch Top Triptych 8 Inch Frame With a Small Plastic Palette Knife.

4.  Cure With a Heating Tool.

5.  Use TH Rusty Hinge Distress Stain Distress Stains to add Patina to Cured Frames Using a Paintbrush.

6.  Look for Interesting Magazine Pictures to Use as Focal Points-I Found a Woman's Face and an Arched Passageway.

7.  Glue Arch Passageway to Top Portion of Back of GSLC Arch and  Image of Woman Face on Bottom Portion with Weldbond.

8.  Attach Front Frame to Back Portion of GSLC Arch Triptych with Weldbond and Secure with Clasps.

9.  I am Using GSLC Honeycomb & Queen Bees ATC Sized, GSLC Acorn Border Set, and GSLC Queen Anne's Lace, I Painted for a Previous Project Using a Variety of Acrylic Paints and Fussy Cut Flowers and Butterflies to Create a Border Around  Woman's Face.

10.                I Used, DecoArt One Step Crackle Finish and DecoArt Triple Thick Gloss Glaze to Layer my Border.

11.                Make a wash Out of Diluted, Gray and Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold Acrylic Paint.

12.                Add Clear Stickers of Birds, Butterflies and Flowers with DecoArt Triple Thick Gloss Glaze.

13.                When Fully Dry use Tweezers to  Glue Flat Back Rhinestone Jewels to Border Using Weldbond.

Some Final Thoughts.

All of the books I mentioned have strong main female characters as does July in America. One of the symbols of our nation is the Statue of Liberty, representing Freedom and Justice. For this reason I always thought July was named after a woman but it was not. July was named after Julius Cesar but for me it will always have a different meaning and origin story. The Image on this art piece pays homage to all of these strong women.

 My momma was one of the strongest women I knew but was she humble in her demure but to us she was queen of our homestead. They say a baroness is the lowest of five noble classes so that would make my momma, the  baroness of our bramble patch. She was a master gardener and knew all the best raspberry patches, she even remembered that next to Luther's orchard, closest to yellow delicious tree, were a rare white raspberry bush, I didn't have the heart to tell her I thought they were more of a yellow variety.

 She also said she heard there were red raspberry that grew on the dirt farm road just past our little white church on the hill,  heading towards Touchshay's that is  mentioned in Waiting For Robins. She said they would be found near the largest abounded barn in the lowlands but to be extra careful because the fields would be overgrown, and rattlers and copperheads love to bask in the early morning sun. if we were successful in our berry picking we could have a patriotic cobbler complete with red white and blue raspberries.

 "It  was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high wall which shut it in were covered with leafless stems of climbing poses, which were so thick they were matted together."  The Secret Garden

 "Most People don't have any idea about all the complicated life  going on inside a hive. Bee have a secret life we don't know anything about." The Secret Life of Bees

 "You can go other places, all right-you can live on the other side of the world, but you can't ever leave home"

The Mermaid Chair

Supplies:  GSLC Honeycomb & Queen Bees ATC Sized, GSLC Acorn Border Set, GSLC Queen Anne's Lace, GSLC Arch Top Triptych 8 Inch, Cosmic Shimmer Lava Paste, Chili Powder, Nutmeg, Gold and Green Mica Powder, Small Plastic Palette Knife, Heating Tool, TH Rusty Hinge Distress Stain, Paintbrush, Magazine Pictures, Scissors, Weldbond, DecoArt One Step Crackle Finish, DecoArt Triple Thick Gloss Glaze, Glossy Accent Gloss Finish, Fussy Cut Flowers and Butterflies, Acrylic Paint Gray and Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold, Spray Bottle of Water, Paintbrush, Clear Stickers of Birds, Butterflies and Flowers, Tweezers, Flat Back Rhinestone Jewels

     I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Hunting Unicorns-A Peek-a-Boo Project

 

A few months ago we sold our 1930's brick Cape Cod cottage it had a certain charm but it was deteriorating and needed a major over hall that we were unable to provide or commit to. So, we made the decision in the middle of my craziest school year of my 32 year career to put it on the market. We went looking for our unicorn, a condo closer to my work, with no steps, located on ground level. We sought this as there were bidding wars for almost any property on the market. Our house sold within three days and we found our unicorn in less than a week. We felt as if the universe listened to our pleas and gave us more than we anticipated. I'll write more about that at the end. One of the bonuses were amazing windows that brought in tons of natural light, our cottage was dark and dreary with no overhead lighting. This natural light is featured in my tutorial pictures below, and the inspirational of this art work along with unicorns.    

1.  Gather Your Materials.

2.   Decide of Layout.

3.  I Found this Magazine at the Bookstore and it was Full of Inspirations.

4.  There was an Article  About "The Hunt of the Unicorn" Seven Tapestries that Reside at the Met Cloisters, in New York City. I have had the Privilege of Seeing Them in Person.

5.   Choose the Portions of The Magazine Pictures you Want for Your Background of the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Arch Top Triptych 8 Inch-I Used Middle Frame Only, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Triptych-Arch Top-I Used the Two Outside Frames Only.

6.  Paint the Back Part of the Frames with Golden Acrylics-Fluorescent Blue Titan Green,  and Prussian Blue Hue Randomly Mostly Around the Edges.

7.  Make a wash of Golden Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold Acrylic Paint and Matte Varnish to "Age" the Brighter Colors.

8.  Use UHU Gluestick to add Background Pictures to Painted Frames.

9.  Use Oil Pastels to Color Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Oak Scribble Frame, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Queen Anne's Lace .

10.                Use Golden Acrylics-Fluorescent Yellow and Orange, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold, Van Dyke Brown, and Copper to Paint Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Bird on a Swing Shape Set.

11.                Assemble Your Collage Using Golden Heavy Gel         Matte Medium.

12.                Spray With Hairspray and Sprinkle with Cinnamon             and Chili Powder.

13.                Add a Dusting of Blue Glitter.

14.                Once Fully Dry Use a Scrip Stamp to Add Wendy            Vecchi Red Geranium Embossing Powder in Random          Area of the Assemblage. 

15.                Use Golden Heavy Gel Matte Medium to Attach the           Top Frames to the Back Frame Portions.

16.                Hold Tightly Into Place with Clamps.

     17.                Add Dots of Liquid Pearls-Juniper to the Borders of                 the frames.

             

18.                Once Fully Dry add a Coat of Matte Varnish to  Seal Everything in Place and Give Your Artwork a Uniform Professional Look.

19.                This Triptych can be Hinged Together with Small Metal Hinges and Microscrews or By Using Cloth Tape. I will be Using Mine as Book Cover Panels

 

Some Final Thoughts.

Our Condo Unicorn is not only on the ground  floor but a rancher, end unit, less than five miles from the middle school where I teach Math and Science. There are only fifty-five units and its hidden a bit off the beaten path in a cookie cutter community of Single Family Homes. My drive to work in on a windy country road surrounded by open fields and forested patches, with a meandering brook flowing under a single lane bridge. Yet, within the same five miles in the other direction all of our favorite restaurants and shoppes. We feel truly blessed by our immensely rare creature.

The Article  in Cabana, describe the Met Cloisters, as a "bucolic haven only a few miles away from the hustle and Bustle of Mid-Town." It is where you can go see the exquisite, well preserved, sets of the late Medieval tapestry, "The Hunt of the Unicorn." I have been fortunate enough to see these magnificent enchantments in person. I am intrigued by their intricate weaving and hidden details. They are magical and transport you to a time long forgotten. I want our condo to be such a place.

Unicorn by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

My friends say I should not believe

in things that can't be true.

But my heart believes one must exist

as real as me or you.

So don't listen to those who swear

that things they cannot see aren't there.

I am a unicorn, free and wild,

and someday I will find a child.

Supplies:  Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Arch Top Triptych 8 Inch, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Triptych-Arch Top, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Bird on a Swing Shape Set, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Oak Scribble Frame, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Queen Anne's Lace, Magazine Pages of Unicorn Tapestries, Art Scraps of Images of Your Choice,  Pencil, Scissors, Paintbrushes, Golden Acrylics-Fluorescent Blue, Yellow and Orange, Titan Green, Prussian Blue Hue, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold, Van Dyke Brown, and Copper, Embossing Powders-Seth Apter-Weathered Wood and Gold, Crushed Copper, Wendy Vecchi Red Geranium, Embossing Ink Dabber, Embossing Ink Pad, Heating Tool, Script Stamp, Golden Heavy Gel Matte Medium, Matte Varnish. Blue Glitter, Hairspray, Spices. Oil Pastels, UHU Gluestick

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are making.