May Day

Happy May Day!
 When I learned that my first post for this month was on May 1st, the thoughts that came to mind were centered around May Day Celebrations. Memories from my childhood of dancing around the Maypole and crowning the May queen; as well as the tradition of hanging May baskets, are the inspiration behind todays project.

I begin with a Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Bagatelle Box 1.5 x 4 (coming soon). There are many size options available for this box. I chose this size to accommodate a basket handle that would be able to hang from a door knob (as is tradition) when complete. I paint the top and bottom edges of the pieces with antique linen Distress paint and allow to dry. The interior faces of the box sides are then covered with decorative paper to mimic a pretty spring lining for the "basket." I prefer to adhere the decorative papers prior to constructing the box. When this method is selected, be sure to keep the interlocking tabs free from paper. The photograph below shows how I have covered some of the surfaces.

Once the adhesive on the lining pieces is dry, I glue the box together and set aside. 

Next, I ink pieces of Distress woodgrain cardstock with Distress Oxide ink in scattered straw and fossilized amber. Drying the inks with a heat tool between layers. When I am satisfied with the coloration, I then use Distress Ink in brushed corduroy and walnut stain to give the cardstock the look of real wood by accentuating the wood graining.

These pieces are cut into strips that will be woven together to create the "basket."

The edges of each strip are inked with coordinating inks to hide the white core that is exposed when the strips are cut, then I begin to weave the pieces together, using the bagatelle box sides as guides.

I continue the weaving to completely surround the box base. 

With the basket portion complete, it is time to begin filling it with flowers. Tradition has it that May baskets are filled with the blooms gathered at the end of April's showers. To start, I use the fringing method to cut a piece of peeled paint colored card stock, creating a serpentine of "grass" that will assist in filling the basket. I add a thin line of quick dry glue along the bottom edge of the grass piece and secure it into place.

With the grass in place, I begin arranging the flower pieces that have been colored with Distress inks in shaded lilac, wilted violet, and bundled sage. I also add some leafy stem diecuts that have been painted with peeled Paint Distress paint. All of the various pieces are glued into place. 

The final step is attaching the basket handle. Due to the length of the basket base; as well as wanting the basket to be able to hang from a door knob, as is tradition, I cut two strips of the same width from the remaining inked piece of woodgrain cardstock. (Note: I have inked both sides of this piece of woodgrain cardstock so that when viewed, the underside of the handle looks the same as the top. This is important since the handle bends and slips into the sides between the box and the woven paper giving exposure to both sides simultaneously.) These two pieces are overlapped and glued together at the top. I add a stamped and colored butterfly to the handle to complete the project. 

I am off to deliver this May Day Basket to its special recipient, and carry on this wonderful tradition.

I hope that the coming days are filled with May flowers and perhaps they inspire you to create something beautiful. 

Thank you so much for stopping by, I truly appreciate it.

~Ann

    

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts used:
Bagatelle Box 1.5 x 4 (coming soon)

Gorgeous frame

Hi everyone, Heather here making a rare appearance on the blog.
Gypsy Soul Laser cuts have got loads of beautiful frames in stock and this one the 6" deco frame is one of my favourites,

As you can see it comes in 3 parts, so depending on whether you want a lovely decorative frame or just a very plane frame you can use any part of this frame, or, of course you can use all 3 parts together because they fit perfectly inside each other.
Because I wanted the frames to look a bit coppery I didn't worry about gessoing them as they are brown already,but if  you want a light coloured frame you would have to either Gesso or paint the frame in white before you put colour on it. I used creative expressions gilding polish and glitter kiss to colour the frames,

 basically I used Fire red kiss, Sahara gold kiss,rich red gilding polish, gold treasure gilding polish,a tiny bit of coral distress ink and just applied them to the frames until I had got a colour that I liked.

 When I was happy with the colour I had a quick flip through my very small selection of bird pictures

and found this lovely little bird that fitted nicely into the smallest part of the frame,

so there we go, my favourite frame and a gorgeous little garden bird that I think is called a coal tit in the Uk, but don't quote me on that one. I hope that you have got some lovely photos that need framing and that you will have  a look at the great selection on gypsy Soul Laser Cuts

Gypsy soul laser cuts item used:

Deco frame 6"

I adore you

Hi Everyone,

Jess here today.  It's that time of year when everyone starts to think about hearts and flowers.  When I saw these Heart Playing Cards(that will be coming to the store soon) I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
The cards come in two pieces.  You get the front decorative side and a plain piece of chipboard that makes up the back.

Start by running the back piece through your Xyron machine to cover the piece.  Add a piece of decorative paper, then emboss using the Tim Holtz 3d Botanical folder.  I wanted to make the back out of velvet, but I didn't have any velvet paper.  I tried several different things to create my own velvet paper and nothing looked quite right.  If you have ideas give me a shout! I ended up deciding to use this red paper that looked aged enough to appear as though it had been held many times over the years.

Paint the reverse side of the back piece using red paint.  I went with a metallic red, but really any red will do.  Don't worry about getting paint in all of the cracks as most of this will be covered and you won't see any patches.   Set the back pieces aside to dry.

While the back piece are drying take your photos(these are Tim Holtz found relatives, but you can use any old photos) and cover them with a layer of Vintage Beeswax embossing powder.

Once your powder is melted you get this wonderful look.  You can add lots of layers to make it smooth or even crack the finish.  This is a technique my fellow teammate Jennalee likes to use and you can see what that looks like here.

Emboss the heart overlay using Charred Gold embossing powder.  Adhere the photo and the overlay to the back panel.  See how the red just peeks out from behind.

Emboss your floral diamond with a very thin layer of Charred Gold powder.  Stipple on alcohol ink in slate, mushroom, and latte to age the finish.  

Add a metal flower on top of the diamond and then add a typed token with a bit of twine on that to complete your cover detail.  

I hope you have a great week!

Jess

affirmation accordion

Life is full of ups and downs and twists and turns; oftentimes, the unknown can lead to doubts and questioning. For my project today, I created a small affirmation accordion journal. Something little that can make a big impact in turning your thoughts around, just by opening it. A friend of mine had sent me a stamped saying a while back that really struck a chord with me. I have had it on the corner of my work table so that I could see it every time I went in to create. It is amazing how such a small reminder can make a difference. This was the inspiration behind my affirmation accordion.

Sometimes journals can be oversized and intimidating, I thought for this piece I would work with Gypsy Soul laser Cuts ATC sized ticket journals. These are a lot of fun to work with and their size is perfect to pop into a pocket or bag and carry with you. I begin with two sets of the ATC ticket journal, knowing that I will be adhering the first and last "tickets" onto my own covers, I want the inside to have more interior pages than the one piece will provide. Each piece contains a strip of five tickets.

To create the cover and back panel that the "tickets" will be attached to, I measure the size of the ticket journal when it is folded up, then add 1/8" all around so that the ticket journal will nestle snugly inside. The exposed side of each of the these cover pieces is faced with faux wood that I created using a 3D embossing folder. I love how it looks like real wood, yet is actually paper that has been embossed, painted and inked. On the interior faces of these pieces, I cut patterned paper to fit and ink around the edges. The first and last "ticket" will be attached onto these papers so I chose something that is appropriate for a background, yet adds interest.

My accordion will be secured by means of a ribbon that wraps around the outside and ties. This ribbon is kept in place by being thread through two eyelet holes in the back cover. The eyelets are set and piece of ribbon is pulled through before I adhere the last ticket to the back cover. When attaching this piece, I make sure to only adhere around the edges so that the ribbon is allowed to move freely.

Once I have prepared the covers, I set about creating the pages that will form the inside. The seasons are changing, the weather may be warm, but fall is in the air. I love the beautiful colors that nature presents to us in this time of change and decide to use this as inspiration for my color choices. I choose some favorite papers from my stash in coordinating patterns, as well as some collage tissue, solid pieces and possible embellishments. The papers are cut to fit each ticket face. This step requires a bit of planning as I want each page to work well with the one it is adjacent to, yet retain its own individual presence with in the accordion. It helps to visualize the interaction of sides by folding the accordion during this planning stage.

When considering interior pages, I decide to incorporate some pieces from the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts honeycomb and bees small set. I think the pieces will complement the paper patterns really well. I cut some areas of the honeycomb apart to fit how I envision them on the tickets. Each of the pieces is coated with vintage beeswax embossing powder. My accordion uses one and a half GSLC ticket journal pieces, the remaining tickets can be set aside for another project. The tickets that will be secured to the covers are coated in gesso, allowed to dry and then collaged with vintage collage medium and floral collage tissue. I also create a couple extra tickets in this same manner to be used throughout.

Before adhering any of the paper pieces, I attach strips of linen binding tape to each external (mountain) fold. This will reinforce the folded edge, which will help prevent tearing. The strips are inked with distress ink so they blend into the design. All of the internal (valley) folds are covered with pieces of coordinating design tape. Since these are the inside edges of the reinforced folds, it is really more for decorative purpose. Most often when I begin to assemble the pieces, I tend to re-arrange a bit, since I have some extra pieces, it is easy to make adjustments to backgrounds. I attach the papers to the ticket bases with double sided adhesive tape. Some of the collage pieces are attached with collage medium. The front cover is attached along with all of the interior pieces; I wait to attach the back cover until the inside pages are complete. This way the ribbon does not get in the way or covered with glue. I color the seam binding ribbon with distress oxide inks to coordinate.

The final step in creating the accordion is embellishing each of the pages. I apologize for the lack of process photos during the assembly, I seem to have gotten caught up in the arrangement of pieces.

 Following are close ups of the finished pages with some description for materials:

The cover contains a quote token that has been colored with alcohol inks and edged with burnt copper leaves embossing powder. Distress crayon is rubbed into the text impressions.

The collage paper covered ticket is attached to the inside of the cover and a few metallic quote stickers are added. The adjacent page is a layering of die cut papers, the central portion cut from worn wallpaper and adorned with a few simple stitches and a rub-on "wish".

Next are a couple of my favorite pages, the inspirational piece (the stamped sentiment on a tea bag) is flanked by two lengths of inked lace trim and another metallic quote sticker. The honeycomb piece is coated with vintage beeswax embossing powder and attached to the stamped paper background. Some of the cells are filled with beeswax embossing powder and melted, remnant rub words complete this page.

Flowers are die cut from text pages and colored with distress ink, then coated with vintage beeswax embossing powder. These are tied together into a bouquet with craft thread and attached to the center of the framed ticket. On the right, a reminder to be true to yourself. It is not always easy to rise above the general flow, but it is what makes each of us important as individuals. The background paper is inked and stencilled. Golden highlights are added around the quote stickers. A hinged ticket reveals the words "be true."

Always seek wisdom, it helps us to learn and grow. The word SEEK is die cut from the base paper revealing colored paper below. Another piece of beeswax-embossed honeycomb contains open cells which include positive thoughts. The embossed bee is from the GSLC set. Another collage paper covered ticket is attached inside the back cover and contains one of my favorite sayings.

Turning the accordion over to reveal the back sides of the interior pages:

A single stem from the bouquet is attached to the ticket with the words "listen to your heart."

A framed piece of worn wallpaper displays a shadowed "love" die cut and a small ticket with a mirrored heart and clippings sticker. When we let our hearts guide us, we are destined for good.

One of the additional collage paper covered tickets is located in the center of the accordion, with a metallic quote sticker. Some craft thread with glass beads creates a page holder.  A collage frame leaves some open space to include future thoughts.

Four brads secure the band which holds tickets made of the various papers used to create the pages. These will be used to include positive thoughts and memorable sayings or events. The last ticket page is simply a beautiful layered composition.

I really enjoyed creating this affirmation accordion with the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts ATC ticket journal pieces. I hope that you are inspired to create something beautiful. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit today. 

A little kindness can make a world of difference.

~Ann 

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts used:
ATC ticket journal
honeycomb and bees small

A Record of the Past

Hello!! Jennalee here today with a vintage-inspired journal. I have been loving using vintage stencils as frames. But I tend to hoard my vintage supplies so I asked Gina at Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts if she could design some stencils for me. The result was perfection!!

When I started trying to find a home for my stencil I fiddled around with it on a vintage ledger but the ledger was larger than I wanted. Then it hit me I could make my own!! 

Begin by painting stencil. I used Tarnished Brass and Antique Bronzed Distress Paints, Black Soot Distress Crayon and Metallique Wax to get an aged look on my stencil. Bend edges to give it the look of an interlocking brass stencil. 

Blend Black Soot Distress Ink onto the front and back of an Eileen Hull Journal cover using a blending tool. 

Rub Black Soot Distress Ink pad across the journal cover. Use a light touch to get a mottled look of a vintage journal cover. Work in halves for this step to give plenty of time to apply embossing powder while ink is still wet. 

Once heat embossed and piece has cooled rub Vintage Photo Distress Crayon into the pits of the embossed surface. Use a baby wipe and paper towel to blend as desired. 

Not shown - Rip a piece of muslin to size of journal spine and color with Aged Mahogany Distress Ink. Create a stencil for the journal binding using the letters from Tim Holtz's Gift Card Die. Align letters and apply to washi tape. Cut from a piece of Freezer Paper. 

Iron freezer paper to piece of muslin and apply embossing ink thru stencil. Remove stencil and apply gold embossing powder and melt. 

Assemble journal and decorate cover using the Alphabet Stencil. I made a copy of a cabinet card in my collection. I added a thin uneven layer of Vintage Beeswax embossing powder to my photo and layered the stencil over it. I added a couple of flowers from Tim Holtz's Bouquet, added a Hex Fastner to each corner and finished it off with a couple sentiment stickers from Clipping stickers. 

Using the same technique for the stencil for the spine make a stencil for the number in the bottom corner. To add to the vintage feel I bent the cover to give it a worn look. 

Cover inside of journal with vintage ledger paper and ink edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. 

The stencils will be coming to Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts soon so be sure to keep an eye out for them. 

Thanks for spending a few minutes with me today. I hope you get to sneak in some creative time this weekend!! Happy Creating ~ Jennalee