Just Breathe

Hi there

It's Elle here again from Empire of the Cat.  Today I have a home decor project to share which is quick and easy to make and can also be adapted by changing a few elements eg the background fabric, the chipboard.

 I am using these chipboards from GSL

I covered all the pieces with white gesso to start with as I wasn't sure how I was going to decorate them, but if in doubt, starting with gesso is always a good idea.

I am also using this shadow box frame from a large Swedish furniture store :)

And I am also using a piece of Harris Tweed which I have cut down into a square with the same dimensions as my frame.

My idea for this project is to add the Just Breathe girl as the focal point with the Harris Tweed background, and then use the ivy corners on the outside of the frame, as shown below.

I used white embossing powder on all the chipboard pieces.  Other options would be to paint them white or indeed, another colour of your choice, but I wanted the shiny white of the embossing powder.

Here's how she will look against the Harris Tweed background, complete with label of authenticity!  Fun fact:  Harris Tweed labels can only be put on real Harris Tweed; it is not allowed to add them to other fabrics or indeed any other items, for example, I could not put this label on the frame.  AMA about Harris Tweed, I'm a bit of an expert :)

I have not glued the girl to the Harris Tweed background as that seemed sacrilegious to deface my lovely HT in that way, but the good news is that the glass holds her in place just fine.

Final step was to glue the ivy corners to the outside of the shadow box frame and put the kettle on!

I added a very small Harris Tweed label at the bottom of the girl just to let everyone know it was the real deal, people seem to like that.  :)

Hope you enjoyed this little tutorial, let me know in the comments!

Elle
Empire of the Cat



GSL products used:
Ivy Corners - D50C
Just Breathe *coming soon*

Plus...
Shadow box frame
Harris Tweed
Wow Embossing Ink and White Embossing Powder
White gesso
Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive

My little garden

Hi every one, Heather here again today finishing the post that I started on Dec. 31st. 2017 It is strange how when you begin something you have an idea in your head as to what it will be, but when  you leave it and go back to finish it, sometimes you change your mind and decide on a different end product.
This is how I left my project on December31st., with a base,and things lying all over it,  and a fence around the sides and top

When I came back to the project, I looked at it and changed my mind about what to try and do so

I decided  to try and make my project look something like the garden that I would like to have, not the one I was trying to make look good.

 Instead of using the Ivy as a corner I decided it would look nice intertwined with the fence with small flowers from my stash all around too

The wheelbarrow I coloured with Creative Expressions gilding polish then used the "stems" of my small flowers and bulbs as twigs coming out of the top of the wheelbarrow. Every garden needs a wheelbarrow doesn't it?

I made up a small arrangement of flowers and buds that I already had and put those at the bottom of the tree which I had placed in the corner of my garden.

The gslcuts flowers went to make another flower border.

Then I made  up some flowers using dies to cut them and putting these along the top to make the last flower border finished my garden.

I nearly forgot the gslcuts bird which I sat on the fence amongst the ivy.

This is a very easy project to make so I hope you will have a go and do your own garden, and don't forget just because something is sold, maybe as  a corner, it doesn;t have to be used for that purpose, e.g. the Ivy corner I cut up and decorated the fence with, and the little bird was part of a frame but I cut it off and sat it on the fence.

Have fun crafting.......Heather.

GSL Items used:

Ivy corner

Wheelbarrow

Scribble frame bird

Picket Fence

Flower stackers.

Getting ready for Spring in the garden

Hi everyone, Heather here today,  I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas, and that you have a very happy and prosperous New Year. Talking about New Year it will soon be time to start thinking about sorting out the garden. I don't know about you but my garden always looks miserable just before Spring, I start looking for the snowdrops to appear, then all the yellow flowers like crocuses, daffodils and primroses, then I know that Spring is around the corner and my garden will brighten up. I thought that I would make a card to remind me that I need to get started in the garden so that it will begin to look better ready for Spring and Summer. Below are just some of the items that I used from my Gslcuts stash, which is nowhere near the thousands of products that are on the store. Go and have a look yourself, you will be amazed at all the items you can find to enable you to make your own artwork. Sorry I had put gesso on the wheelbarrow and some of the Ivy before I remembered that I had to take a photo, so this is a before and after picture. The wheelbarrow I coloured with Creative expressions gilding polish as I did with the Ivy.

The stackable flowers and the picket fence I decided to cover in paper  so I glued the paper onto the shape then cut round it.( I used small scissors but a sharp craft knife is just as good)purely because they are easy to cut out and cover, and it makes the item a bit more interesting, the little tree  I had already painted with Gesso then  coloured that with creative expressions gilding polish

I found this lovely Bo Bunny paper on my stash of digital papers it is from the Bo Bunny Country garden collection, and is packets of seeds, which I thought was appropriate

Below is a picture of the tree, flowers and some rose leaves that were in my GSL box that I thought would look good as well. The rose leaves were also painted with Gesso and covered in Gilding polish

The flowers are just covered in different patterned paper, stacked together with glue in the middle then a brad put through all the layers which also helps to keep them together.

Now you need inspiration as to how to put the articles you have chosen together to form your project

Here is a picture of mine before deciding where to put everything.

My finished project will be on a later blog post, { January 30th. to be precise)so keep checking if you would like to see what I have done and in the mean time how about making your own and seeing how it differs from mine.

Go onto the store and have a look for more relevant items as well that can be added to your project, there are plenty there. I would like to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year, hope everything goes well for you and your families.

GSL items used:

Ivy Corners

Wheelbarrow

Flower stackers

rose leaves

leafy trees

.

Cherish Greeting Card

Hey there Peeps! How can it be August already? I'm not quite ready to give up on Summer quite yet so Fall projects will have to wait. This time I'm sharing a very loaded greeting card..just the way I like them : )

 This card has a lot of layers...but a really simple color scheme so it does not come of as too busy.

This Cherish chippies is one of my favorites because it works for so many occasions.

Coordinating ribbon here to create a poofy bow with twine, a vintage button, and metal keys.

I added the Ivy Corners Chippie here finished in the same blue tones at the paper to add texture but not be too contrasting.

A very lush arrangement of flowers for the top and bottom corner of the card.

The chippies were wiped down with a soft cloth to prepare them for finishing.

A variety of embossing powders with different finishes..some glossy some flat.

The chippies have all been heat set and are ready to add to the card!

Gypsy Soul laser Cuts~Swirl Medallion coming soon, Ivy Corners, Words & Phrases 1,

Okay that's all for me. Wishing everyone a happy and productive day : ) G

One hundred years old

I live in a very small town of about 1,000 people. Along with our wonderful farmers market, our library is a huge part of what makes this little town a wonderful place to live.
Our librarian is the soul of the library and has the most wonderful knack of knowing the exact book you want when you need it. He does a lot for us all and we think he is spiffy. His mum is turning one hundred years old this coming week and he has asked friends in the community if we would make her a card....the goal being one hundred cards for her one hundred years.
This is my small contribution to the paper flood that I am sure is coming her way!

 The inside of the card.....

Detail of the left side.......

Such a lovely lady! I hope she gets a veritable sackful of birthday wishes this week!

I was inspired by the wonderful quote on the front of the card, attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, a fabulous lady herself.
I started out with my quote and some flowers that I played around with on illustrator. Then cut some card stock to the size I needed for my image....

I glued that on the front and while it was drying I painted all of my Gypsy Soul Laser cuts white. Which include;
Ivy Corners
Filigree Frames Shapes Set

I made little 'signs' to go inside the frames, glued them in and added sparkle.
I cut out more flowers from my chosen image and then added some fun sparkle to Mom Librarian's glasses and a couple of Swarovski flat-back crystals.

I glued in all the components and added embellishments and little dots to places I felt needed a little pop.
And there she is! All decked out for her birthday!

Happy Birthday pretty lady!

Supplies List;
Ivy Corners
Filigree Frames Shapes Set


Additional Supplies:
Acrylic Paint Pen
Stickles Glitter
Swarovski Flat Back Crystals
Collage Images
Card Stock

Dream Butterfly Card By Ginny

Hey there Peeps! Well we're still working with some awesome brand mash ups here at Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts. Today for my project I'm sharing a card I created using my favorite chippies,  Graphic 45 patterned papers, ColourArte and Xyron.

 I altered the Deco Lattice Panel with a base coat of black paint them and smooshed  on the Radiant Rain Color Concentrate Dabber in Nutmeg . I gave the same treatment to the laser cut doily.

Fabulous paper patterns from Botanicabella from Graphic 45.

Adding chipboard tags gives lots of depth.

I added black acrylic paint and Radiant Rain Shimmering Mist to the Ivy Corners and added them with the Petaloo flowers.

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Supplies.....Deco Lattice Panel , Ivy Corners and Wooden Charm-Dream.
ColourAtre Supplies~Radiant Rain Shimmering Mist Spanish Moss and Colour Concentrate Nutmeg.
Zyron Sticker Maker
Petaloo Flowers
Really Reasonable Ribbon Trims.
Graphic 45 Botanicabella
Okay that's all for me. Wishing all of you a happy and productive day with lots of time to be creative : ) G

Love and Cherish Printer Tray

Hey there Paper Peeps! It's Ginny here and I'm so very excited to be sharing my very first post here at Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts. What a fun adventure it's going to be for me to create with these fabulous chippies. For my first project I made a very Valentiney printer tray with lots of bits and bobs and finished it  with well altered chipboard embellishments.

  I just love a classic color scheme for holiday decor and I think this fits the bill. There's just something about black and creme with red. Soooo romantic.

This gorgeous set of  Ivy Corners has been finished with red acrylic paint then inked and embossed then sprayed with a shimmery mist.  I wanted it to have a well worn and aged look so I dabbed a bit of gold paint in the edges.

I scavenged some seasonal embellies like the keys and heart and butterflies and gave them each a section of the tray being careful to balance the red with the chipboard and metal.

The chipboard was trimmed so it wouldn't hang off the bottom ....easy enough with a small pair of sharp scissors.

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Supplies

Ivy Corners

 Words & Phrases 1

Flourish Frame Sienna Mini

To finish the chipboard I used~Americana Cherry Red Acrylic Paint, Tattered Angels Suede Glimmer Mist, Ranger Black Soot Distress Ink, Wow Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.

Okay that's all for me. Wishing you all a happy and productive day with lots of time to be creative : )