Take Time to Enjoy the Apples

One of my favorite seasons is Autumn, I love the cooler temperatures, the vivid colors, the changing of the seasons. It is my busy time of the year going to my art shows where I get to show and sell my  artwork. One of my favorite poets is Robert Frost, and Nothing Gold Can Stay, is the inspiration for this project:

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

1.  Stain wooden tray using Tim Holtz Distress Sprays of Wild Honey and Tea Dye.

2.   Once dry use a crackle stamp or GSLC foam stamp with StazOn Saddle Ink to age wooden tray.

3.  Coat with Matte Varnish to seal in stains.

4.  Choose GSLC embellishments-I am using Leafy Swirl, Leaves and Flourish Set, and Fanciful Elements.

 

5.  Randomly spray GSLC cuts embellishments with Tim Holtz Distress Sprays in autumnal colors.

6.  Spritz with rubbing alcohol and water to further distress and age your embellishments. Cure with a heating tool.

7.  Add other layers of color by dry brushing with green gold  and antique gold acrylic paint.

8.  Choose pictures for your tray, fussy cut if you like.

9.  Distress edges with blending tool and StazOn Saddle Brown Ink.

10.                Assemble Tray by adding a decorative piece of paper to bottom of wooden tray using Weldbond.

 

11.                Continue to add to your tray by using Weldbond to attach your autumn pictures and GSLC embellishments.

12.                To add aging and a vintage feel add rust pastes in green tones.

13.                Once dry cover entire wooden tray with Matte Varnish to seal everything into place.
Some final thoughts.
It's not too late to enjoy an autumn picnic or at least a
hot toddy or hard cider out in the crisp evening air using your autumnal tray. The tray is decorative enough to hang and is even reversible.
Another of Robert Frost Poems that has inspired me to live a life worth living:   

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Supplies:  Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Leafy Swirl, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Leaves and Flourish Set, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Fanciful Elements, Wooden Tray, Tim Holtz Distress Sprays in Autumn Hues, Crackle Stamp, StazOn Saddle Brown Ink, Decorative Scrapbook Paper in Autumnal Theme, Heating Tool, Scissors, Green Gold and Antique Gold Acrylic Paint, Blending Tool, Weldbond, DecoArt DuraClear Matte Varnish,

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!

Being organised can also be pretty with Alica Barry

This past week, I started at a new school. It's been a while since I had my own classroom, so it has been a lot of fun decorating, and my skills as a paper designer have definitely come in handy.  Unlike my craft desk at home, I like to keep my work desk very neat and organised, but something I have already noticed is that I keep putting my  phone down  during the day, and it gets hidden under math papers and kid drawings.

To try to combat the problem, and to make my desk look pretty, I have created this holder for my phone with the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts ipad and phone holder. This is actually the second one I have made. I also made one for my son a while ago. This is a simple three piece set that has so many possibilities for decorating.

I upped the decorative aspect of this project by adding a pretty Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Flourished Frame- Valerie rectangle to the back panel, giving the project a little more height, then decorated the project with a vine piece from the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts  Leaves and Flourishes set, along with paper leaves, flowers and mesh.

To create this project, I applied black ink to  the raw edges. I then glued pretty patterned paper to the base and both sides of the back panel. The paper pad I used also had some die cut borders, which I used on the small front panel. Once dry, I slotted all the pieces together and secured with liquid adhesive.

For the frame, I first gave the whole piece a coat of silver gilding wax. Next, I put liquid adhesive around the inner frame and sprinkled with glass glitter and mica fragments. I lined the back of the frame with co-ordinating patterned paper. I may even add a small photo into the frame at some point, but it is also nice on its own.

Finally I took the leaf flourish and coated it with silks paint in two shades. I used a cotton tip to apply the paint so that I could blend the two shades a little. Notice how I have glued it so that it is on both the front of the small panel, and on the base. I then tucked some mesh around the leaves and added small paper leaves and roses. I continued this onto the back left of the project and the top right to create a visual triangle.  A white ribbon bow was the final touch.

Ipad and phone holder

Flourished Frame- Valerie rectangle

Leaves and Flourishes Set- coming soon

Chase your dreams...

It's so nice that you stopped over today to see my newest card I made to share.  We have some brand new background stamps coming in 6 new styles so one of these beauties was the inspiration for my card today.  They work amazing with inks and I have yet to try them with paints yet but I bet they would be great on fabrics too or wood.  Be sure and keep and eye open for the release because you are going to love working with them...

 I started my card with a simple ivory base and just matted each of the squares with matching paper for the flowers i used.  And then I added the birdcage and the leaf sprays that I inked up to match the paper and the gold ink.  I had lots of little flowers and things that matched from my stash and if you ever don't you can always ink them with a dauber or spray them to match.  Getting messy is my favorite thing to do :)

Here is a closeup of the design of the foam stamp.  It's about 3x3 and fits perfect on a 6x6 card.  Or you can cut them down to customize it for a different size or a box.  How fun would that be?

And here is a closeup of the adorable little birdcage and the flowers. I used a neat embossing powder from Stampendous that had flakes of gold in it so that it came out looking like metal. And... I love how all the chippies give it such a wonderful 3D effect and it's great to be able to customize everything to be your favorite colors and styles.  You can probably tell one of mine is aqua and ivory. 

Thank you for stopping by today and be sure and check the store for all the new things 

this month.... we have lots to share so be sure and check back soon!

Supplies:

GSLC Foam Stamp Set--- Coming Soon!!

GSLC  2" birdcage with solid back

GSLC Leaves and Flourishes Set