King of Fools-Jokers Wild-A Peek-a-Boo-Project

I’ve always enjoyed the look of playing cards and fondly remember playing cards with my family growing up as we had no television in our humble home. The joker was my favorite card because sometimes he would become a “wild card” and trump all. So often the joker stayed in the box on the table and was not used at all. The joker is the inspiration of this “April Fools” Instillation. I wanted to bring some humor to our crazy world.

 

1.  Print Images of Jokers and Back of Playing Cards adjusting size to fit on GSLC Small Tag Set.

 

2.   Use dry brush technique and Acrylic Paint-Copper, Van Dyke Brown, Transparent Iron Oxide to randomly paint all tags front and back.

 

3.  Cut and glue images to front and back of each tag using Weldbond.

4.  Crinkle a piece of wax paper or deli paper to dab on some of the above used acrylic paints.

5.  Once completely dry sand the edges of the GSLC Tags making them looked aged and vintage.

6.  Distress edges of GSLC tags using TH Antique Linen Distress Stain.

7.  Make a glaze of DecoArt One Step Crackle Finish and Triple Thick Glass Glaze and Burnt Sienna Acrylic Paint.  This will further the ancient, archaic look I am known for.

8.  Once completely dry use Deco Art Antiquing Cream-Red Oxide, Burnt Umber, Patina Green to fill in the cracks, wipe off with a baby wipe.

9.  Seal GSLC tags with a Matte Varnish.

 Some Final Thoughts.

Although April 1^st was a week ago, I wanted to celebrate this often-forgotten holiday, much like the joker card itself hidden among the deck of playing cards. We need laughter in our lives, to look for the everyday joys that are sometimes hidden especially nowadays. Here are some fun quotes from the Joker of Batman Movies fame.

“I don’t suffer from insanity, I enjoy every (explicative) minute of it!”

“I keep telling myself to stop talking to weirdos but then I wouldn’t have any friends left.”

“I don’t care what others think about me I enjoy my Life with my own rules”

“if you are good at something never do it for free”

“Some people want to see you fail. Disappoint Them!”

“Sometimes you have to play the role of the fool to fool the fool who thinks they are fooling you”

 

 

 

 

Supplies:  Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Small Tag Set, Images of Jokers and Back of Playing Cards, Scissors, Acrylic Paint-Copper, Van Dyke Brown, Transparent Iron Oxide, Burnt Sienna, Paintbrush, Weldbond, Deli Paper, Sandpaper Blocks, Antique Linen Distress Stain, DecoArt One Step Crackle Finish and Triple Thick Glass Glaze, Antiquing Cream-Red Oxide, Burnt Umber, Patina Green, 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!

Rusted Baby Doll with Angel Wings

A poor vintage baby doll endured a lot of mixed media torture in this assemblage project. But really, this project was all about making rust--both real real and faux rust.

I began by rusting many pieces of hardware and other metal. I did so by following a vinegar, salt and hydrogen peroxide recipe that is available on many online sites.

I first decided to use a wonderful metal brush thingy-ma-bob.

However, as you can see from the finished photo, I ended up using another piece of rusted metal. The reason for this change was from a hard-earned lesson. To keep the rust from coming off, I gave it a coat of matte medium. Unfortunately, this changed the piece to a dark brown.

Although I could sand the piece and rust it again, since I was on a deadline I decided to use a different piece for the base. This also allowed me to use a metal piece that could actually stand without toppling over.

The next part of the project is a little morbid. I had to saw Poor Little Baby with a Dremel and then give her a brisk sanding. Luckily, she was very brave and didn't cry once. If you do this, don't use a heat gun or your baby will suddenly develop a deformed head.

Ohhhh noooo! Mr. Bill!

Next I painted applied Distress Grit-Paste to both Poor Little Baby and the Steampunk Wings and let dry.

Once they were both dry, I painted the wings with Iridescent gold paint and the wings with layers of Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold, Espress Brown, Granite Gray and Raw Sienna to create a fauz rust that matched my rusty metal.

I then glued Poor Little Baby to the metal base, using both Lock-Tite Adhesive and hot glue. To make the skirt, I glued together 1.25" strips of paper from an old book and scored lines every .25 inches to create pleats.

Last, I glued on some gold trim and bestowed Poor Little Baby with angel wings.

There's a lot of unpleasant news happening around the globe this week. I hope you can find a little respite on this Saturday in creativity. All my best, -Betsy

Great Stuff

Gypsy Soul wings from Steampunk Set
Vintage baby doll
Vintage hardware
Vintage book pages
Gold ribbon
Vinegar
Hydrogen Peroxide
Salt
Acrylic paint
Dremel
Scoring board
Beacon Zip Dry adhesive
Lock-Tite adhesive

Key Wall Art Heart

Hi everyone! Barbara here today on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts blog, and I'm in a steampunk mood!  I just got this Key Wall Art Heart in the mail, and now I'm chomping at the bit to make something with it.  I had to first decide if I wanted to put it on a canvas or let it stand alone.  Well, you can see what choice I made below.

So, the first thing you need to do is remove any pieces that didn't fall out.  I just use a piercing tool for this step.  A craft knife works well, too.  I just had a few little pieces to remove.

Next we need to prime the chipboard, and for that, I'm going to use black gesso.  It will seal the chipboard surface and let me use less of my more expensive paint I'll be using for the next layer, which is also black on the key.

Paint key portion with two coats of Metal Smith Iron paint, letting first coat dry before applying the second coat.  This paint contains real iron particles.

Following directions on the bottle, spritz the key with the Rusty Activator while the second coat is still tacky.  Wait five minutes and spritz again.  It may take up to two hours for rusting to occur.  So set this piece aside and work on the heart piece.

Rusted patina complete

Paint the heart section with Metal Smith Bronze paint, letting the first coat dry  before applying the second coat.  This paint contains real metal particles.

Following directions on the bottle, spritz the heart with the Green Patina Activator while the second coat is still wet.  Patinization occurs gradually while drying.

To get random areas of blue patina, I painted random spots with the Bronze Metal Smith paint again, and while still wet, I dribbled the Turquoise Patina Activator over the wet paint.

Paint one of the  Propellers with the Metal Smith Malachite paint, letting the first coat dry  before applying the second coat.  This paint contains real metal particles, too.  Before the second coat dries, spritz with the Turquoise Patina Activator. 

Choose one of the Dragonflies Fancy and paint it with the Bronze Metal Smith paint and use the Green Patina Activator.  I painted both sides of dragonfly since part of it will be hanging over the key and may be seen.  After the patina formed, I decided to paint the wings with the Metal Smith Malachite paint, then I used the Turquoise Patina Activator to get a rich blue patina with a bit of the bronze patina peeking through.

I painted one end of a bamboo skewer with Bronze and used the Green Patina Activator.  The other end I painted with Malachite and used the Turquoise Patina Activator.

Glue the heart piece over the matching area on the key.  Use an awl to make a hole in the center of the key, as shown, large enough for the skewer to fit into.

Stick the propeller onto the pointed end of the skewer and trim off at around 1/2" to 3/4".  

Remove propeller and glue skewer into hole, as shown.

Glue the propeller to the pointed end of the skewer.  Gently bend two opposing propeller blades downward for realism.  I added a small gear on top of the propeller after the glue dried. See close-up photo near end of post.

Cut a piece of the Chainlink to fit behind the heart opening.  Use Vintage Gold metallic wax over chainlink piece.

Glue the chainlink over the opening on the back of the key.

Here is what it should look like at this point.

Wrap a piece of twisted wire around the key, as shown.

Cut a piece of the bronze-painted end of the skewer the size of the dragonfly body and glue it, as shown.  

Glue dragonfly to key, as shown.  The skewer adds just enough lift to adhere the dragonfly above the wrapped wires, too.

I added metal embellishments to the key, as shown.  Here are some close-ups of those areas.

Supplies Used:

GSL Key Wall Art Heart
GSL Dragonflies Fancy
GSL Propellers
GSL Chainlink 8 by 8 Inch Panel
Miss Lillian's Metal Smith Paints
  Bronze
  Iron
  Malachite
  Rusty Activator
  Green Patina Activator
  Turquoise Patina Activator
Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue
Liquitex black gesso
Metal gears and embellishments
Bamboo skewer
Assorted brushes
Vintage Gold Art Alchemy Metallique Wax (Prima)
Vintaj brass twisted wire 21 gauge

I hope you enjoyed my project today, and that you may be inspired to make one of these wall art pieces for yourself.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you have a super crafty day!

Hugs,
Barbara