A Secret

Hello crafty friends!  It's Susan, here on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts blog.  I'm fascinated by the secrets people keep, from big whoppers to little things that can cause big misunderstandings.  I'm all for honesty and communication, even when it's hard.

Allow me to reveal all...

This "secret" key had been hanging around my stash for at least 5 or 6 years (if not more).  I had the chance recently to work with Stamperia's 'Time is an Illusion' paper, and set aside a small image of a woman's face.  I figured it could be a big element of a small project... then I found the key.  Bingo.

I started with the GSLC Tiny Little Shadowbox Houses #1.  This comes as a set of two houses.

I gave it a coat of white gesso first.  I thought at first I'd do a light base color, hence the white gesso.  I quickly decided to go dark, and repainted the seams with black.  (I took the photo after the shingles were added, so ignore them for a minute.)

And a minute's up!  It's shingle time.  I used Tiny Shingles - Standard, alternating the seams.  (At this point, I thought I would hang something from the roof, but ended up skipping it and covering the hole.)

Once one side was fully shingled, I added shingles to the other side but left the last one off to give the scissors room to trim.  Before cutting, it's best to allow the glue to dry completely overnight.  Trim the shingles on both sides, then add the final layer.  I held that final piece in place until the glue set up, in order to ensure there wasn't a gap at the top.  Once dried, I trimmed that one, too.

The keyhole got a coat of Lumiere brown metallic paint, then I lightly swooshed my finger across the high details with a little copper metallic paint.  It took a few swooshes to get the coverage I wanted.

By this time in my project, the papers are adhered with modge podge, except the inside bottom.  The night before, I used E-6000 to attach the painted black base to the shadowbox, with the intention of adding the final paper once the E-6000 dried.  The next day I realized the weight of the key would have made this top-heavy with such a small base, so I added a metal washer and wider wood.  Once that cured overnight, I painted with black gesso then acrylic.

I'll share a secret with you:  I use the washer trick a lot.  I really makes a difference for the stability of shadow boxes, altered Altoids tins, and the like.  Plus, layering wood bits in this way helps give projects their own uniqueness.

Now, back to the face image... I love that she's right behind the key.  Does she have secrets, or is she the secret?

Thanks for your visit today!

Cheers
Susan

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Used
Tiny Little Shadowbox Houses 1 - #C20A
Tiny Shingles Standard BB57A
Keys Engraved D12Q - coming soon

Other Supplies Used
Stamperia Time Is An Illusion
black gesso
black acrylic paint
wood bits
E-6000
TH "secret" metal key
Tiny eye screw
White glue
Black twine
Metallic paints
Pilot gold marker
Tiny gold balls

bird lady

Hello everyone, today I am sharing "bird lady," an inspired santos doll.
For me, some of the first sure signs of spring are the birdsongs. I love seeing the robins, with their feathers still fluffed for warmth, come out and grace the landscape. Then, ever so gradually, many other species arrive to join in the song.
It definitely brings hope and eager anticipation for the warmer days ahead.
 This is the inspiration behind "bird lady."

I begin with a Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts santos doll. This set arrives flat; I carefully remove the pieces and wipe off the residue from the laser cuts. Next, I like to assemble the piece (without glue) into it's three dimensional form so that I understand how it will look as a finished piece. This allows me to visualize which finishes to use as well as helps to focus my ideas. 

Once I have settled on a theme, I disassemble the piece. One side of each part is painted with raw umber paint. The two flat circular disks are painted on both sides. When the paint has dried, using collage medium, I cover the unpainted sides with french book pages from my stash. This paper will serve as a base that I will layer over.

While the adhesive is drying, I put together the tiny bird box and tiny bird houses. Each of these sets contains pieces to make either: two tiny bird boxes, or two tiny bird houses. For this project, I have used one set of tiny bird boxes and two sets of tiny bird houses. The pieces are very small; however, they are fairly easy to put together. On the bird houses, one of the roof planes is just a bit longer than the other. When you assemble the house, be sure that the longer piece overlaps the edge of the smaller roof plane. I have added tiny shingles standard to the roof on one of the bird houses. The bird houses are painted with a mustard yellow color and then dry brushed with brown paint to create an aged wood look. The bird box is finished in a similar manner, but using a tuscan red color as a base. The roof of the bird box is painted with copper paint. A very small screw eye is attached to the center of each of the bird house roofs. 

Collage tissue paper is adhered over the book pages in a random pattern along the cage pieces of the santos' skirt. An image of a bird is collaged onto the bodice. The collage tissue is covered with distress collage medium to ensure translucency as well as a seamless transition. The edges of the pieces are sanded and then inked with brushed corduroy distress ink.

A branch is wedged into the santo's skirt and a small nest is secured into the "V" created by the twiggy branch. Three small eggs are safely tucked into the nest. 

The bird houses hang from chains grasped by the bird lady's petite hands.

She wears the bird box on her back, inviting another family to make it their home. Gold swirls and dots adorn the back side of the torso and arms. 

The bird lady's hair is an upside-down nest. Placed on her head and secured with collage medium. Resting atop, is a robin preparing to take flight on a new adventure;

while we await the arrival of her littles.

I hope that you are enjoying these early days of spring and perhaps are inspired to create something to capture the beauty of this wonderful season. 

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog,

 I truly appreciate it.

~Ann

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts:

Santos Doll

Tiny Bird Box

Tiny Bird House
Tiny Shingles Standard

nesting place

Hi everyone, it's Ann here today, sharing "nesting place" a project inspired by the start of spring. We have had glimpses of what is to come with some very warm days, which have  helped the daffodil bulbs begin to peek out of the ground. Spring is my absolute favorite season of the year and today marks its official start.

My "nesting place" is created using the Gypsy Soul Laser Cut mini shadowbox 3. This piece is fairly small, which was just the right size to house my nest and eggs. The mini house shadowbox 3 arrives in 6 pieces and requires simple assembly. For this project, I have also used tiny shingles standard on the sloped roof to give it an authentic house feel.

Once I have all the pieces laid out, I find the papers that I want to use to cover the sides and back of the house. I trace the outline of the (interior) surfaces to be covered and cut the paper to fit within the tabbed areas. This allows the pieces to fit securely together when assembling the house. When tracing the pieces to fit on the exterior surfaces, I keep to the outside edges. These pieces are adhered once the house sides and base are glued together. They will cover all of the joints to create a finished appearance at the edges.

While the box portion of the house is set aside to allow the glue time to cure, I begin work on the roof pieces. Both sloped chipboard pieces are painted brown, and while drying, I begin inking the shingle pieces. the tiny shingles standard are the perfect scale for this house. Each row is cut to the proper length and inked with brushed corduroy distress ink. This gives the look of real wood shingles. When the pieces are ready, they are layered onto the base. I begin at the eaves and layer each row on top of the next until I reach the peak of the slope. 

Note: one of the slope rectangular pieces is slightly longer than the other. When assembling, this piece extends above the second sloped piece at the peak. I attach the shingles to the second side and the last layer of shingles meets right at the roof ridge. 

A piece of thin dresden is adhered along the front edge of the slopes. This entire assembly is set aside to dry completely before being attached to the house.

I rub a small amount of gel stain into an old thread spool. When the stain has dried, I secure a piece of crocheted lace around the spool with distress collage medium. The spool is then attached to the center of the base of the house to raise it up. 

I twist some raffia and twig roping into a circle to create a small nest. I add a lot of glue to the base to keep the shape and set aside to dry. Three mini decorative eggs are coated with glue then covered with gilding flakes. These eggs rest at the center of the nest. 

A clipping sticker is cut to fit and attached to the rear of the house reading, "the pretty little birds chirped" and at the center of the bottommost house edge, a chit chat sticker reading, "home."

I hope you have enjoyed learning how I created "nesting place."

Maybe you are inspired to create your own spring project? If you do, the GSLC team and I would love seeing what you create! Please share it with us on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group on Facebook. You can find it here.Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today, 

I really appreciate it!

~Ann 

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts used:

tiny shingles standard

mini house shadowbox 3