Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Rare Oddities Mini House Shadowbox by Mary

Hello! I have a Halloween themed shadowbox for you today featuring Graphic 45's Rare Oddities 6x6 paper stack! Yes, it is the last day of May and no, I have no idea why I felt the need to do something Halloween based!
 I started by covering the Mini House Shadowbox 4 with purple and orange paper from the paper stack. Before placing on the house, the paper edges were inked. The scary tree was left raw and had three distress inks applied over it; Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain and Black Soot.
The skeleton was gessoed and then Picket Fence Distress Stain was applied once the gesso was dry. Pop up dots were applied to the back before we was placed into the house. The "Boo!" was cut from the Border Halloween and embossed with Black Soot.
The tag on the front of the box is from the Graphic 45 Rare Oddities chipboard collection. I was inked with Vintage Photo before attaching to the house.

Thanks for stopping by the blog today. It is never too early to start your holiday decor projects!

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Products Used
Mini House Shadowbox 4
Skeleton Shape Set
Border Halloween (Boo!)
Spooky Tree (special order)

Other Products Used

Graphic 45 Rare Oddities - 6x6 paper stack and chipboard 1

White and black gesso
Distress Stain - Picket Fence
Distress Ink - Walnut Stain, Black Soot, Vintage Photo, Dusty Concord
Distress Powder - Black Soot

Monday, May 30, 2016

"Ready to Fly" - Art Journal Page by Mary

Welcome to the blog today! I have a page from my art journal page to share with you. My inspiration was lyrics from a song (Ready to Fly by FFH) and I knew which of Gypsy Soul's products I had wanted to use! I first used a light blue chalk to lay a sky base. To make the "clouds," I cut a piece of scrap paper into two different cloud shapes. I then used the template and a darker blue chalk.
The hot air balloons were covered with paper and distressed with ink while the baskets were heat embossed!
 The letters on the balloons are adhesive and the other words are rub-on letters.
 The three birds were all inked and then liquid embossed.



On the left is my first page and I didn't like it! That is the great thing about art journaling; you get a chance to play around with different techniques. I took the pieces off, rechalked the clouds and reattached the pieces. I so like the final page way better. It is less cluttered and I still feel the inspiration of the lyric.

Thank you for dropping by today!

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Products Used
Hot Air Balloon Stack Up
Birds Shape Set

Other Items Used 
Chalk
Prima Paper
Gathered Twigs Distress Ink
Rub-on and Adhesive Letters from stash
All Night Media Liquid Embossing - Clear Glass Finish
Stampendous - Aged Marine Embossing Enamel

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Cherished Baby Greeting Card by Ginny

Hey there Peeps! I'm just dropping in to share a very sweet card I created for a new friend for a baby shower. The gender of the baby is to be a surprise so this card will work great for either boy or girl.
 I used the Scribble Frames Hearts & Flowers layered over a combination of plaid patterned papers is soft colors anchored with a warm brown with polka dots. The Cherish sentiment is from the Words & Phrases 1.
 
There's a die cut doily in crisp white to coordinate with the frame and sentiment and to balance the darker colors.
Adding spacers between the layers really adds depth.
Pretty flowers, chevron ribbon bow and twine are a lovely addition to this card. Maybe the new Mom will display it in the nursery.
The inside is finished with coordinating papers and ready for a sweet sentiment.

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

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Do Your Best Mini House

Hello lovelies out there. Shanna here with a new mini project to share!

I haven't played with any of the mini houses lately so I grabbed one and put it together! 


I paint the house with some Prima Art Alchemy Acrylic Paint and added some microbes in for textures. 


The bird cage got some gesso and then some VerDay treatment. I painted the punch element with the Art Alchemy Paint as well and then stamped on the circle while it was wet. 

Using some cardboard to add dimension and then a Tom Holtz sticker on top for a sentiment. 



The mini houses are to die for! I just love these things. There are 4 sizes in the store so go run and check them out!


Products Used:

Friday, May 27, 2016

Walking Dead - Don't Open Dead Inside by Jessica

Hey guys! This week I tuned into my inner horror geek and I bring to you a Walking Dead themed piece of wall art. I used the cottage base for this - and made it into a sort of canvas to hang on the wall.

Made from foam, an off cut of wood and a necklace chain - simple, but effective. 

The whole piece rests on the inside of the cottage base.
These doors are made from foam, which I've textured and painted.
I always cover the outside of my pieces with scrapbook paper to give it a crisp, clean look on all sides, even if part of it will be hidden when hung on the wall.
Close up of the barred door.

GSLC Materials Used:

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Home Decor Wall Plaque - Powder Room

Hello everyone!  Barbara here today with a shabby chic style project using none other than the fabulous Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts chipboard.   My inspiration for this project came from the Dressing Room Set, and the rest just sort of happened.  I thought this would make a beautiful wall plaque, if not to hang in your own dressing room, but it could be used to depict your Powder Room for guests.  I was also thinking about how cool this would be to change the wording for your daughter to hang on her bedroom door. 



As always, I like to choose my chipboard pieces and lay them out to see how well they will work together.  I also added the ornamental birdcage to my project, but is not shown in this picture.  Of course, this is just a beginning.  I always add more as I go along.



I first had to get the plaque decorated, so I painted the filigree wood portion with a light pink chalk paint.  Then I cut the decorative paper to size and adhered it to the plaque.  The rose in the upper right corner was fussy cut from the portion of paper that I had to cut off and glued down.  Then I edged the paper with a rose colored ink pad.



Now let's work on the chipboard pieces.  I want to maintain a shabby chic look, so I painted the borders and corners with a light beige chalk paint.  (Tip:  I have found that using these flat sponge applicators work better than a brush for apply paint to these highly intricate laser cuts.  The paint stays on top and does not fill up the openings.)



Next, I added a coat of an olive green chalk paint.  After it dried well, I used a piece of sandpaper to sand away some of the top coat of paint, revealing the light beige color.


The chipboard pieces were painted, as shown in the photo below.  

The dress was painted with blue chalk paint, then it was stenciled, first with a darker blue to get the pretty design, then gold was stenciled over that.  

The lady and her arm were painted with flesh paint, and lightly edged with white on areas that might "shine" in the light.  The gloves were painted with white only.  

The shoes were painted with white, then a top coat of gold on top.  

The gears were painted black first, then colored with various colors of metallic gold and copper.  

The stool was painted with white and gold, the cushion on top of the stool was painted with the green chalk paint.


Here is a closeup of the gears.  


Here is a closeup of the skirt.  My intention was to attach the two metal embellishments to the dress with a brad, but I forgot that her arm piece would go where I punched the hole.  So I ended up gluing it just below her arm, as seen in the finished photo.


The bird cage was painted white, then gold metallic wax was rubbed over the top, leaving some of the white to show through.



The dress form plaque bottom was painted with white, then pale pink chalk paint.  A bit of sanding was done along the edge to distress it before edging with pink chalk ink to give that shabby look.  The top of the plaque was covered with a coordinating piece of the paper and edged with the light blue chalk paint.




As I was gluing the pieces to my canvas board, I thought I needed something in the lower right corner.  Fortunately, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts has you covered.  I painted this topiary tree, as shown, using a terra cotta paint and adding pen work to detail the pot. I painted the tree and moss covering the top of the pot with green chalk paint, and brown paint for the tree limbs.



I painted these plastic letters with the green, then sponged blue chalk paint over that.



The Art Deco border was adhered vertically along the left edge.

Lastly, I painted a butterfly with green, then blue chalk paint, edging the wings with gold, then a light coat of terra cotta.  

The letters were glued to the base, as shown.   I glued the gears to the top of her head with three small metal stickers.  Here, you can see how I attached the metal flowers to her dress, below her arm.



Her high heels were glued, as shown, and I draped the pair of gloves over the edge of the stool.


The Art Deco corner was glued to the top and bottom right of the canvas.

In the upper right, I adhered the dress form plaque, adding two metal embellishments that I patinated with a patina ink, sanding back to reveal the original metal color.  I punched a hole in the bottom so I could use a brad to attach a tiny bit of chain, allowing me to hang the bird cage below it.

A metal bird charm was glued down, flying towards the cage.


To bring even more life to my topiary tree, I glued dark green flower soft to the moss and a multi colored flower soft to the tree. I used an embossing stylus to separate the "circles" to delineate the three tree parts.

Lastly, I sprinkled a bit of the colored flower soft along the bottom, where the flowers are falling off and landing on the floor.


Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Used:
Dressing Room Set
Ornamental Birdcages Shape Set
Art Deco Border and Corners
Gear Borders and Corners (coming soon)
Topiary Trees

Other supplies used:
Pink Paislee Hope Chest paper collection
ArtMinds Chalkboard Plaque (Michaels) (9-1/4 x 11-1/2)
Chalk Paint (white, blue, green, pink, terra cotta)
Pink, blue chalk ink pad
Plastic alphabet
Metal charms and length of chain
Metal brads

I hope you enjoyed today's project.  I really love how this turned out, and I think this would also make a wonderful gift for someone, but I plan on keeping it for myself and hanging it on my "Powder Room" door.  Be sure to stop by Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts to see all the fabulous chipboard and more inspiration from the team.

Thanks for stopping by, and as always, have a wonderful, creative weekend!!

Barbara

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

"Merci-Thanks" Card by Pam Bray


Hi!!! Pam today on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Blog....Merci -Thanks, I am always excited to see you visit us here on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Blog. I created "Merci-Thanks" Card using Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe along with several of Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts chipboard pieces.


Begin by layering your pattern paper to the top of a card base. Paint Delicate Frames & Ornaments Butterfly and Feathery Flourishes with Salty Ocean Distress Paint. Allow it to dry and then apply Metallic Lustre over the top.


Adhere prepared Feathery Flourishes to top of card front.


Add prepared Delicate Frames & Ornament Butterfly to top of Olde Curiosity Shoppe mats. Place prepared mats to top of card front with pop dots. Add metal key.


Adhere Olde Curiosity Shoppe paper to top of Stackable Labels Shape Set and butterfly from Delicate Frames & Ornaments Set. Adhere to top of card front. Add clock hand and brad to butterfly.


Make a pretty bow from sheer ribbon, place on card front along with last of the prepared Feathery Flourish pieces.


I hope you have enjoyed my "Merci-Thanks" Card today and again thank you so much for being frequent visitors to the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Blog

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Supplies:

Other Supplies:
Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe
DecoArt Metallic Lustre: Iced Espresso and Gold Rush
Distress Paint: Salty Ocean
Blue Sheer Ribbon
Card Base

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Mixed Media Album Cover by Gloria

Good morning! It's Gloria and I am sharing a mixed media extravaganza for project today. I am not "known" for my mixed media work, however I do enjoy playing with paste and getting messy from time to time!

The GSLCuts team was given a selection of products from ColourArte and I decided to give them a try! (As you can probably tell from many of the recent GSLCuts Blog posts, Graphic 45 is also a team sponsor, so I used some G45 Artisan Style for this project.)
I got my mess on and decorated the cover of a large notebook. The hardest part of the whole project was waiting for each layer to dry! I did try my heat gun, but it seemed best to just let things air dry, so I had to play the waiting game a bit. That gave me time to work on a few other projects...and I may have taken a small nap! Let's get started on the tutorial.
Select your chipboard elements and get them ready for use. I usually wipe each item with a cloth and also, I use a paper piercing tool to remove any bits that are still stuck in the holes.  For this project I used everything you see here, except the Victorian Corners 2. You will need: Words and Phrases 1, Steampunk Shape Set, Butterflies and Dragonflies, Butterfly of Gears, and Mixed Media Fragments 1.  
I found this notebook in my stash. I think I purchased it at the beach in North Carolina three years ago! It is a Fancy Pants Brag Book containing 50 journaling pages, 15 photo sleeves (4x6), and 15 pocket pages. It is 9" x 7 1/4" and about 1 1/2" thick! The covers are nice and sturdy, perfect for mixed media!
I started out by mixing some gesso with Luminarte Spanish Moss Radiant Rain Shimmering Mist to create a pale green gesso. I keep a stack of paper bowls and cups, as well as craft sticks for a time such as this. It makes clean up easy...I just toss the whole mess away when I'm finished!
I placed a piece of washi tape over the black binding to protect it from all the mess. (However, when I removed the tape, it pulled up some of the black color from the binding!) Using a foam brush, I began to paint the cover with the gesso mixture.
I saw a video where the artist used gesso to adhere torn paper to her project. However, I have the very thin type of gesso, so that was not working. I resorted to matte gel to adhere the paper, and then I painted over it with the gesso mixture. I tore up pieces of Graphic 45 Artisan Style 6x6 paper for the cover. I used green, orange, blue, and black papers from the collection.
Once I had all the paper attached to the cover, I used a baby wipe to remove some of the gesso from the paper. I kept a few areas of the cover "paper free."
I pulled a selection of stamps from my stash to add some more layers to the cover. I used Black Soot Distress ink because I know it reacts with water. I wanted the stamped areas to smear a little bit. If you want your stamping to be crisp, use an archival ink.
Once the stamped areas were dry, I painted on a thin coat of matte gel medium and allowed that to dry. The gel medium will seal the paper to the cover. I then used an old gift card to smooth on some crackle paste to a few areas. (This did not really work the way I wanted. I either put the medium on too thick or too thin, or did not allow it to dry long enough. It did NOT crackle. However, a few areas did bubble up when I hit them with the heat gun, so that was fun!
While I was waiting for layers of the cover to dry, I used the ColourArte products to paint all my chipboard shapes. My favorite product was the Nutmeg Radiant Rain Dauber! When I mixed the Nutmeg with the Copper Metallic Radiant Rain Dauber...I got some great rusty gears!  I covered some of the items with the green gesso mixture, and then added various colors to match the paper. I used the Plum Crazy Radiant Rain Dauber and the Persimmon Shimmering Mist
 I used the Nutmeg Radiant Rain Dauber to add some splotches to the cover. 
I then flicked on some white shimmer mist. However, the coverage was too translucent, so I tried again with white gesso. 
Once the cover was dry, I added all my chipboard elements. I glued everything with white glue and added some foam tape for dimension. Notice, I painted the phrase with black gesso, and then sprayed it with Green Pearl Radiant Rain Shimmering Mist.
After all the chipboard elements were attached, I added some flowers and a tiny light bulb with hot glue. I then flicked on more white gesso. 
I added a few blobs of Glass Bead Gel, to which I mixed real beads (black and gold). I just scooped some of the gel out with a craft stick, and then dabbed the stick into the canisters of beads. I simply wiped the whole mess off onto a few areas of the project. The gel dries clear and acts like a glue for the extra beads!
 You can see more of the beads here. And, check out those rusty gears!
I dry brushed some of the white gesso onto the flowers. I added a few spirals that I made from the flower stems.
 Here you can see some of the designer paper peeking out!
Here is another view of the tiny light bulb and the flowers. 
I hope you enjoyed my voyage into mixed media! Thanks for looking! Find all these wonderful chipboard items at the GSLCuts Store! Check out ColourArte for some fantastic color products! And, find amazing Graphic 45 papers HERE.


Supplies:


Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts: 
Words and Phrases 1  
Steampunk Shape Set 
Butterflies and Dragonflies 
Butterfly of Gears 
Mixed Media Fragments 1 

ColourArte: 
Spanish Moss Radiant Rain Shimmering Mist 
Green Pearl Radiant Rain Shimmering Mist 
Persimmon Radiant Rain Shimmering Mist 
Plum Crazy Radiant Rain Dauber 
Nutmeg Radiant Rain Dauber 
Copper Metallic Radiant Rain Dauber 

Other: 
Glass Bead Gel: Golden 
Gesso (white and black): Liquitex 
Matte Gel Medium: Liquitex 
Crackle Paste: Golden 
White Shimmer Mist: DecoArt 
Ink: Ranger Distress Black Soot 
Paper: Graphic 45 Artisan Style 6x6 pad 
Brag Book: Fancy Pants 
Stamps: 7 Gypsies (cities subway art), Stampin' Up (grid, splatters), Close to My Heart (stoneware texture) 
Adhesive: white glue, hot glue