Colour....an altered wooden box for Gypsy Soul Lasercuts

Happy Monday crafty friends!  In my quest for organization I found this plain wooden box at Dollarama that's the perfect size to hold coloured pencils for art journalling:

I primed the surface with gesso then attached bits and pieces of chipboard and other goodies from my stash and covered the sides with patterned paper. I gessoed over all the items on top then painted them in a random pattern with Twinkling H20s . When that was dry I brushed a layer of iridescent green Silks over the top and then spray misted the whole project lightly here and there. Some microbeads and Prills scattered around were the finishing touch.This is the completed project:

I used a frame from the Easter build a layout set as well as pieces from the Gears and Spring shape sets:

I had already picked out the foam letters and was thrilled to see how perfectly the oval frame fit! Check out those purple beads-they're Prills by USArtQuest...I got them in a kit and now that I finally tried them out I want more-lots more!!

I inked the edges of the patterned paper and misted it as well to pull the colours of the project together:

This was so much fun to alter; thanks for stopping by and have a terrific week!

Gypsy Soul Lasercuts Items Used
Build a Layout Easter (oval frame)
Gears Shape Set
Spring Shape Set (flower)

Other Items Used

Twinkling H20s
Silks
FabScraps paper
 Prills/Lavender and Lace
various mists
gold ink
ModPodge

microbeads
various flowers and embellishments

playing with texture paste

hi there; if you've seen much of my work you'll notice that I LOVE to use texture paste, usually with stencils. I make my own paste and it's super-easy!

I don't measure my ingredients but start with about 4 Tbsp of baby powder and add 1 Tbsp of acrylic paint (whatever colour you want your texture paste to be) and about half a Tbsp of white glue (kids' school glue or any other kind works fine) Stir til it's combined; I like my paste fairly thick so it won't bleed under the stencils-I love a clean and crisp design. The stiffness of cake frosting is about right; you can add a more powder or paint until you get the consistency you want.

I use a palette knife like you'd use to spread frosting but a lot of people like to use an old plastic card (like a credit card or gift card) Place your stencil on the paper where you want your pattern and spread evenly scraping off any excess. You may want to hold the stencil down or tape it on the corner to keep it from shifting.

Here I used coloured acrylic paint to tint the paste:

Substitute baking soda for baby powder for a rougher texture...that's what I did for these bricks:

I started out with a thinner paste and added some sand to it for extra texture on my starfish:

In a sealed container it will keep for a long time. I usually just make up a bit at a time because I often colour it but you can make a larger batch-just be sure it's well sealed! It dries quickly-which is great on your project but not so great if you leave sitting out for a while....take it from me-trying to chip hardened paste off of your dish is less than thrilling! It washes easily with warm soapy water though, and if you ever do forget to wash it out or cover it, soaking it for while in hot water will soften it enough for cleanup.

Here's a recent page I made using several different stencils:

I hope you found this helpful and that you'll try making your own texture paste-I would be lost without this wonderful concoction!!

Splash-a lively and colourful layout

Greetings from Kingsville! We're enjoying a mild February so far and have seen a little rain so I thought these photos of my daughter were not entirely inappropriate for the season-although I believe they were actually taken in late summer a few years ago.

I decided to play around with a "messy" mixed-media style for this layout to set off the random look of the background paper and added bits of stencilling and stamping here and there. The chipboard border strip and the boots were run through a leaf-patterned embossing folder then painted with acrylic paint and heat-embossed with clear embossing powder for a shiny "wet" look.

I added a few sprays of mist and some spatters of paint before attaching the chipboard pieces; I especially love the way the boots came out and would love to have a real pair of rainboots just like them! Maybe my daughter's bright red dress is still around somewhere-now wouldn't that combination make an interesting outfit? On second thought maybe I should keep my more "interesting" ideas on my pages?!
Thanks so much for stopping by and have yourself a bright and colourful week!

Gypsy Soul Items Used
Spring Shape Set (boots)
Collage border-splash

Other Items Used

Darice embossing folder
Prima and Crafter's Workshop stencils
Memory Box die
Prima stamp

Standing Flip Book heritage album for Gypsy Soul Lasercuts

Hello there-this week I put together a heritage album using the Standing Flip Book and the lovely Botanical Tea paper collection.

The base and frame were painted then covered in patterned paper; the pieces fit together to create a sturdy stand for the album which was embellished with patterned paper and fussy-cut images which were popped up with foam tape for dimension.

I am blessed to have a number of old photos from my mother's side of the family dating back to the early 1900s and I printed out several of these to finish the album.

 

This is such a versatile piece and could be finished for any theme or to complement any decor-and would also make a terrific gift....hmmm....I think I may have to order a few more!

Gypsy Soul Items Used

Standing Flip Book

Other Items Used

Graphic 45 Botanical Tea paper pack
brown blue and pink inks
brown gel pen

All you need is love-and a cat! for Gypsy Soul Lasercuts

hello and meow! Happy Monday and Happy February! I had so much fun putting this project together; as an official crazy cat lady I thought it was only appropriate to make one of these!

I painted the frame black then heat-embossed it with clear embossing powder to create a shiny enamel-like finish; I liked the way the black set off the colours in the images (which come from Graphic 45's Raining Cats and Dogs collection)

The chipboard cat that is using the frame as a scratching posts (like my cats use my furniture for...sigh...) was painted black then covered with black flocking for a furry effect.

The tray went together easily once I had all my images and papers placed where I wanted them; then I added a few fussy cut bits and pieces from the paper for dimension and detail.

You could easily incorporate photos into this project as well; with 8 cats in my house I just couldn't choose who to showcase here though-I certainly wouldn't want anyone to feel left out! There is also a dog-themed tray in the Gypsy Soul store so whatever your furry friend preference is I'm sure you could create something wonderful with one of these-Have yourself a purr-fect week!

Gypsy Soul lasercuts items used
Photo Display Tray-Cat's Meow
Cats Shapes Set

Be Who You Are...Art Journal Page for Gypsy Soul Lasercuts

hi! Today I'm sharing an art journal page I created using my absolute favourite quote ever-by none other than the amazing Dr. Seuss!! I've been wanting to use this quote on a journal page for ages and the adorable Little Dancers inspired my design:

I covered the dancers with patterned paper then sanded and inked the edges.They were run through an embossing folder then inked on the raised surfaces. I added tulle skirts and pearl belts to complete the look.

The little items on the ribbon banner were all painted with acrylic paint; the dragonfly was then coated with glitter gel and the others were heat embossed with glitter embossing powder.

I added a little stencilling with texture paste and some inking through a punchinella stencil as well as some misting and a few little diecut squirrels just because I happen to love those bushy-tailed little critters! The Autumn Anthology papers by Blue Fern Studios had the whimsical feel I wanted for this page....thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful week!

Gypsy Soul Items used

Little Dancers

Butterflies and Dragonflies

Spring Shape Set (flower)

Stars and Flourishes

Counting my blessings-a gratitude journal

I've been rereading a lovely and uplifting collection of books; the Simple Abundance collection by Sarah Ban Breathnach and one of the things she recommends to write down five things you are grateful for at the end of each day. I altered this journal for that purpose and my design was inspired by the lovely mood board at Tresors De Luxe.

The mood board and inspiration can be found here:
http://www.letresorsdeluxe.com/category-s/205.htm

I used Fabscraps Marie Antoinette papers and was inspired by the soft blue, the keys, and the teacups in the mood board images.

Thanks so much for stopping by and remember to be grateful for something every single day!