Shabby Desk Organizer for Gypsy Soul Lasercuts

Yes my work table really IS a hot mess! When I read the description for the Desk Organizer 2 I knew it had to be mine...

The Organizer went together easily; I papered it with Kaisercraft Rustic Harmony and added a bit of stenciling with texture paste. The edges were painted with sage green acrylic paint then rubbed with  gold Gelato as was the border strip I attached at the top. I added a little dangly bling along the one upper edge and some fussy cut flowers on the front of the drawer.

The organizer is perfect  for my small paper pads; this way I might actually remember to USE them!! When they were hidden away it was a definite case of "out of sight-out of mind". The drawer holds a few partial pads that are in bags to contain the smaller pieces and the little jars along the top (which I papered to match) hold various fibers and twines.

Now whether I actually get more organized remains to be seen but at least I have some great-looking storage pieces on my worktable (I have the Desk Organizer 1 and the Brush Caddy as well) Even if your scraproom is super-tidy this is a great piece to have and is also fun to decorate!

Gypsy Soul Items Used
Desk Organizer 2
Banner Border Strips

Other Items Used

Kaisercraft Rustic harmony papers
Prima circle lattice stencil
Graphic 45 button brad (knob)
Metallic Gelatos

Generations-a heritage layout for Gypsy Soul Lasercuts

Hello there; happy New Year and happy January to you! Although I love creating a variety of projects layouts are my first love so I thought it would be appropriate to start the new year off with one.

I coated the clock with Dusty Attic rusting powder then brushed on antique gold acrylic paint here and there to create a vintage effect; I love how detailed the clock is!

I covered the first two layers of the cameo piece with patterned paper then sanded and inked the edges. The profile piece was painted with acrylic paint then heat-embossed with UTEE to give a glossy raised finish.

The photo I used is a portrait of my great-great grandparents; she was of French heritage born here in Canada but he came over from Ireland during the potato famine in the mid 1800s. I've been so enjoying the heritage photos I've gotten of both sides of my family; they're such a pleasure to scrap with and there are so many gorgeous pieces in the Gypsy Soul store that complement them so well.

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you a year full of happiness and creativity!!

Gypsy Soul Lasercuts items used

Fashion Cameos
Hanging Clock Set

Rustic Snowman for Gypsy Soul Lasercuts

Hi! Let's make one thing clear-although I love snowmen I am NOT a fan of snow at all! I'm really enjoying our mild green Christmas here in southwestern Ontario and I probably should have asked Gina to custom-design a "let it MELT" word piece for my project!! However I had a wonderful time creating this little guy and I thought the word piece from the Winter Shape Set suited him perfectly!

I used the Artist Trading Blocks and covered each of them with torn paper using Mod Podge for a collage effect then attached them in a stack.I brushed the surface randomly with a little more Podge and sprinkled clear glass glitter on it. The word piece was painted with acrylic paint then stamped and heat-embossed with clear embossing powder. The snowflake on that  piece and on the hat were painted .white then sprinkled with the glass glitter.

The tree was painted then stamped and heat-embossed and then I tried out a really cool product that was new to me-the Marvy Uchida Snow pen! I drew the snow on with the pen then let it sit for a few minutes before applying the heat tool and -voila-3D puffy snow! Now I want to run around putting (pretend) snow on everything!

The eyes are adhesive pearls coloured with a Sharpie and the arms are little branches from one of the sycamore trees in my yard; the hat and scarf were rescued from a worn out snowman decoration I had.

Whether you're up to your waist in the cold white stuff or baking in summer heat (or anywhere in between) I hope you enjoyed my little snowman. Have a super day and thanks for stopping by!

A Very Merry Christmas Tree for Gypsy Soul Lasercuts

Greetings! Tis the season for handcrafted gifts and I created this tree for a good friend of mine who admired a similar one I had made for myself last year.



I primed the tree and base with coppery-gold acrylic paint then heat-embossed the tree with Stampendous Aged Copper. I love the bits of green interspersed with the copper colour!

The snowflakes were primed with gesso then heat-embossed with Stampendous Aged Ivory which has flecks of gold that give them a vintage look.

The tree and base pieces glued together wonderfully; I added a green bow and a couple wrapped mini-presents to complete the festive effect-a simple project to put together that looks like it was a lot more work than it was (now THAT'S right up my alley this busy time of year!!)  Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and hope Santa brings you lots of crafty goodies!

Dazzling-a layout for Scraps of Elegance

Hello there crafty friends! Using the lovely December "Silver Bells" kit I decided to challenge myself to create a non-Christmas themed layout with some of the wonderful Authentique papers that were included . I loved the green plaid and found it perfectly set off this heritage photo of two of my older cousins when they were little.

I distressed and inked the edges of all the paper layers and added some stencilling with texture paste and acrylic paint. The flowers came from my stash and were originally larger; I removed the outer petals of the 2 large flowers and used some of them to make the rose-this way they were much more proportionate to the page. The title piece was a part of the kit and I added a stapled twine frame to complete the page and add just a touch more texture.

Thanks a bunch for stopping by and do try to squeeze in some crafty time for yourself during this busy season-you deserve it!

Christmas gift bag and cards for Scraps of Elegance

hi there! Tis the season and I've been a busy little elf crafting for family and friends. I created a card and gift bag set with the Prima Victorian Christmas papers in the December Scraps of Elegance kit and card with the Graphic 45 Christmas carol papers.

 I stencilled on the bag and the largest piece of paper with homemade texture paste then when the stencilled designs were dry rubbed them with gold ink. The edges of all the papers were rubbed with gold as well and some of them with a rich brown as well. Lots of fussy cutting and some corrugated cardboard painted gold added some interest and dimension as did the berries and leaves which were included in the kit. I finished those clusters with raffia.

The Graphic 45 card is all about fussy cutting and layers; I used foam tape to add dimension and a little twine for texture. The berries were all dabbed with Glossy accents which gives them a yummy hint of shin.

Thanks a bunch for visiting and be sure to checkout the Scraps of Darkness/Scraps of Elegance blog for other projects made with our wonderful kits and for information on ordering them!

Santa's Sleigh in Pastels for Gypsy Soul Lasercuts

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in my house-actually it has for a while! I love decorating for Christmas and was thrilled with this gorgeous chipboard sleigh from Gypsy Soul. The pieces went together easily after they were painted or papered with just a wee bit of glue in the grooves.

I covered the base pieces with papers from Kaisercraft's "Silver Bells" collection and also used them for the fussy cut details. I attached some of the cutouts to skewers and poked them into a styrofoam piece that was placed in the bottom of the sleigh. A little greenery inside finished the look.

For the gorgeous ornate overlay I wanted a sparkly magical feel but still wanted to keep it soft and pastel. I primed the pieces with light blue acrylic paint then heat embossed them with 2 layers of Ranger glitter embossing powder in Bridal Tinsel before adding a thin layer of glue and sprinkling them with clear chunky glass glitter.

I added the fussy cut arrangement using some foam tape for dimension. There are so many different ways you could finish this great little sleigh to coordinate with your decor or with that of a gift recipient. It could be filled with any sort of decorations or with gift items-even homemade Christmas treats! Use your imagination and have a great time personalizing Santa's Sleigh!

Gypsy Soul Items Used

Santa's Sleigh

Other Items Used

Kaisercraft Silver Bells collection

Ranger glitter embossing powder-Bridal Tinsel

Colorbox chunky clear glitter