Signs of Spring and Early Bloomers-A Peek-a-Boo Project

As the weather is getting warmer and the advent of Spring weeks behinds us, I remember my mother's gardens on our small country lot. The first flowers to bloom would be the tiny white snowdrops followed quickly by the tiny blue spring beauties. Added to our springtime bouquets would eventually be lily-of-the valley in both pink and white, bleeding hearts of similar shades, pussy willow, and crabapple blossoms. She never grew hellebores and I often wondered because it contained the word "H-E-double toothpicks." and perhaps explains my fascination with them.   They intrigued me with their deep colors and blooming even with snow around their roots, they seemed resilient  to me, unwilling to be defeated in the face of adversary. These are the inspiration of this project.

Supplies:  Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Arabian Triptych, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Fern Fronds, Gypsy Souls Laser Cuts-Butterflies and Dragonflies, Metallic Paints(Chocolate, Pewter, Black Flash), Paint Brush, Tim Holtz Distress Stains (mermaid Lagoon, Bundled Sage), Magazine Pictures of Flowers, Scissors, Tim Holtz Distress Markers (Hickory Smoke and Frayed Burlap),Weldbond, Gray Acrylic Paint, Matte Varnish, Exacto Blade, Shades of Green Alcohol Inks, Sponge Dabber, Spray Bottles of Water and Rubbing Alcohol, Various Shades of Nail Polish, Brown and Black Sharpie Marker, Plastic Bag of Kitty Litter, Clamps,
1.  Take apart the GSLC Arabian Triptych.

2.  Dry brush with metallic paints in shades of pewter, chocolate and black flash.

3.  Fill in any negative spaces with Tim Holtz Distress Stains in mermaid lagoon and bundled sage.

4.  Collect magazine pictures of flowers you desire to use in your composition. Mine is of hellebores from a Martha Stewart Living Magazine I deconstructed.

5.  Fussy cut to the best of your abilities, this is not a fond or pleasant chore for me.

6.  Edge the cutouts with Distress Markers, I used frayed burlap and hickory smoke.

7.  Glue into center of back portions of GSLC Arabian Triptych.

8.  Create a varnish wash of gray acrylic paint and matte varnish. This will add to the vintage look of your final project.

9.  Choose GSLC fern fronds you would like to add to your compositions cutting carefully with an Exacto blade.

 10.                Use alcohol inks in shades of green and a sponge blotter to color your GSLC fern fronds.

11.                Spray with water and rubbing alcohol to give GSLC fern fronds a splotchy appearance.

12.                Take apart GSLC butterflies and dragonflies you'd like to add to your compositions carefully with and Exacto blade.

13.                Use various shades of nail polish to color the wings of your GSLC butterflies and dragonflies.

14.                Use a brown and black sharpie to color bodies of GSLC butterflies and dragonflies.

15.                Glue GSLC fern fronds, butterflies and dragonflies into your compositions.

16.                Weight down with a plastic bag filled with kitty litter.

17.                Glue frame portion of GSLC Arabian Triptych using Weldbond, holding into place with clamps.

 

 

 

 

Some final thoughts. In the days when messages were sent in the language of flowers, A springtime bouquet with snowdrops and lily of the valley could signify consolation, hope, and the return of happiness. Even bleeding hearts and crab apple blossoms represented the age of innocence and purity and fertility and romance. But if you should receive a bouquet with hellebores in them it represented scandal and calumny. Even the flowers can tell us stories.

Misunderstood Monsters and Mysterious Creatures Alphabet-Installment H, I and J-A Peek-a-Boo Project

I will be reusing the Small 5" by 7" Wooden IKEA frames I added to patina to the last time and have included those steps here for reference. This time I will be acrylic paints only to alter the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Alphabet Stencils for "H" is for the Hunchback of Norte Dame, "I" is for the Invisible man and "J" is for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I am once again using the David Bell Classic Monster Images I found on Pinterest. Remember this technique can be used to alter any of the GSLC chipboards. 

Supplies:  Supplies:  Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Alphabet Stencil Blanks, 3 small 5" by 7" inch IKEA wooden frames, Matte Medium Ice Resins in Torched Copper and German Silver, Aged Hunter and Aged Copper Embossing Enamel, Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain in Walnut, Heating Tool, Finnabair Rust Pastes in Greens, Browns, and Orange, Transparent Burnt Sienna Ink, Paint Brush, Painters Tape, Golden Green Gold Acrylic Paint, Deco Art Quinacridone Violet Acrylic Paint, Golden Interference Blue (Fine) Acrylic Paint, Lumiere Super Sparkle Acrylic Paint, Deco Art Prussian Blue Acrylic Paint, Craft Smart Antique Gold Acrylic Paint,  Deco Art Metallic Chocolate Acrylic Paint, Golden Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold Acrylic Paint, Piece of Tapestry Fabric, Piece of Shiny Blue Metallic Gift Wrap, Washi Tape and pieces of thin cardboard for the backgrounds, Various Printed Images of Monster and Mysterious Creatures using Inkjet Printer and paper, and Weldbond.

1.  Take GSLC Alphabet Stencil Blanks from Package.
2.  Print Images of your choosing to represent each letter, I have decided upon a Monsters and Mysterious Creatures one and not sure what I will find. I was inspired by Dave Bell Graphic Artist of Classic Monster Posters and will start with them.
3.  I am using 3 small 5" by 7" inch IKEA wooden frames to showcase each of the letters.
4.  I am a texture type of guy so I want to alter the frames and give them added interest. I want them to look similar but not the same like they are part of a collection.
5.  For the first frame I used various Ice Resin Enamels in German Silver and Torched Copper and Embossing Enamels in Aged Hunter and Aged Copper. I layered them and cured with a heating tool. This method can also be used on any of the GSLC chipboards as I will probably use later in my project.
6.  I added Tim Holts Distress Sprays in Walnut Stain to add additional patina.
7.  The second frame was aged using Finnabair rust pastes in greens, browns, and orange placed on randomly with a paintbrush. I then used transparent burnt sienna ink to fill in any empty spaces. Once again this technique can be used on any of the GSLC chipboard pieces. 
8.  The final frame was given a patina using Tim Holtz Distress Grit-Paste and Ferro-Copper Paste applied with a thin plastic spatula using a  Snake Skin Stencil and further distressing with alcohol inks in browns and greens. Once again this technique can be used on any of the GSLC chipboard pieces. 
9.  For altering the GSLC Alphabet Stencil Blanks this time I will only be using acrylic paints.

10.                For the GSLC Alphabet Stencil "J" I used a piece of painters tape to divide the letter in half. I painted one side with Golden Green Gold Acrylic Paint the other side with Deco Art Quinacridone Violet Acrylic Paint.

11.                For the GSLC Alphabet Stencil "I" I first painted with Golden Interference Blue (Fine) Acrylic Paint and then used a dry brush technique to add Lumiere Super Sparkle Acrylic Paint to give it an ethereal feel.

 

12.                 For the GSLC Alphabet Stencil "H" I added layers of Deco Art Prussian Blue Acrylic Paint, Craft Smart Antique Gold Acrylic Paint,  Deco Art Metallic Chocolate Acrylic Paint and Golden Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold Acrylic Paint to give it an aged brass patina.

13.                Find complimentary materials for the backgrounds of you GSLC Alphabet Framed Designs. I used a piece of Washi tapes for the "J",  a Piece of Shiny Blue Metallic Gift Wrap for the "I", and a piece of Tapestry Fabric for the "H".

 

14.                Cut and glue the appropriate images for each of Framed letters, securing with Weldbond.
15.                Our GSLC Alphabet Stencils are complete for Letters "H","I" and "J"
Some final thoughts.
"H" is for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a disfigured man in a tower he did stay.

 

"I" is for The Invisible Man, whose mind and body slowly faded away.

 

"J"  is for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde two different men, one by night the other by day.

 

Stay tuned for the next instillation of  GSLC Alphabet Stencil Blanks. I cannot wait to see what new images I discover.

March Winds-A Peek-a-Boo Project

Many of us know the proverb April Showers Bring May Flowers but few of know that the proverb begins with the words March Winds. It was also a song in the 1930's by the same name by Abe Lyman and His California Orchestra, a slightly different version was sung by Judy Garland in 1955. While a child we were taught another proverb, "In like a Lion, Out like a Lamb" to tentatively predict the weather. I know that in my area of Maryland March is the windiest month of the year. These are the inspirations for this project.   

Supplies:  Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Hot Air Balloon Stack Up, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Fantasy Frame & Flourishes, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Flourished Chain Large, Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-Flourished Chain Medium, Coming Soon Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Foam Honeycomb and Decorative Stamp, Versa Mark, Resin Enamels German Silver, Turquoise, Embossing Powder Copper and Extreme Peacock Gray, Teal and Green Gold, Red iron Oxide, Burnt Sienna, Nickel Azo, Yellow Iron Oxide, Sapphire, True Blue, Violet, Magenta, and Spring Green Acrylic Paints, Color Shift Purple Paint,  Paintbrush, Weldbond, Clamps, Ariel View Magazine Picture, Large Wooden Frame.
1.  Use Versa Mark and Ice Resin Enamels randomly to transform the GSLC Flourished Chains, add touches of copper embossing powder and cure with a  heating tool.

 2.  Further tarnish GSLC Flourished Chains using dry brush technique and green and teal acrylic paints.

3.  Use teal acrylic paint and extreme peacock embossing powder to transform GSLC Fancy Frame. Cure with a heating tool.

4.  Take apart GSLC Hot Air Balloons use Acrylic Paints of shades of purple to paint one top part to one balloon and blues for the other.

 

 5.  Shade edges of GSLC Hot Air Balloons with gray acrylic paint.

6.  Once fully dry use GSLC Honeycomb and Decorative stamps to add patterns to your balloons, I used spring green acrylic paint of blue balloon and magenta on purple balloon.

7.   Use browns and yellow acrylic paint to paint basket portion of GSLC Hot Air Balloons.

8.  Glue GSLC Hot Air balloons together and hold securely with metal clamps. 

9.   Once everything is dry assemble your Hot Air Balloon project  placing it inside an appropriate sized frame.

Some final thoughts. March may begin as winter but it is the hope by month's end that springtide will be upon us. We can't control the winds but we can adjust the sails. I used to love the song "Wind Beneath My Wings" sung by Bette Midler

Lyrics in part:
 It must have been cold there in my shadow,
to never have sunlight on your face.
You were content to let me shine, that's your way.
You always walked a step behind.

So I was the one with all the glory,
while you were the one with all the strength.
A beautiful face without a name for so long.
A beautiful smile to hide the pain.

Did you ever know that you're my hero,
and everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

It might have appeared to go unnoticed,
but I've got it all here in my heart.
I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it.
I would be nothing without you.

Did you ever know that you're my hero?
You're everything I wish I could be.
I could fly higher than an eagle,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

Did I ever tell you you're my hero?
You're everything, everything I wish I could be.
Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.