holiday ornament trio for PaperArtsy

Hi everyone, today I am over on the PaperArtsy Blog sharing a trio of Christmas ornamnets I made for the 'With 3 Things' challenge.

I received the PaperArtsy Eclectica Kay Carley Stamp Set 11 (EKC11), PaperArtsy Stencil 162 by Kay Carley (PS162) and two beautiful PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic paints Verdigris (FF191) and Zinc (FF235). These products gave me a number of ideas for the upcoming Christmas Season. I am sharing a trio of Christmas ornaments I made. All the details are over on the PaperArtsy blog here.

I think these beautiful ornaments will make wonderful gifts this holiday season. I may even keep one for myself to hang on my tree! You could easily change the color palette by simply choosing different PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paints. PaperArtsy has a nice selection of holiday stamps and stencils to choose from if you would like to make varying styles as well. 

I'd love it if you could stop over to the PaperArtsy Blog and check it out.

Thanks for dropping by,

Ann

a collection of little "tin" niches

I love religious shrines, and when I received my DT box from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts, I was drawn to the selection of little niches that were included. My mind immediately conjured up thoughts of tin nichos/niches. I hope to create a collection of authentic looking treasures.

Today I am on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts blog sharing the pieces I created.
This collection uses the little niche pointed, little niche scalloped, and little niche sun burst.

I assemble the bare niches without any glue to get an idea of the basic shapes.
This helps me to envision how I want the final pieces to appear. Next, I cover the outer surfaces of the flat front panels with metal foil (HVAC duct sealing) tape. I purchased this roll of tape many years ago, and have used it for many projects, this tape is an inexpensive alternative to metallic foil sheets, however, those would also work well for this project.

 
For the box portions of the niches, I tried different methods for adding the metallic surface. The first method involved gluing the chipboard into it's 3 dimensional form and then covering it with foil tape. Another niche was covered with tape before being assembled. Both methods produce similar results; adding the metal foil tape while the niche was flat may be easier. Be sure to leave any areas that will be glued together uncovered.

When the niches are covered, attach them to the back side of the flat panel. I prefer to finish both sides of my projects. Once the glue is cured, cover the back sides of the pieces with metallic foil. Now the fun creativity begins. Gather any Dresden that you may have in your stash, or create some of your own faux Dresden using 3D impresslits embossing dies. Using metallic Kraft stock, slightly dampen the paper and create the dimensional die cuts. 

When you have a selection of pieces, try different patterns, designs and shapes onto each niche.

When you are satisfied with the design, attach the trims to the face of the niche with adhesive.

 Collage medium or even hot glue works well to secure the pieces.

The little "tin" niches are complete. The possibilities for what to display within them are endless. 

As I mentioned, I love religious art, and these became the perfect shrines for some favorite images of Mary. I fussy cut and layer the pieces of each image to create interest as well as take advantage of the depth within. I also add gilded accents to the layers. 

These are my finished pieces: 

(using the little niche scalloped)

(using the little niche pointed)
 
(using the little niche sun burst)

If you are inspired or enjoy making small shrines/niches like I do, be sure to check out the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Store. They have a wonderful selection of different shapes in addition to the three that I have used here. I have other ones that I intend to use in a very different way. There are eleven different little niche designs in total.

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today, 

I truly appreciate your visit.

~Ann

 xxx 

   

supplies used:
Distress collage medium: matte
Dresden trim
religious image ephemera

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts:

little niche pointed, little niche scalloped, little niche sun burst
hot glue gun and glue sticks
metal foil (HVAC duct) tape
Tim Holtz Ideaology: metallic kraftcore silver
Tim Holtz / Sizzix impresslits embossing dies:
3D burst, 3D fanciful, 3D lattice trim, 3D medallion, 3D provincial mini, 3D scallop mini

nesting place

Hi everyone, today I am on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts blog 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 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 house shadowbox 3. This piece is fairly small (3"h x 2"w x 1"d), which was just the right size to house my tiny 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

  xxx 

I am entering this project into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Miniature / Tiny Things

supplies

crocheted lace

Distress ink: brushed corduroy

Distress collage medium-matte

dresden trim

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts:

tiny shingles standard, mini house shadowbox 3

mini decorative eggs

Nuvo gilding flakes

thread spool

Tim Holtz Ideaology:

chit chat stickers, clippings stickers, memoranda paper stash