GSL Cuts

Hen House at the County Faire-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-09-25T17:18:00.027-05:00

Growing up in the countryside of Pennsylvania we were excited when summer came and it was time for the Lycoming County Fair, as a youth I’d spend the week there walking the circuit and seeing who I could see, strange to think of now as I am more of a shy introverted individual.

I’ve written about the Sideshow Tent or the Freak Show before in my blog titled: County Fairs Can be a Circus.

I was also intrigued by the livestock buildings, that housed the cows, horses, sheep, pigs, rabbits, alpacas, lamas, emus, woodland creatures and poultry. We raised chickens at the homestead of my childhood but in the poultry building they had exotic breeds not seen in our small chicken coop. They are the inspiration for this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Use a Pen to Trace the Portions of the Magazine Pictures you Wish to Uses.
Use Scissors to Cut out Pieces.
On Larger Inside Picture Use a Wire Gauge Folders and Sizzix Big Kick Machine to Add Texture to Image.
Gently Rub Embossed Picture with SilverLeave Run’nBuff to give the Appearance of Depth.
Use a UHU GlueStick to Glue Larger Image to Pack Portion of GSLC Triptych.
Rub Edges Smoothly with a Nail Emory File.
Use a UHU GlueStick to Glue Smaller Images to Both Front and Back Portions of GSLC Triptych Side Panels.
Rub Edges Smoothly with a Nail Emory File.
Use Shades of Green and Off White Acrylic Pains to Paint the Inner Frame of GSLC Triptych.
Use Cloth Tape to Form Hinges of Triptych.
Use WeldBond to Glue Frame of Inside Portion of GSLC Triptych.
Add Paper Butterfly Embellishments as Desired to Prepared Triptych.
Use Alligator Crimping Tool to Punch Holes is side Panels.
Attach Small Knobs Using Screwdriver to Secure into Place.
Gently Coat Entire Project with DecoArt Matte Gel Medium using a Paintbrush.

Final Thoughts

The only egg colors that our chickens produces were basic brown and white. Years later in a Martha Stewart Spring Issue, I was introduced to the many shades that eggs cold be. I marveled at the bluish tones, to creamy pinks, shades of green and hues of brown, and a variety of whites. It still seems so magical to me the variety of colors bird eggs can be.

In the Hen House at Lycoming County Fair Grounds, there were a wide variety of chickens some looked like they were wearing wigs, much like RuPaul dressed in drag.These were Polish or Sultan Breeds. The Silkie Breed of Chickens have soft silky feathers. They look like a combo of Alpaca and the world’s most comfy sweater. Rhode Island Reds have red-orange eyes and rust-colored sometimes almost maroon colored feather. They are stately and regal in their appearance.The Barred Plymouth Rock Chickens have sharply defined parallel lines of Black and White the jail breakers of the crowd. They have stunning bright red combs and wattles. Some Wyandotte Chickens have brown feathers that are lined in black but this variety of chicken has eighteen recognized color patterns so you can color coordinate them for your backyard Aviary. Many Bantam Chicken have feathered feet, the Booted Bantam looks like they are wearing chaps, they may be best suited for a cowboy themed chicken coop.

As I child I remember visiting my Uncle Bob and Aunt Margaret when they lived on the farm, deeper in the country, farther up the mountain past the country store with a bear mounted in it’s breezeway. Aunt Margaret was a tiny woman and uncle Bob seemed a giant compared to her. They had a three legged dog and a flock of banty chickens that ran wild. I always wanted to go search for their eggs but none seemed to know where they nested. They the original free-range organic chickens. In the springtime when their babies were hatched they were so tiny and cute. The momma hen would corral them and keep them close to her. Looking back now I also realize that many of our meals were farm to table long before it got boojie.

Supplies: GSLC Vintage Triptych Florentine, Magazine Pictures of Your Choosing, I Used Ralph Lauren Advertisement That Happened to Include Chickens, Pen, Scissors, Shades of Green and Off White Acrylic Paints, Paintbrush, Wire Cage Embossing Folder, Sizzix Big Kick Machine, SilverLeaf Run’nBuff, UHU GlueStick, WeldBond Glue, Nail Emory File, Cloth Table, Paper Butterfly Embellishments, Alligator Crimping Tool, Mini Knobs, Screwdriver, DecoArt Matte Gel Medium

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Last Butterflies of Summer-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-09-10T23:00:00.051-05:00

It seems like as summer turns to Autumn the likelihood of seeing butterflies diminish. Where they seemed bountiful in Spring arriving with all the blooming flowers, now that September is here they are harder to spot in the Autumn garden. These are the inspirations for this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Use Leftover GSLC Fern Fronds and GSLC Honeycomb & Queen Bees ATC Sized Pieces.
Spray Wooden Tags with Water Bottle.
Sprinkle with Infusion Rusty Cars Stain. Dab Until You are Satisfied with the Coverage.
Use a Paintbrush to Spread a Layer of Turquoise Acrylic Paint on Dry Waxed Paper.
Gently Press Stained Wooden Tags Into Paint.
Dry Thoroughly.
Collect Wooden Butterflies you Like to Use.
Decide on Design of Tags so you can Add Metallic Rub-Ons Flowers.
Use WeldBond to Glue on GSLC Fern Fronds and GSLC Honeycomb.
Add Decorative Silk Ribbon to Hang the Completed Wooden Tags.

Final Thoughts

There is a butterfly who has been looking forward to this change of seasons from Summer to Autumn. The Monarch butterfly is such an iconic insect and its beautiful story repeats every year through their migratory pattern. Each September this butterfly begins its long treacherous journey back to Mexico.

As daylight shortens, along with the aging milkweed, their exclusive food of their larvae form. Adult Butterflies enjoy a variety of nectar bearing flowers-sunflower, coneflower, ironweed, zinnia, and salvia to name a few.

As nourishment is depleted each fall, North American monarchs travel from their summer breeding grounds to overwintering locations. East of the Rocky Mountains, monarchs travel up to an astonishing 3,000 miles to central Mexico.

Using environmental cues, the monarchs know when it is time to travel south for the winter. Monarchs use a combination of air currents and thermals to travel long distances. Some fly as far as 3,000 miles to reach their winter home.

One of my favorite podcasts, Atlas Obscura, did show about this journey, How This Tiny Mexico Town SavedTheir Monarch Butterflies-For Now.

Although the monarchs have left our home in Maryland, the queen is dead, deceptively we believe. They have but just flown to regions unknown. South by Southwest, a journey never taken alone, they fly in form of a magical fluttering cone. Wearily they to mountains in Mexico they come, Seeking the oyamel fir, there they will rest once again wings gently fluttering in the sun.

Supplies: GSLC Fern Fronds, GSLC Honeycomb & Queen Bees ATC Sized, Wooden Tags, Infusion Rusty Cars Stain, Spray Bottle, Turquoise Acrylic Paint, Paintbrush, Wooden Butterflies, Metallic Rub-Ons Flowers, WeldBond Glue, Decorative Satin Ribbon

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Of Peacocks and Kingfishers-Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-08-27T23:00:00.078-05:00

Many years ago I spent a summer in India, I wrote about it in the blog post: So Far From Home . I have always had a fascination for peacock feathers, using them for years to decorate my home. Their colors are iridescent and mysterious. Being born in 1963, I found it an odd connection that India declared the peacock their national bird the very same year.

My time in India was challenging for me as, it was the first time traveling to a third-world country. I have never been so far from home. I spent some time in Goa, in a gated resort there. It was during monsoon season and I had a room to myself and from my window I could see some of the kingfishers that lived there. The Common Kingfisher plumage is bright blue and orange, and glistened in the hot Indian summer sunshine.

These birds are the inspiration for this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Trace and Cut Out Magazine Picture to Glue to Back Potion of GSLC-Reliquary-Tower Top.
Use a Paintbrush and Blue Paint and Stencil Butter, Grey Texture Paint, and Titan Buff Paint to paint the Top Portion of the GSLC-Reliquary-Tower Top.
Paint Edges of Back Portion of GSLC-Reliquary-Tower Top.
Use a UHU GlueStick to Glue Cut Out Portion of GSLC-Reliquary-Tower Top.
Find Stickers you Desire from Antiquarian Sticker Book.
Glue into Desired Compositions.
Coat with Glossy Accents.
Use WeldBond to Attach Both Portions of GSLC-Reliquary-Tower Top.
Use Clips to Hold Portions in Place.
Once Fully Dry add Deco Art One Step Crackle to Inside Portion of GSLC-Reliquary-Tower Top.
Once Fully Dry Fill in Cracks with Apple Pie Spice.
Seal with Glossy Accents.

Final Thoughts

While in India I was fortunate enough to visit Jaipur -The Pink City. The Inner Courtyard of City Palace has four small gates known as the Ridhi Sidhi Pol, which are elaborately decorated in brilliant colors. Lotus Gate– Beautified with lotus petals and stunning floral patterns representing summer season. Peacock Gate has carved peacocks surrounding a statue of God, and represent autumn. The Rose Gate represent winter, it is beautifully designed and painted with rose petals and surrounds statue of God and the sun. The final gate, named the Lehariya Gate, is vividly painted in shades of green and represent Spring.

Kingfisher

Your wings are made of precious stones, Your chest like fire-burning bright,

Flamboyant in your brightest tones.

Electrifying flash of light.

With Sharpened dagger on a perch,

Sit patiently, observe your prey,

Then with one fast, decisive lurch,

You dive across the waterway.

In one fell sweep, you snatch and steal.

The fish-their silver scales your prize, You swallow it then conceal

Yourself in watery disguise;

Your eye-a secret of your aim,

Most powerful your mighty wing;

No bird can beat you at your game,

The noble bird-You ARE the king!

~Renata Matejko

Supplies: GSLC_Reliquary-Tower Top, Magazine Pictures, Blue Paint and Stencil Butter, Grey Texture Paint, Titan Buff Paint, Paintbrush, Copper and Gold Paint, UHU GlueStick, Glossy Accents, WeldBond, Deco Art One Step Crackle,

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Goin Downy Oshun - A Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-08-13T23:00:00.093-05:00

Many dream of a summer vacation at the beach, I am more of a mountain person myself. Growing up in Pennsylvania we never went on family vacations, but my da had sister who lived in New Jersey, we’d go visit them sometimes. I don’t remember ever seeing the ocean until I was in college. Here in Maryland many enjoy “goin downy oshun” meaning going to Ocean City. These are the inspirations for this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Trace Center Circle of onto Magazine Image of Your Choice.
Set Aside for Later
Paint Top Part with Neon Acrylic Paint and Fuchsia Stencil Butter.
Paint Bottom Part with Ocean Blue and Turquoise Stencil Butter.
When Fully Dry, Glue Both Parts Together and Press Flat and Weighted Down.
Go Through Sticker Book and Choose Stickers of Your Choice.
Layer and Glue Stickers to Prepared Circle.
Glue Sticker Assemblage to Back of Frame.
Press and Weight Down Full Assemblage.
Once Dry Add Glossy Accents to center of Frame.
Use Tweezers to Add Mini Gems to Assemblage.

Final Thoughts

When we went visiting my Aunt Irene and Uncle Robert in New Jersey the bathroom we used in the basement had wallpaper with mermaids in bathtubs. They were risqué retro in design and something my tender boy’s eyes never could have imagined. Cousin Val had a Show and Tell Phono Viewer & Record Player that was magical to a country boy without a television.

To many the beach is just the getaway they are looking for as summer slips away and the return to the school year for students and teachers is on the horizon.

When I went to the beach for the first time in college I did enjoy watching the waves, walking on the boardwalk, and saltwater taffy. I however hated the crowds, the heat burning off the hot sands.

The beaches I prefer are of the Pacific Northwest or those found in Northern New England. They are less crowded, the water much cooler and covered in pebbles not sand.

A Favorite e.e. Cummings Poem

maggie and milly and molly and may

maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach(to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles,and

milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and

may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea.

Natalie set it to music, maggie and milly and molly and may , on her Leave Your Sleep the double concept album is "a project about childhood" and is a collection of music adapted from 19th and 20th century British and American poetry about childhood.

Supplies: Stencil Butter Ocean Blue, Turquoise, and Fuchsia, Neon Pink Acrylic Paint, Scissors, Paintbrush, Magazine Pictures, Stickers, WeldBond, Accent Glossy Accents, Mini Gems

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Awkward Introvert Independence Day-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-07-24T10:53:00.089-05:00

I have written about my introverted side before and my avoidance of crowded situations. July for many in the United States about celebrating our Independent Day on July 4th. As an introvert I tend to stay away from the crowded parades and firework celebrations, but they are the inspiration for this artwork- well, sorta…

Gather Supplies.
Paint GSLC Star Medallions and GSLC Banner Border Strips Using Red, White, Blue, Gold, Yellow Acrylic Paints, Stencil Butter Blue and Red and a Paintbrush.
Alternate Red, White, and Blue Paint on GSLC Banner Border Stars. Put a Dollop of Gold Paint on Circles Between Each Star.
Paint Each of the GSLC Star Medallions a Primary Color of Red, White and Blue.
Add Shimmer with Metallic Paints and Stencil Butters.
To Add Patina Dry Brush with a Wash of Nice Azo Yellow.
Once Fully Dry use Embroidery Thread-TriColor Red, White, Blue and Needle to “Stitch” the GSLC Star Medallions.
Use a Small Hole Punch to Put a Hole at the top of Each GSLC Star Medallions and Evenly Spaced on the GSLC Banner Border Stars.
Use Embroidery Thread-TriColor Red, White, Blue and Needle to Connect the GSLC Star Medallions to the GSLC Banner Border Stars.

Final Thoughts

Holidays for the introverts of the world can be particularly challenging. In addition to uncomfortable conversations with strangers at the neighborhood cookout, the holidays can disrupt all the routines you've set up in your life to take care of yourself-the stay at home stare at walls and binge on Netflix days, leaving you with feelings of being trapped or unable to get the alone time necessary to recharge your introvert batteries.

So what an introvert to do if they are going to try and extrovert for the holiday:

Go to the picnic-but don’t stay for the day.
Have a quiet get together at your home.
Watch the fireworks, parades online if you are so inclined for nostalgia reasons.
Take mini-holidays or staycations, it’s okay to pamper yourself.

It might be hard to believe that not everyone celebrates the good ole 4th of July. As Americans it doesn’t mean those people are not patriotic but maybe they're not into a day revolving around hot dogs, beer binging, and loud fireworks.

Other countries also have vibrant, diverse, fun -filled celebrations of their found freedoms around the world.

From the article: Independence Day Celebrations Around the World

India has “Fifteenth of August Day”

Since India was freed from British rule in 1947, the Fifteenth of August has become a national holiday filled with flag-hoisting ceremonies, parades, and patriotic songs. Every year on this day, Indian skies become speckled with colorful flying kites of all shapes and sizes. When it comes to India's Independence Day cuisine, families and friends indulge in tri-color food dishes, which feature orange, white, and green - the colors of the national flag!

South Africa has "Freedom Day"

While South Africa declared its independence from Britain on May 31, 1910, the country celebrates a very special day in late April as "Freedom Day." Why? Well, on April 27, 1994, the first democratic, non-racial elections were held and Nelson Mandela was voted president.
This day marks the end of colonialism and apartheid, the restoration of human rights, and the liberation of South Africa and its people! While it's undoubtedly a day of mixed emotions, South Africans celebrate their unity and diversity with parties, inspirational speeches, and braais (barbecues).

Mexico has "Dia de la Independencia"

On September 15th. Many people think Mexico’s Independence Day was on Cinco de Mayo.Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not really Mexico's Independence Day. On the night of September 15th, Mexicans take to the streets and begin to memorialize the Grito de Dolores, the battle cry of the Mexican War of Independence.
For a full 24 hours, from the night of the 15th to the 16th, Mexico becomes one big party of parades, food, concerts, and fireworks. Traditionally, festivities start in Zocalo Square, Mexico City, where Mexico's president recites the cry of patriotism, and to which the enthusiastic crowd responds “Viva!"

France has "Bastille Day"

Each year, France commemorates the day when, in 1789, just under one thousand Parisians stormed the Bastille fortress to release prisoners and free the country from tyrannical oppression. This pivotal event catalyzed the French Revolution! Since 1880, July 14th has been deemed a public holiday called "Bastille Day”
On July 14th, the French wake up to a day of no work and all play. In Paris, the day kicks off with a military parade on the Champs Elysees and ends with fireworks over the Eiffel Tower. But don't worry - there's tons of partying in between! It's a France-wide tradition to attend a Firemen's Gala on Bastille Day. All throughout the country, fire stations open their doors to the public for a jolly good time of dancing and drinking!

Norway has “Syttende Mai” Day on May 17th

On Constitution Day, Norwegians wake up to the sound of marching bands, the sights of parades and traditional "bunad" costumes, and the creamy sweetness of ice cream -a lot of ice cream. Commemorating the signing of the constitution in 1814, Constitution Day, or the "17th of May," is by far the country's biggest party.
Another yummy Constitution Day tradition, besides copious amounts of ice cream, is the "17th of May breakfast." Often a big happy potluck with friends and neighbors, this kick-off meal consists of favorites like fresh bread, eggs, smoked salmon - and lots of champagne, of course.

As noted in these holidays no matter where you are from or your country of origin there are reasons to celebrate your freedoms.

Supplies: GSLC Star Medallions , GSLC Banner Border Strips, Red, White, Blue, Gold, Yellow Acrylic Paints, Stencil Butter Blue and Red, Paintbrush, Embroidery Thread-TriColor Red, White, Blue, Needle, Small Hole Punch, Scissors

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Don’t Step on a Bee Day-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-07-09T23:00:00.089-05:00

I love how everything has its own special day. I am betting this is one that many of you may not have heard of or celebrated. Today July 10, 2024 is Don’t Step on aBee Day. It is observed every year on July 10 in the United Kingdom. Bees have been around for centuries and are closely related to wasps. They are mostly found in every part of the world that has insect-pollinated flowering plants. Bees are essential to our survival and play a big role in balancing our ecosystem. They are great pollinators, produce honey, and give us food. This day marks the importance of the existence of these insects and the work that they do.

As most Americans are celebrating our freedom from British Rule this time of year I thought this would be a nice non partisan way to celebrate this little known holiday to us. This is the inspiration for this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Use UHU Glue stick to attach Magazine images to GSLC Little Niche Sun Burst Pieces.
Trim with Scissors.
Use Nail File to Smooth off Edges.
Put Bottom of GSCL Little Niche Together with Glue and Washi Tape. Secure with Clips on Edges if Necessary.
Add Washi Tape Details to Top Portion of GLSC Little Niche.
Use UHU GlueStick to Add Magazine Scraps to This Portion Also.
Use Acrylic Paint of Your Choosing to Paint GSLC Honeycomb and Queen Bees ATC size. I Used Yellow, Iridescent Blue, Metallic Gold, Orange, Yellow, Green, WeldBond Glue.
Add Details with A Black Sharpie Pen.
Assemble Vignette for Inside Bottom Portion of GSLC Little Niche.
Attach Top Portion of GSLC Little Niche to Bottom Portion, Securing Again with Clips to Fully Dry.
Add Bee and Crown Details Once Dry to Outside of Niche Using WeldBond.

Final Thought

Almost every day of the year is linked to its own holiday or remembrance. I like these lesser known celebrations, it makes each day a bit more magical.

I wrote about this process in an essay titled, Death of a Dignity, it was about my love/hate relationship with Martha Stewart. In Part

“Last night I dreamt I danced at Martha Stewart's funeral. A rather odd dream if left unexamined. Most people have a love/hate relationship with their idols. I love Martha Stewart for her interesting ideas, she celebrated the eclectic. She was the first person who told me it didn't have to match. She took ordinary items and made them extraordinary, a motto I have tried to live by. She made a habit trying to look for the "good things" in life. She rescued treasures from tag sale. She celebrated the obscure occasions; traveled to exotic locales. She was an underdog who had made it big. Hers was the Cinderella story, from the one bedroom apartment to several estates in prominent neighborhoods; from the one serving the guests to being the host of her own lavish parties, having a staff that would come to her beck and call. She had become a celebrity.

I loved all these things about Martha and so much more. The joke at many of my gatherings would go something like this "Wouldn't Martha be proud?" or "Look out Martha, Jon David is in town!" or "Martha has nothing on ME!””

I admire and respect Martha Stewart; some days I even envy her. But, last night I dreamt I danced at her funeral not because I am mentally disturbed. I danced in celebration of what she stood for and what I had become. I danced for my freedom and her forced exit. I danced to remember. I danced to forget. And as I danced I was reminded that I too with her wealth, and along with her crews of thousand, I could also create her over the top magical moments and huge productions.

But, as I lay my "floral arrangement of the month" upon her graveside I was also reminded that I can turn an apple into a tart, a book into a memory, a card into a collection, a dreary day into a dawning, an eggplant into an exotic centerpiece, a fig into a fabulous dessert, a gathering into gladness, a host into a friend, an icicle into a winter montage, juice into sangria, kelp into a California roll, a letter into a legacy, a map into a mural, an ordinary occasion into a celebration, a pear can be poached and become breakfast, a quest an incredible adventure, a raven may even become my pet, a stove is a gallery, a table a conversation piece, a universe gets captured on my bathroom walls, a vase becomes a vision, a wall is turned into a wonderland, a Xerox is easily transformed into stationary, and, given the opportunity I could even find a few interesting uses for a zebra.

So come and dance at Martha Stewart's funeral. Dance not because you are disturbed, but, come dance because each of us need to know who we can become if given the opportunity. But most of all come dance because it is time to say goodbye to all those fears that entrap you and dream once again. So Good Night my sweet Martha. Keep growing and learning because we love the way you show us to look at our world through new eyes.

The essay can be read in its full here: Death of a Dignity

If we have eyes to see let us see the bits of beauty that surrounds us each and every blessed day.

Other Blogs I have written about bees:

Bees in August

Saving the Bees

Supplies: GSLC Little Niche Sun Burst, GSLC Honeycomb & Queen Bees ATC Sized, Magazine Images, UHU GlueStick, Scissors, Nail File, Washi Tape, Acrylic Paint, Yellow, Iridescent Blue, Metallic Gold, Orange, Yellow, Green, WeldBond Glue, paintbrush, Sharpie Pen

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Gone Fishin’- A Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-06-25T23:00:00.013-05:00

A neighbor lady likes to say “Fishing is the greatest excuse in the world to do nothing” I’ve never been a fan of fishing but my grandpappies, Da, Ralph and Frank were dabblers of the sport. Maybe if the fish were a bit more colorful than the rainbow trouts we’d catch I’d be a bit more intrigued. These are the inspirations for this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Trace Back of GSLC Arabian Triptych on Colorful Magazine Images.
Rip and Tear Magazine Images Gluing to SLC Arabian Triptych Back.
Find Fish and Coral Images in Sticker Books to Use in Collages.
Fussy Cut and Use a Blue Highlighter on Edges.
Use DuraClear Matte Gel Medium to Secure Pieces to Back Portion Of GSLC Arabian Triptych.
While Still Wet Sprinkle with Iridescent Glitter Sparingly.
Paint Upper Portion of GSLC Arabian Triptych Frames with Ocean Blue and Turquoise Stencil Butter. Globing on.
Add Patina with Green Acrylic Paints.
Glue Upper Portion of GSLC Arabian Triptych Frames to the Back Prepared Portions with WeldBond.
Once Fully Dry add a Layer of Rangers Glossy Accents Finish to the Inside Frames.

Final Thoughts:

Rainbow Trout were definitely a colorful fish, along with its Golden Rainbow bothers, and Brook, Brown and Lake trout cousins. Each with own distinct color palate . They are also related to the salmon. They preferred the colder area of the streams hiding near the riffles.

Catfish were caught in deeper channels and are bottom-dwelling opportunistic carnivores. We were told that catfish whiskers could stings but it might be an old wives tale.

Perch, Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, a Sunfish and Bluegills, Suckers and Crappies could also be caught if you knew the right fishing holes. On the rarest of occasions even a freshwater eel were a found delicacy.

I was more of a crick wader. I did enjoy hunting for Hellgrammites used for bait on sharp fishhooks. In Summertime we gather our wading boots or old sneaker, fishing net, a plastic bucket and off to the crick we would go. We’d head to our manmade dams, one person downstream the others picking up the placed rocks and shuffling downstream towards the nets. Our family also caught night crawlers after the spring rains and would keep them in a washbasin in the dirt cellar of our family farmhouse.

Inside Appalachia Podcast reminds me of my Childhood Home: In Old School Fly Fishing Rods they meet craftsman who builds exquisite, handmade fly rods and shares his fishing with others.Inside Appalachia tells the stories of our people, and how they live today. The show is an audio tour of our rich history, food, music and culture.

Fishing Quotes:

"The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad." —A.K. Best

“A fishing rod is a stick with a hook at one end and a fool at the other.” —Samuel Johnson

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after." —Henry David Thoreau

“I go fishing not to find myself but to lose myself.” —Joseph Monninger

Supplies: GSLC Arabian Triptych, Colorful Magazine Pictures, Pen,WeldBond Glue,Fish Images from Sticker Books, Blue HighLighter, DuraClear Matte Gel Medium, Paintbrush, Iridescent Glitter, Ocean Blue and Turquoise Stencil Butter, Green Acrylic Paints, Rangers Glossy Accents Finish

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Meadow Meanderings-Going to the New Ground-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-06-11T23:00:00.045-05:00

It’s been years since I have been back to my childhood home, affectionally called “The Homestead” Its been sold just as many years ago and my heart can't seem to “Go Home” anymore I'm missing my family, my people, my tribe, my heritage. Just past the weathered whitewashed woodshed there was an abandoned area we called “The New Ground” It was a hilly land overgrown with wildflowers abounding and shrub trees and blackberry bramble bushes. An old well fed an ephemeral pond, in springtime where we collected tadpoles in vintage blue mason jars. It was a magical place.

Gather Supplies.
Pre-fold GSLC-Little Niche Pointed, Allowing For Easier Assembly.
With a Wide Bristle Brush Randomly Paint Niches with Fuchsia Stencil Butter, Golden Quinacridone Magenta, Transparent Red Oxide, Van Dyke Brown Hue. I Want Them to Have a Weathered Worn Appeal.
Add Additional Layers with ChartreuseStencil Butter and Green Gold Acrylic Paints.
Use a Ruler to Measure Inside of GSLC Niche and Cut Pieces of Metallic Green CardStock on Paper Trimmer.
Destress Metallic Green CardStock by Gently Folding and Pressing. Dampen to make the Process Go More Easily.
Find Desired Images from Sticker Books and Fussy Cut Using Small Scissors.
Add Depth to Backgrounds By Attaching Strips of Washi Tape with WeldBond Glue.
Assemble Your Vignettes.
Add Washi Tape and Images on Outside of Outside of GSLC Niches.
Assemble GSLC Niches Carefully Gluing with WeldBond and Securing Corners in Place by Pressing With Your Fingers.
Once Fully Dry Add Recollection Vintage Gemstone Gemms with Dots of WeldBond Glue.
A Quick Brushing of Matte Gel Medium Will Complete the Pieces.

Final Thoughts:

We Spent all Seasons in our “New Ground”, it was borrowed land from the neighboring farm belonging to the Schriners. The man of the land was reported to be a Rodeo Clown, and the Lady of the Land Betty had the most beautiful blonde bouffant hairdos. Their cows would often get out and make their way to my momma’s lush gardens and we as kids were given the job of coaxing them back to their homeland pastures.

SpringTime was when the New Ground did its awakening. If one was careful baby grouse could be found along with spring bunnies. Ring Neck Roosters were a rarity but magnificent once discovered. Even rarer still were the Whippoorwills, singing their songs proclaiming their presence chirping out their names almost perfectly.

Unusual Mosses and Lichens could be collected. Once Collected we would use them to make Moss Gardens for Our Easter Baskets. Sister Nean was a masterful moss menagerie maker, she also used onion peels, pressed ferns and flowers with cheese cloth to dye our Easter Eggs Some Years. Momma was the best at blowing out the inside of the eggs and then decorating them with Shrink Wrap Sleeves that shrank when dipped in boiling water. Many Years we had an Easter Egg Tree On the front Forsythia tree, tied with bright ribbons. Brother Ralph was always on the lookout for Red-Winged Blackbird, as he declared them the harbinger of Springtime.

As Summer came it was Ralph who go off Blackberry Picking returning with plastic ice cream tubs full of the deepest purple hued berries knowing they were the sweetest. His hands would be stained appearing almost bruised from their abundant juices. Once we used the juices to fake a black eye. I am sure if the berries were ripe Nean would have used them to dye our Easter Eggs too.

Fall was the time for small game hunting in the New Ground off with the 410/22 gauge combo Shotgun Rifle. I wasn’t much of a shooter but did enjoy the quiet misty mornings in the woodlands. Dad, Ralph and Nephew Frank were the big game hunters. Once again momma would cook up their bounty with squirrel potpie, and roasted rabbit, and occasional ring neck rooster feast.

Winter was looking for a pine tree suitable for Christmastime. The Trailing Pine Mosses also made beautiful garlands to hang on the wood living room staircase. A variety of greens and dried flowers made lovely bouquets but sister Joan found out the hard way the white berries were from the dead Poison Ivy Vines, the hairy monkey tails clinging to the trees should have been a clue. A rabbit trail led to the lower swamp land that would freeze over some winters and could be cleared to practice ice-skating. Swamp Berries were gathered to add to our harvested bouquets. A sledding hill was a bit further on. Hours of our childhood were spent with our plastic toboggans offering entertainment and exercise to ease the times before electronics invaded our creativity.

Over the Rhine signs of such a place in “Called Home”

Just shy of Breakin’ Down
There’s a bend in the road that I have found
Called home

Take a left at loneliness
There’s a place to find forgiveness
Called home

With clouds adrift across the sky
Like heaven’s laundry hung to dry
You slowly feel it all will be revealed

Where evening shadows come to fall
On the awful and the beautiful
Every wound you feel that needs to heal

And silence yearns to hear herself
Some long lost memory rings a bell
Called home

Old pre-Civil War brick house
Standin’ tall and straight somehow
Called home

Mailbox full of weariness
And a word of hard won happiness
Called home

Leave behind your Sunday best
You know we couldn’t care a less
Out here we’ve learned to leave the edges wild

And stories they get passed around
And laughter – it gets handed down
Read it in the lines around a smile

Our bodies’ motion comes to rest
When we are at last
Called home

I also Like these Over The Rhine Lyrics from “All of it Was Music”

We left the city far behind

We traveled light, we traveled blind

With no idea what we’d find

Or whether we could use it

The rolling fields were lined by trees

Wild flowers brought us to our knees

The poison ivy thick as thieves—

We swung an ax to bruise it

A place where we could rest awhile

Where hummingbirds could thrum for miles

And we could leave the edges wild

And let birds sing through us

Fires where all our sparks could scatter

Midnight stars could drop their ladders

I’m not sure any of it matters

But all of it was music

To those I’ve wronged, please forgive me

I hope this song helps you, believe me

The holding on the letting go

It all get buried soft and low

Don’t ask me how but I still know

All of it was music.

Supplies: GSLC-Little Niche Pointed, Fuchsia and Chartreuse Stencil Butter, Golden Quinacridone Magenta, Transparent Red Oxide, Van Dyke Brown Hue, Green Gold, Paint Brush, Ruler, Metallic Green CardStock, Paper Trimmer, Images From Sticker Books, Scissors, Washi Tape, WeldBond Glue, Recollection Vintage Gemstone Gemms, Matte Gel Medium

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Mother’s Day Gift Updated-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-05-21T23:00:00.085-05:00

In times of Yore a thoughtful Mother’s Day gift would be to have family members, especially her children sit for cut out Silhouette Portraiture. In modern day the process can be shorted to these few steps:

Step 1 – Take Photo. Take a side profile photo (your phone is fine) of the child against a white wall.

Step 2 – Upload Photo.

Step 4 – Tape Paper To Computer And Trace.

Step 5 – Cut It Out.

Step 6 – Glue Onto Black Paper.

Step 7 – Glue Onto Final Background Paper.

Step 8 – Sign And Date.

An Easy Peasy DIY Reimagining of an Ancient Tradition.

These are the inspirations for this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Clump on Metallic Paint of Copper and Gold with an Old Paintbrush on GSLC Steampunk Lady.
While Paint is Still Well Sprinkle with Spices-I Used Cinnamon, Apple Pie Spice and Chili Powder. Spray with Cheap Hairspray to Seal.
Use Back Portion of GSLC Layered Frames Carlon to Cut Out a Metallic Blue Card Stock Back.
Use WeldBond to Glue GSLC Steampunk Lady to Metallic Blue Card Stock.
Paint Back Portion of GSLC Layered Frames Carlon With Dark Green and Brown Acrylic Paints.
Paint Top Portion of GSLC Layered Frames Carlon With Ocean Blue Stencil Butter.
Glue Top Portion to Back Portion of GSLC Layered Frames Carlon. Dry Flat and Weighted Down.
Glue GSLC Steampunk Lady Prepared Pieces to Back of Frames.
Use Green and Blue Paints to Add Patina to the Combined Pieces.
Use Ranger Glossy Accents to Seal in GSLC Steampunk Lady, When Fully Dry it Will Appear as Glass Inside the Frames.

Final Thoughts

A Steampunk Woman’s Silhouette might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it a fun nod to an olden art form that may one day come back into fashion. As it is spoken, “Everything Old is New Again”.

Silhouette (profile) portraiture was the popular way to recreate an image of oneself or loved one before the invention and common use of photography in the mid 1800’s. During the years of 1500 and 1860, professional and amateur artists would either paint or cut profiles – using paints or scissors.

This past Summer I visited Glenstone , a unique art museum in Potomac, Maryland. This museum integrates art, architecture, and nature in a serene contemplative environment. Throughout the nearly 300 acres landscape is a form of art. The landscapes include path, trails, streams, meadows, forests and outdoor sculptures.

One of the artists on display was Kara Walker , she takes silhouettes to grandiose level. They covered museum walls, and are haunting and provocative. Her silhouettes depict a historical narrative one with hidden sexuality, violence and subjugation. Her silhouettes are thought provoking, boldly bringing the secrets of our nations past into light. The sharp edges of the cut papers reminds us of the broken hearts and dreams of these antebellum figures portrayed in many of her art pieces. Her artwork is witty and unsettling.

This would be a nice poem to attach to your DIY Silhouette Portraiture if you choose to create one.

Mama's Shadow

When I was a kid (you know, last year)

I was like your shadow, always near.

While learning what the world was about

I followed your footsteps day in and day out.

There were so many things I wanted to know.

You answered my questions and helped me to grow.

All too soon Mama I will be grown

And making my way in this world on my own.

When you remember the good times we had

And wish I was with you, don't be sad.

Just stand by this picture and pretend

That I am your shadow once again.

~Wanda Atkinson

Supplies: Supplies: GSLC Layered Frames Carlon, GSLC Steampunk Lady, Metallic Paint Copper and Gold, Paintbrush, Spices-Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Chili Powder, Cheap Hairspray, Metallic Blue Card Stock, Scissors, WeldBond Glue, Dark Green and Brown Acrylic Paint,Blue Ocean Stencil Butter, Green And Blue Acrylic Paints, Ranger Glossy Accents

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

May Day Remembrance-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-05-07T23:00:00.076-05:00

Long ago and so many years ago I was invited to a friend of a friend’s house for a May Day Celebration. They lived in a cottage by a spring fed river. She was a Wordsmith-a poet, he a Silversmith-a jeweler. Their home was a land of enchantment. Libations and morsels abound. There were Charcuterie boards before we even knew what they were. A maypole was erected with delicate ribbons dangling in the spring breezes. These are the inspirations for this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Use a Pencil to the trace Bottom Portions of GSLC Layered Frames Onto a Magazine Picture of Your Choosing.
Cut Out With Scissors and Glue to Bottom Portions for GSLC Frames Using a UHU GlueStick.
Use a Nail-File to Smooth off any Rough Edges.
Use Green and Bronze Metallic Paints to Soften the Edges and Unify Pieces.
Go Through Antiquarian Sticker Books, Selecting Items You Wish to Collage on these Frame Back Portions.
I Use WeldBond to Add Blue Glitter to Top Portions of GSLC Layered Frames. I would Caution Against This as It was Extremely Difficult to Separate the Delicate Frames from the Substrate.
Once Delicate Frames are Separated from Substrate I Added Turquoise Stencil Butter as Most of the Blue Glitter was Removed by This Time.
To Add an Aged Patina I Used a Dry Brush Technique to add Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold Acrylic Paint to These Upper Portions of the GSLC Layered Frames.
Use WeldBond to Attach the Delicate Tope Portions of the Frames to their Prepared Bottom Collages.
Dry Fully, Flatted and Weighted Down.
To Unify the Art Pieces Coat with Dura Clear Matte Gel Medium.

Final Thoughts

May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on May 1st. Traditions often include gathering wildflowers and green branches, weaving floral garlands, and setting up a Maypole, around which people dance. It is also often celebrated with bonfires and a good bit of drinking.

There are days I wish I could live again. May Day at the Bastian’s is one of them.

"The world's favorite season is the spring.
All things seem possible in May."
- Edwin Way Teale

Supplies: GSLC Layered Frame Victoria Round, GSLC Layered Frame Victoria Oval, GSLC Layered Frame Bella Round, GSLC Layered Frame Bella Oval, Pencil, Magazine Pictures, Scissors, UHU GlueStick, Nail-file, Green and Bronze Acrylic Paints, Paintbrush, Antiquarian Sticker Books, WeldBond Glue, Blue Glitter, Turquoise Stencil Butter, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold Acrylic Paint, Dura Clear Matte Gel Medium

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

A Nesting We Will Go-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-04-23T23:00:00.041-05:00

In my last blog I wrote of the migration of many song birds that spend the winter in the tropics, now coming north to spend the summer in the United States and Canada.

Some of these birds are dozens of species of warblers, thrushes, vireos, orioles, flycatchers, tanagers, grosbeaks, they are traveling north to find a mate, make a nest, and lay their eggs. This is the inspiration for this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Use Embossing Dabber to Apply Gel on both Sides of GSLC Scribble Frames- Oval Ivy.
Sprinkle with Allure Charred Gold Embossing Powders and Cure With a Heat Tool.
Add Patina to Cured Frames using Acrylic Paints-Gold, Copper, Green Gold, Gold, Browns and a Paintbrush.
Cut Book-board to Use as Backdrop for Prepared Frames.
Use a UHU Glue Stick to Add Scrapbook Paper.
Trace Center Part of Frame on another Piece of Scrapbook Paper.
Cut out Ovals and Use as Guideline for Collages.
Choose Stickers form Antiquarian Sticker Book, and Collage onto Scrapbook Paper , Securing With a UHU GlueStick.
Use WeldBond Glue to Attach Collages to Frames and Also to Prepared Background Pieces.
Dry Full, Pressed and Weighted Down.
Once Fully Dry Add Glossy Accents Medium to the Locations you Desire.
Allow to Dry Fully Creating a Glasslike Center Over Top of Collages.

Final Thoughts

I’ve always been fascinated by bird’s nests and their eggs. I wrote about them in this blog, Waiting for the Robins.In Part: “A little further up the paved road was a farm road that led to the left. It was heavily posted that trespassers would be prosecuted so he ran the first few yards to get under the cover of the faithful trees that would shelter him from all harm. The boy is aware of the chirping of the birds as they flutter about making preparations for their expected families. The boy always remembers to put out pieces of yarn and cotton because he liked to imagine himself a nest maker or at least a nest provider. Perhaps the ‘Jenny’ Wren, his mother's favorite, would use some of it to brighten her home. He loves how the tiny bird makes his mother's heart sing. Her face brightens with a smile whenever she hears the birds bubbling song as she hangs the clothes out to dry on the spring's gentle breeze.

He noticed a goldfinch that was becoming more recognizable as a male because he was getting the bright yellow color back into his feathers. The boy hopes his favorite springtime bird will return to one of his parents many bird feeders. The indigo bunting is an awesome sight to behold because of their brilliant, almost iridescent blue that will always outshine that of the bluejays or eastern bluebirds.

An observation the boy has made is that birds sing loudest in the springtime. Their songs can seem overpowering. some birds sing with their whole hearts, while others sing with their whole beings making their proclamations of joy. He is reminded of the mourning dove; whose sorrowful song is strangely silent when they take flight upon their whistling wings. While some birds have beautiful songs, the boy believes that others are no so lovely. In fact, he thinks the blackbirds, the crows, and the starlings, are the troublemakers of the bird kingdom with their robust calls and squeaky cackling.”

I like the classic “cup or bowl-shaped nests”made by robins, flycatchers, larks, thrushes, hummingbirds, warblers, and many others. They are made with twigs, leaves, mosses, lichens, seaweed, mud feathers, fur hair from animals. Furthermore, birds often line their nests with additional softer materials. Some even use spider webs or cocoon silk. Although most reptiles lay eggs, and even some mammals (such as the platypus) too, birds are the only backboned animals alive today that can lay colorful and patterned eggs.

Supplies: GSLC Scribble Frame Oval Ivy , Embossing Dabber, Paintbrush, Allure Charred Gold Embossing Powders, Heat Tool, Acrylic Paints-Gold, Copper, Green Gold, Gold, Browns, Buckboard, Cutter, UHU GlueStick, Pencil, Scrapbook Paper Scraps, Antiquarian Sticker Books, WeldBond Glue, Glossy Accents Medium

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Double Sided Coins-A Peek-a-Boo Projection

2024-04-09T23:00:00.036-05:00

In early spring, March through April, billions of birds migrate back into the United States from their southern wintering grounds. These birds are teaching for nesting locations for breeding season, with abundant food sources. In the United States the bird most associated with our coinage is our bald eagle, but around the world there are other coins with birds on them. Usually when tossing coins, you want a two-sided coin that are different. For these trick coins, tails side always wins. They are the inspiration for this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Glue GSLC Artist Trading Coins to Magazine Pictures Using a UHU GlueStick.
Once Dry, Take a Damp Cloth to Rub Around Coin Edges. Gently press out coins.
Use a Nail File to Sand Edges.
Use Highlighters on Edges of Sanded Coins.
Seal With Matte Gel Medium.
Search Through Antiquarian Sticker Books for Desirable Stickers and UHU GlueStick to Create Compositions.
Use Assortment of Green Acrylic Paints and Dry Brush Technique on GSLC Fern Fronds.
Spray with Cheap Hair Spray and Sprinkle on Iridescent Glitter.
Cut Apart Fern Fronds and Secure to GSLC ATC Coins Using WeldBond Glue.
Press Flat with a Weighted Object.
Use Polymer Clay Leaf and Flower Molds to Make Additional Embellishments.
Use Mica Powders and an MakeupBrush to Add Shimmer to the Pieces.
Cure as Directed on Package in a Polymer Clay Oven.
Once Cooled Add Clay Embellishments to Prepared Coins.
Add Patina Using Colored Pencils and Seal with Cheap Hair Spray.

Final Thoughts

One cannot talk about coins without mentioning the Witcher. Toss A Coin To Your Witcher, is such a catchy tune. Just as we all know there are two sides to a coin There are two sides to every story.

Besides the American Eagle being featured on many of our coins, there is a Cuban Coin with a Hummingbird on it, UK Farthings with Wrens, Russian Federation Ruble wit a Two-Headed Eagle, a mythological bird, the Simurgh, on the Iranian Rials, Australia has coins with a lyre burn and an emu on them, The Canadian Loonie coin has a loon on it, and at one time they had a River Dollar Flying Goose coin. I am sure there are others but these re the one I discovered during my research.

For Migrating Birds there are two most prominent seasons, Spring and Autumn, and two lands where they call home. While not all birds migrate and have adapted to survive the cold winter, many do. Some may only migrate a few hundred miles to escape the worst of the winter weather and food shortage, others wile other may fly thousands of miles. The Arctic Tern fly more than 49,000 miles round-trip each year from their breeding grounds in the Arctic to winter foraging areas in the waters off Antartica.

Supplies: GSLC Artist Trading Coins, GSLC Fern Fronds, Antiquarian Sticker Books, UHU GlueStick, Magazine Pictures, With cloth, Nail File, Highlighters, Matte Gel Medium, Paintbrush, Assortment of Green Acrylic Paints, Cheap Hair Spray, Iridescent Glitter, WeldBond Glue, Polymer Clay, Leaf and Flower Molds, Mica Powders, MakeupBrush, Polymer Clay Oven, Colored Pencils

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Time Marches On-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-03-26T23:00:00.041-05:00

I find myself once again in the month of March thinking of pubs and Ireland. The say on St. Patrick’s Day we are all Irish. I have enjoyed a pint r two in my day but the older I get the less appealing are the drunkard days of yore. However, I am still intrigued by vintage pub signs and the lore of the ambience of a place where one can escape for the harsh realities of the rat race of life, to settling into a gentle atmosphere here people can enjoy the art of conversation, revel in the music and song with lovely libations maybe chauffeur’s choice cocktail. These are the inspirations of this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Resize and Print Vintage Pub Signs.
Use Brown, Orange and Gold Acrylic Paints on GSLC Hanging Sign Set We are Going for a Weathered and Worn Look.
Use a Pencil to Trace the Signs onto The Printed Signs so you Know Where to Cut.
I Actually Settled on Just Cutting the Signs in Their Rectangular Shape.
Use Dark Brown Paint to Paint the Edges of the Signs.
Glue the Prepared Pub Signs to the GSLC Hanging Sign Set 1.
The Finished Pieces Look Nice Framed with a Village Street in the Background.

Final Thoughts:

The Vintage Pub Signs have significance for me and speak to the traveler side of my soul when I was bit wilder and free-spirited.

The First is Talley Ho reminding me of the Summer I spent working in Chautauqua New York at the Tally-Ho Hotel and Restaurant. I was in college and at my finest physique, learning and finding my way. There was a small group of us that stayed on the premise some as maids for the hotel and others waiters for the restaurant. It was a time of innocence and debauchery. Somehow we got alcohol and indulged in the freedoms of youth. This is the summer that we danced at the bar as it was flooding and the borrowed car we had floated into the lake.

From the Tally-Ho Sign we go to the Stage and Fox and Hounds signs they are reminiscent of miniature pub signs I picked up the year I went to England for a week as an Ambassador of Rockledge Elementary School and stayed in very Goth bedroom of son of my host house. I was not a world traveler at this time having only spent one summer touring Europe after graduating from college. I was a bit apprehensive of the darkness, and the black painted walls but enjoyed touring the countryside and observing the differences of our educational systems.

New words I learned while there: torch(flashlight), fag(cigarette), rubber(eraser), chips(French fries), crisps( potato chips), spotted dick and sticky offing pudding(yummy desserts), bits and bobbins(a mismatched collection), loo(bathroom), the underground(London subway), flat(apartment), grey(gray), colour(color), among others.

These signs also remind me of a favorite place to visit in Maryland, Ladew Topiary Gardens. One of the most famous topiaries is the iconic fox chase across a lawn rendered only using yew hedges. Harvey S. Ladew was a rich socialite who grew up in Westbury, Long Island. His is describe as Anglophile, admiring all things of England and Britain, especially fox hunting. As the area became more suburbanized in the 1920s, it became less and less agreeable to the sport of fox hunting. Mr. Ladew had hearth was wonderful hunting in Maryland’s Hartford County and that is what enticed him to purchase a 200+ acre property in Monkton in 1920 adjacent to the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club. Ladew’s 22 acres of gardens feature more than 100 larger-than-life topiary forms which serve as the backbone and centerpiece of the gardens and define a series of garden “rooms” including the Rose, White, Yellow, Sculpture and Iris Gardens. The gardens are beautiful to visit in the three seasons they are opened, it is closed during the winter months.

Supplies: GSLC Hanging Sign Set 1, Brown, Orange, and Gold Acrylic Paints, Pencil, Resized and Printed Vintage Pub Signs, Paintbrush, UHU GlueStick

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Happy Birthday Howard Pyle-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-03-12T23:00:00.033-05:00

Howard Pyle was born on March 5, 1853 in Wilmington, Delaware. He is famous for writing and illustrating children’s books, most significantly “The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood.” He was dubbed the Father of American Illustration. His work is credited with inspiring modern pirate costumes, including Johnny Depp’s look in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. A less famous work of his, and in his opinion a complete failure are the illustrations for Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Lady of Shallot”. These are the inspirations of this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Print Copies of Illustrations from The Lady Of Shallot.
Use Turquoise Stencil Butter and a Small Plastic Palette Knife to Paint Edges of GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks.
Use Fancy Cut Trimming Scissors Trim Edges of Illustrations.
Use a Green Brush Marker to Smudge Edges of Illustration.
Glue Illustrations to Prepared GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks.
Paint GSLC Keys & Plates Shape Set with Metallic and Brown Acrylic Paints.
Use WeldBond Glue to Attach GSLC Keys & Plates Shape Set to Prepared GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks.
Use a Hole Punch to put Holes in the Four Corners of the GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks.
Use Two Needle Nose Pliers to Connect GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks Together with Steel Jump Rings.

Final Thoughts:

Quotes from “The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood”

“I live in a Land where the forests are big, and the rivers are wide and blue. The sky is as big asa forest and the birds are as merry as my friends, the men of Sherwood.”

“Here, in Sherwood, where the trees are so green and the flowers are so bright, we live outlives in the company of friends”

“When a man is in trouble, there is no greater joy than to see friend coming to help.”

“Every man deserves a second chance. Every man deserves chance to be merry and free.”

“To be a merry man, one must learnt dance with the shadows.”

Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Lady of Shalott” is a rather sad tale, without a happy ending. It seems like the sadder side of a magical kingdom. It tells the story of a young medieval woman mysteriously imprisoned on an island near Camelot. She must weave a colorful web and only watch the outside world through a mirror. If she looks at Camelot directly, she will be cursed.

It tells of unfulfilled dreams, entrapped in our own ivory towers. If we only observe the world through our windows or reflected in our mirrors we will never know the fullness of the land of the living with all its passions and pains, its wins and losses, the calm and chaos, its beauty and decay.

Where Howard Pyle saw these illustrations as failures I like their art nouveau appeal reminiscent of Mocha but more organic. We each have love hate with our creations.

March is a month of changes, as children we would draw pictures of lions and lambs. It is said that “March Come in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.”

It is indeed like a lion with its fierce winds roaring, the cold like long white teeth, icicles piercing through our skin: then the gentle softness of a billowing white cloud, as white and fluffy as fleece on an ewe, the sunny fresh aired days as innocent as a new born lamb.

Supplies: GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks , GSLC Keys & Plates Shape Set , Printed Copies of Illustrations from The Lady Of Shallot, Turquoise Stencil Butter, Small Plastic Palette Knife, Fancy Cut Trimming Scissors, Green Brush Marker, UHU GlueStick, Metallic and Brown Acrylic Paints, Paintbrush, WeldBond Glue

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Vintage Vegabond Valentine-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-02-27T23:00:00.036-06:00

I have always loved this quote by J.R.R Tolkien, “All who wander are not lost.” Here is the full poem:

The Riddle of Strider

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.

This is the inspiration for this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
I am Using Leftover GSLC Hearts from Previous Blog
GSLC Steampunk Hearts Were Painted in Metallic Acrylic Paints-Gold, Copper, Bronze.
GSLC Celtic Hearts Were Painted in Acrylic Paints-Reds, Pinks, and Neon Orange.
GSLC Grape Vines From Another Project They are Painted in Green Acrylic Paints and Dry Brushed with Gold and Neon Pink.
Leave GSCL Latin Script Background Unpainted.
Cut Thin Cardboard Into Two 5 by 6 Inches Pieces.
Use Washi Tape to Create a Hinge Spine for two Pieces of Thin Cardboard.
Cut Scrapbook Papers into Same Sizes and Glue to Thin Cardboard using a UHU GlueStick.
Use WeldBond and UHU GlueStick to Make a Pleasing Composition of GSLC Pieces.
Press Flat with a Weight Object.
Type and Print J.R.R Tolkien Poem and Greeting. Trim to Size.
Cut Metallic Cardstock to Make a Frame Poem and Greeting.
Glue Poem and Greeting to Inside of Prepared Card.
Add Silk Ribbon to Add Texture and Intrigue

Final Thoughts

I think the song Home by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros summarize my feeling about a Vagabond Love.

I also love this cover of Neil Young's Helpless by Cowboy Junkies.

"Helpless"

There is a town in north Ontario,

With dream comfort memory to spare,

And in my mind

I still need a place to go,

All my changes were there.

Blue, blue windows behind the stars,

Yellow moon on the rise,

Big birds flying across the sky,

Throwing shadows on our eyes.

Leave us

Helpless, helpless, helpless

Baby can you hear me now?

The chains are locked

and tied across the door,

Baby, sing with me somehow.

Blue, blue windows behind the stars,

Yellow moon on the rise,

Big birds flying across the sky,

Throwing shadows on our eyes.

Leave us

Helpless, helpless, helpless.

This is the greeting I included inside of my Vintage Vagabond Valentine

Happy Valentines Day

To My Vagabond

Companion.

Wherever We Travel

You are My Home.

With You By My Side

I Am Never Alone.

Supplies: GSLC Celtic Hearts, GSLC Steampunk Hearts, GSLC Grape Vines, GSCL Latin Script Background , Thin Cardboard, ScrapbookPapers, UNH GlueStick, Wide Washi Tape, WeldBond, UHU GlueStick, Paper Trimmer, Printer, Vintage Cardstock, Metallic Cardstock

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Celtic Clockwork Kinda of Love-Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-02-13T23:00:00.034-06:00

I have written how differently my husband and I are in past blogs:

“My partner and I are vastly different as the ocean from the desert. A love that can endure the differences and embrace the substances that matter last a lifetime. We are a mighty team, better together than apart, fuller because of our emptiness and sweeter because of shed tears. I love seeing what dreams will still come true, we have some huge ones left to dream.”

We continue to grow in love and respect for each other as we endure the daily grind with its joys and sorrows. They are the inspiration for this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Paint GSLC Steampunk Hearts in Metallic Acrylic Paints-Gold, Copper, Bronze.
Paint GSLC Celtic Hearts in Acrylic Paints-Reds, Pinks, and Neon Orange.
Cut Two 5 by 5 inch Squares from Scrapbook Paper Using a Cutter.
Cut One 5.25 by 5.25 Square from Scrapbook Paper Using a Cutter.
Glue Scrapbook Paper to Chipboard Squares Using a UHU GlueStick.
Use Permanent Ink Pad in Brown and an Ink Blotter to Darken the Edges of the Squares.
Use a UHU GlueStick to Layer the Painted GSLC Hearts onto the Prepared Squares.
These can be Framed and Would Make Very Attractive Wall Display.

Final Thoughts:

I love the concept of of yin and yang, dark and light, good and evil, a time for everything under the sun. My husband and I seek balance in our life, knowing fully it is ebbing and flowing, to and fro from one day to the next one may be sad the other happy, one’s pain can be soothed by the other. Life is about give and take, the ups and the downs, burdens and days of joy, the soft and the hard, the rough and the smooth, the content and the restless. We are in constant flux but we can choose the perspective we will embrace.

To know someone fully is to dive into the depths of the deepest oceans. When we first fall in love we do not dive in too deep, it’s a drop in a cup of water or the shallow waters of a springtime shower. It’s only as we stay together and weather the storms that we discover the magnitude of our lifetime companions.

I love this song by Natalie Merchant,

The Feast of Saint Valentine

In the deep and darkest night of your soul

When you curse and rue the day

That you did dare to give your heart away

Take courage in the thought you belong

Good comrade, you're not alone

We're here to give you shelter from the storm

In the blindness and confusion of the fight

When the blood is soaking through

We'll come to you, we'll come to bind the wound

We'll come to you

March on, march on you soldiers of the heart

You ragged, weary crowd

You retreat in your defeat but you move on

Such a vast uncharted wilderness to see

Strange lands, strange beasts

But I'll go where you lead

Where you lead

I'll go where you lead

And on the feast day of Saint Valentine

In the bleak mid-winter cold

Come lay your blood red roses in the snow

Come lay them in the snow

Don't stop your search now

Go, by the grace of God

Keep your courage, keep your faith

And take this paper heart to keep you safe

Keep you safe, keep your hope and faith

Love will lead you safely on

Love will leave you wounded

Love will bring you harm

Love will be the curse and be the charm

Love will be the bruising and be the balm

Love will set you free

And love, love love, will be your bonds

Love will win

Love will conquer all

Supplies: GSLC Celtic Hearts, GSLC Steampunk Hearts, Metalic Acrylic Paints-Gold, Copper, Bronze, Acrylic Paints-Reds, Pinks, and Neon Orange,Chipboard, Cutter, Scrapbook Paper, UHU GlueStick, Permanent Ink Pad Brown, Ink Blotter

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Three Sides of January- Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-01-23T23:00:00.038-06:00

January is named after the Roman God Janus, he is depicted with faces one looking into the past, the other into the future. He is the god of beginnings and endings, openings and closings, gateways of to and fro, transitions through time, duality of our days. The two sides of January that many of us contemplate are the year that has been and look forward to the year that will be, the third side if January and if I daresay in life is the day and time that is, the present. These are the inspirations of this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Paint the GSLC Triptych-Towers Top and GSLC Cathedral Frame with Acrylic Paints- Base Layer of Browns, Metallics, and Yellows.
Next Add Patina with Green Gold, Neon Green, and Gold Acrylic Paints.
Use Frame to Trace on Scrapbook Paper.
Cut Out and Glue to Back Portions of Frames using UHU GlueStick.
Choose Stickers from Antiquarian Sticker Books, Fussy Cut, and Glue to Scrapbook Paper.
Once Fully Dry add Rub-On Transfers.
Glue Front Portion of GSLC Frames to Back Portion. Secure Tightly with Clamps.
Once Dry, Use a Small Plastic Spatula and Add a Thicker Layer of WeldBond to Unify the Stickers and Rub-On Transfers.

Final Thoughts:

“The Past is Dead, and has no Resurrection: But the Future is Endowed with such a Life, That it Lives to us Men in Anticipation.”

~Henry Kirk White

“Let go of the Past, But Keep the Lessons it Taught You.” ~Chiara Gizzi

“Your Past is Done, so Forget It. Your Future is Yet to Come, so Dream It, But your Present is NOW, so Live it with No Regrets.”

“The Past is Filled with Pain, the Present with Opportunity, and the Future with Uncertainty.”

“Tell me, tell me, smiling child,
What the past is like to thee?
'An Autumn evening soft and mild
With a wind that sighs mournfully.'

Tell me, what is the present hour?
'A green and flowery spray
Where a young bird sits gathering its power
To mount and fly away.'

And what is the future, happy one?
'A sea beneath a cloudless sun;
A mighty, glorious, dazzling sea
Stretching into infinity.”

~Emily Brontë

The Song of Himself by Natalie Merchant puts these thoughts into perspective.

Supplies: GSLC Triptych-Towers Top , GSLC Cathedral Frame , Antiquarian Sticker Books, Acrylic Paints-Browns, Metallics, Yellows, Green Gold, Neon Green, Golds, Paintbrush, Scrapbook Papers, Pencil, Scissors, UHU GlueStick, Rub-On Transfers, WeldBond Glue, Metal Clamps, Small Plastic Spatula

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Frozen in Time-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2024-01-09T23:00:00.045-06:00

This time of year with the temperatures dropping, and the skies deepening, with the threat of winter storms, I wanted to put a romantic spin to it an imagine our perfect kind of snow day. This is the inspiration for this artwork.

As introverts the thought of getting snowed in is a tantalizing treat. Even much more now that we have moved into a condo community and not responsible for shoveling our long driveway, or sidewalks. We still must excavate our snow-encased cars eventually to go to work.

But I digress, A perfect snow day is one where neither of us have to work, their is food in the fridge, electricity is heating our home and we have list of shows to binge watch. It’s always to have a sweet snack nearby, warm cookies from the oven, and a Keurig collection of coffees and teas. Half and half to soothe it just so. If we could choose the setting of this enchantment it would be in a cabin in the woods.We are simple people, and love simple pleasures, how about you?

Gather Supplies.
Paint Two of the GSLC Alarm Clock Frame Ups with White Gesso
Paint the Other Two GSLC Alarm Clock Frame Ups with Turquoise Stencil Butter.
Spray with Cheap Hairspray and add Iridescent Glitter to White Ones and Blue Glitter to Turquoise Ones.
Spray Again to Adhere Glitter.
Trace Images with a Pencil.
Cut Out and Glue to Back of GSLC Alarm Clock Frame Ups.
Glue and Add top Portion of GSLC Alarm Clock Frame Ups and Secure Tightly, Pressing Down with a Weighted Object.
Once Fully Dry add Ranger Glossy Accents to Clock Face and Allow to Dry Overnight.
Once Dry add a Wash of Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold Golden Paint to the Edges.

Final Thoughts:

I’ve said it many times before that Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost is one of my favorite poems and t would be perfectly joined with these art pieces.

But I’ll Close with this song by one of my favorite bands, Over the Rhine-“Let it Fall”

Have you been trying too hard

Have you been holding too tight

Have you been worrying too much lately

All night

Whatever we've lost

I think we're gonna let it go

Let it fall

Like snow

'Cause rain and leaves

And snow and tears and stars

And that's not all my friend

They all fall with confidence and grace

So let it fall, let it fall

Have you been carin' too much

How this one ends

Y'know it's not the kind of fight

That you lose or WIN

When you're down so low

You feel the imprint of the ground

On skin

Look around

Breathe in

'Cause rain and leaves

And snow and tears and stars

And that's not all my friend

They all fall with confidence and grace

So let it fall, let it fall

Supplies: GSLC Alarm Clock Frame Ups , White Gesso Paint, Turquoise Stencil Butter, Paintbrush, WeldBond Glue, Blue Glitter, Iridescent Glitter, Cheap Hairspray, Manipulated and Printed Images of Your Choosing, Pencil, Scissors, Rangers Glossy Accents

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Holy Family Shrines-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2023-12-27T00:00:00.046-06:00

I Love Images of the Holy Family, I especially like when I can find Images of Jesus and Joseph, they seem rarer than those of Jesus and Mary or the family of three.

Joseph's Song

-Michael Card

How could it be this baby in my arms

Sleeping now, so peacefully

The Son of God, the angel said

How could it be

Lord I know He's not my own

Not of my flesh, not of my bone

Still Father let this baby be

The son of my love

Chorus 2

Father show me where I fit into this plan of yours

How can a man be father to the Son of God

Lord for all my life I've been a simple carpenter

How can I raise a king, How can I raise a king

He looks so small, His face and hands so fair

And when He cries the sun just seems to disappear

But when He laughs it shines again

How could it be

Chorus 2

Chorus 1

They are the inspiration for this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Glue Printed Images to GSLC Arch Top House Silhouettes with a UHU GlueStick.
Once Fully Dry Use Damp Cloth to Rub Of Excess Edges of Printed Images.
Add Bits of Ripped Magazine Images and Tea Bags to portions of the GSLC Arch Top House Silhouettes.
Use Matte Gel Medium to to Secure Ripped Magazine Images and Tea Bags.
Once Dry Randomly Wrap Pieces with Thin Metallic Thread. I Used Red, Blue and Copper.
Secure Metallic Thread to Back of GSLC Arch Top House Silhouettes.
Use a Small Plastic Palette Knife to Add a Layer of Deco Art One Step Crackle.
Allow to Dry Fully Rub Colored Pencils to Fill in the Cracks.
Reseal With Matte Gel Medium.
Add Iridescent Copper Paint to Edges of GSLC Arch Top House Silhouettes.

Final Thoughts:

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Would one day walk on water?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Would save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your baby boy

Has come to make you new?

This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Will give sight to a blind man?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Will calm the storm with his hand?

Did you know that your baby boy

Has walked where angels trod?

When you kiss your little baby

You kiss the face of God

Mary, did you know?

Mary, did you know? Did you know?

Mary, did you know? Mary, did you know?

The blind will see, the deaf will hear

The dead will live again

The lame will leap, the dumb will speak

The praises of the Lamb

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Is Lord of all creation?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Would one day rule the nations?

Did you know that your baby boy

Is heaven's perfect Lamb?

That sleeping child you're holding is the great, I Am

Mary, did you know? (Mary, did you know?)

Mary, did you know?

Supplies: GSLC Arch Top House Silhouettes , UHU GlueStick, Wet Cloth, Ripped Magazine Images, Tea Bags, Matte Gel Medium, Thin Metallic Thread, Glue,Paintbrush, DecoArt One Step Crackle, Small Plastic Palette Knife, Colored Pencils, Iridescent Copper Paint

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Angels We Have Heard on High-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2023-12-13T00:00:00.044-06:00

I Loved the stained glass windows in the cathedrals throughout the lands. While touring in Europe long ago we stopped in Köln to see the Cathedral there. We also enjoyed the 1987 U2-the Joshua Tree Tour while there.

They are the inspiration for this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Print Images of Stained Glass Windows.
Glue Images to Back Portion of GSLC Arabian Triptych.
Once Dry Use a Wet Cloth to Rub Off Excessive Edges.
Paint Edges of Back Portion of GSLC Arabian Triptych with Turquoise Stencil Butter.
Also Paint Top Portion of GSLC Arabian with Triptych Turquoise Stencil Butter.
Add Patient to Top Portion With Gold Design Cream and Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold Golden Paint.
Use a Metal Ruler and Metal Clamp to Add Lines of Iridescent Copper Paint to Stained Glass Images.
Use a Metal Rules to Add Lines From Liquid Chrome Pen to Stained Glass Images.
Use Triple Thick Medium to Add Clear and Vintage Bee’s Wax Embossing Powders to Stained Glass Images. Cure With a Heat Tool.
Use Leftover GSLC Fern Fronds and Queen’s Anne Lace to Add 3-D Element. Securing with Heavy Matte Gel Medium.
Use an X-ACTO knife to Cut Off Edges of GSLC Fern Fronds and Queen’s Anne Lace so Top Frame Will Lie Flat.
Glue Top Portion to Bottom Portion with Glue.
Dry Pressed Flat and Weighted Down.

Final Thoughts:

I Believe in Father Christmas

~U2

They said there'll be snow at Christmas

They said there'll be peace on Earth

But instead it just kept on raining

A veil of tears for the virgin's birth

I remember one Christmas morning

A winters light and a distant choir

And the peal of a bell, the Christmas tree smell

Eyes full of tinsel and fire

They sold me a dream of Christmas

They sold me a silent night

They told me a fairy story

But I believed in the Israelites

I believed in Father Christmas

I looked at the sky with excited eyes

'Til I woke with a yawn in the first light of dawn

I saw him through his disguise

I wish you a hopeful Christmas

I wish you a brave new year

All anguish, pain and sadness

Leave your heart, let your road be clear

They said there'll be snow at Christmas

They said there'll be peace on Earth

Hallelujah, Noel, be it Heaven or Hell

The Christmas we get, we deserve

Supplies: GSLC Arabian Triptych , GSLC Fern Fronds , GSLC Queen Anne's Lace ,Stained Glass Printed Images, UHU GlueStick, Turquoise Stencil Butter, Paintbrush, Iridescent Copper Paint, Metal Ruler, Clamp, Gold Design Cream, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold Golden Paint, Liquid Chrome Pen, Triple Thick Medium, Clear Embossing Powder, Vintage Bee’s Wax Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, X-ACTO Knife,Glue

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Tony Fitzpatrick's Birds in Cages-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2023-11-22T00:00:00.087-06:00

I discovered Tony Fitzpatrick on Pinterest after a foot surgery many years ago. In his ongoing series “The Secret Birds”, Tony Fitzpatrick intricately draws and layers images, poetry and found materials onto the page. He combines inspiration from his working class roots in Chicago, and influences from folk art, comic book characters, and tattoo imagery in his trademark style on view. Each drawn collage depicts a specific species, ranging from the Peregrine Falcon, to the common “immigrant” Starling. Tony Fitzpatrick’s earliest drawings as a child were of birds. He credits his Grandmother for instilling in him a sense of wonder and reverence for a creature she believed inspired hope, telling him, “for the price of a crust of bread you can hear God sing”. “Each bird becomes a “visitation to her”, says Fitzpatrick.

As a mixed media artist I was intrigued by his collage like images with layers unifying diverse and eclectic items. He is the inspiration for this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Print Tony Fitzpatrick Images Sized to Fit into GSLC Cages with Solid Backs.
Paint Top Layer of GSLC Cages with Metallic Paints.
Add Patina by Making a Wash of VanDyke Brown Hue Paint and Water.
Find Magazine Images To Use as Backgrounds of Your GSLC Cages.
Trace and Cut to Size.
Use a UHU GlueStick to Glue Magazine Images to back of GSKC Cages.
Cut Out Birds from Printed Images.
Use a Green Highlighter to Soften the Edges of Bird Cutouts.
Glue Birds to Backgrounds with an UHU GlueStick.
Use a UHU GlueStick to Glue With Pieces of GSLC Cages with Solid Backs Together.
Dry Completely Pressed Down with a Heavy Object.
Use Acrylic Paints in Autumnal Colors to Paint Wooden Leaves.
Secure Painted Wooden Leaves With Heavy Matte Gel Medium.

Final Thoughts

“Fitzpatrick’s is a narrative journey and the birds become a catalyst for self examination. They play symbolic roles some delivering otherworldly messages and cautionary tales, while others serve to commemorate and eulogize late writers like Gabriel García Márquez and he gives a soulful tribute to the Chicago songwriter and rhythm and blues legendary musician Otis Clay. His interests are numerous, and his narratives are reflections on his travels, social and political concerns or they become commentaries on the inequities and injustices found in Chicago and beyond.”

I like that Tony Fitzpatrick is a self taught artists as I am. As self taught artist does not follow the rules. They follow their hearts and create what they want. Because I never have had a class on Color Theory I do not know that some colors are not suppose to go together and I use colors that appeal to me. I take inspiration from nature with its wildness, unbridled regard for our wants or desires. Nature speaks its own language and surprises us with it beauty and recklessness.

There are many name given to my style of art: Art Brut, Outsider Art, Neuve Invention,Marginal Art, Art Singular, Folk Art, Visionary Art, Intuitive, and Naive Art.

Our art is raw, “uncooked”, created uninhibitedly. We are eccentric if only in our own minds. We may see ourself on the fringes or run the margins. My backwoods upbringing caused me to be resourceful and creative. Folk Art was in my blood as my mom’s family were crocheters, tatters, knitter, yard art not quite whirligigs but more of junk art sculptures.

A famous Bob Ross Quote: “We don’t make mistakes, just little happy accidents.”

I always like this quote by Jacob Nordby-

“Blesses are the weird people: Poets, misfits, writers, mystics, painters, troubadours, for they teach us to see the world through different eyes”

Supplies: GSLC 2 Inch Cage with Solid Back , 3-GSLC 3 Inch Cage with Solid Back , Printed Images of Tony Fitzpatrick Birds, Magazine Images, Scissors, UHU GlueStick, Metallic Paint, Van Dyke Brown Hue Paint, Paintbrush, Green Highlighter, Wooden Leaves, Acrylic Paints In Autumn Tones, Heavy Gell Matte Medium,

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Tiny Worlds Retro Televisions -A Peek-a-Boo Project

2023-11-08T00:00:00.033-06:00

We found a new show to binge early this year on Apple TV. Tiny Worlds is a nature Documentary narrated by Paul Rudd that focus on the smallest members of the animal kingdom. Each episode features a different habitats like the a pond, a meadow, woodland, and even a backyard garden. This show brings new meaning to the phase “good things come in small packages”. The cinematography is stunning and the narration is enchanting. These are the inspirations for this artwork.

Gather Supplies.
Paint GSLC Retro TV 1 , GSLC Retro TV 2, with Neon Green and Orange Paint.
Add Highlights and Patina with Other Yellow and Green Acrylic Paints.
Print Tiny Miniature Still-Life Images.
Use a Pencil to Trace Proper Placement of printed Images.
Use a UHU GlueStick to Glue Images into Proper Location.
Coat With Range Glossy Accents Medium.
Stack and Seal GSLC Retro TVs Using a UHU GlueStick to Secure into Place.
Use Liquid Sculpt and a Bit or Polymer Clay to Secure Chosen Pins as a 3-D Element to Retro TVs.
Heat and Cure in Polymer Clay Oven.
When Fully Cooled Add some Patina to Pins to Make Them Look More Vintage.

Final Thoughts:

I grew up without a television and spent many hours exploring the backroads and woods around our country homestead. We had chipmunks, flying squirrels, and baby brown bats living in or around our woodshed. As I child I was delighted with their company. Sometimes on the Sunday Nights we would go to Aunt Blanche and Uncle Lester’s home. While the grownup played cards us kids were allowed to watch Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom and Grizzly Adams. I was transported to worlds beyond my imaginations.

I had forgotten that wonderment and magic as the day to day of a working man takes over diminishing our joys. So when we discovered Apple TV’s Tiny Worlds my childlike wonder woke once again. I have always loved nature shows and have been amazed by the dedication of the photographers and film crews. It is doubtful that I will ever travel to some of the more exotic locations highlighted in episodes like rainforest, savannah, dessert , outback or jungle, but, The woodland, garden, pond and meadow transported me to my childhood home in the foothills of Pennsylvania.

In Woodland a chipmunk hustles to make it through a year in the forest, while a host of other incredible tiny animals since every opportunity.

In Garden, it is different land and yard from my childhood but I could totally related to the creatures featured in this episode.

From Duckling to dragonflies, all sorts of tiny wonders live in a freshwater, but for small animals in a big pot, life is full of danger. We go collecting pollywogs or tadpoles each spring from a tiny swampy area up over the “new ground”. My grandparents also had pond we’d go exploring whenever we went a Sunday visiting.

The meadow of their show is different than mine. Theirs had an adorable harvest mouse, queen bumblebees, and other critters that race to make the most if summer before their home is harvested for hay. My Meadow was know to us as the “New Ground” It was adjacent to our homestead just past the “Old Road’ that edged both properties. It had a tiny spring fed frog pond, now I know as a vernal pond. The mosses that grew there were collected as children and and we would make moss gardens or terrariums.There were own little fairy gardens. The wildflowers would change throughout the seasons and it was place to find gray squirrels, baby brown rabbits, pheasants, even bob whites and an occasional bobcat, whose haunting cry sounded like a whaling woman. Later the Black bears returned and we see them there with their cubs. Many Whitetail deer lived here with their sweet spotted fawns. Crayfish and Hellgrammites were discovered as we dammed up the local creek with the best swimming holes. It was a magical but sometimes lonely childhood for me.

Supplies: GSLC Retro TV 1 , GSLC Retro TV 2, Miniature Still-life Images, Micro Pins, Neon Green and Orange Paint, Yellow and Green Acrylic Paint, Paintbrush, Pencil, UHU GlueStick, Ranger Glossy Accent Medium,Liquid Sculpt, Polymer Clay Oven,

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Sinners and Saints-Just a Halloween Costume?-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2023-10-25T00:00:00.107-05:00

I have written about the juxtaposition of what appears to be and what is. This is from my Blog Misunderstood Monsters and Mysterious Creatures:

In a world with wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing,

Come misunderstood monsters and mysterious creatures.

Take cover look, a deeper inspection.

Look beyond their gore and unbecoming features.

Like you and me, there may more be.

Longing, wondering, lost and lonely.

Stuck and Afraid wanting to be free,

Defying you to run toward them, and not flee.

Each of us upon closer introspection may find,

Good and evil in our lives entwined.

Monster to one, may be magical to another.

It’s rare in life we can have one without the other.

Gather Supplies.
Print Images You Want to Use as Focal Points. I am using Bizarre Souls from Etsy.
Use Magazine Images of Your Choosing to Cover GSLC Arch Top House Silhouettes.
Cut Out Closely and Glue to GSLC Arch Top House Silhouettes.
Use a Sanding Block To Further Define Edges.
Use Neon Highlighters on Edges of GSLC Arch Top House Silhouettes.
Cut out Images You Want to Use as Focal Points. I am using Bizarre Souls from Etsy.
Glue Fussy Cut Images to Backgrounds Using UHU GlueStick.
Paint GSLC Gothic Window Overlays and GSLC Gothic Cross Miniatures with Copper and Red Acrylic Paints.
Once Fully Dry Use Heavy Gel Matte Medium to Adhere Them to Prepared Backgrounds.
Press and Dry Complete Flat Weighted Down.
Add RubOn Butterflies in Strategic Locations.
Add Rangers Glossy Accents to Insides of GSLC Gothic Window Overlays.
Use a Combination of Ranger Glossy Accents and Matte Gel Medium to Seal in Remainder of Collages.
Allow to Dry Fully Keeping Them as Flat as Possible.

Final Thoughts:

We have enjoyed watching Netflix “The Sandman” with an older neighbor lady and she keep wanting to know if the characters are good or bad. We say it is not that easy. Morpheus , is not evil.However he isn’t good either. He is simply a member of the Endless and removed from the concept of mortal morality.

The Sandman is based on Neil Gaiman’s celebrated comic books. It isa reinvention of a relatively obscure DC character. It was pitched as a horror title , but it grew into so much more with an almost a cult following.

The First Season tells the tale of Morpheus, a.k.a. Dream, one of the group of immortal beings known as the Endless who escapes a 100-year captivity and sets about to reclaim his kingdom and his powers.

“People think dreams aren’t real just because they re not made of matter, of particles. Dreams are real. But they are made of viewpoints, of images, of memories, and puns and lost hopes.”

“For love is no part of the dreamworld. Love belongs to Desire, and Desire is always cruel.”

“Never trust the storyteller, only trust the story.”

“You hurt. It’s Okay. I hurt too. Hold my hand.”

“Maybe he wasn’t the villain of the story after all; he simply needed a long overdue nap. Like a cranky child who’s had too many lemon sugar drops and gone too long without sleep.”

“The price of getting what you want is getting what you once wanted.”

What I like about Science Fiction and Shows like “The Sandman” is that it can be more real than reality. They can tell us truths in magical more fanciful ways than can be stated in our know realities. Lessons learned, Destiny wanders. Path, tracing the way things must go.Though blind, he see all. Death greets each person at beginning and end, escorting the soul to “the Sunless Lands.” Dream rules the realm where mortal spend “one third of their lives.” Dreams give rise to hope. Desire and Despair, twins, inspire the extremes of human actions. Desire always pushed people to take what they want: Despair is the realm for those who have sunk below hope. Delirium who used to be Delight is incredibly creative yet lives outside the laws of logic.

Supplies: GSLC Arch Top House Silhouettes, GSLC Gothic Window Overlays, GSLC Gothic Cross Miniatures , Bizarre Souls Images from Etsy, Magazine Images,UHU GlueStick, Scissors, Sanding Block, Neon Highlighters,Copper and Red acrylic Paint, Paintbrush, Heavy Gell Matte Medium, Matte Gel Medium, Ranger Glossy Accents

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Spooky Stories Left Unspoken-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2023-10-11T00:00:00.078-05:00

I enjoy listening to podcasts, Aaron Mahnke has many of my favorites on his Grim & Mild Channel-Lore, Cabinet of Curosities, 12 Ghosts and 13 Days of Halloween. His 2022 13 Days of Halloween was titled Devil’s Night. A 12-year old boy and his dog need to get home on the most dangerous night all year. They must cut through the chaos and mayhem to survive. New episodes are released nightly on 13 days leading up to All Hallows Eve. These Episodes are like radio movies, with a soundtrack and voice actors. For the most thrilling listen experience, it is recommended that you plug in your favorite headphones and enjoy these audio dense episodes.

Gather Supplies.
Cut Pieces of Upcycled Cardboard Into 3 by 5 inch Pieces.
Use Magazine Images to Create Backgrounds Securing with a UHU GlueStick.
Add Focal Points Using More Magazine Images Securing with a UHU GlueStick.
To Add a Vintage Appeal Gently and Randomly Use a Sanding Block to Distress Your Collaged Backgrounds.
Use TH Distress Stains to Fill in the Scratches-I like Weathered Wood, Gathered Straw, and Iced Spruce.
Add TH Barn Door Distress Stain to the Edges of Your Collaged Backgrounds.
Add Rub-Ons to Your Collages.
Add Spiderwebs to Collages using a Foamie and Golden Interference Blue (Fine) Acrylic Paint.
Use Embossing Dabber and Plastic Palette Knife to Add Clear and Vintage Beeswax Embossing Powders.
Use a Heating Tool to Cure the Embossing Powders- This Will Create a Encaustic Effect.
Use Embossing Dabber and Plastic Palette Knife to Add Black Glint and Black Sparkle Embossing Powders to the GSLC Creep Critters. Cure with a Heating Tool.
Use Brown and Magenta Acrylic Paints to Paint the GSLC 5-Inch Creepy Trees. When they are still Wet Sprinkle with Pure Sheen Black Glitter.
Use Heavy Gel Matte Medium to Secure GSLC Prepared Piece to Collaged Backgrounds.
Press and Dry Complete Flat Weighted Down.
Use an Awl and Centimeter Hole Ruler to Add Holes Along Chosen Parts of Collages.
Then Add Embroidery Floss Using a Needle.

Final Thoughts.

As I have stated before I am not a huge reader so Podcasts make me feel like I am at least “reading” an Audiobook. We have enjoyed watching “Lore-(TV series)” this anthology series brings to life Aaron Mahnke’s “Lore” podcast and covers the real-life events that spawned our darkest nightmares. It Blends dramatic scenes, animation, archive and narration. Lore reveals how our horror legends-such s vampires, werewolves and body snatchers- are rooted in truth.

I like how this artwork weaves together different elements and each seem to have a story to tell. If I were a more clever writer I might be able to reveal them to you but I fear I know them not. Maybe you will have a better chance at uncovering their secrets.

Supplies: GSLC Creepy Critters, GSLC Creepy Tree 5 Inch, Upcycled Cardboard Pieces, Magazine Images, UHU GlueStick, Sanding BlockTH Distress Stain of Your Choosing, Rub-Ons, Foamie SpiderWeb, Golden Interference Blue (Fine) Acrylic Paint, Paintbrush, Embossing Dabber, Clear, Black Glint, Black Sparkle, and Vintage Beeswax Embossing Powders, Plastic Palette Knife, Heating Tool, Brown and Magenta Acrylic Paints, Pure Sheen Black Glitter,Golden Heavy Matte Gel Medium, Awl, Centimeter Hole Ruler, Embroidery Floss, Needle

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!

Trips Not Taken-A Peek-a-Boo Project

2023-09-27T00:00:00.090-05:00

When I was younger and more adventurous, I thought I might like to travel the US and see some the National Parks that boast of natural wonders, breathtaking vistas, gasp worth scenery.

They are written about in enticing almost pornographic phrases, “will certainly captivate you with its sights, sounds, and smells. Sparking blue lakes and lush meadows will mesmerize you. Flowing waterfall and colorful rocks will have you completely immersed in nature. Please enjoy this extraordinary experience and allure..”

I think I would still enjoy seeing them but this is my dark side to the national parks…make them a popular destination for every type of traveler— sightseers, adventure junkies, families, oversea visitors, and everyone in between. Summed up in this one word— “CROWDS”. You never are there in your romantic imaginings as those who first discovered and explored this amazing landscapes, you are there with thousands of others, pushing to be first, taking selfies so they are a center of attention and not the magnificent mountains, majestic meanderings, or calm rivers. They are there polluting beauty with their trivia and rudeness. I don’t mean to be an introverted isolationist but know as I have grown older, I seek solitude and drama free zones with almost every fiber of my being.

I’ve reimagined these national parks as how I’d like them to be, these are the inspirations for this artwork. A bit of Old West with a sprinkling of Retro Regal.

Gather Supplies.
Use a Sanding Block to Roughen Up Reminisce National Parks Poster Stickers. This is an Easy Way to Add Vintage Appeal to Shiny StoreBought Stickers.
Fill in Scratches with TH Distress Stains of Your Choosing.
Glue Prepared Stickers To Center of GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks.
Use an Exacto Blade to Trim Edges of Stickers That Do Not Fit On To GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks.
As the Distressed Stickers are Slightly Smaller Than the GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks Add a Bit Of Vintage Map Scraps to the Top and Bottom Using a UHU GlueStick.
Sand Edges of GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks with A Sanding Block.
Use Bits of Carta Bella Paper-Outdoor Adventures Collection Kit, Carta Bella Paper-The Great Outdoors Collection Kit, Carta Bella Paper-Gone Camping Collection Kit, as Ephemera for Your GSLC Chunky ATC Blank.
Use DecoArt Triple Thick Gloss Glaze as an Adhesive.
To Add Depth and Interest add Other Layers of Vintage Map Scraps.
To Unify and Give the ATC “Posters” a More Vintage Look use DecoArt Matte Gel Medium a Plastic Palette Knife and Golden Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold Acrylic Paint as a “Wash”.
Paint Edges of ATC “Posters” with Golden Iridescent Copper (Fine) Acrylic Paint.
To Give it a More Oxidized or Burnished Copper Look Gently Add Golden Van Dyke Brown Acrylic Paint to the Edges.

Final Thoughts:

I have chosen for my virtual tour of the National Parks mostly mountainous locations as mountain man blood flows through my veins. I grew up in Pennsylvania near the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains the north eastern part of the Appalachian Mountains. The closest national park to where I live currently would be Shenandoah, a place my husband has fond memories of, but where we have never traveled as a couple.

Geographically our virtual trip would start in The Great Smoky Mountains, I feel I’d be at home here among the landscapes of my ancestors, they go there for the fishing.

Next up Rocky Mountain National Park, I used to think I knew what mountains were until I saw the Alps in Switzerland and later when I was driving to visit friends in Colorado Springs and I saw the Rocky Mountains on the distant horizon. Hour later I arrive at their home but I am not yet in the Rocky Mountain. Colorado definitely can boast world-renowned scenery. Their peaks are perhaps a too grand for my humble beginnings.

Yellowstone is our next stop and here will see the great bison herds-noted it is the only place in the U.S. where they have lived continuously since prehistoric times. Other mammals you may see here are grizzly bears, wolves, lynx, fox, moose and elk. We will behold its many geysers, none more famous than Old Faithful. There is a “Mini-Me” Grand Canyon here but we will move on the big kahuna, the full monty, the real deal, the boss of deep ditches.

Upon viewing the Grand Canyon it is said that people are overcome with awe. Its expanse is mind-boggling. It’s colors defy the most colorful palette you have ever seen. There are layers upon layers of history and geology to discover. It makes you feel small, sobering to some to know they are not the only being in the universe. It reminds us that we are bart of something bigger than us. It is said to still you, to calm you, a spirituality flows freely here, your energy may be restored and your spirit may soar. The landscape is semi-arid, way too hot for my liking so we’ll move on.

Zion Nation Park is a red-rock desert and still too desolate for my liking I would imagine.iT does have Navajo Sandstone Cliffs, pine and juniper clad slopes, springs and waterfalls surrounded by lush and colorful almost hanging gardens. To these I would be drawn as I reminisce a favorite album by at Pueblo Musician and Native American Flute Player, Robert Mirabal - Music From Painted Cave. While is Zion we will be sure to do some hiking and if I were more agile the park boast world famous big wall rock climbs.

Our virtual tour will end here in Yosemite. It is best known for its waterfalls, towering granite monoliths, deep valleys and ancient giant sequoias. An ancient civilization called this place their home-the Anasazi people thrived here around 1,500 BC-traces of their villages, network of road and rock art can be found throughout the park today. Maybe we will catch a glimpse of the largest flying bird in North America-The California Condor. It’s been on the endangered species list since 1967.

Looking back through the years , thinking of trips I have taken to places I could only dream of growing up poor in Pennsylvania. I am grateful for eyes left wide open as I glimpsed amazing sights and sounds. Scenes once only black and white photographs in our well worn World Book Encyclopedias. I still remember the green and off white textured covers with golden lettering on the spines. For me they were the eyes to the world.

Supplies: GSLC Chunky ATC Blanks, Reminisce National Parks Kit Paper Pad and Stickers, Carta Bella Paper-Outdoor Adventures Collection Kit, Carta Bella Paper-The Great Outdoors Collection Kit, Carta Bella Paper-Gone Camping Collection Kit, Sanding Block, TH Distress Stains of your Choosing, Vintage Map Scraps, Exacto Blade, UHU GlueStick, Deco Art Triple Thick Gloss Glaze, DecoArt Matte Gel Medium, Plastic Palette Knife, Golden, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold, Iridescent Copper(Fine), Van Dyke Brown Acrylic Paints, Paintbrush

I cannot wait to see your interpretation of this project. Share it on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Craft Group Page on Facebook. I would love to see what new creations you are working on!