The Red Thread

Hello!! Happy Friday, I'm here today with a quick tutorial for this assemblage piece featuring the rusty Altoid Insert Fairy Frames.

This piece was inspired by a Chinese Proverb I recently read. It says "An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of the time, the place or the circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break."

This proverb resonated with me so much because my husband and I worked at the same place for a few months back in 2010. Somehow we never noticed each other. And that's quite surprising considering he's 6'3 and red-headed. He moved cross country and came back in 2011 when we met and the rest is history. Our red thread led us to each other. 

I began by rusting up the frames from the Altoid Inserts. Paint all the frames with Burnt Umber while the paint is still wet apply ground cinnamon. Build layers and heat set until the desired effect is achieved. Add accents with Prima Metallic Waxes. 

Apply same rust technique to a couple keyholes from the Key and Plates Shape Set. 

Attach key plate to frame with gold brads. 

Adhere frame to postcard. 

Make copies of vintage photos. Apply 3 layers of Vintage Beeswax. 

The thicker you apply the Vintage Beeswax the more transparent your photo becomes. And look at all that amazing crazing. 

Attach photo with a simple hand stitched X in all four corners. 

Attach a vintage key beneath the Altoid Frame. I used glue dots to help hold it in place due to the weight. Add handstitched details. 

To connect the two postcards stitch on a set of hook and eyes.

For the hanger at the top of the assemblage stitch on just the eye portion and tie on a red string hanger. 

Complete the bottom card the same as the top. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a few minutes with me today. I really enjoyed this project. How can you go wrong with faux rust and some hand stitching? Happy Creating ~ Jennalee 

Rusty Wings

Hello!! I have been seeing faux rust projects everywhere. The wheels started turning and inspiration struck. This set of Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts wings were the perfect piece to "rust" up. If you haven't figured it out yet I love keys and locks. The engraved keys (coming soon) are full of detail and so beautiful. 

Begin by painting wings both front and back with Raw Umber. Allow the first layer to dry. Once dry apply a second layer of Raw Umber. While paint is still wet apply ground cinnamon to wing. Once the second layer was dry I sprayed my wings with hairspray to hold on the cinnamon layer. 

Once the wings are dry add some touches of gold Metallique wax. Emboss lock and key with Burnt Copper Leaves and highlight with gold Metallique wax. The details on the lock and key really pop once embossed. 

Cut out a primitive dress shape and stamp with Distress Oxide in Vintage Photo. I sprayed the dress with a mix of instant coffee. The combination of coffee and Distress Oxides provides the perfect mixture for a vintage look. Messy stitch around dress. 

Layer the engraved lock on top of a coffee stained crocheted medallion. Apply the layered piece to dress. 

Apply wings to back of dress using strong hold double sided tape or hot glue. 

Attach engraved key with a couple stitches using thick floss and needle. 

Thank you for stopping by!! I hope you enjoyed this rusty project. I forgot to mention it smells heavenly. The cinnamon on the wings and the coffee stained dress create such a pleasing scent. Happy Creating ~ Jennalee 

Santos Cage Doll

Hi everyone, Jennalee here today!! I've had the idea for this Santos Doll for awhile. When I was digging thru my Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts stash I found the perfect halo background piece and frame ends, and from there it all fell into place.

I have long admired Santos Dolls and had been wanting to make one for some time, but needed to find all the perfect pieces. I had been looking for the perfect halo of light piece. When I  saw this Swirl Medallion-Large (coming soon) I knew that painted gold it would perfectly offset the Santos figure. 

To begin, remove the top layer on a piece of corrugated cardboard. Using a palette knife apply a layer of Distress Grit Paste or Grout to cardboard piece. For the cage skirt I used wooden coffee stirrers from my stash or you can also use a flat wooden dowel cut to size. To the skirt pieces apply a generous layer of grit paste. Allow pieces to air dry. 

Once dry paint cardboard background using your choice of paints or inks. For mine I used acrylic paints and Distress Oxides.

 To add "rust" to skirt pieces paint with brown acrylic, while paint is still wet dip piece into cinnamon. Allow to dry. Using your finger and a very light touch add highlights of gold and aquamarine for a patina effect.

For the background halo paint Swirl Medallion with brown acrylic paint. Allow to dry. Once dry spray generously with a gold shimmer spray. 

For frame pieces emboss 1 Herald Medallion (coming soon) with Burnt Copper Leaves. Cut Medallion in half. Use the top half of  the Medallion to frame the top of your piece and the larger bottom half of Medallion as a frame for bottom edge of piece. 

To add texture to your Santos figure add a very thin layer of gesso to book text. Using a palette knife allows for control and to add some rough texture for a clay like effect. Stamp out figure and color in using watercolors or choice of medium.

Now for the fun part putting it all together. Using hot glue attach Swirl Medallion. Layer on Santos figure and arrange cage skirt as desired. Attach skirt pieces with hot glue. Add top and bottom Medallion pieces to edges. Step back and admire. 

Thank you for stopping by and spending a few minutes with me here at Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts today. I hope you enjoyed this project and that you can find all the right pieces for that project that you've been dreaming up. ~Jennalee