Monday, November 28, 2011

Where Women Create

I love this magazine.

But I love it even more when I look through the pages and can say "Hey, I know them!"
The Winter issue of Where Women Create features three very talented local Arizona ladies.  First, owner of my favorite store - Kristin Alber of FOUND.
Kristen and her husband renovated a beautiful old brick building in downtown Mesa that house not only some of the funnest places to shop, but all three of the Arizona ladies featured in the magazine.
Last year when Paula and I taught the Advent Calendar class to a few ladies in at my home we decided to also have a little field trip the day before the class and visit some of our favorite shops.  Of course our tour included FOUND, and while we were there we ran into Allison Tyler Jones who's photography studio is just across the hall from FOUND.  Allison and I go WAY back.  We worked on several books together in our "Designing With...." book series days.  She is an extremely talented photographer and her studio is definitely a great choice to feature.   Check out her studio.....such an inspiring place!
 Love the rolling doors to the offices...and her photography displays are divine!
After Allison showed our group around her studio she also offered to take us upstairs to her sister, Caroline Tyler Decesare's interior design studio.  Here are a few pictures I took while we were there.
Loved this inspiration/photo board as you walk into the studio....also the lamps made from giant C-clamps!
Bins for holding samples, etc.




Thanks ladies for sharing your creative spaces!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Vintage Village Kit


The Vintage Village consists of 7 structures, the smallest being only 2” tall and the largest, the church, 7 1/2" tall.  Three structures have window cutouts that have been made into shadowboxes to view little children from the Victorian era.  Each house is covered with vintage music and book paper and then embellished.  Vintage mix glitter adds to the charm of the holiday village.  There is also bag of mica flakes just in case you want to add a bit of snow to the roof line or the trees.  The houses are very easy to put together once you understand the simple pattern and could easily be completed in a day.  The kit comes nicely packaged and could even be given as a gift.

The kit consists of:
7 tiny chipboard buildings (flat pack that you put together)
vintage music and book paper
pictures of children
bottle of vintage mix glitter
all embellishments and trims needed
6 bottle brush trees (4 1/2”, 3 1/2” and 2 1/2”)
bag of mica flakes
  1 foam brush
written instructions and photos will be sent via email

Items not in the kit:
silver paint
small piece of wire
quick dry white glue




Vintage Village Kits 
are 
 $44 plus s/h
shipping: $5.95 USA, $7.95 Canada
please email me at paula@2gypsygirls.com for other international shipping

If you would like to purchase a kit you can email me at paula@2gypsygirls.com with your shipping address and method of payment (check or pay pal).  Any remaining kit after Monday the 28th will be found in our Etsy shop.

Have a great Holiday Weekend Everyone!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Not really my thing...

Cards.
yep. not really my thing. 
I always think I'm going to like making one, but then...no, not so much.
So what to do when you're given an assignment to make some?
For me, I get everything out on the table and start praying for inspiration!

Today you will find these over on the 7gypsies blog so I thought I would show you how a non-card maker, makes a very easy Christmas card.

Decide on how big your card is going to be.  I had some kraft cards and envelopes (that I bought in bulk at Hobby Lobby) left over from last year and decided to use them again.  Easy.

Next I cut a rectangle of creme cardstock to fit on the cover of the card, yet leave some kraft showing on each side. 
Round corners.

I decided it needed some color (it was looking pretty bland) so I put the cardstock on a paper towel and gave it a quick spritz of Adirondack Color Wash in Lettuce.  The cool thing is that very piece will turn out different so every card you make will be unique.  So now time to dry it with a heat tool and move on to the next step.

Next I taped a piece of scrap paper to the work table (and I really mean scrap here because I seriously just got it out of the trash).   Then used a bit of removable tape runner to attach the green paper to the white so that it would not move while I stamp.

Oh darn, I should mention that before I taped my green paper to the scrap paper I drew some horizontal lines so I could keep my stamping in a straight line.
I used this stamp called, Christmas Greetings from 7gypsies for both of the cards that I made.
I started in the bottom right corner and stamped one word in red.  You could emboss it it you wish.
 Then I just used almost every stamp in the set to fill in the the entire paper.  I did add the 25 from the Numero stamp set.  I started with the area around the word believe and spread out from there.  You can see why I taped the paper to the desk.  Half for the card and half to test stamps or tap them off after I was done with them.  This technique works best if you have a bunch of blocks like this set.  And really, once you get one done, making more would be easy to do.  You could even have multiples taped to the desk a the same time  and complete them in an assembly line.
 Once done, I peeled it off the paper and edged it with some distress ink.
 Adhered it to the store bought kraft card.
Then I marked my card with two dots the same size as my ribbon on each side of the card front, right above the word believe (I know that sounds confusing but it's not...just keep going).
I used a X-Acto knife to cut a slit between the marks on both sides. 
Then slid the ribbon into one of the two slits, around the inside of the card and back out to the front where I tied a knot.  The band of ribbon on the inside is a great place to tuck a Christmas letter or photo.
So really I could have stopped there and been done.  But if you want to take it to the next level you can add some vintage buttons.
I just used small and really small buttons to create a Christmas trees shape then glued each down with my favorite Scotch quick dry glue. 


Card number Two:
For this card I used one of my last remaining sheets of this great recycled paper I use to buy at Recollections when they were still in business in Texas.  It came in a pack of 25 (8 1/2 x 11") and I am now down to 2 sheets. darn it.  If anyone knows where I can buy more please post a comment or email me.  Anyway, back to the card.
I had some red envelopes so I decided to make a card to fit into the existing envelope.
I cut the recycled paper into two strips, each 4 1/4 x 11". 
From the two strips of paper I cut one piece 9" long and the other 5" long as shown below.  This is how the card is laid out before you connect the two pieces with paper tape.
On one end of the 9" piece of cardstock I added 14" of green ribbon held on with grid paper tape.
 Then I scored the card at the 3 1/2" mark from the edge to create the card front.
Next I used a Martha Stewart punch to create a simple red embellishment.
Then adhered it to the backside of where I just put the paper tape, so that when the card is closed you can see the lace.
At this point I stamped the word MERRY on the front of the card using the Alphabet clearstamp.  Same set I used when I made this.
 Next punch two holes using a paper piercer for the button.
 Thread the button with wire.
 Push the wire through the card and paper tape, twist to close (but not too tight).
 Cover wire with another piece of paper tape.
Add the second smaller piece of cardstock (5") onto the the larger one you have been working with, just as it showed in the diagram at the beginning.  I used the paper tape again to combine the two pieces.
Then add a piece of polka dot paper .  I wrapped mine around the left edge about an inch.
Now when you close up the card you will be able to wrap the ribbon around then use the button as a closure.
 Like this.
 Easy.
 Here's the inside I did, but you can do whatever you wish.
 Even space for a photo in the center.
 You can decorate an envelope to match.
 I like this stamp for the back and of course add more paper tape (there can never be enough paper tape).

Well that's my foray into card making for the year!  Thank goodness it's over.
cheers!
paula


Thursday, November 17, 2011

Calendars for gift giving...

We have had a HUGE response for the calendar pages over the past 24 hours and have sent out over 100 calendar templates.  So for those of you that mentioned you are making Christmas presents with them I thought I would mention a link to another post we did last year using the same calendar template and clear CD case to create another type of desktop calendar.    
You can read about it here.  Again, were talking super simple.
 
I also got these pictures from my friend Cecile Nichols of what she made with her calendar pages.  Totally ingenious right?  The block of wood is 6 x 1 1/2" and is decorated on all sides.


 
On a side note, I stopped in at Michaels yesterday for some glue and glitter (because a girl always needs more glitter during the holidays) and saw that they had one of my very favorite Martha Stewart holiday stamps in again.  I love these little wood mounted snowflakes so much. Once you open the package you just can't stop stamping.  
Last year I had a few friends come over to make tags for presents using simple shipping tags in varying sizes and these snowflakes.  I put out all the supplies including different color stamp pads and red and white bakery twine and said, "have at it".  Everyone went home with tags in hand, ready for the holiday season.

I made these tags I made with the snowflake set for all the cookie/candy boxes that went out last year.  I used a bit of unconventional colors that worked well together, red, aqua (from the set) and a limey green color, it worked great with the red check bow.  
The small word stamp is from Cats Life Press another favorite company.
 So I am suggesting to run, don't walk to Michaels to get this stamp set.  
Seriously million ways to use the 12 snowflakes.


cheers!
paula