Thursday, August 19, 2010

I love type. 
red graphic lampshade
I love everything about it.  How it looks...how it can change a project from good to great...how it can stand alone and be perfect.  
There is just something about letters that makes my heart sing.  Especially a lower case g.  Something about that shape. (I secretly wish my name started with g... p is such a boring letter) 

Numbers tooSome numbers rank higher than others (because of their shape)... 2, 3 and 5 are most desirable, but of course we are both partial to 7's.
I thought I would see what I could find out there that related to type...just a sampling of what is available on ETSY among other places. 

gosh, I love that letter g...

Petit French Industrial Pillows
 

Nest pillow
Petit French Farmhouse pillows
Giant number letterpress coasters
Farmhouse storage basket
Neutra house numbers
love this idea...These prints are created using 25 words, numbers and phrases of your choice. The theme is up to you whether it's based on trips you've taken around the world, family memories growing up or inside jokes with friends...maybe even all the addresses of places you have lived.
18 x 24 runs about $120- other sizes available.  (btw - genius Christmas present)
mine should be the names of all the airports I been in...

 custom prints
Font Tray
Font coasters
and we always have to include a little Anthropologie inspiration...
 Lucky Number Knob, red
 I think these were made for me....Lucky number and all.
 Lucky Number knob, yellow
color swatch knob (with numbers)
Ordinal dresser
I will end with the genius work of Sande Krieger.  Did you see what she did to her bathroom door?  I have been in that bathroom, in fact I helped her pick out the floor tiles...but this is over the top good.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Thanks everyone who commented on the Shadowbox!
The winner of the Paddington paper is...

Blogger wig4usc said...
I really love the shadow box and thanks for sharing how you made it. I'm looking forward to getting those Paddington stamps!
August 12, 2010 7:21 PM

Congratulations!  wig4usc, will you send me an email to paula@2gypsygirls.com with your name and address and I will send the paper out!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Swept Away

This last week 7gypsies posted one of the projects I made for the trade show booth.  So thought I would post some info about how I made it. 
The piece is made using the new 7gypsies Library Drawer.  I turned the drawer on it's side and used it as a shadowbox.
Supplies-
7gypsies Library Drawer
2 sheets of Kings Cross paper

1 set of Industrial Gears (you get two of each shown here)

Cut the clocks from the paper.
Adhere clocks to a piece of chipboard with glue stick.  Don't worry that the edges of the clocks are cut off.  We will use that to our advantage.
Cut the clocks out again.
Time to add some color.  I used Vintage Photo, Wild Honey, Barn Door, Peeled Paint and Tumbled Glass.  This might seem like a lot of colors for one small project but we only use a bit of each for a subtle look.
 Use a blending tool to add a bit of each.  The colors can layer right over the next one.

Love this Wild Honey...reminds me of rust
Now your clock might look a bit bright so knock it back with Vintage Photo.  My Vintage Photo is well "seasoned" so if yours is new, you might want to dab off on a paper towel first. 
Now the little clocks... I know what the colors look like now so I can do all the little clocks at the same time.  They do not have to be matching, in fact different is good.  Remember you control the color!




The clocks are sitting in the drawer at different levels.
Here's how I did it:
I used an X-acto knife to cut some old foam core and then glued them together with my old glue gun. Then made them into little stacks or risers. I thought about using Styrofoam but since Styrofoam and glue guns don't mix I decided the foam core was a better idea (and it was at arms length).
I made some of the stacks with 4 pieces, some with 3 and I think one with 2 pieces.  I tested the depth in the tray and once I had it just how I liked it I glued a stack to the corresponding clock. 
Here are the same two pieces in the actual project with words added.
The quote says, "Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is it's current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes it's place". -Marcus Aurelius
I thought this was appropriate after I decided to use the picture of my aunts, Mamie and Flora taken in 1936.  Little did they know at the time but Flora would soon pass away.

I layered the new industrial gears with real watch parts I got in a junk shop. 
The hand came from the clear stamp (I just stamped it on cardstock and cut it out).
The hanging metal is also new from 7gypises.  I added the dangle at the bottom with the number two and hung it from the tray with a Tim Holtz memo pin
I used a piece of canvas as the background and mounted the picture on chip also.  I also used foam tape to lift the picture off the background.

If you're interested in the Paddington Collection...leave a comment and your name will put in a drawing 2 sheets of each of the papers.  I'll draw the name on Saturday morning.   Good luck!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Back from our weekend trip to Scrap N' Yap in Monrovia.  What a lovely place.  I understand why Elizabeth named the store Scrap N' Yap because she has a big classroom filled with light, comfortable chairs, and wide tables.  The perfect recipe for sitting, scrapping, and talking. 
Elizabeth's store is on Myrtle, right at the end of Old Town Monrovia's Friday night street fair.  What a great event.  I say go on a Friday, spend an hour at Scrap and Yap shopping for the latest in scrapbooking supplies and some of Elizabeth's hand dyed lace (I got some) and then head over to the fair for a stroll down the blvd. and dinner.  The street fair and Scrap N' Yap are both open till 9 on Fridays.
(left to right) Rose, Amanda and our host Elizabeth
Amanda and me
Old town Monrovia
Friday night street fair
Thanks to all the ladies who came to the make and take and the two classes on Saturday.  We enjoyed meeting everyone....Rose, Louise, Carolyn, Amanda, Erna, Joyce, Julianne, Kim, and so many more.  And Elizabeth, we just can't say enough good things about this lady (with the exception of the dog stroller thing, that's just plain over the top!) ...thank you for your hospitality.  We will be back in the spring with more Gypsy goodness!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Before we leave early tomorrow morning for Scrap and Yap in Monrovia (that sounds like a foreign country doesn't it?...but it's just LA) I thought I would show you a couple presents I received this week. 
I have been staring at this package all week long (refusing to open it) because the packaging is so amazing.  Love the little book tied to the top.  It's from Miss Debbie of course.  Just her style.  I am not sure when I will open it...but when I do, I think I will just wrap it back up and stare at the box a little longer.


And this little package came from another friend.
Something from chocolate and steel
this one I did open...love it.
It says, "she's crafty"
You can see some of Christine's work here.

Remember, if your in the LA area...come by Scrap and Yap between 6:30 and 8 for the Make and Take party (Friday the 6th).  We will have a table of samples to look at or photograph and prizes throughout the party.  If you want to take a class on Sat. you can reach the store at #(626) 357-2727.  We would love to meet you!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Happy Day

Boy, we have been busy packing kits, traveling and teaching this week with one more stop to go.  

We had a terrific time seeing old friends at Pocketful of Treasures.  More than 1/2 of each class were girls we had met the first time we were in Fresno...Pam, Gerri, Catie, Becky, Caytee, Jan, Robin, Kristi, Donna, Rebecca, Jennifer, Megan and Janice, Rosa, Josie....the list could go on and on.  Such a lovely group of ladies. Super friendly with us and more importantly, with each other.  Wish we lived a bit closer so we could visit more ofter
first class - Close to my Heart Journal
everyone got to personalize their cover with words/numbers
And then our second class...the little house that has a little book in the roof.
everyone working away on the roof of the house
with all their little houses complete
Deb and I wanted to show a sample of the Receipt Holder for our store visit.  The one problem...we didn't have one.  So we packed up a bin full of the new Conservatory papers, a small piece of canvas, Roma book covers, a couple Petit Carnet books, a few old keys, wire and a glue stick.  Oh, and one old button.  Really anything that we could grab at the last moment as we walked out the door to Fresno. After our make and take party on Friday night we went back to the hotel and made this. 

Love it. 

Here are some detail shots...
a little bottle with a "signature" Debbie Crouse tiny tag
a bird cut from the Aviary paper and the stick I decorated for last weeks tutorial
gypsy hardware and mini key, Ancienne ephemera cards
Papers Butterfly, Aviary, Mesofauna
Mesofauna paper and Ancienne ephemera card
Love working with the Receipt Holder.  Really one of my favorite products as of late.  I love that you can change everything out on a whim or as the seasons change.  I love the idea of (even though it could be costly) of clustering 4 or 6 together on one wall for a HUGE impact.  I think it could be fun to add photos, quotes, notes, etc under the wire clips.  A really "NO GLUE" project.

Happy Day.