Fall Leaves 2

This week when my family got together on Sunday we talked about things we are grateful for.  It's so easy to get caught up in the negative that we forget to be grateful for the many things we have to be thankful for.  It was good as we went around the room hearing each others thoughts and comments.  I wanted us to remember those things we talked about, so I created a "grateful" tree.  Everyone was given five leaves to write down somethings they were grateful for and then glued them to the bare tree branches.  We had a fun time and hopefully we can remember those things especially though the Thanksgiving season.

To make your own 

Grateful Tree 

1. Cut branches from tree and insert in large vase.  Secure with fall colored beans, legumes, etc.

2. Cut leaves cut from pages of an old book using the Vagabond machine and the Tattered Leaves die.  I considered using cardstock, but I liked that the leaves looked thin and lightweight on the tree.

3. Color leaves with Distress Ink.  I did them a couple of different ways.  

Technique #1

Apply Distress Ink (I used Barn Door) to your Non-stick Craft Sheet directly from the Distress Ink pad.

Squirt inked area with Mini Mister filled with water

Run leaves though wet ink.  Apply to both sides of the leaves leaving blank areas.

You can do quite a few at a time.

Allow to dry.

To fill in empty areas repeat inking process with another color (I used Wild Honey).  

After applying Wild Honey Distress Ink it looks like this.  Love the vibrant colors and didn't mind if a few spaces were left uncolored.

Dry again using the Heat Tool

Technique #2

Stamp Wild Honey Distress Ink pad directly onto leaves.  

Tip:  Bunch a lot of leaves together while stamping to save time and ink.

Randomly stamp with a second color.
(Don't worry about the edge lines from stamp pad)

Spray leaves with Mini Mister filled with water.  

Colors will run together in some areas which is what you are going for.  

....and end up looking like this

Grateful Sign

I used grungeboard covered with old book pages to make the Grateful sign.

To make the letters, glue a page out of an old book to Grungeboard....

...and run through Vagabond Machine using the Word Play die to make the letters to spell out GRATEFUL.  Ink the edges of each letter with assorted fall colors.

Glue another old book page, this time a blank page to a piece of grunge board, mine was approximately 2.5" x 8".  This will be the base of the sign that the letters will be glued to.  I cut the piece to size, rounded the corners, inked the edges with Vintage Photo Distress,
then applied eyelets to both sides of the sign and tied it to the vase with jute.
The Grunge board is heavy yet pliable, which allows it to wrap around the vase.

Extra leaves are sitting next to the tree so we can continue to add more leaves.

Grateful tree

(Please note:  There are three or four real leaves mixed in with the book page leaves)

One more thing....
You have to see the gorgeous fall garland made by clever girl Shelly Hickox using the Tattered Leaves die and coffee filters...check it out on her blog.

Have a great weekend,
deb

With All My Heart Tray

Such a busy week of things going on.  Not the least of them, the kit that went on sale.  Thanks to all who bought one...so sorry we did not have more.  I will admit there may be a black market growing for anyone who has in their possession, a  Junk Drawer Advent kit they have never started... and now I am thinking "Oh, Christmas Tree" can be added to the list.
Debbie did a fabulous job of wrapping every little thing so I know as the kits start arriving today you will be happy girls.

Today I am sharing the class I taught in New Zealand in Oct.  The class was created specifically for the event so no one else has seen it.   Love the bright colored 7gypsies paper that was used.  There is also a cork board to pin things to in the upper right hand square and a little zig-zag book in the bottom right. 

I used a Cash Key for a tiny little butterfly.  The stamp in the background is from the Sampers Anonymous set Natures Discovery, stamped with Archival Ink - Aquamarine.  The crystal connector is a 7gypsies Binding Ring Dangle that I colored with Alcohol Ink in Aqua.

We glued Tim's game pieces to thumb tacks for our cork board. 
A little Glossy Accents will do the trick.

The little houses are from Collections Elements.  Julie has such a way with chipboard...love using it.  I covered each house in the leftover rubbings from the bottom left corner.  Tim's Mini Gears are great to add some metal to the houses.  The wood veneer bicycle and Mistable clouds and sun are from Studio Calico.  The sun was colored with Distress Stain - Scattered Straw then both sun and clouds were painted with Distress Stickles - Rock Candy to make them shimmer.  I used some Ranger pop-it shapes to make the houses sit up off the tray.

I layered up the chipboard letters with Adirondack paint dabber - Pool, then used Archival Ink in black with my very favorite text block from the Stamper Anonymous set - Going Somewhere (I know what you are thinking, "paula, you should buy some new stamps" ...but I love this one so much!).  Then finished it off with Perfect Pearls - Heirloom Gold.  Yummy letters!

To hold the zig-zag book in place I pushed a thumbtack through the hole in a Hinge Clip and into the wood frame of the tray. 

Then I added a yard of Crinkle Ribbon that was colored with Tumbled Glass, Crushed Olive and Broken China Distress Stains.

In the left hand corner, 7gypsies Ticket rubbings and leftover pieces from the chipboard house sheet were used to create a mosaic of sorts.  Each ticket was rubbed onto cardstock, then cut out so they could be either glued directly to the tray or raised at two different levels in the square.  I used pop-it shapes and thinner Scotch foam tape to create the effect.

other items used:

7gypsies 4 x 6 tray

Display trim ruler

Display Trim - hook and loop

Printer Tray Label Holder

Cheers for a great week!

Love to know what you are working on...

paula

Nature's Discovery	*Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps GOING SOMEWHERE Stampers Anonymous	*PREORDER Tim Holtz Distress Stickles 1.1 OZ. ROCK CANDY Glitter Glue Jar Ranger TDR35886	*Tim Holtz DISTRESS Ink STAIN TUMBLED GLASS Ranger
*Tim Holtz DISTRESS Ink STAIN SCATTERED STRAW Ranger	*Tim Holtz DISTRESS Ink STAIN CRUSHED OLIVE Ranger	*Tim Holtz DISTRESS Ink STAIN BROKEN CHINA Ranger	*Ranger PERFECT PEARLS MIST HEIRLOOM GOLD Glimmer Spray
*Ranger Inkssentials GLOSSY ACCENTS Glue Dimensional Adhesive	*Studio Calico WEATHER Mistable Thickers Shapes 331091	*Ranger Inkssentials SQUARES Pop It Shapes PIS13631	*Ranger Archival Ink Pad JET BLACK AIP31468
*Ranger Adirondack PAINT DABBER POOL Acrylic	*Ranger Archival Ink Pad AQUAMARINE AIP30577	*7 Gypsies WOOD School Rulers 12651	*7 Gypsies TICKETS Color Rubbings 17946
*Tim Holtz Idea-ology HINGE CLIPS Nickel Metal Hardware	*Tim Holtz Idea-ology 90 GAME PIECES Bingo TH92915	*Tim Holtz Idea-ology ALPHA CARDS Alphabet TH93006	*Tim Holtz Idea-ology MINI GEARS Sprockets TH93012
*Tim Holtz Idea-ology CASH KEYS TH92999	*PREORDER Tim Holtz Idea-ology CRINKLE RIBBON TH93020

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Oh, Christmas Tree

Last year I created this holiday tree during the crazy "Seven days of Giveaways" at Christmas time.  At that time, I promised I would make the tree into a kit...some have waited almost a year to get it (thank you girls for your patience!).  We have a very limited number of these kits left after the wait list was fulfilled.   

NOTE: We also have one kit that is just the ornaments, no metal stand...perfect for anyone that might already have the 7gypsies display.

If you are interested in either kit please contact me at paula@2gypsygirls.com.   

Kit is sold out...thank you everyone!

click on photo for a larger view

Fall Leaves

I envy those of you who live in a place where you actually get to see the leaves change to the beautiful fall colors.  We could take a drive up north to see the fall leaves, but I always seem to be busy when the time is right.  So, anytime I'm in a place that I can collect fall leaves I gather and press them to display from year to year.  One year a thoughtful friend took pity on me and sent me a little package of leaves....they are dwindling, but I still love and display them.
I thought I would do a quick little project inspired by fall leaves that might get the creative juices flowing for some fall decorating.

Create a mini display with an old jar and vintage buttons.

I got a Vagabond Machine a few weeks ago and have been wanting to use the "tattered leaves" die.  

To start glue old music pages to some chipboard and run through the Vagabond.

Use Distress Ink to ink the leaves in fall colors, I used Wild Honey, Fired Brick and Crushed Olive with Vintage Photo on the edges.

Punch a hole in the top of each leaf and tie to the jar.

 Attach "Chitchat" stickers on leaves.

Insert photo and you have a quick little vignette. 

 Here's another idea.....use the "Tattered Leaves" die to make a wreath.
This one is from Martha Stewart using a template to cut out all the leaves by hand....get out your Vagabond Machine and "Tattered Leaves" die to save hours of cutting time!

Have a great weekend,

deb

*Tim Holtz Sizzix VAGABOND MACHINE Die Cutting Embossing Alterations 656850	*Tim Holtz Sizzix Die TATTERED LEAVES Bigz Leaf Alterations 656927	*Tim Holtz DISTRESS INK PAD FIRED BRICK Red Ranger TIM20202	*Tim Holtz Distress Ink PAD WILD HONEY Yellow Ranger
*Tim Holtz DISTRESS INK PAD CRUSHED OLIVE Green Ranger	*Tim Holtz Idea-ology 1088 CHITCHAT STICKERS TH92998

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