Christmas Project #2

A Gypsy Tea

Rachel Carlson

Just a few peeks at "a gypsy glee tea" that I will be hosting in my home.

Tea and cookies will be served to my close friends along with handmade gifts.

Who doesn't need a break before the holiday rush?

Invite

victoria 6x6 paper variety pack, hudson valley ribbon

Place Setting

Cut outs of the bird cage - victoria 6x6 paper variety pack(Pandora paper)

I tied two pieces of a tree branch with wire and made a hook to hold the bird cage.

Paper cones for tiny cookies

victoria 6x6 paper variety pack victoria brads victoria naked paper tape to close up the cones-(you can see a bit of yellow in the picture above) I will add tiny cookies (family recipe) in cellophane bags and put in cones to go with the tea.

party favor pockets

victoria 6x6 paper variety pack, naked pockets, paper tape

I added a package of mulling spices for tea/wine and a cinnamon stick - yummy!

When the ladies come over next month, I can hardly wait to see everyone's expression when they see the little details of gypsy love!

Guest Artist

Guest Artist Challenge

Melissa Peck

We feel very lucky to have Melissa Peck joining the gypsies for our textured rubbings challenge this month. We love Melissa's work for it's whimsical nature, use of color and attention to detail. What you might not notice in her work below is the bits of ephemera or messages Melissa incorporates into each piece that adds to the depth and meaning of the painting. You can view more of Melissa's beautiful paintings here.

David Bonner gallery

Scottsdale, AZ

Melissa's bio

These projects are a feast for the eyes!! So much detail can be found examining each and they all incorporate both traditional paper arts elements and some artist inspired materials including lots of found object, opaque inks purchased from an artists specialty store in Melissa's travels and bold gel pen colors. We love the the foundation for each project was monochromatic color combinations... we never knew our products could look so good grouped by color! Interlaced in the dramatic colors is signature Melissa Peck objects, figures and other oddities that you see in all of her master art pieces.

Color

5x7 black board book journal

Cover

-painted black book board with a blue opaque ink

-collaged circles cut from the vintage ephemera pack, old books, personal papers, gum wrappers, etc.

-colored the chipboard alpha numbers and letters with colored pencils

-used brads as embellishments for the center of the circles

-covered an ATC pocket with an image that she liked from a magazine clipping

-applied a textured rubbing to the pocket.

Melissa had a very happy accident when the textured rubbing peeled away from the magazine image leaving a white negative image pattern. She enjoyed the look of the textured rubbing even when she didn't get a complete transfer... gave it character.

-used the vintage and photo metal index tabs... we love the way she showcased the number 2 by having it the only colored tab

paper bird page:

-used a scrap of green cardstock for the background then created a tree from the gypsy market patterned paper tape.

-she created a collage of pieces of the vintage transparencies by cutting the designs out of the 6x6 sheet rather than using the entire piece. She pieced them over the tree and bird using savannah and gypsy market paper tapes. She used a standard hole punch to create polka dots with the paper tape.

-she used her own typewriter to create a background for the body of the bird.

the opposite page showcases her daughter's drawing with glitter glue... artfully framed in shades of green

Old book page for the background and then layered a piece of brown cardstock over the top then created a "tree" with and formed an opening in the trunk by layering ovals loosely cut from a variety of gypsy market papers and further detailed the tree with strips of papers and leaves cut from vellum. She created one of her signature figures coming from the opening in the tree from bits of paper... notice the fabulous black & white stripeed neck created from tas paper. We love the way she adorned the party hat... created from an old letter she received from a friend with red type on it. She embellished with a partial red velvet textured rubbing.

Ochre, golds and a classic black and cream make up the color scheme for the intricate page... LOVE the way this comes together. She used pages from an old disney book, preserving the books' scene from dumbo and using it as a color foundation for the page. She added pages from the book pieced on top of each other then overlayed it with parts of a vintage 6x6 transparency... it is finished off with gold textured rubbings... both glitter and foil some gypsy market striped paper tape and a beautiful paper flower made with gypsy market, victoria and barcelona papers and a victoria brad. Note the ultra cool addition of the ochre colored #2 vintage metal tab.

Beautiful collage

Melissa used victoria Printemps paper for the background and collaged drawings, photos, postcards on the top then altered chipboard alphabet with hot pink gel pens for a dramatic opaque finish and some serious pop! Again, love that she used red textured rubbings on the pink background for an unexpected color combination. The fun flower cut from vellum and found papers showcases her liberal use of staples and hand stitching with multiple colors of pink thread.

4x6 photo carousel tab vignette

LOVE the way she did tone on tone using the red velvet rubbing on the red tab!

She collaged pieces of ephemera and paper scraps together

used the circle M and applied a silver foil rubbing across for some subtle sparkle

used elements from magazines, greeting cards and photos to create a red based collage and ran naked chipboard numbers down the center.

Inspiration

"As you may notice from viewing my paintings I have a passion for color. Often times whether it is a painting or a project I am working on I am often creating monochromatic pieces. More than anything I love the effect of different shades of the same color placed next to each other. Many times I will have 20 different blues or greens in the same painting. So as I was laying out the products thinking about what I wanted to do for this project I instinctively started to group things into color combinations that spoke to me. The arranging of all of them was more secondary. I loved working with the 7 gypsies products and found it important to think out of the box. For example the chipboard letters on the cover were not the colors I needed so I colored them with colored pencils and then also covered the little pocket with a favorite image. I fell in love with the textured rubbings, and constantly found places to use them."

What more can we say?...but,

Thank You Melissa for your inspirational work.

Christmas Project 1

Nativity Accordion Book

artist Ann Mabee

Supplies:

7gypsies House Board Book

7gypsies ribbon

7gypsies papers-Gypsy Market line

7gypsies chipboard (wings, star, window)

Distress Ink-Ranger (Vintage Photo)

The pattern from Plum Creek Collectibles- "The First Christmas" is really designed for fabric but works great for paper also. Adaptations were made to fit on the shape of the house.

Basic Directions:

Cover each book board shape with an appropriate patterned paper. Ink outside edges with Distress Ink. Cut Nativity pieces from various patterned papers that coordinate with the background and are suitable for each character. Paint angel wings gold. Ink "window" and back it with a solid gold-colored paper. Adhere two chipboard stars together and cover with a solid gold-colored paper. Glitter the outside edges of star. Assemble each page and adhere using a wet glue. Apply stitch lines with a fine-tipped marker. Add eyes and hair with marker. Using 7gypsies Binderie Punch, punch holes in each book page. Assemble scene as desired, tying pieces together with ribbon.

Ready or Not!

Today is already November 10th, the days are flying by! Can you believe it's only 7 weeks till Christmas? We thought you might need a little inspiration to get you in the Christmas spirit and get those creative juices flowing. Our design team is hard at work putting together some great ideas for wrapping presents, gift giving and just all around fun for the holidays. We will post their ideas to give you a little gypsy inspiration every week (Mondays and Thursdays) from now until Christmas. We hope you come back often and that you will get some great inspiration for your own gypsy Christmas.

PS) remember to keep posting to the gallery...

we love to see what you are doing.

A new addition to your tool box...

Have you seen the new white Photo Tray that was released with the Venice collection? Well, we have seen them up close and they are fabulous! The new white trays come in both the 4 x 6 version as seen here and in the ATC size. Now since we have been working with the trays getting ready for CHA we have found a new tool to add to our tool box...the wooden skewer.

skewer |ˈskyoōər| noun a long piece of wood or metal used for holding pieces of food, typically meat, together during cooking.

We have found this to be a most useful tool when working with the trays. Here's how: Say you put a picture in one of the rectangles, but then you change your mind (like that never happens). Just reach for your handy wooden skewer, we bought ours at the dollar store...mind you there's enough in the package for a lifetime of trays as well as shish kebab-ing for a mob on the weekend. The skewer is just right to get into the corner and pop the picture right back out without scratching or cutting anything. Can you tell what tool we WERE using before we found the skewer?

We also thought you might like better look at one of the new white Photo Trays using the new Venice line.

In the first square you can see our new 97% sticker, N is for Nest. Did you notice the little book that says, "a short guide to us?" tucked behind the black book belt? (she just cut the book belt with scissors to make it fit). The stickers in the center bottom are adhered at different levels. Some are right on the backing and other are mounted on one or two pieces of book book to create the different heights. A few even have copper tape on the edges. The numbers in the last square relate to the house number where the family lives (must be a love nest).
We hope you like the new white trays and the new Venice line as much as we do.

November Challenge

Can you believe October is gone? We can't either! We have been so busy here...so much for CHA has already begun. For those of you who will attend in January you are going to love what we have up or sleeve for the booth...not to be missed!

Now on to our NOVEMBER CHALLENGE
Textured Rubbings
What is a textured rubbing?
It is a rubbing that has two parts-The first part is a transparent "glue" image that you can adhere to almost anything with a bone folder or popsicle stick. Once the image is adhered to the surface you can choose any of the textures (2nd part) to rub over the glue image; silver glitter, gold glitter, black velvet, red velvet, gold foil or silver foil. The image shown above is combo pack where the images are sold with the silver glitter, black velvet and the gold foil. We also have other glue images as well as the textures packaged separately. Go here to see them all.

EXAMPLE
Can you see the glitter bird on the transparency? That's a textured rubbing!
This is a closure on the cover a a mini book made by gypsy artist Paula C.
Here how she did it:
1. Stamp a large circle on patterned paper, then adhere the paper to a piece of chipboard.
2. Cut out the circle, then layer a transparency over the circle and cut it out again.
3. Add the textured rubbing of the bird.
4. Punch two holes and added eyelets
5. Run elastic through the holes to create closure.

Now the challenge...
What can you do with them? Can you use them for something other than scrapbooking...maybe home decor? Can you find a way to use just the texture sheet and not the "glue" image?
Well, that's the challenge for 3 of our designers this month as well as our guest artist. Which we will mention is someone fabulous. You will just have to wait till next week when we post her projects to see who it is!

If you want to participate in our Textured Rubbing Challenge it very easy.
1. Create something using any of our textured Rubbings
(or even just the texture sheet)
2. Send us a photo of what you created to www.oneluckyday@verizon.net
3. Deadline is November 25

We will be giving away a VENICE prize pack that will include 2 sheets of each of the new papers, paper tape (that we have been raving about) and other VENICE goodies. Now, who wouldn't want that?

She's a clever girl...

Who you ask? Well our very own Ranjini, that's who!

Just check out this clever little display piece she made all about her daughter. It is so ridiculously simple (yet stunning at the same time) that I just can't imagine why we never thought of it before.

Supplies:
wood box
Barcelona paper
metal paper fasteners
6" elastics
metal page edge-black lace
mini paper clips
photos plate
checkered knob
vintage number

NOTES on how she did it:
I created a "photo window box". I used a 5 x 7 wooden shadowbox type frame that I bought at Hobby Lobby. I papered it with the gold polka dot Barcelona paper, and then I used my craft drill to drill two holes in either side, plus one in the top. I applied the metal page edges without folding them down so that they created a lacy border on the edges of the box. I wanted it to look like a Venetian window with latticed metal work on either side. I used the 6" gypsy elastics and because they were just a bit longer than I wanted, I threaded the ends through vintage buttons and back into the box, which ended up creating a finished look on the box sides. I wanted to use the elastics like mini "clotheslines" to hang ephemera or photos from. I clipped up photos, a vintage flashcard and more 7gypsies goodies onto the bottom with metal paper fasteners. I finished out the top with a 7 gypsies knob.

We told you...SHE really is a clever girl.