from the studio of: ann mabee

postale mini library drawer

by ann mabee

when the gypsies gave me the assignment for CHA, it was to be a project using the mini library drawer and any of the new release products I wanted to use! talk about free reign!! i immediately went to my computer to see what I had pictures of that hadn't been used before and were of something I was wanting to document for myself. when I came to the file of the trip my husband and I took last summer to Oregon, I knew that that was what I wanted to use.

then I took a look at the new release and decided the Postale line would be perfect! it had an "all American" look to it and it would nicely compliment my pictures and our journey. i formatted my pictures to fit the mini library drawer and sent them off to be printed. then i went to work!

i knew it would take a lot of cards/pictures/stuff to fill the drawer. about the time i started this project, 7gypsies was acquired by Canvas Corp and the artists were given the opportunity to incorporate some of the Canvas Corp products into our projects. so I went in search to find some things to use.

i found several suitable items. their products are neutral tones and can easily be dyed to match whatever color palette you are using. so my project is a mix of 7gypsies and Canvas Corp. i put all of my supplies around me on my workspace so i could easily see what i had to use and went to work (it's that old gypsy thought...within arms reach!)

i wanted to do the project in a chronological order so one could see our trip from beginning to end. most of the items in the drawer are individual cards that help tell our story. i made a few mini books to tie together larger groups of pictures in a cohesive way. once i got started, the project came together easily. it was a fun way to document our trip to celebrate my husband's retirement.

thanks Ann for sharing your thoughts with us!!!

from our workshop: cha winter sneak peek #2

The journey through the postale collection continues... we have SO many new products that are part of this collection!!

A fun new clear stamp along with 3 new papertape designs.  Now if you haven't tried our papertape yet, you MUST.  It is NOT washi tape, it is paper tape~ it actually works like tape AND looks great too!

And 2 new stickers~ a classic black alphabet and a MUST have collection sticker.

These "tags" also double as cute journaling cards and inserts for the new tag envelopes!  SO darn cute in a 2.5"x 2.5" size.  (you'll want to wallpaper your craft room with these when you see them)

These envelopes are made to fit the new tag inserts and are CUTE (we just can't say it enough)

What is also FABULOUS about these new envelopes and inserts is that they fit perfectly in our mini library drawer and the artist printers tray!

Here's a beautiful project showing the mini library drawer stuffed with the new postale inserts & envelopes.

Next up are the index inserts.  These are made to fit our the new index envelopes (below)  These are a great size for journaling and cards.

We also just had to throw in a naked version of the index cards~ create your own design by stamping, inking, collaging and journaling on these!  AND they have a scalloped edge!

The index envelopes are designed to fit the index inserts.  At 6"x5" they'll also hold photos and fit perfectly in our Librarie Drawer!

And since we've got lots of fun new goodies to fit the librarie drawer, we figured that every gypsy needed a new set of Librarie Drawer tabs to complete a fun librarie drawer project.  Check out the project below!

And.....

New 7gypsies/ Tattered Angles Paint system!!

We were so excited to get to formulate and design our own custom 7gypsies paint system with Tattered Angels.  It coordinates with the Postale collection and has a bit of everything~ glam, glaze, glimmer mist & chalkboard mist!!

Are you excited to play with these???

Check back Tuesday for a look at the new Trousseau collection!!

holiday decor: wrapping!

there are so many fun ways to wrap presents during the holidays...

sometimes, okay well we actually think always -  it's just more fun to get creative then spend all your money on expensive, pre-printed wrapping paper....

our gypsy Ann came up with some amazing wrapping ideas...take a peek.

how cute is the chipboard letter used as a tag on this present? 

and don't forget the Christmas papertape to keep those little ones from peeking early!

the combination of the 7gypsies Paris tissue with the doily create a gorgeous holiday gift wrapping 

using our Life tissue paper, Gypsy tags and Lille papertape with the perfect addition of pink ribbon and bells - Ann created a true Christmas morning treat - but you can't eat this one gypsies!! 

simple, easy, beautiful...

 gypsy Ranjini wrapped this gift with kraft paper and the Lille papers...

with the addition of the gypsy hardware kit, this will look absolutely gorgeous sitting under any tree this season.

 this adorable little package incorporates our gorgeous conservatory collection with the gypsy hardware...

who wouldn't LOVE receiving this adorable gift? we love the way she attached the bottles to the outside to give it that special gypsy touch...

what will you be wrapping your gifts in this year gypsies?

stay tuned for more holiday decor this week!

projects and inspiration: christmas cards and envelopes!

holiday card time at the gypsy workshop!

need a little inspiration for those holiday cards you'll be sending out - 

look no further gypsies...

 this card and envelope set was created by gypsy ann mabee...
a quick, easy, simple and thoughtful way to say merry christmas, happy holidays, happy Hanukkah, or whatever it is you want to say to that special someone this holiday season. 

love love love the dimensions ranjini added to her card and envelope! 

how adorable is that flower?!?

mou is always so great at incorporating other elements into her projects! 

the stitching around the edges of the card add just the right touch. 

the combination of our venice and camden papers make you truly feel that it's finally the happiest time of the year!

paula created this tri-fold card! using our off the wall tape, barcelona paper and the holiday stamp set she created a fabulous card that even has room for that special family photo we all LOVE to take at Christmas time!

adorable how it stays shut with the button and green seam binding!

collage of holiday statements? we think paula made a fantasticly-vintage-so-7gypsies card here! how cute is that button tree??

start creating your cards gypsies and don't forget to post them on our facebook fan page!!!

projects and inspiration: christmas gift ideas!

is it really almost Thanksgiving gypsies? PHEW! 

time sure does pass quickly, sometimes quicker then some of us would like....

we are getting soooo excited for christmas here in the gypsy workshop, 

our design team has already been busy creating a few gift ideas for our fellow gypsies...

this adorable ticket holder full of daily reminders was created by our gypsy Mou! can you see all those new years resolutions stuffed in here? 

or little quotes for a beautiful way to remind someone to smile!! we love how she placed the rulers on the front...

paula created this inspiration board made from our 4x6 photo tray! don't you just love how she has the glass placed over the sections to create a "pocket" to store all those fun trinkets that inspire you! 

add a little cork board to other sections and voila! 

and don't forget about the gorgeous butterfly rubbings - swooooon.

didn't paula do such a great job?!?! we think so...

ohhhh who doesn't love a convenient recipe book - that is THIS adorable?!?! 

so simple - our gypsy ann used a book cover for the back and front, then using the clear sleeves and tabs that come with the 4x6 photo stand to store the recipes. the clear sleeves protect the sacred recipes from messy cooking - because we all know creative cooking is always a mess :)

keep following gypsies we will be posting some more gift ideas throughout next week!

artist advent blog kit: section #10 by ann mabee

Section #10 - Ann Mabee

Materials: (all 7gypsies)
(2.5"x3") book board or 7G packaging
6x6 Lille paper (life is good (not shown in picture below), crazy love, adventure)
Paris tissue paper
ATC Tag Kit: Affirmations (crown, #10)
(1) crystal dangle
(2) mini keys
(3) display trim pyramid studs
paddington chipboard alphabet
(3") Venice gaffer tape

Other:
Large and small scalloped oval punch (Fiskars) or scissors
small heart punch (Fiskars) or scissors
dictionary page (from an old, discarded dictionary)
glitter and glue
distress ink and blending tool
chipboard circle
needle and thread



Project tips:
- you can substitute the 7gypsies packaging in the kit for any of the chipboard/book board needed. be very careful when opening the packaging if you would like to use it.
- keep ALL your paper scraps from each section, you will need them for section #11
- you can use scissors in place of all punches
- you can use the purple ribbon in the ATC Photo Display kit in place of any string and wire


Instructions:

1. Cut bookboard or packaging piece to fit desired space. Cover with the red, rectangle area that says "Life is Good" from the Life is Good paper. Trim affirmations card to fit just inside the paper, leaving a small border. Ink all edges well. 

2. Punch a large scalloped oval from the clock portion of the Lille paper. Punch a small scalloped oval from a dictionary page aligning the focus word within the oval as desired.

3. Ink the edges of the ovals. Mount the large oval on top of the affirmations card so that pieces of the card are visible behind the oval. Fold the small oval over the top of the card with the focus word at the top of the card below the fold. 

4. Add the small heart that was punched from the red portion of the Lille paper. Tear a small strip of gaffer tap and attach across the large oval about 2/3 of the way down on the card. Add the pyramid studs in the other three corners of the card.

5. Ink desired chipboard letter and adhere to the bottom right of card.  Cut a 1.25” strip of the tissue paper that’s the width of the sheet of tissue (about 18”).

6. Using a needle and thread, make a running stitch about 1/4” from the edge of the tissue, gathering it up to form a ruffled circle.

7. Carefully tie the end and knot to secure. Mount the tissue circle on the chipboard circle to reinforce.

8. Using a foam brush run a bead of glue along the outside edge of the tissue circle. Add glitter. Open the jump ring on the dangle and add two mini keys. Punch a tiny hole in the bottom of the 10 circle and attach the dangle. Adhere the 10 circle with the dangle onto the center of the tissue circle. This will then be attached to the clip portion of the receipt holder.

I chose to focus on the word unlock from the dictionary page and with the heart, the mini keys attached to the dangle and the letter M, it means that I would like to unlock the key to my husband’s heart! The number 10 has significance because we currently have 10 beautiful grandchildren!


I spend my days with my husband, since we are both retired now! Since he retired in May, we have been privileged to take a few trips and enjoy the beautiful country in which we live. We love to go junkin' together and we spend a lot of our time with our children and our grandchildren. We love to attend our grandchildren's sporting events, concerts, school functions and other activities. I enjoy working in my scrapbook room and getting lost in the creative process. My favorite projects are those I make just for fun. I also enjoy doing needlework, sewing and working on our family history.


A blog I check out frequently is http://www.u-createcrafts.com/. I always have enjoyed recreating things I see that I like. In my younger years, we couldn't always afford the things I wanted, so I generally figured out a way to make whatever I wanted. Now that I can better afford things, I don't always buy...I enjoy the creative process and the satisfaction of making things of my own and with my own twist to them. You can always take a good idea and tweak it a bit to make it uniquely your own! Nothin' better than that!!!


Join the gypsies Tuesday for section #11. Other items you will need are:
index card print from developed film or 3 tiny photos (about 1/2"x1/2")
string
black stamping ink
mod podge (or other adhesive)