diy: paula's christmas tags!

what you need:  7gypsies tissue paper, CLEAR silicon caulk (can get at Target for around $3), paper for background of tag
one. cut out the image on the tissue paper you want, leaving about 1/4" around the edges - does not need to be precise - and set aside

two.  place silicone on the paper you chose for the tag background and smooth out again - set aside to dry

three. place a small amount of the silicone on the backside of your cutout  

four. smooth out using an old credit card
five. place the cutout on top of the background paper and smooth out
six. cutout, punch hole, add ribbon and you have a tag!

for more detailed instructions (or just for some really crafty fun!)- 

check out Paula's blog by clicking HERE! she has some realllly GREAT stuff gypsies! 

diy: ruler stars

what you need:  heavy duty glue dots, 5 7gypsies rulers, chain to hang star
one. gather the glue dots and all the rulers (depending on how many stars you are making)

two.  place a glue dot on one end of a ruler, place another ruler on top to create an upside down "v"

three. place a glue dot on the top edge of the ruler on the right and place another ruler on top at an angle to the left   

four. place glue dot on top edge of the previous ruler and stick another ruler going straight to the right
five. place a glue dot on top edge of the ruler you just positioned and position the final ruler at an angle down to the left. place a glue dot on the bottom edge of that ruler to finish off the star
six. add chain, ribbon, string or yarn around the top edge to hang your star! 

diy: Scrapfest make & take!

what you need:  circle book board, conservatory clear stamp, tissue paper (1-5"x5", 4-4"x4") chipboard alpha, mini ephemera, naked tabs, papertape, acrylic block, ink, foam brush, mod podge (or other adhesive), small piece of sand paper, scissors and ribbon. one. grab the 4-4"x4" squares and stack on top of each other. begin by fan folding the pieces about 1/2" wide two.  tie the ribbon into a knot (be sure that it's snug but not crimping the tissue paper) three. adjust the knot to be on the side without the print. using a pair of scissors, round the ends of the tissue paper. beginning with the top layer, being gently peeling up the first layer of tissue bringing it towards the center.    four. tip: keep one hand near the center while using the other to gently and SLOWLY pull the layers up. repeat this process until all layers have been separated and pulled up towards the center. set aside. five. using a foam brush, coat the circle bookboard in mod podge (or other adhesive). you want to get it as even and smooth as possible six. lay the tissue paper on the circle. tip: DO NOT try to smooth out lumps or wrinkles - this will tear the tissue paper.  seven. using the small piece of sand paper, gently brush the edges of the bookboard going completely around the circle. tip: DO NOT try to tear the tissue off, continue sanding the area to get a clean edge. eight. place the butterfly and "by air mail" stamps on an acrylic block together and stamp so that the butterfly's wings are inside the tab on the naked tab. nine. glue the naked tab onto the tissue covered bookboard wherever you want. (we placed it in the center but do what your gypsy heart desires) ten. grab a piece of mini ephemera and glue to the bookboard. rip two strips of papertape and stick them on top of the mini ephemera.  eleven. glue the chipboard letter or number of your choice on top of the papertape.  twelve. line up the bookboard circle as close to the center as you can and punch. tip: be VERY careful to line up as centered as you can. if your punch goes off the board, you can use papertape to reinforce and try punching again.  thirteen. tie the ribbon through each hole. fourteen. glue tissue paper flower onto bookboard.

diy: book board village

what you need: book board, chipboard, adhesive, paper, distress ink, light sand paper one. Cut book board to the desired proportions for each building.  Cut 2 pieces for front/back, 2 pieces for the sides, 2 pieces for the roof and one piece for the floor (for each building).  You will also need to cut a lightweight chipboard into five 1” x 2” pieces, and score them down the middle lengthwise. two.  Cover all pieces of the building (except the floor) with your desired patterned papers.  Sand the edges well. three. Ink using Distress Ink and a blending tool. four. Assembly:  Start with the front and one side piece.  Run a bead of glue down the edge on one side of the building.  Butt the side piece up behind the front with the edges flush.  The side of the building will be ‘hidden’ behind the building front.  Allow to set for a few seconds.  Next, add the other side of the building in the same manner....hide the ‘seam’ behind the front of the building and secure with glue and a chipboard brace.  Continue with the back of the building the same way. five.Then use one piece of the lightweight chipboard that you’ve cut and scored to brace all the pieces together.  Glue in the corner of that joint being sure it’s at least 1/4” above where the floor will be positioned later.  If you need to, use a popsicle stick or a bone folder to smooth down the chipboard braces being sure all is well secured before proceeding.  I like to apply slight pressure to hold the pieces in place as the pieces dry six.The next step will be to add the floor piece. Check to be sure the floor will fit snugly before applying any glue. When you’re sure it’s snug, remove the floor piece and apply a bead of strong glue around the inside bottom edge of the building. Carefully wiggle the floor piece into place and while it’s on a smooth, level surface, gently push from the inside top of the building to be sure the floor is level and doesn’t protrude from the bottom. Let it dry for a while, so as you add embellishments, it won’t come unglued.   **Before attaching the roof pieces, add all embellishments to the house...or at least any that would require access to the inside of the house.  I attached some items with wire and/or brads and needed to secure from the inside. seven. Using the same method as the walls, put the two roof pieces together with a bead of glue, overlapping one side edge over the other so it’s a smooth joint and comes to a nice sharp peak.  You can reinforce the roof with a chipboard brace like you did with the walls. Run a bead of glue along all edges of the building tops, then position and secure the roof in place.  It helps to apply slight pressure to be sure the glue adheres the pieces together.

REPEAT to create your own village!!!

diy: globe paper chain

what you need: paper, scissors, adhesive and string. one. Use a circle stencil (or bottom of a tin can) to trace circles and cut. Each globe contains 7 circles. (the more the merrier!) we cut three different size circles to create dimension in our paper chain. two.  Fold each circle in half. three. Select two folded circles, use any type of adhesive (we used a tape runner) and glue two flat sides together. Repeat until you get to the last circle you need to glue. four. Place string in the middle of the circles before you glue the last one on, then glue the last circle on to form a ball. five. Repeat steps one through four until you have string of paper globes!

hang up anywhere your gypsy heart desires!!!

you can so do this: tissue paper skirt

one. Lightly sketch a female figure in pencil. Add details of a simple spaghetti strap top if you wish. Add watercolor paint and ink. two. Cut at least 2 strips of tissue from the 7 Gypsies tissue paper.  For the two tiered skirt shown, we cut two 1"x 8" strips three. Apply a strip of adhesive to the drawing where you want your skirt to hang.  Accordion fold or pleat the first strip of tissue down to the adhesive every 1/16 of an inch or at desired intervals, shaping as you go to gather the folds tighter at the top, allowing them to flare out wider at the bottom.  four. Repeat step three with the second strip of tissue. five. Add a 7 Gypsies 97% Complete sticker for a belted waist.  Tape drawing into your art journal!  (Ranjini used the venice patterned paper tape)

collage tissue garland and a new gypsy baby!!!

We are very excited to announce the arrival of our newest gypsy baby!

Lillian Belle

the sweet new addition to our caravan.

Congrats proud gypsy mama Amber!

We created a collage tissue paper garland to celebrate.

So cute, so simple, so 7gypsies!

Here's how we did it!

materials used:

modpodge

glitter

7gypsies collage tissues: birdsong and life

any 7gypsies chipboard alphabet & number set

scrap piece of chipboard

cover chipboard letters/numbers with glue and sprinkle on glitter~ repeat as needed
cut a 1"x 20" strip of life collage tissue for each letter you are using
cut a 3"x3" square of birdsong collage tissue for each letter
cut a 2 1/4" inch circle out of the chipboard for each letter

crinkle up each of the life tissue strips 

cover the chipboard circles with a thin, even coat of mod podge

carefully lay birdsong collage tissue square on top of mod podged circle
and gently smooth out wrinkles.
sand around edge of circle to remove excess tissue or wrap around back and mod podge in place.

apply a generous layer of mod podge around back edge of tissue covered circle

begin pleating one of the collage tissue strips around the edge of the circle 

backside view of pleating collage tissue around the edge of circle

additional view

additional view of backside

adhere glittered alphabet letter to front of circle.
repeat all steps for each letter.

Once you have each tissue circles completed~ connect them with 7gypsies crystal dangles and finish off ends with seam binding ribbon!

super simple collage tissue book cover

Have you heard the latest buzz on our collage tissues?

This decorative tissue is not just for gorgeous gift wrapping, it can be used in SO many other ways!

click here to see our previous posting

Because tissue is thin and workable, you'll find it can be decoupaged to just about ANY surface.  

Here's a quick tutorial for how to cover your surfaces with the new collage tissue.  We're demonstrating the FANTASTIC results you can get using tissue on a kraft colored book board to create a book cover.

For more inspiration be sure to visit our facebook page~ there's a super cute tissue star on there!

 Paint book board shape with a liquid adhesive such as gel medium or mod podge  (work quickly).

 Lay collage paper over adhesive covered surface. Smooth as much as possible. Many of the wrinkles will disappear during the drying process.

Use a fine sand paper to remove excess paper around the edges.

Let dry for 10 minutes or if you are a bit impatient (as most gypsies are) use a heat gun to speed up the drying time.

 Once dry, paint a final coat of gel medium or mod podge over the top to seal and protect the surface.

Punch holes and embellish to finish off your new book cover!

Ours is shown punched using the Binderie Punch and embellished with metal reinforcers, seam binding ribbon and diva crown charm.

THE receipt holders...

This week at the gypsy workshop it's all about the vintage receipt holder.  Now in 3 styles so there's just no reason not to fall in love.

It's ok, there's no shame in drooling....

(if you can't see the video below click HERE)

The Forgotten Repository

We are having a great time at CHA meeting old & new gypsies alike.   It's always fun to hear the ooohs and aaahhs over the new products and the booth displays and share stories with our gypsies about where our travels have taken us since the last time we met.

But we know there are many of you who aren't at the show and we haven't forgotten about you, our devoted blog gypsies.  So we have a gift for you.  It's our little thank you for all the excitement you've shared with us over the past week.

We know this was one of the new projects that you all loved and we are giving you the template & instructions for how to build your very own!  You'll need a package of 7gypsies 8x8 bookboard to build the shadowbox and of course you'll want the conservatory papers to cover it with.

Here is the template you'll need to build "Forgotten Repository"...



For the full instructions on how to assemble the project visit 7gypsies artist, Paula Cheney's blog by clicking HERE.
Enjoy!

create your own gypsy fabric!

We love that gypsy artist Ann Mabee created her own gypsy fabrics by printing her favorite Avignon collection papers onto printable fabric she purchased at her local craft store.

She used her custom fabrics to add a little gypsy to a basic apron.  

So simple and So gypsy!

P.S. check out the cute spoon pinned to one of the pockets (it's from our vintage hardware kit!)

YOU can so do this...

THE {KL_necklace} 

We all know how much gypsy artists Kerry Lynn adores texture. All of her fabulously vintage projects are adorned with lots of it.  So to create a piece of wearable art she used a gorgeous combination of french linen from her stash and our favorite seam binding ribbon to create this stunning necklace. 

And it's a lot simpler than you'd think!  Read on for simple instructions and in no time you'll have one of your own.

Supplies needed:

7gypsies seam binding ribbon

7gypsies travel binding ring dangle charms 

7gypsies crystal binding ring dangles

jump rings

vintage linen or other loose weave fabric

sewing machine or needle and thread

Stacked Linen Flower

Cut three varying sized circles of linen from your fabric. 

Stitch together in center and then rough up the edges so they are frayed by simply running them against your palm a few times.

Stitch along one edge of a 6”-8” piece of seam binding. I used a basting stitch {a loose wide stitch} on my sewing machine but you could also simply do the same with a running stitch by hand.

Once the stitch is in place pull one thread {if you used your sewing machine} or the single thread if you hand stitched, and gather your ribbon together.

Once gathered knot the ends together, then stitch to the top of your linen flower and stitch on a single crystal bead from the binding ring dangles. Set aside.

The Necklace 

Cut two 24” pieces of seam binding and double them and loop around a jump ring . 

Then stitch the other ends about 5” from the end so they would always stay together then tie that end around a jump ring.

Attach two crystal dangles together at the bottom of each 

Use the dangle clasp on each end of the dangle to clip to the jump ring at both ends of ribbon.

Clip the travel dangle charm to crystal near the bow.

Attach linen flower to crystal near the jump ring end.

Venice Card Set

by Debbie Crouse

I love the Venice clear stamp set.  I made a set of thank you cards using the stamp set along with paper, paper tape, bakers twine and ribbon, an old dictionary and 7g kraft envelopes.  

Cut cards to fit the 7g kraft envelopes.   Stamp card and add bits of paper and paper tape.  Include ribbon or twine in stitching on card and don’t forget the envelope flap.  Simple, easy and I love having some thank you cards ready and waiting when the occasion arises.

Card No. 1

sew over string

tie a bow

Card No. 2

Card No. 3

Remember our February Product Challenge?  

We have been so busy with Valentines Day ideas that you may have forgotten we have a Product Challenge this month using our Venice stamp.  We sent out 5 Venice stamps to fellow gypsies...2 Venice stamps went to US winners and 3 were sent outside the US to Brazil, Singapore and Norway.  We're keeping our fingers crossed that the stamps find their way to their destinations quickly!  If you missed it, you can read about the challenge back in the post from Feb 1st...remember, we're giving away a Venice prize package to one lucky winner that will be drawn at random.

We also have members of the gypsy design team participating in the challenge this month.  We started off the month with Rachel's fabulous heart shaped Venice stamp pillow and today we have another fabulous project from Vicki...your gonna love it.

 Shrinky Dink Charms

Vicki Boutin

I love the new trend of vintage “finding” made in to jewelry so that is where the idea started for my part in the Venice Stamp Challenge.  When I started looking through my years of accumulated junk, I mean treasurers, I came across a package of shrink plastic.  That got the wheels turning.

For the first step, I stamped a few images from the Venice Stamp set on shrink plastic (you need to use Staz On for this) and then I cut the images out in basic shapes.  Keep it simple and leave a fair bit of negative space.  I would recommend punching the holes you will need to hang the bits BEFORE you bake them.  I did this with the second batch.

Once the images are stamped and cut out, bake them according to the directions for your brand of shrink plastic.  You may need to flatten the pieces with a spatula as soon as you take them out of the oven.  Images will shrink quite a bit, so choose larger images for the best results.

To give a few of the pieces a soldered metal look I covered the edges with double sided tape and then applied foil in gold and silver.  You may want to cover the foiled pieces with a clear sealant because the tape remains a little tacky.

To complete the necklace, link all of your desired bits together with jump rings and add a few of your favorite 7Gypsies Dangles.  Voila!!  From old junk to a new treasure!