guest post: Connie Fong!

Library Drawer Turned Shadow Box

- Connie Fong

A couple years ago, I found the posts for Deb and Paula’s Junk Drawer Advent Calendar, and I was hooked!  Deb and Paula are designers for 7gypsies and I’ve been following their blog (http://www.2gypsygirls.com/) ever since.  I've been inspired by their many creative ideas.


So fast forward to last month when Deb asked me to create a project for the 7gypsies booth at CHA. I was full of emotions: happy, excited, nervous and scared. How fun it would be to receive a box full of 7gypsies product; but how nervous I was to create a project for them that would live up to their standards.


My assignment was to make a shadow box from the library drawer.  I felt that was doable and allowed me to focus in one area.


I have to share with you how I started the project. I layed out and sorted all the product on my kitchen table. I stared at it all day and then went to bed, not doing anything with the supplies yet, but just allowing the ideas to crystallize in my head.   In the middle of the night the ideas came to me and I got up and sketched this.

The sketch got me going and the next day I put it all together. It’s so much fun to be able to take an item and try to use it in a unique way, such as using the rulers as my dividers. 

Here's some close up shots. One of my favorite items are the apothecary bottles.

I was happy with how it came out and hoped they were, too. (we were SO happy!)


Visit Connie's blog for more fun! http://artfulplay.blogspot.com/

gypsy life: office holiday decorations!

decorating for Christmas has been a really fun time here in the gypsy workshop.

using plenty of gypsy goodies, along with some other trinkets we had laying around, we feel we did a pretty darn good job....take a look....

using our 12 days of Christmas tag kit and some ruby dangles, we hung this adorable garland up in our front window for all the passerby's to see...

we love this little display - an old mirror with speckle spray paint, bottles coated in white spray paint and epsom salt and stuffed with glitter sticks, two thrift store candles, "JOY" cutout of book board and covered in Savannah flocked paper - perfect little holiday display!

don't you love these styrofoam tree's? super easy to make and perfect for an anywhere-in-the-house and must-be-seen-by-all holiday display!

we attached these paper flowers to our window shade! 

one of our gypsies created these using paper and our gears for the flower center

do you remember our DIY on the ruler stars? 

if you missed it, click HERE to see how to make these adorable holiday decorations....

our tree is one decor item us gypsies are pretty proud of...we covered some clear plastic ornaments with our tissue paper (inspired by Ellen Hutson - click HERE for tutorial) and rubbings, created a paper chain with scalloped and glittered edges, some princesca dangles and our gypsy Christmas banner!

does it get any better than this?!

stay tuned to the Gypsy Journal Blog all next week for more holiday decor inspiration from the 7gypsies design team!

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!