A Full Moon Mobile

Some people love the sea... I love the night sky and light of the moon. I've made myself a little mobile so that I might have a slice of that celestial magic inside.

I'm really pleased with how it came out and it was really quite simple. I even have a tutorial for you below, but first a  couple of notes about this project:

• Don't fret if you can't find the wooden shapes I used. You can absolutely cut your own from cardboard

• Really, really, really play around with balance to find where the best placement of your stars and moon, and also where to place the hanging wire.

• I 100% DO NOT recommend this project for above a baby crib. Bark, fishing line, glitter and tiny stars that might come loose may all pose a danger to little ones. Don't risk it!

• I only decorated the front of the pieces because I'll be hanging my mobile against a wall. If you want to suspend yours you may want to decorate both sides of your stars and moon.

Okay? Okay.

Here are all the things I used:
Wooden circle and stars
Old sheet music
Glue
Acrylic Paint
Nail file
Glitter
Twig
Acrylic stars
Fishing line

And, finally, here's how it's made it:

If you make your own, please tag me when you're showing off. It really is the best compliment and it helps promote my little crafty mess making heaps and heaps. Plus, I just love to see what you're making ;)

NOW GO MAKE SOME MOON MAGIC!!!!

Starry Tags with Tutorial for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts

This month for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts I've used their 3 tag set to create something starry and dreamy.

With some layers of paint, chipboard stars and glitter those kraft coloured tags are transformed.

They are the perfect backdrop for the sentiments and vintage images found on THIS Stars and Dreamers Collage Sheet (which is totally free to download because I love you.)

If you need a little guidance putting these beauties together, I've put together a video tutorial for you.

I do use a fair few layers of colour... but I honestly think that multiple washes add a depth of colour and visual interest that is incomparable to a slap of thick paint.

But hey! if a thick coat of acrylic is your thing... go for it! Art and craft is all about YOU, the maker. I wholeheartedly encourage you to do what works for you.

Here are all the bits I used to create these starry sparkly tags:

Stars and Dreamers *FREE* Collage Sheet

Gypsy Soul Tags

Keys Engraved
Printers Ornament Corners
Swirl Medallion Small

Deco Stars

Acrylic Paint (also used 

Glue
Glitter

Metal Ring
Ribbon/Fibers

Stars and Dreamers FREE Collage Sheet

“What Is Love? I have met in the streets a very poor young man who was in love. His hat was old, his coat worn, the water passed through his shoes and the stars through his soul”
― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

Stars and dreamers. Oh, so important.

Here's a free* collage sheet for you. Because.

*Seriously, it's free but don't be a dink and pass this off as your own, or sell it, or redistribute it. Enjoy it and make good arty shit with it!

Magical Masquerade ATC's

This months kit at Alphastamps.com is themed "Beauty and the Beast" but I've run with the Midnight Masquerade papers and made a handful of pretty magical masquerade ATC's instead.



The colours are juicy and gem like and look lush with copper highlights. I applied some thick acrylic medium with the Quatrefoil Texture Sheet and Diamonds Texture Sheet to create some three dimentional texture.

NOTE: If you want to use your texture sheet over and over again, try a couple of coats of marine varnish to protect it and make the card super durable.



This card has adorable Small Mulberry Blossoms and pretty Lavender Purple Gardenias.



Those little Clear Iridescent Star Sequins on all of the cards are really quite nice and rather dreamy. I thought they seemed quite a bit thicker than most sequins I've worked with before.



And how gorgeous are those Gardenias in Mixed Cream Yellow Orange?



I think they turned out quite nicely. All dreamlike and rich.

See a card you like and want to swap? Shoot me a note and we can make a trade!

Want to make your own? Here's a list of all the bit's I used for these ones.

Art Deco Party #2 Collage Sheet
The Secret Collage Sheet
Costumes Collage Sheet
Midnight Masquerade
Gardenias in Mixed Cream Yellow Orange
Small Mulberry Blossoms
Lavender Purple Gardenias
Mini Rose Buds - Turquoise Variegated*
Turquoise Blue Mini Paper Blooms
Small White Mulberry Blossoms*
Clear Iridescent Star Sequin
Quatrefoil Texture Sheet
Diamonds Texture Sheet

Nyx and the Benevento Walnut Tree

I finished the work in progress I showed off yesterday. While it could have gone in a million different directions, this piece is all about the goddess Nyx.

 

Nyx has existed from the beginning. She is the goddess of the Night and the mother of Light and Day (as well as gods of dreams, sleep, death, pain and more).

In one version of her mythology, she was a great black bird and laid an egg from which Eros, the golden winged Spirit of Love emerges.

At the centre of the piece there's a tree that represents the Benevento Walnut Tree. This magical tree was said to be a gathering place for Italian witches. It's roots reached down to the other world and the witches would draw up its power by dancing around the trunk. Nyx was one of the goddesses venerated at the tree.

There are also some tiny handmade paper poppies in there too, said to be sacred to her.

That little glass bauble? A piece made by my friend and glass artist Marc Bourdon.

When I completed this doodad I slipped outside, into the dark. Despite the sky being covered in clouds, I saw a shooting star whiz by. I'm going to take that as a good omen. Maybe even a wink of approval! And I think I'll keep this piece with me for a while.

The materials for this piece are from all over the place but I'll do my best to list what I can.

Wooden House Frame - from Michaels
Wing Assortment
Small Wings
Bronze Hand CharmFloral Border Sticks
Flourishes 2
Adhesive back pearls
Metal Filigree
Metal Wings
Florist Wire
Twig
Old paper
Glitter!!!!
Acrylic paint
Moss
Woodland Scenics Clump Foliage
Glass bauble - glass artist Marc Bourdon

P.S. If you're interested in learning more about this sort of thing, goddesses, spirits and the like, Judika Illes' book 'Encyclopedia of Spirits' might be just the resource you're looking for.

A Midsummer Faerie Theatre

"Tis almost fairy time"

That line is from my favourite Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Nights Dream. It's the inspiration for my project for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts this month, A Midsummer Faerie Theatre, perfectly timed for the upcoming summer solstice (in the Northern hemisphere anyway).

I haven't used glitter in the past couple of projects fir Gypsy Soul *gasps!* so I made up for it on this one. Even my little Titania, Queen of the Faeries, has glitter encrusted on her wings. The image I've used here is from The Graphics Fairy, which is an excellent source of quality free images btw.

Inside the chipboard Stage there are glittery branches, moss, flowers, leaves, toadstools... all the good stuff.

This month Gypsy Soul is pairing with Altered Pages, who supplied us with these Muse Dragonfly rubber stamps. Now, I've got to be honest, I am not a stamper. I rarely use stamps so including them was a challenge for me. I've stamped the image on to thick card, cut out, then applied some gold embossing powder to the body of the dragon and damselflies. They're finished off with some glitter and tucked into those sparkly branches.

Gypsy Soul is also partnered with Xyron and I used their 3" Sticker Maker to not only add the trims you see on the piece, but also as an adhesive to apply embossing powder to the top bunting and moon.

If you'd like to see how this piece came together there's a video walk though of it's creation HERE 

Thinking of making your own version? Here's a round up of all the supplies used:

Stage
Banner Border Strip
Stars and Moons Cutouts

Altered Pages Muse Dragonfly Rubber Stamp
Xyron 3" Sticker Maker
Flat-Back Gold Star Studs - 12mm*
Mini Floral Dresden Borders - Antique Gold
1/2 Inch Pale Pink Paper Roses*
1/2 Inch Red Paper Roses*
Demon Box Feet*
Medium Pine Cones
Small Pine Cones
Art Nouveau Winged Women*
Nouveau Goddess - Raw Brass Stamping

Green Pearl Radiant Rain Shimmering Mist

Leaves from Petaloo Botanica Sugared Blooms
Vintage image from The Graphics Fairy
Acrylic paint
Spackling

ColourArte Twinkling H2O's
ColourArte Radiant Rain Mist
Twigs
Glue
Glitter
Embossing powder