Sunday, July 15, 2012

Alpha Stamps Gypsy Fever Blog Hop!

It is time for another really fun blog hop with Alpha Stamps.  This time there is a bit of a challenge, but it is worth investigating, because there is a $100 prize to be had.  To enter, simply find the secret words in our posts, unscramble the saying and leave the answer as a comment on the AS blog!  Correct answers that have been posted on the AS blog will be entered for the chance to win the prize!

I have been so excited to show off this project to all of you, as it has been in the works for a while!  Be warned, there are lots of pictures in this post.  I designed this little gypsy caravan for Alpha Stamps, as they are hosting a gypsy swap.  I had so much fun with this theme, I just may have to join in the fun.




I had some challenges with my little bottle cap wheels.  It seems my first choices in glue were poor, so my first photo session was an absolute disaster.  The wheels were popping off left and right!    




I like how the book rings look like big hoops a gypsy just might wear.  The cool thing is I could add more cars to my caravan if I choose too or I could split them up.  




First we shall take a peek inside and see what these gypsy folk are up to.  I loved the imagery used here.  Alpha Stamps has a lovely selection of imagery in this theme.  As always, there is a sale that goes with the current swap to sweeten the deal.   




The central image above was black and white, which would not work in my project.  To solve this, I simply used colored pencils to color it in a palate that worked for me.  I love the new beaded trim Alpha Stamps now has, very fun.




Each of the wheels of the caravan are simply bottle caps painted with gesso on the inside and then two layers of gears.  I was able to mix and match my gears to create a number of different wheel styles.  This proved to be problematic, as when I had my wheel issue, I did not pay attention when reattaching them and made some matching errors. All is well now!  




One thing that really made this project easy was the wonderful Gypsy Sister paper from Alpha Stamps  which was used as a background on all of my caravan. I absolutely fell in love this paper and I so wish I had gotten the whole stack!  I call a sell out on this item for sure.  




The rich colors of this paper works well with the theme, but it is typically not a palate I usually gravitate towards.  I am slowly starting to embrace colors beyond vintage brown!!!




Now we can take a peek to see how the "back" of my pages turned out.  I tried to make them look like the outside of a caravan.  As I researched caravans on the Internet with good old Google, I noticed that they often were brightly colored, had flowers or plants and they were very ornate.  




Resin windows got an aged finish with my favorite...Guilders Paste




Here a gypsy peers from behind a gilded window.




It is hard to tell, but on this car I used a spray ink and a stencil to add some texture as the paper was a bit plain.




And here is the caboose, so to speak.  A bit of filigree and a cool key hole finish off the last of my cars, at least for now.  My favorite, Dresden scrap borders, also add a bit of ornate detail to this car.  





I hope this project inspires those of you who are considering joining in the fun swap.  It was a blast to create, and I had so much fun showing it off to you. 

Be sure to check out the rest of the hop as there is a prize to be had, if you can crack the code and find the fortune!

Cheers, 

Rhea

33 comments:

  1. wow Rhea I have always admired your art..you gypsy caravan is awesome and I agree on the red heart paper it is awesome and if it sells out I hope it's to me..haha
    awesome Rhea.
    hugs,
    susan s.

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  2. Rhea, this is so awesome. I love the detail in each of the 'cars' and the overall color and theme. Gypsy travellers - in this caravan they will have a ball, a gypsy ball. Theresa Goldman

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  3. I saw this at the gallery! Love it!

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  4. So unique! A lovely idea and great theme!

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  5. Fabulous job Rhea! I love the windows on the one side and the gypsies on the other. Using the jump rings to connect them is so clever! Hugs Laura

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  6. Hi Rhea, What an awesome Caravan! The added techniques you used to create this piece were simply genious and added so much intrigue to the piece. Thank you for sharing such a great piece with all of us.
    Take care, Diane

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  7. The bottlecaps were a great idea. I also love the windows on one side with the gypsy paper on the other. Beautiful colors.

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  8. This is an awesome project. The detail is amazing. Love those bottlecap wheels.

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  10. One can never have too many pictures of a project like yours! I love your gypsy caravan...so dreamy and romantic. Well done!

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  11. Your Caravan piece is amazing..love it.
    Barbara Bird
    MdStrwbery@aol.com

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  12. What a charming and intriguing train of gypsies! Thanks for mentioning Guilder's Paste. I've been forgetting it of late.

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  13. this is amazing!! So happy you forged thru and got those wheels working! :)

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  14. I love your caravan!!! It provides such inspirations with so many things added that I would never have thought of!!! Now I will tear apart my craftroom (like it isn't already torn up LOL) to find all kinds of goodies to use. Your blog post did help me decide to participate in this swap!!! I am excited!!

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  15. Rhea, your caravan in really awesome. I think they were worth your effort! Fantastique!!! So clever.

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  16. These are absolutely amazing. I really want to try this. What kind of paper or cardboard did you use as a "template" for the caravans?

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  17. I just love your Gypsy Traveling Caravan. Very Clever!
    Thank you for sharing your wonderful Gypsy Traveling Caravan.

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  18. Just gorgeous and I love the bottlecap wheels!

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  19. Stunning caravan! Thank you so much for sharing it with us, it truly is beautiful work.

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  20. Nice photos, but so much more gorgeous in person!

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  21. Ditto to what Lynn said. The colors are so rich - they are all so wonderful...

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  22. Embrace colors! You nailed it sista! Beautiful and outrageously colored! Any gypsy would swoon with those colors and want, want, want! Way to go!

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  23. This is absolutely filled with wonder and delight.

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  24. Such a lovely caravan! I love your paper and use of bottle caps! Brilliant!

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  25. Your caravan is a magical!

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  26. Gorgeous, Rhea. Love the way you used colors. I think the backs are just as great as the fronts!

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  27. How clever and stunning! It sure was a ton of work, but the outcome was so worth it! Love it to pieces! Happy to follow you and off to check out the rest!

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  28. Your traveling gypsy caravan is colorful and entertaining! So many great embellishments and eye candy to choose from! It looks like it took alot of time and effort to do so effortlessly!I just love it so much!;)

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  29. I really like the colors and feeling of your gypsy caravan. That's what I envision when I think of them as well. Blessings!

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All the comments and feedback you leave affirms my creative spirit on a very deep level. I am grateful for your time and readership!