A little more gypsy love

Well it seems I have been going on and on about gypsies for a while.  It seems there are a few more, with a story to tell.   I made these three pieces for the swap that Alpha Stamps is currently hosting with the lovely gypsy theme.

And here are the respective backs of each piece. 

I used a ton of my left over swag from my DT kit to make these little caravan pieces.  There is a ton of fun little embellishings.  I added all my filigree wheels with eyelets to ensure that they stay in place.   

I really love this one, I hope she finds a good home along with the rest of them.  Hopefully I will have time to post what I get in return.  The gypsy love just keeps on coming!

Cheers, 

Rhea

Gypsy Love with full Art Abandon

I recently posted this sweet little gypsy love shrine on my blog.  It is a simple piece, and if you choose you can read a bit more about it here.

I received a very thoughtful comment on my blog post from a faithful follower, Joanne Huffman.  She stated, "It's a lovely piece. I can see it tucked away in a Gypsy caravan, pulled out in twilight and looked lovingly upon by an older man with sweet memories."  

I was struck by what she wrote.  My imagination began to wander and I wanted this little piece to find it's proper home.  I quickly made the decision to abandon my piece of art.  If you are interested in reading more about this fascinating art movement, check out the Facebook page, all are welcome. 

  

Now, to go with the gypsy theme I knew I wanted a creative wrapper.  I found a handmade doily that I purchased in an auction and I thought I would wrap it up "hobo" style.  A small card was made for the finder with my information as well as the art group's card and email address.  Perhaps the find will be recorded, perhaps not.  It is all about letting it go and not being attached to the outcome.  

I knew that due to the gypsy theme of this piece that I want to set my gypsy love free near train tracks.  A bit of wandering around downtown Kalamazoo and I had found what I thought to be the perfect spot.  Now, while it may not appear so in photos, this is a very busy spot.  You can even see the train tracks in the background too.  Call it coincidence, I even passed a tattoo parlor called "Gypsy Tears" when seeking my not so hidden spot!  I knew I was getting warmer.  This overgrown gated city lot, in the heart of a ton of cool Kalamazoo businesses, looked pretty abandoned and seemed to be the perfect place to leave my little prize behind.  

Perhaps this little Gypsy Love shrine will now find it's proper home.  No matter where it ends up, this was a very fun way to spend a bit of my Sunday morning.  Thanks Joanne and Michael Demeng for all the inspiration. 

Cheers, 

Rhea

Tiny Gypsy Shrine

I made this little shrine a while ago, and I forgot had not yet posted it.  I have been lagging in my art production of late, but I hope to get some inspiration this weekend.  I was quite happy to find something to post as I was enjoying a lazy Saturday morning online.

The base of this tiny creation is an exquisite shrine from Alpha Stamps.  The blue tint comes from my favorite, guilders paste.  A layer of acrylic paint and then some kromocrackle and I had a really nice textured shrine base to work with. 

Brass Filigree Corners, that were also altered with paste and paint, were added to the top portion of the shrine.  Adding this type of brass finding to any project is a simple way to add a very nice detail.  The imagery also comes from Alpha Stamps.  I love the scale of this particular sheet as the images are much smaller.

Since the shrine kits has layers, I wanted to cover up some of the evidence of construction.  I used a bit of tissue tape and then added layers of paint and patina color.  Another small detail is a bit of trim added for another layer of texture.  

I hope to head into my creative cave today and play with the gypsies a bit more as I am participating in a gypsy swap through Alpha Stamps.  Sometimes having something I "have to do" helps get me out of a creative rut...which I have been in for some time. 

Bring on the gypsy mojo!

Cheers, 

Rhea

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

Gypsy Charm

I was absolutely thrilled to tap into my jewelry making roots when I came up with this project for Alpha Stamps.  In my opinion jewelry is really like assemblage, so I think that is why I like both of those genres of art so much.  The gypsy theme opened up so many possibilities as far as charm elements.  Hearts, birds, celestial, religious, nature, coins, really anything can fit into the traveler theme.  I made lots of bead dangles as well to fill out this piece and add color. 

I used lots of guilders paste to unite the different finishes of the charms.  I wish I had guilders paste in every color offered.  Right now I am making do with copper, black and patina. Liver of Sulfur was also used to age some of the raw brass.  It is a smelly process, but the outcome is grand. 

I used lots and lots of charms from Alpha Stamps.  They are actually on sale for a few days in honor of my little creation, how cool is that.  There are also free gifts to be had with your order until supplies run out, so check it out here.



There is more gypsy art coming soon so be sure to follow along for lots of enchanting projects.

Cheers,

Rhea