Category Archives: Gypsy Soul Lasercuts

The Wearin’ O’ the Green: St. Patrick’s Day Easel Card

St. Patrick’s Day Easel Card for Petaloo International

Oh, the Top of the Mornin’ to you, my friends! There are so many things to be happy about today. It’s March, which means Spring is on its way. Soon the earth will be bursting with beautiful spring flowers and tender green leaves. And, we get to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this month! Since I have Irish roots in my family tree, I love this holiday. We eat fish and chips, enjoy an ice cold Guinness, I bake Irish Soda Bread and we all wear green. Today’s St. Patrick’s Day Easel Card is definitely green!

Believe it or not, with the exception of the gorgeous Petaloo blossoms, this card was made entirely with bits and bobs from my scrap bin. I went foraging for every scrap of leftover green paper I could find…which turned out to be quite a bit. Some of this is Christmas paper, some bits are mixed media backgrounds I created long ago. The sweet vintage style image came to me as an “extra helping” from an order I made at The Funkie Junkie Boutique. It felt so good to create something new and pretty with all these bits and pieces. Do you ever do this?

Green, Green and More Green

After stitching all the patterned papers together, I mounted them onto this 5.5″ square easel card base. Then the real fun began! I dug through my Gypsy Soul Lasercuts chippies and found this stunning Victoria Small Layered Border. After treating the bottom layer with Antique Gold Embossing Powder, I painted the top layer with Antique Linen Distress Paint. The two layers were glued together and secured with binder clips until the glue set. After that, I glued it on the left hand side of the card base.

While that was going on, I die cut 3 Tim Holtz Ornate frames and layered them together with strips of foam tape. Then I trimmed the image and glued it to the back of the frame. To add even more depth, I backed the frame with two layers of waste chipboard. Next, I glued it to the center of my card base.

Now for the ribbon cluster! The base layer is a triple loop bow tied with Moss Green Gingham ribbon. I looped a gold tassel over the center of the bow, then topped it with these gorgeous Pistachio Green Anemones. These bodacious flowers are so flirty! The ruffled layers of petals add the perfect shabby chic touch to the design. Finally, I tied this itty bitty teacup charm to the frame with gold metallic string.

St. Patrick’s Day Easel Card: Building the Stopper

One of the reasons I love to make easel cards is that they display so nicely. To achieve this, you have to build a “stopper” to hold the front cover of the card open. I began the process by laying down a strip of antique crochet trim about midway up the interior of the card. Next, I die cut the green striped paper and matted it with green cardstock. I softened the edges by dry brushing on a little Antique Linen Distress Paint. Gold brads hold the number plaques in place. Finally, I backed it with waste chipboard and glued it in place.

But it looked a little lonely there all by itself. To remedy this, I anchored the corners with Darjeeling Green Mini Garden Rosettes and Green Hydrangea. I was careful to glue just the bottom petals to the striped paper so that the card could open and close. The finishing touch is that cute little shamrock charm. It was originally silver, but I painted it gold. I added the labels and was finally happy.

The Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow

Every St. Patrick’s Day Easel Card needs a pot of gold tucked in somewhere, right? So I added a gift card pocket to the card and filled it with an individually wrapped chocolate. Since I had a couple pieces of mixed media paper on the desk I cut them into little banner flags and glued them in place. Finally, I created the sentiments on the computer, printed them out and added them to finish off the card.

Here’s what the card looks like folded shut.

Do you do anything fun or special for St. Patrick’s Day? I remember dressing for school when I was little, and you had to be sure to wear green so you wouldn’t get pinched! Fun memories…and that’s what paper crafting is all about.

Thanks for joining me here today! May the road rise up to meet you!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Joyous Greetings Woodland Christmas Card

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts: Joyous Greetings Woodland Christmas Card

Hello, Friends! We are just days away from Christmas, and I am still working on Christmas cards! Ay-yi-yi! Thankfully, I found a way to make a truly fabulous Christmas card in very little time. It doesn’t look simple, but I promise you, this Joyous Greetings Woodland Christmas Card comes together in a jiffy. Beautiful chippies from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts make it sparkle and shine.

I added texture, shine and depth to this lovely card with the Medium Honeycomb & Bees set and my favorite Birds Scribble Frame. The process is simple:

Paint chippies with Ivory Chalkboard Paint
While Paint is still wet, sprinkle liberally with Stampendous Gold Tinsel Embossing Powder
Gently tap off the excess and heat set.

It doesn’t get any easier than that!

Once again, I pulled an “oldie but a goodie” from my Christmas paper Stash. My Mind’s Eye Joyous Collection looks fabulous with these golden hues. My focal image is from Polly’s Paper Etsy Shop. The Scribble Bird Frame makes it pop right off the frame. I added more circular elements with a Tim Holtz Rosette, a big red button, a sticker from the collection and some vintage gems. I diluted the chalkboard paint on my craft sheet and spattered it randomly onto the card to add the feeling of a snow flurry.

10 Easy Steps to a Joyous Greetings Woodland Christmas Card

Create a 5×7 Kraft Cardstock card base
Cut a slightly smaller panel of the red glitter dot paper from Joyous
Cut a 3.75×5.75 panel of red damask paper and glue in the top left hand corner of the card, leaving a 3/8″ border on top and side.
Glue the prepared honeycomb over this panel
Add a second panel of the same size using the red glitter text paper. It should be aobut 3/8″ from the bottom edge and 3/4″ to the right of the red damask paper.
Add the bird tag using waste chipboard on the back side to add lots of depth and dimension
Glue Bird Scribble frame in place
Make rosette and glue in place
Top with button and sticker from collection
Add bow, vintage gems and sentiment

A Peek Inside:

I added a stamped sentiment from Tim Holtz’ Doodle Christmas Greetings to the top half of the card. The bottom half is a pocket stuffed with goodies.

These tags and chocolate candy transform the card into a gift. The tags make great tree ornaments. I love to hang them from knobs to add Christmas cheer all over the house.

A Fond Farewell to Gypsy Soul

I wanted to let you all know that this will be my last post as a Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Educator. Now that we live so close to our lovely granddaughters, I am spending much more time with them. This makes my heart happy! But it also means that I have to lighten my work load a little. I had to make the tough decision to step back in order to keep my life in balance. I have loved being on this team, and I will guest design now and again as time allows. I’ll continue to use the product in my post, and will be sure to link to the shop for your convenience. But I just can’t keep up with the time consuming tutorial writing. Life is short, and “The Littles” will not be little forever. I don’t want to regret not having made the most of the amazing opportunity to be with my precious grandchildren as much as possible.

So that’s it for me, my friends! I hope I shared some ideas here that you can incorporate into your own crafting.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

Silent Night Arch Top Reliquary Tutorial

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Silent Night Arch Top Reliquary Tutorial

Hello, Friends! I don’t know about you, but I’m a huge fan of wintry blues. The colors remind me of my childhood when the evening light turned the crystal white snow into a soft, faded blue. Walking up our big hill toward home with the snow crunching under my feet and my breath billowing out in puffs of frozen air always gave me a feeling of peace and happiness. I tried to capture that feeling when creating this Silent Night Arch Top Reliquary Tutorial for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts.

Working with this Arch Top Reliquary from GSL was a wonderful experience. It’s very quick and easy to assemble and has so many pretty details. These chipboard snowflakes have amazing detail and are also quick to alter. My wintry tree is from the Winter Shape Set.

These tiny pinecones are treated with white gesso as were all the chipboard pieces. I share all the details for this piece in the Snapguide tutorial below. But here are a few more photos for you to enjoy.

I love the airy, almost magical feeling these white feathers lend to the piece. Same with the silver skeleton leaves.

The paper I’ve used is Kaisercraft’s new Frosted Collection. It’s dreamy!

Faber-Castell Glitter Bead Gel makes the most perfect snow.

As promised, here’s the Silent Night Arch Top Reliquary Tutorial for you to follow along on Snapguide. I hope you enjoy!

Check out How to Winter Reliquary Arch With Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts by Kathy Clement on Snapguide.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Cheerio,

kathy

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St. Nicholas Gift Box, Shaker Card & Ornament

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts: St. Nicholas Gift Box, Shaker Card & Ornament

Hello, Friends! It’s time for another Snapguide tutorial for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts. This time I’m sharing a great way to usethe new Double Sided Ornament from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts. I love to make cards that are a gift all by themselves. Today I’ll share a Snapguide with you showing you how to create this lovely boxed gift set.

Here is the box. I used a blank kraft card box that I had in my stash and decorated it

with Saint Nicholas papers, Petaloo flowers and gorgeous GSL snowflakes.

This pretty card is inside the box…..

….along with a little keepsake ornament. Instead of making a double sided ornament, I used one half on my card front as a shaker element. It’s twice the fun!

Here’s a closer look at some of the details.

Distress Grit paste makes wonderful “snow” especially when you sprinkle it with glitter!

And here’s a Snapguide Tutorial that so you can see all the steps that went into making this ensemble.

Check out How to Make St. Nicholas Card & Matching Ornament for GSL by Kathy Clement on Snapguide.

I think this would make a great holiday hostess gift, a wonderful teacher appreciation gift, or Secret Santa gift. You could also display the set on your holiday mantel or side table. I hope you’ll give it a try!

Thanks for stopping by!
Cheerio,
kathy

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts:

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Thanksgiving Harvest Mini Album Tutorial

Thanksgiving Harvest Mini Album Tutorial and Video Tour for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts

Hello, Friends! My favorite holiday is right around the corner! Thanksgiving is the perfect time to gather with family and friends, enjoy good food, play games, laugh and take photos! To help you capture all those great memories, I’ve created this Thanksgiving Harvest Mini Album Tutorial. I’ve used the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Bracket Edged Stagger Mini Album and Fall Shape set along with the gorgeous Authentique Harvest papers. Get out your scissors and pencils because class is in session!

Thanksgiving Harvest Mini Album Tutorial YouTube Video Tour

Because I am a visual learner, I like to experience the flow of an album via a video tour. In this short tour, I’ll share tips and tricks for working with chipboard and demonstrate how all the various interactive elements of the album work. I think you’ll find it is a good introduction to the Snapguide tutorial below.

Thanksgiving Harvest Snapguide Tutorial

This Snapguide tutorial will guide you step by step through the process of building your album. You will learn how to use embossing powders and paints to alter your chips, see how I assembled each page and find a complete supply list within this tutorial. Enjoy!

Check out How to Thanksgiving GSL Bracket Edged Mini Stagger Album by Kathy Clement on Snapguide.

Here are some still photos for you to enjoy!

I hope I’ve shared some techniques that you will enjoy trying. Making little albums like this is pure joy for me, and I hope you’ll be inspired to make one yourself!