DIY Vintage Bohemian Chic

I hate to keep repeating myself but just for any new followers I will... lol. I lived in a Victorian home in California for 20 years. At that time I love Shabby Chic, but as I aged so did my love of color. When we moved here several years back, I decided for the first time in my life that I wanted new things. We had a house built and I bought the main furniture new. I still had a few old pieces that I just could not give up but I thought I could mix them with the new and come up with my "style". I just felt like I was living in a hotel, so I looked at my art (since that is what I love) and noticed that I just love things that are earth tones, old, rusted, tattered and worn. Looking around the net I discovered what I really wanted was something between Steampunk (Victorian with a futuristic twist) and Vintage Bohemian... I think I am leaning more toward the Vintage Bohemian.

 

 I had a ton of those vintage pink rose shabby chic sheets in storage... just not my style anymore. So I got out my bottle of brown dye and went to work. They came out more of a mauve than they did brown but I still loved them. I think they totally look great on my bed and I really feel I have captured that Gypsy feel with the mix of textures and colors. I also had not realized how much I missed the feel of those vintage cotton sheets... there is just nothing like them :)

The Count's Castle

I have been working on this for some time now. I actually started the graphic's for it last year. I had wanted to do it for Halloween but time flew by and I knew I was not going to make it. So I started a Nutcracker theater, thinking I would have time to get that done before the Christmas season. Well that did not happen...lol
 

So off season or no I tend to work on my holiday projects year round because as you know by now, if I don't then it doesn't get done :)) I am calling this one "The Counts Castle" but I do intend to make some completer sheets for it in the future. Then it can be dressed for "The princess and the pea, Sleeping Beauty (a friends idea) and yes of course Haunted Halloween! It also might be a fun place for Marie Antoinette and her court to live.For those of you who have purchased the digital kit from my little etsy store, I also wanted to do a quick rundown on how I made it. I started with an old jewelry box from the local thrift shop. Then I cut a hole in the top. I left this kinda big so that it would be easy for little hands to maneuver the puppets.
 

Then I covered the box with the brick paper also in the kit. My box measured 7 inches high and 10 wide so the background paper was longer than the interior wall. Instead of wallpapering it to the back and bending it around the corners, I bowed it and just glued it in along the sides. I loved how it gave it a real theater feel.
 

I did the puppets, facade and the towers as I always do. I printed them on brochure paper but you can also use a light weight photo paper. Then I used spray glue to attach it to a medium weight matte board. You can purchase medium weight matt board at your local office supply store or just use the light weight gift boxes you get at the dollar store. Cut all the pieces out and sand the edges with a emery board..the heavy ones for artificial nails.
 

I curled the towers up and attached them to the sides. You can make them more pliable by pressing it against the corner edge of a table, in a sawing motion move the tower from side to side and it will start to curl, then go ahead and roll it into a tube. This way you will not get any wrinkles or bends in the matt board. Be sure to use a marker on the edges of all you pieces too. That way no one will see cut cardboard on the edges. If you do it right, it will be hard to tell it from a die cut image.

I have used some little wire puppet stands for display I used the picture from My Gotcher theater so you can see what the stands look like. Wands for "The show" and stands for display :) Don't forget to put a tab on the back of your doll to hook your wand to.

 

Little Clown Free Printable

What a cutie she is!

Feel free to pin the thumb above but please do not pin the actual download. I would like everyone to stop by here to download it so they don't miss all my other fun free downloads

Just me and my art, tutorials and free printable

 

Well I guess it is back to "All about me" :)) and things around this house has been just crazy. I did get this frame done and I am also adding a tutorial on how to make authentic looking cab cards below and a free printable to start you off.

The about me part, I have had company for the past couple of weeks and the last of them went home on the 3rd. Whew I thought! My son called me the next morning and told me my beautiful little grandson was sick. It did not look to serious but he was taking him to a doctors appointment. I told him to call me and let me know how he was. Shortly later my son called again and said that the little guy had Fifth disease, a virus that most children get. Between the time he had called me and the time he got him to the doctor he had broken out in the most awful red rash and even some blisters. So he had it to a more severe degree than most. It is not a virus that will really harm him as it will run it's course but if his momma who is 4 months pregnant contracted it there was a risk of significant harm to the unborn baby : / The doctor said it would be best if our little guy and his momma stayed in separate houses... sooo I have a sick little guy for the next week and his momma is in tears too since she can't be there for her sick little one. My son has been running back and forth between the two houses but each time he goes home he has to shower so our little momma doesn't catch it. I just keep saying "Gosh what next!" ... lol

How about how to make authentic looking cab cards! 

First you will need to print your image (and you can use the one below) on semi gloss brochure paper. Then you need some light weight matt board, like the white gift boxes you can get from the dollar store. Oh yes, you will also need a can of craft spray glue.

Cut out the image you are going to use for the front of the cab card and spray glue the backside. Stick it to the light weight matt board and let that dry. Cut out the image you are going to use for the backside leaving about a 14 inch extra around the edges. Spray the backside of your image with glue. Then lay the image already on the matt board onto a light box or hold it against a window so you can see where the edges of the card will be. Align the front image with the back image. Once dry using your already cut out image, cut the matt board and the backside image to match the front.

Use a heavy emery board to sand the edges and round the corners.

Use an ink that matches the print all around the edges also touching it here and there direct to the paper on both the front and the back. Then blend it all with a blending solution or a blending pen. Since I had used a laser printer, I could just use alcohol.

 

I also bend it here and there and bang the corners to give them the look of having been handled through the years.

I placed mine in the frame above with some originals and as you can see it is difficult to tell the difference.

 

 

Now for the printable :)

Feel free to pin the thumbs below but please do not pin the actual download. I would like everyone to stop by here to download it so they don't miss all my other fun free downloads

Enjoy!

Inka

Flaunting on Friday no more :(

Well I think I gave it a try but I had so many problems. First of all the linky did not work half the time. I had so many tell me that it made my blog load slow or they could not figure out how to use it. I did not find too many who were interested either :( But the entries I did get were phenomenal! and I so enjoyed each one! I want to offer a special thank you to everyone who entered!
This week I had to choose the "Clock Maker Box" by Nancy over at The Trinket Collector. It is the perfect little box for a little wind up "steampunk" to live in and I just love the way she scrunched the clock faces!
 

Congratulations Nancy ... Visit my little etsy store and choose a single collage sheet. Email me your choice and I will get that sent off to you :)