Wicked Circus 3D Postcard

Hello hello hello!  Last month someone tracked me down through a project seen on Pinterest.  The wanted a circus-themed piece for their theatre dressing room as they prepared for nightly shows.  We decided to go a little dark for the play's dilapidated mid-century setting.

While I've done altered tins and keepsake greeting cards with a circus theme, my customer favored the 4x6 postcard form I used for a local art gallery fundraiser.

My customer's role is fortune teller.

On the back is a single-layer vintage image of circus performers you might not want to meet in the darkness between tents!

I'm imagining it hung on the mirror in a dark, dusty theatre.

Thanks for visiting today!

Cheers,
Susan

It's A Pocket Circus!

Hi crafty folks!  On today's blog I have a pocket full of circus to share with you.  I used the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Tiny Matchbox Theatre.  It's 2 1/2" x 3" (6.35cm x 7.6cm)!

There are two sets in this photo to show how they arrive and how to fold at the score lines.

I painted the outside edges black.  I also painted the inside flaps since I knew they would be visible.  Next I used white craft glue to close all but the top.  I measured the inside aerialist panel to fit so I could slide that panel in from the top.

For a pull knob, I measured the center of the side panel (you *don't* want me to eyeball it...) and poked a hole.  You can sort of see the hole in this photo!  From the inside I threaded the knob base and left it in to attach the knob later.

In this photo you can also see the scrap chipboard I glued in to raise the aerialist panel to the center of the matchbox.

I inserted the layered aerialist panel and used a clamp and scrap chipboard to let the glue set.  After it set I used varying grits of sandpaper to even out the edges and give it a worn look.  The black paper is super fine and is great to sand away any extra glue, also.

Next I glued the matchbox sleeve and clamped to let the glue set.  You can see the finished matchbox theatre in the background.

I cut the outside paper and scored it to wrap around the bottom.  I couldn't bear to cut off the heads!

Here is the completed sleeve!  I inked the edges with brown ink and used gold Dresden trim to finish it off.  (The top and back of the sleeve were painted black.)

The inside has layered aerialists just hanging around.  If you click to enlarge the photo you can see the layering a bit better.

Thanks for visiting today!

Cheers,
Susan

GSL CUTS USED

Tiny Matchbox Theatre #C40D

OTHER SUPPLIES USED

Liquitex black acrylic paint
White craft glue
Vintage aerialist images
Ranger TH Gathered Twig ink
TH knob

Boardwalk Memories

Hello crafty folks!

Sometimes I'm lucky enough that a base object instantly inspires.  Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts' Dimensional Window Kit and Seaside Decor did exactly that, allowing me to create four different scenes for this fantastic G45 paper.

The Dimensional Window Kit is made of 5 separate parts: 3 duplicate window layers, a solid back, and a cellophane window to fit between the layers of your choice.  I didn't end up using the cello sheet but will save it for another project.

I started out gesso-ing the window front panel and all the seaside pieces.  I chose to leave the seaside pieces in their original frame in the hopes I wouldn't cover up too much of the yummy laser-burned shadow on the sides.  In hindsight, it also helped speed up the process since I didn't need to handle small fiddly bits.  You'll see further on how I handled excess gesso on the sides.

Next I picked the paper to cover the front frame, flipped it over and outlined the windows and outer edge with pencil.  I used a finger blade to cut along the lines and turned it over.  The next step was to take that paper and decide which scenes to put in each window.

As you might guess, I changed my mind on the blue wave paper and went with a darker one, below.  I glued it to the front window panel and allowed to dry.  Then I sanded the edges down with fine and superfine sandpaper.  Brown ink went all over the edges to give it an aged feel.  

To preserve the shadow effect *and* fill in spots I touched with the white gesso, I used a brown marker on and around the edges.  Yes, I'm that picky.  ::grin::

Time to work on the Seaside Decor bits!  This was all kinds of experimentation.  Haha!  To create texture on the waves I painted slightly-watered-down molding paste.  After it dried I painted a couple shades of blue.

The umbrella got a multi-color treatment.  It's vintage-y!  I glued sand to the starfish and sand dollar by smearing them in the medium then sprinkling a lot of sand on them.  Once they dried I was able to gently rub the edges to clean off excess glue and sand.  Not pictured is a peachy coat of paint on the 3rd shell.

The next two photos show the pieces I've cut out and edge-inked with brown.  I wanted to take advantage of all the Dimensional Window Kit layers so I started planning out where to put them.  

Before anything was attached, I added hanging hardware to the back.

In these panels, I glued the inside layers and laid out the top layer.  From left to right, Dad's first layer and the boy's only layer are attached, as well as the first wave layer in the lower right.  The second panel has the postcard stamp and the second wave layer.  

Here all the inside layering bits are glued in and I wanted to assemble the Dimensional Window Kit.  I used more of the matte medium and a lot of clamps to dry overnight. Next day it was time to attach all the fun pieces to the top layer!  

Here you can see the layering completed.  I also added the cut-out Coney Island sign to give that window pane a little more dimension. 

Thanks so much for visiting today.  Happy crafting!

Cheers,
Susan

Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Used
Dimensional Window Kit #D174WD
Seaside Decor #C40B

Other Supplies Used
Graphic 45 "On The Boardwalk" paper
Tim Holtz Distressed Ink Pad & Pen in Gathered Twig and Ground Espresso
Helmar Scrap Dots dimensional glue under dad and son
Zig blue pen glue
Ranger Glue & Seal Matte Medium
Golden Molding Paste diluted with a little water
Acrylic paint - Liquitex, Golden, craft, gesso