Starburst Tramp Art Frame: Completion!

What is that shiny, bright thing in the sky??  Finally!  Boy have we earned this sunny, warm, and rain free weekend coming up!  With the arrival of this sunny stretch, I am glad to put the finishing touches on my Starburst Tramp Art frame. 

This piece was completed in a soft burnt orange, antique teal highlights and pops of gold gilding.  The colors came out amazing and have been finished with four coats of finish.  After lots of love and care, I am pleased with the end results.  This piece measures 15" x 15" and can hold a mirror or a  4 3/4" x 4 3/4" photo.  This frame consists of approx. 88 hand chipped wood pieces and from 4 to 7 layers of tramp art.

 

 

So pleased with the precise cuts and more uniform wood chipping!  The additional time spent on  a more accurate design,  pattern pieces and exact cuts has really paid off in the end product.  They are still a little quirky and "trampy" but that's what makes me love them so much.  A little off here, a little worn there, and definitely one of a kind!

 

Now back to the sketch book to figure out my next piece.  With the 4th of July coming up, I'm leaning towards a patriotic piece.  I'm thinking old glory in tramp art!  We'll see....

 

This piece is available for sale!  Please message me if you are interested in this Downeast Tramp frame.

 

Happy Tramping,

 

Angie

Owl Love Tramp Art Frame is COmplete!

Since I have a hard time blogging mid project, I have some catching up to do!

Let see.  Where did I leave off?

After painting and chipping the pieces, I did a quick dry run to make sure all of the colors where working together and that I liked them. I've started painting before I chip.  I think that painting them first then chipping gives the pieces more definition. More of a color variance between pieces.

Yep!  Looks good.  Can't wait to see how they look antiqued! The pieces were then chipped and individually sanded.This step is the roughest on my hands.  I've learned to protect them with gloves and such but they still tend to get sore and a little stiff.  Probably due to those wood chipping marathons I have which usually include many episodes of Downton Abbey.  Highly recommend the show! 

The frame was assembled and a few pieces were tweaked here and there.  A couple of new elements were added and it was ready for antiquing.  I had read about a different antiquing technique and tried it on this piece and have to say that I am quite happy with the results.  With lots of love (buffing and rubbing) the colors are all amazingly rich and warm.  I Love Him!!!!  I am finally getting the warm and rich pieces that I have been looking for.  This frame is my favorite creation so far!

 

 

 

 

Well...I will be able to enjoy him for the next week or so until he finds his new home.

I can't wait to start my next project!  I've got some great pieces looking for their new purpose.  Will it be the round antique table top made into a round tramp art frame?  Gotta call my glass cutter on that one!

Happy Tramping,

Angie

The World may never knOW!

Remember this guy?? 

Boy! Am I dating myself here?!  This is Mr. Owl of course.  "Mr. Owl, How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop?"  Another owl from my childhood that stands out and takes me back to simpler times.

I'm thinking that my old crate owl frame definitely resembles the all knowing Mr. Owl.  After a coat of antiquing medium, several coats of varnish, decorative tacks for eyes and hanging hardware, my Mr. Owl is complete!  The antiquing medium really deepened the teals and yellows, and found all of the cracks and crevices to give this piece a well worn but loved look.  You can really see the old wood but still have that warm time worn color to liven things up.

 

 

I really tried to make his backside as pretty as the front while leaving the crate label as much intact as possible.  A piece of colorful antique cigar box was used as a frame backing with frame buttons for an easy photo change.  The way Mr. Owl was made, he is able to be hung on the wall or sit nicely on a desk.

I'm hoping to enjoy him for the day and then send him onto his new home! And of course, Mr. Owl's answer to every child of the 70's question about tootsie roll pops....

The world may never know!

Happy Tramping

Angie

Old Crate Owl: What a hoOT!

I am fully enjoying the creation of the old crate owl frame but of course, am struggling with keeping it simple.  This is one frame where less is definitely more.  Rough, vintage wood calls for a simple, primitive design.  Not a refined, precise design but simplistic, chucky pieces. 

I've cut the frame pieces out of old crate wood that has lots of wear and character. I've tried to include the nail holes where I could and have left the grain of the wood lightly sanded.

What a great surprise to cut into the pieces, to have the amazing smell of this hard wood waft into my face.  I'm slowly learning how to identify different types of wood, but am quickly learning how amazing most of it smells.  Is it normal to catch yourself smelling pieces of wood??  I didn't think so!

The pieces have been painted then chipped not my usual chipped then painted.  I think by creating the pieces this way has given the piece more dimension, gives it an outline of sorts and also resembles feathers in a way.  I think I like the variation in this piece.

Here is the dry run before assembly.  I've used teal, antique yellow and dark burnt umber, and will antique them once assembled.  They will be a warm,  and a nice shade of YUM!

Happy Tramping,

Angie

Old Crate Owl Frame Design and PAttern

The base frame for the old crate owl frame has been assembled using the side of an old wooden crate and a basic 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 square frame.  I've attached the 2 pieces together with wood glue and some wood screws for a sturdy base. I plan on leaving the back of the owl form unpainted in order to show off the vintage crate label that is partially still attached.  The graphics and colors are amazing!  With the frame being lined up with the bottom of the cut out, I believe that he will be able to be placed on a desk or on the wall!

 

 

The pattern pieces for the eyes, beak, feet, ears, and wings are complete and have been traced onto some old crate wood.  The grain, patina, and the wear and tear on the wood is amazing!  Hard to duplicate the real look of old wood. 

 

 

The pattern pieces will now be traced onto the crate wood and cutout.  Then the wood chipping begins!  Its going to be a fine balance of wood thickness, chipping and paint in order to maintain the chunky and rustic look I am going for.  Enough paint to give it some vibrance; yet preserving the patina and wear of the wood.  We'll see how it goes.  Keep it simple stupid. Keep it simple stupid.....

Happy Tramping

Angie

My Tramp Art EPiphany!!

After a vacation week of basketball practice, starting to prepare for the holidays and Thanksgiving festivities, I'm hoping to get the Downeast Tramp Art and Whimsy blog caught up.  It was a busy week of fun family stuff but I still managed to squeak out a little bit of creative time.  Thanks to my helpful teenagers!

The Key to my Heart II frame was antiqued and varnished several times when I realized there was something missing.  HMMMM....the color balance was a little off.  What to do?? 

Definitely needed a little pop of color....YELLOW!  I created a wood chipped tramp art yellow border with red detail that encompasses the frame and really makes all of the colors pop.  Just the oomph it needed.

Now here comes the Epiphany part!!  While designing this yellow border, I realized with a gentle touch and with some additional hard wood pieces in key places, I can also build my tramp art layers from the back side of the frame.  This opens so many more possibilities for my pieces! Endless!

Here is a picture of the final piece with the skeleton key embellishments in place.  I'm pretty happy with the end results!!

My next mission is to create a very simple, rustic, and cute (of course!) owl picture frame for a family member.    I'm thinking chunky, old wood owl with a small picture opening in its body. 


Maybe from this old crate side....Stay tuned!

Happy tramping,

Angie

EmbellishmenTS

The key to my heart II frame is well underway with  the wood chipping complete and the embellishments chosen.

For this piece, I chose to use heart pieces cut from old cigar boxes for the final key hole layer.  The old cigar box pieces are really hard to work with considering that they are made of something similar to layers of paper, but the old graphics are amazing.  Very colorful and vintage...hard to reproduce so the real thing is called for!  

I have also picked out 6 vintage skeleton keys to be anchored to the frame when it is complete.  These keys were given to me by my step dad and just have amazing colors, shapes and patinas.

 

 

I chose to use oak pieces for the very bottom layer, to strengthen the piece.  Chipping oak is not my favorite (hard and splinters easy), but will provide the strength this piece needs for the layers that over hang the pine frame base.  After cutting my finger two times trying to chip the tiny round hard wood pieces that finish off the triangles, I used my dremel to carve notches in these tiny terrors.   Small hardwood pieces + wood chipping knife = cut fingers!  Why did I not think of that before?? Live and Learn.

 

The chipped pieces have been laid out in their final places and separated into bags according to the colors they will be painted.

 



Colors have been chosen:  light teal, antique red, ivory and maybe some dark burnt umber.  Maybe a touch of burnt orange too....definitely some hand painted decorative elements to come!

Happy Tramping    Angie

Another thing that I love about what I do! Treasure HUnting!

I just wanted to show off some of the treasures that I have found recently. In time,  Each piece will eventually end up in one of my Tramp Art creations.  I frequent our local Goodwill store, local junk dealers (love these guys), and the occasional thrift store, looking for those sturdy flat faced frames, old wooden boxes, spindles and everything in between. The older, the rustier, the more worn the better!

Here's a pict of the assorted frames that I have found recently. It's much easier for me to buy the base frame than to make it myself.  It's not very easy getting those miter cuts exact and have everything fit correctly!  Still working on these skills! The square frames tend to end up in a star shaped tramp art frames. 

 

They have to be flat faced, made out of wood, and sturdy.  Glass is a plus but not necessary - I have great glass cutter when necessary.  I like the not so ordinary sizes, shapes and colors.  They must be sturdy!

 

 

Not sure how these will work their way into one of my pieces but I could not pass them up.  Old metal with patina, old paint and who of course doesn't need a giant wooden key?  It's not signed any where but does say Deer Isle Maine on it.  A great piece of folk art!

 

 

Bunches of mosaic tiles in very nautical shades of blue, grey and black.  I am thinking something very nautical, with a boat, water.....time will tell.

 

 

Couldn't pass up this amazing piece of white birch bark!  The colors, cracks and knots are just gorgeous!  This is definitely going to end up in one of my pieces after I figure out how to work with it.  A Maine-ish frame with maybe pinecones, thin branches, Native barks.....or maybe an Adirondack inspired piece.

 

I am so thankful for this part of the creation process.  It's so much fun while looking and so satisfying to see these treasures find their homes in my pieces!! 

 

 

Happy Tramping     Angie