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

Bring on the Starburst Tramp Art Frame

I've started to design my next project: Starburst Tramp Art Frame, which has been inspired by the sunshine that we so need after a week of wetness. Enough rain already!  

This pieces will be a starburst of warm, vintage orange with teal and dark chocolate, and should consist on approximately 88 hand chipped tramp art pieces with 3 - 7 layers.  Here is a picture of my sketch, pattern pieces and pine base frame.

I've settled on very warm, vintage orange (my favorite color!) for the points, teal for the knobby pieces and dark chocolate and gold gilding for the details. Here is a closer look at the palette I want to work with. Do you like the combination of vintage orange and teal?

I love this combination of orange and teal, but am thinking that I might go a little lighter on the teal in this piece. We will see......off to cut out the wood layers!

Happy Tramping,
Angie

Ocean Mist Tramp Art Frame: I love this vintage color!

After lots of color considerations, I'm so happy I went with an original mixed acrylic color which I am calling ocean mist green.  After lots of sanding and antiquing, I think I achieved the "vintage" looking green I was looking for.  Kind of minty, kind of tealish, I love it!

 

After a couple of coats of ocean mist and dark chocolate, the freshly painted pieces were put out on the deck.  Gotta take advantage of a sunny day and speed up the drying time!  I played around with using gold leaf and found that it added some elegance to the face and a pop to the 4 corners of this piece.

 

 

 

This is pre-antiquing. Just a quick check of pieces. My cat likes to steal them!

 

 

After lots of sanding and antiquing, Here is the completed frame.   A soft teal with amber antiquing in all the right places, with bursting coral flowers and gilded gold highlights! 

 

 

The frame measures 14 x 16 and holds a standard 8 X 10 picture.  This one-of-a kind frame consists of approx. 66 hand chipped pieces, 6 to 9 layers and was built upon a sturdy pine base.  I added a 3-D piece to the flowers to give them some depth.

 

 
 



3-D Coral Flower Detail
 

9 Layer Corner Stack







I am so happy with how this one came together and am thrilled with my new color finds.  So what's next....a vintage coral-ish frame or a vintage yellow piece?  So many choices! This piece is currently available for sale.

Happy Tramping,
Angie

Ocean Mist Tramp Art Frame is UNderway!

My Ocean Mist Tramp art frame is well underway!!  I wanted to create a frame that consisted of simple but precise shapes, soothing colors and with a touch of elegance.  I wanted to concentrate on the creation of the pattern pieces, the consistency of the wood chipping and the palette choice. 

After many different color considerations, I decided on a palette of Ocean mist green, dark chocolate, and coral, all sanded and antiqued to look shabby.  I love these soft vintage colors!  Here is a picture of my palette test.

And of course a splash of gold leafing!  Yes! Gold Leafing!  Another way to add some elegance and pop to my frames!  My technique is going to need some practice though.





I have cut, sanded and chipped all of the pattern pieces for this frame and tried to keep the cuts and chipping as consistent as possible but not enough to ruin the "trampiness" of the piece.  Here is a picture of the dry run before chipping them.

Now off to do some sanding and chipping, in my lawn chair!









While sanding and chipping of the pieces, I made a couple of little design changes and fine tuned some pieces.

 The flowers will have a 3-D element.


Now off to mix up some shades of Ocean Mist!

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

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

Key to my HEart II

My next challenge is creating a tramp art frame like my first Key to my Heart frame but better!  Here is a picture of my original.

 

I am hoping to recreate this piece, while making the frame stronger, the colors lighter and richer, and this new piece will definitely be one of a kind.  Fortunately, I am able to use the pattern pieces from the original with some tweaking.

 

I've gathered pattern pieces, pine frame base, some old skeleton keys, some poplar and oak hobby boards and a quick sketch on paper.  Everything to get started on this special piece minus paint, glue and nails.

 

After a little bit of reworking and straightening of some pattern pieces, I have traced them onto the hobby boards to cut out.  Oak was used for the very bottom layer to strengthen the entire frame.  The pieces have been cut out and laid out on the base frame for a dry run.  A total of approximately 60 pieces and they are all there and fitting perfectly.

 

 

 

Now for a quick sanding and then the wood chipping will begin.   I'm looking forward to a rainy Monday of wood chipping and catching up on those t.v. shows.  Now to ponder those wonderful colors....teal, red, and ivory! Oh My!

 

Happy Tramping    Angie

 

Mission ACcomplished

The sunflower tramp art frame came together nicely;  soft and yummy colors, solid and sturdy, and beautiful all in one.  Thank you Marguerite for your great artistic adjectives!  I have implemented several changes in my creation process and have come away quite satisfied with the results and have saved myself some time and increased the quality of this piece.

Having predrilled some of the smaller pieces of the tramp art layers, the number of pieces having to be recut, rechipped and repainted during the assembly was reduced greatly.  The predrilling will also help create a tighter bond between layers and cut down on future potential piece damage. 

I also religiously kept all pieces in sealed ziplocks so that my cat could not steal them.  No missing pieces!  Assembly was quicker than usually by keeping the pieces organized by color also.

I sometimes can't make the really tiny pieces that I would like to include on my frames.  The wood pieces gets fragile, hard to secure and hard on my hands when they are too tiny.  I don't know why I haven't done it before, but I did some hand painted detail and line work on this piece to bring it all together.  Before I started creating tramp art layers on my frames, most of my frames had hand painted designs and motifs on them.  So I'm not really surprised that the hand painted details are sneaking back in there.

The sunflower crown was created by carving two layers of petals with a vintage brass knob as the center. 

After the pieces was assembled and had had enough drying time, I coated the piece with a coat of antiquing medium.  I always look to deepen my colors and add that touch of time wear to the sanded edges and nooks and crannies.  I then gave certain areas a second coat to darken the edges and notches.  Three coats of polycrit later and we have the finished piece.

I am really excited to have been able to fine tune some of my steps and also save myself some unnecessary steps.  169 wood chipped pieces later, I'm quite happy to be able to send this piece to the Big Apple to fellow tramp art lover, Marguerite.

Happy Tramping,     Angie

Some Assembly RequirED....

One of the most important decisions in the making of my tramp art pieces, is color choice.  I really like to have my pieces appear time worn, colorful but antiqued, and richly colored  Sometimes, when a commissioned piece is ordered, the collector is specific about the colors wanted and other times, I rely on my own color choices to guide my creations.   As I look back over my pieces, I definitely tend to use some of the same colors consistently but continue to try to introduce new, rich colors into the mix.  Oh how I love deep orange, reds, teals, and blues.

When I make my color choices, I tend to lean towards the brighter range.  These brighter colors, sanded and antiqued result in the richer shades that I love so much!  I tend to limit my pieces to 3 or 4 color choices, as not to create a pieces that looks too busy and takes away from the art work or photo it is displaying.


After each individual piece is painted, I do another dry run placement on the frame.  This step is probably not necessary but is due to my obsession to make sure everything fits properly and to catch missing pieces before I get to far along.  Having my work space at my kitchen table, my many tramp art pieces are sometimes dispersed and stolen by my cat!!!  We constantly compete for the table space. Bad kitty!  Good thing she is so cute.

Before assembly, I choose to take care of my sanding and destruction.  This step is easier for me to do at the individual piece level.  Easier on my hands too.  There is a fine balance between too much sanding and just enough.  Especially along the edges, a nice sanding job can really provide a place for the antiquing medium to take well.  I sometimes will actually destruct with a hammer and large bolts leaving some interesting patterns on the wood.

Then the assembly begins!  This step gets really exciting.  To see how the colors work together and to see that original sketch come to life is very satisfying.  I have recently started to predrill most of the pieces which has cut down of broken pieces exponentially.  Santa is going to have to get me a mini drill for this task!  My frames are secured with a combination of nails and wood glue, which has proven to be overall the best and strongest choice.  I also sometimes use epoxy for those embellishments that are not nail friendly.

Here is the sunflower frame in the mid-assembly stage, in its bright, fresh, unantiqued colors.  I purposely did not show the crest of the frame so as not to reveal it quite yet to its owner.

 

 

Off to do my magic with the antiquing medium!

 

Happy Tramping    Angie

LEt the Wood chipping begin!!!

My Sunflower Tramp Art Frame is well under way and taking shape.  I have completed the design of the pattern pieces and have fitted them to the frame.  Each side is a mirror image of its opposite, so I only design the pattern pieces for one side, but make two sets of each for each layer of tramp art.  The top sunflower design and the curved bottom do not repeat on the frame, so they are made with unique pattern pieces.  Here's a picture of the frame with the pattern pieces in their places.

 

The pattern pieces are then traced and cut out of poplar with my scroll saw. Initial piece count = 171!  Thanks to Delaney for doing Mom a favor and counting every little piece.  Now to get them all chipped and the sunflower carved.  Netflix, Amazon Prime, recliner and iced tea here I come!!

 

 

 

 

Happy Tramping!   Angie

 

 

My Next Challendge: Sunflower Tramp Art Frame

I have been asked to create a sunflower tramp art frame similar to this beautiful piece.

 

This original piece was created by G. Mayer and dated 1899, and is an amazingly vibrant piece and is very beautiful in its form and simplicity.   I have had this one on my to-do list for some time and am hoping that I can create a similar piece while adding some of my own touches here and there.  It does promote some challenges though and has a few elements that are going to push me out of my comfort zone. Carving a sunflower, creating strong wood joint, fit of the pieces, etc.

 

I started by creating the pine base adding on the pointed crown using dowels to join the two pieces.  My miters still need some work and rely on the amazing powers of wood filler and my trusty sander to help me out of these never straight miters.  They continue to look better with time.

 

 

 

After some sanding to level out the work surface and the edges, I did a light sketch on the frame of the layout and pieces needed for each section.  OOPs!!  I forgot to cut the bottom design outline.  There, much better!

 

 

It's starting to take shape now.  I've got my sharp pencil, ruler, scissors and my card stock paper already to create the tramp art pattern pieces.  Off to my lawn chair and glass of ice tea...this gorgeous October weather makes this sitting time easier!!

 

 

Happy Tramping!  Angie

 

 

 

 



Shifting Gears Slowly

It sure doesn't feel like October 2nd here in Maine.  High 70s and not a cloud in the sky. The annual gear shifting from the busy summer season to the creative being at home season seems to become harder and harder for me as each year goes by.  Starting up those creative juices is not easy for me and I tend to have a few weeks of cleaning out, pondering and finishing up my summer projects before I can put the hammer to the nail.

The work space is some what cleaned up thus available to start the next tramp art creations.  Tools and wood organized, my flea market treasures are bought and kids are back in school.

Here are some of the salvaged treasures that I found over my travels this past summer.  Lots of old wood, dominoes, vintage blocks, etc.  I'm looking forward to creating some amazing frames over this winter and sharing them on Downeast Tramp and Whimsey.

To warm up before I delve into some of the more intricate frames, I decided to add some color to this frame that I was giving to a family member as a gift.  A little color here, a little color there, some tramp art pieces here, and this vintage looking frame was created.  The colors came out very rich and really make the wood carving pop.  But of course the frame does not even compare to the handsome guy in the frame.  He's my special little Pickle!

Now, back to those 4 to 5 frames that I need to make......

Pepsi Crate Tramp Art APothecary

So excited to share my latest creation with you all.  This piece is not one of my usual creations but incorporates tramp art and upcycling to create a very functional piece.  I started out with a vintage pepsi crate and a dozen wooden match stick holders.  After removing 2 dividers, I had the perfect bones for an apothecary.

 

With a few cuts with the miter saw, I had twelve sound drawers on which to build my tramp art.  I decided on hearts in the center with home made drawer pulls.  Antique shades of red and blue jumped out at me.  After experimenting with several shades of stain, I believe with the help of my husband, we found the perfect shade that blends with the old wood of the crate.  I dug out some vintage yard sticks that I purchased and used them on the face of each drawer.  Their vintage colors and advertising is amazing.  Sanding, notching and more sanding....Viola!  A Pepsi Crate Tramp Art Apothecary with 12 functional drawers painted in rich antique blue and red.

 

 

I am very happy with the end result and the amazingly rich colors.  Let me know what you think!!

 

Happy Upcycling    Angie

 

Old but Good BOnes!

I have two amazing vintage wooden Pepsi crates that have lived in my basement for probably 5 years or more.  Had to have them.  They have old but good bones.  You know...worn and smells old, great patina, worn paint, and rusty but not bug or water damaged in anyway.  They have been waiting for that upcycle idea to pop in my head too long.

Well today is the vintage wooden Pepsi crates day for upcycling.  After removing a couple of the dividers, coming across a lot of wooden match boxes, I have found their destination.  I haven't put the design on paper yet, but have a Tramp Art crate apothecary forming in my head.   I believe with a few alterations, the 25 or something match boxes will become the drawers.  The faces of the drawers will have to be tramp art of course with maybe some chippy paint vintage knobs.  Or maybe a carved bird.....time will tell where these old bones will take me.

 

Happy Upcycling   Angie

Tramp Art Heart Frame Well UNderway

So Happy to declare the Tramp Art Heart Frame well underway.  It looks very much like my sketch except for the added finial on top. After creating a from scratch heart base and having the glass cut by the great guys at Glassource, the tramp art pieces have been cut.  All 75 of them! Here is a picture of my unsanded, unchipped dry run.  I created a finial out of a vintage knob and an old spindle.

I'm up in the air on the final color choices but am considering reds, blues and yellows right now.  Maybe some green.  We will see.

Well off to sit in the lawn chair to get down to the sanding job.  Stay tuned....

Happy Upcycling    Angie

Lacy Yellow Tulip Frame 5 x 7

This tramp art piece started with a very plain, basic pine frame that needed some magic.  I decided to create a lacey, yellow tulip frame that was inspired by my recent jaunts among my tulips and daffodils. 

After designing, cutting and notching, I ended up with approximately 70 pieces of tramp art puzzle pieces.

Here is my dry run.

 

 

I added a crown to the top and built the rest upon the basic pine frame.

 

Here is the finished tramp art frame.  Up to 6 layers, 70 hand chipped pieces later...

 

 

The finished frame.  This piece will be listed for sale on ebay.  Now to decide what the next project will be....

 

 

Happy Upcycling      Angie

 



Spigot Flowers Tramp Art FRame

The Challenge:

Beautiful spigot handles in amazing colors that resemble flowers. Love these!

 

And a faux tiger maple frame with a print that needs a little something.  A spark!

 

 

After working with epoxy glue and decorative tacks, the spigot flowers were created.   Some wood chipping here, decorative tacks there and VIOLA the spigot flower tramp art Frame came to be.  I think it looks amazing!!  What do you think??

 



 

Happy Upcycling.   Angie

UpCycling Treasures for future Tramp ARt

Just wanted to share some of my most recent upcycling treasures that I found in my travels.  I don't always know at the time what their home in the end will be but continue to collect all of the richly colored, rusty and interesting things that I find in my day to day life.

Love these old vintage yard sticks.  Advertising of a store of our childhood, beautiful rich colors and time worn wood.  Whats not to love!  I see a frame in the future...

 

Fell in love with these spigot handles as soon as I saw them.  Definitely flowers in disguise.

 

 

Amazing colors!!  Vintage bottle caps! Love using these on my frames

 

 

These have been tricky to use in my creations.  They are almost impossible to cut and are hard to drive into anything.  Ideas?



 

 

 

Who doesn't love old fashion keys?  And their smell?  I have used some of these wonderful keys in a couple of projects already!

 

 

 

I usually live with my finds for a while before I know I have the  right project for them.  It's extremely satisfying to finally see the right project come together with my elusive finds for that perfect tramp art piece.

 

Happy Upcycling.    Angie