Grandmother's Stories - Art Journal

Hello my Friends!
I hope you're having a creative February filled with art adventures and discoveries. :)

Today I'd like to share a new entry from my vintage book turned into an art journal.

This spread is very special and very personal for me but aren't they all? ;)

Art Journals are great in so many ways... There are no guidelines how to make them - when, where, how often - and what should be really the content. It is 100% up to you what is going to happen on the pages of the book.

Personally, I have to admit that I make pages both inspired by prompts, topics and guidelines as well as the ones which just simply "happen" - once I open the book I'm working in, the magic simply starts to work!

This spread was inspired by the word "Stories" - and it took me quite a while to put it all together.
First of all, I decided I wanted the mood of this work to be poetic, nostalgic yet colorful at the same time...

Then it took me even a longer while to find just the right image in my collection. Then I could finally start building the background using scraps of paper, tags and die-cut leftovers - basically looking around and reaching for what was lying on my (messy) studio table.

I wanted to convey a special romantic, nostalgic feel and I decided to go for a delicate, warm, reddish tones (quite unexpectedly, red has been calling me lately...).

Obviously, I couldn't do without creating texture and this time I went for Modeling Paste and this gorgeous TCW stencil by Kasia Avery - I've had it for a long time and I really don't know why I haven't used it before - I love it to bits!

Then it was time for my favorite Adverts stamps (see the links below) that somehow make me think of my grandma's travel tales.

And how do you like the tiny white pen dots? Don't they remind you of fireflies? :) It was a spontaneous last minute touch and I really love them - I think they added a special touch of magic to this whole piece.

As I was creating, I was reflecting on my Grandma's Stories from her youth - they will always stay with me: of her hiding in forests during wartime, her visiting her cousins in the big city where she met the love of her life and many many more engraved in my memory for ever...

The lovely lady in the photo is my grandmother's sister who often appeared in those stories.

I hope I managed to translate my emotions onto paper...

I really enjoyed the creative process in this journal spread - the fact that I didn't have to rush and I could take my time to think, reminisce, feel and express myself. Love the emotional, personal feel here.

You might expect more pages like these in the future. :)

Here are the products I used for this piece:

I hope you liked my sentimental journaling. :)

I'd love to see your memories turned to Art! Drop by my Open Studio facebook group and leave a trace.

Hugs!
xx