Silent Night by Emilia Tapiola

As Holiday Season is here, and Christmas only days away, I wanted to create something special, to celebrate Christmas. We are often so busy during this time of the year, running from errand to another, having dozens of to do lists to tick and juggling with too many things, that we forget to stop and breathe and enjoy and just, be. 

I love the traditional, older than age way we celebrate Christmas here in Finland; it is a silent, peaceful, tranquil time, spent with loved ones, without needing to hurry, to sparkle, well, to be anybody but oneself as Virginia Woolf so aptly said it. We enjoy the content silence, the crackling of the fire, candlelight, sparkling of the Christmas tree, the company of our family and friends (well, this year is a bit different, but you know), good books, some chocolate, cuddling with our loved ones and watching Christmas movies, baking with children… It’s not so much about how much presents we give, but how much presence and love we give to each other. For that kind of Christmas, there’s always time for a cuppa or two, for some journaling to preserve those wonderful memories.  

I wanted to create this kind of moment of tranquility for you; a peaceful journal spread to remind you that even during the busy time, we could take a moment for ourselves, treat ourselves even, and create some Christmas memories to hold and treasure. As vintage journaling is what I love the most, it felt right to simply show my way of creating Christmas memories to last.

First, I used Soft Matte Gel to glue the vintage papers to the background of the journal spread. I crinkled the edges, ripped, too, to make the journal spread to look more dimensional. Then I attached the printed images (designed by me, for Paper Garden) in place with Soft Matte Gel. I love using Soft Matte Gel for this, as the Gel seals the vintage papers and prints so that I can safely play with paints or other mediums without needing to be afraid of damaging the sometimes-fragile papers. 

The next step was to blend the vintage background and prints together, highlighting some parts and blending others, to create an authentic looking, harmonious composition. For this, I used Impasto paints, Pitch Black and Dark Chocolate. With generous amount of water and just a bit of paint, I painted the journal spread edges, vintage paper and print edges, blending and highlighting, creating a tattered vintage look. I used baby wipes to gently wipe off most of the paint, so that the look would be as natural looking as possible. I didn’t want the highlights to shout out, but to look like they had been created naturally, patinated with time.

After going through the whole journal spread with the paints, I attached some botanically dyed laces onto the edges, ripping them a bit to create a worn-out look. Then I painted them, too, with heavily diluted mix of black and brown Impasto paints, to blend into the composition. The next step was decorating the journal spread; I stitched some botanically dyed silk ribbon into one page, and attached a crystal charm on the other, and added a sari silk ribbon to it. I also added a large tag to the other page, to make more dimension and interest into the composition; that way you don’t see everything at first glance but need to peek underneath the tag and find something in there, too.  Like, in this instance, a message from angels, maybe? I love dyeing lace and silk, using herbs, plants, and flowers from our garden; this gives the journaling a whole new dimension and meaning, and for this Christmas journal spread, I wanted to add just a tiny whisper of summer in it, too, to twine together all kinds of beautiful memories to hold.

As a final touch, I gently added some Golden Dragon Effect Paste here and there, to give the journal spread a soft shimmer. I didn’t add it much, just gently taking a tiny bit and with a wet brush, dapping it to the pages; for fragile looking vintage pages, this was just enough. 

And that was it, really. With just a few ingredients, you can create not only a moment of peaceful breathing time for yourself, but Christmas memories to hold.

Wishing you a wonderful, beautiful, peaceful, and blessed Christmas time, or if you prefer, a wonderful, beautiful, peaceful, and blessed Holiday Season,

Emilia

Products I have used - all the images linked to Mixed Media Place online store: