A Souvenir

My Friends...

New Monday = new inspiring artwork by my Team! :)

Today we have Monika who created a breathtaking cover for her new art journal. Book Art at its best!!

And speaking of my Team - I hope you haven't missed this amazing post they prepared sharing their thoughts and inspirations about their favorite products. The girls did such a brilliant job!
Will you share your product pick with us? :)

And now get ready to be amazed... :)

Hello!

Today, I'd like to show you a cover of my art journal with lots of textures, embelishments and colors.

I had so much fun creating it!

My new art journal is a vintage book that I bought a while ago. It was waiting for two months before I decided to finally alter it.

First - as always - I reached for Heavy White Gesso but this time I had to apply three layers of it - it turned out that the originally red cover of my book kept staining. Finally, I gave up and decided I will be ok with a slightly pinkish color - I often use it in my works, so why not?! ;)

I added some paper tapes and a new stamp from the Old Town set.

My next layer was Opaque Matte Modeling Paste and Weaving stencil.

After drying, I added all the metal elements (including Mechanicals) some of which I cut into pieces (for example the flowers).

Once again, the best product to glue all these trinkets turned out to be Soft Gloss Gel.

Then I reached for Micro Beads (Bronze & Copper) - first, I was applying them rather carefully but later on, when I got the feel of them - I was more brave to use these beautiful tiny elements.

As for the color, I used one of my favorites among Finnabair's latest release - Mica Powders in Pink and Teal.

I added some freehand stamping with Messy stamp and a couple of drops of Old Paper Distress Ink.

I decided to place a clock face on one of the caps and added even more Micro Beads and some gold Silks paint.

Finally, a layer of Clear Crackle Paste (I can't stop myself from using it...) and I left the whole piece to dry.

I hope I inspired you to create your own art journal covers.
Hugs!

Monika

Materials used:

Awakened

Hello, Friends!

I'm so delighted to have Monika on my Creative Team! The way she uses vintage photos, her unique feel of color make my heart sing ever time.
Today she also got really inventive with my mediums. :)
Enjoy!

Hello!
When I used to live in Huntingdon, I would spend almost every Sunday at a local flea market.
I would find something special every time. One day I got really excited and inspired when I came across some vintage cardboard passe-partouts.
They probably belonged to a beautiful old photo album. I decided to make them even more special and I also chose a real vintage photo from my collection. The photo is quite large - 10x16 cm.

And then the fun began...

This time I started my project from the back where I glued two pieces of lace using some foam tape.

Then, I added some paper tapes from Tim Holtz, my favorite die cut Prima doilies and some more lace.

I glued everything using Soft Matte Gel and when it dried, I covered the whole project with a layer of White Gesso to get it ready for all the paints and sprays.

Then it was time for Modeling Paste to create a little bit of texture. I applied it using a palette knife just on the edges of my passe partout. I was careful not to make it too thick, just a 2-3 mm. layer is just enough.

I dried it very briefly with my heating tool and before it was completely dry, I pressed a clear stamp into it. This time the effect turned out to be rather delicate but it was just perfect for this project.

Then, it was time for Glimmer Mists - delicious combination of Lemongrass, Latte, Coffee Shop, Pink Taffy, Viva Pink and Apple.

I'm always very spontaneous with the mists never trying to be super precise. This time I made one exception - I made sure to use darker colors where I pressed my stamp in the paste to make the pattern show better.

Here and there I added some more stamping with black Archival Ink for a little bit of contrast.

When everything dried, I reached for all the metal embellishments that I love so much. And I simply let my imagination run free... :)

I didn't limit myself to the frame only. The beautiful lady from the photograph got her special metal key hanging on a piece of thread.

I applied a thick layer of Clear Crackle Texture Paste on the edges of my project. I left it to dry for a couple of hours. You can use your heating tool of course, but personally, every time I use crackle pastes, I prefer to wait patiently, knowing that the effect will be even more stunning!

Finally, I took black Ecoline to delicately paint the edges. I also left a couple of drops in the crackles and added a little bit of water to create interesting looking stains.

I hope you like my new version of an old passe partout. :)
Sending you hugs!
Monika

Materials used: