Our challenge at Country View Crafts this month is about new beginnings and for me this time of the year I am looking to get my garden ready for the summer, choosing new plants, getting pots ready to provide an abundance of colour and looking forward to the hazy, lazy days of summer (we hope). Spring is about re-birth and renewal and therefore new beginnings and although I’ve chosen to depict that through the imagery my saying is about has a different flavour about starting again.
I have started with a 12 x 12 paper from the gorgeous PaperArtsy Chatsworth set cutting a piece to use as the background and utilising the rest for the flowers and leaves.
Using the lovely Lin Brown’s art in bloom set (ELB01) I stamped and clear embossed three flowers but prior to the embossing on two of them I added some distress stains to get some mottled looks and I stamped the music text from ESN07 using black archival over the top and rubbed the excess of with a wet baby wipe. I also stamped the leaves using hey presto fresco finish translucent paint and then cut them all out, again I stamped with a text stamp from ESN07. There were also some of the same leaves on the back of the Chatsworth paper so I cut three of them and gave them a quick coat of gloss multi medium.
I altered the background paper by adding some caran d’ache neocolour aquarelle crayons and dabbed over with a stiff wet brush to blend them, then added some picket fence crackle paint (which actually didn’t crackle for me) but I added some more aquarelle colours, some stamping using ESN07 and over the top some scraped gesso.
When dry I stamped a honeycomb stamp in coffee archival and again when that was dry I scraped over some thin matt medium.
Finally I adhered the pieces one by one and gave then some shadow with a black distress marker, some black soot distress ink and glue and seal to rub it in..
This has now gone in my art journal.
We hope to see you at the new challenge for Country View Crafts who provide a fabulous voucher to their on-line shop for the winner.
hugs Brenda xxx
Beautiful work and colours! Hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely sentiment - and journal page, Brenda. The embossed flowers are lovely (I hardly ever use my embossing powders for some reason).
ReplyDeleteSo many wonderful techniques and such a gorgeous ethereal background really does make those beautiful flowers pop Brenda. That quote is one I need to make a note of... Hugs, Anne xx
ReplyDeleteLovely - the depth in that hazy smoky background is just wonderful, and the flowers pop beautifully against it.
ReplyDeleteAlison xx
Great effect with those different techniques, Brenda. Have fun in your garden. We'll be a while yet, but at least the snow and ice is disappearing. Soon the grass should be starting to green up as the temps are now above freezing. Yay!
ReplyDeleteJoyce xx
a gorgeous piece and what a wonderful background! looks greatx hugs x trace x
ReplyDeleteReally gorgeous!! I love your wonderful flowers using Lin's stamps, great make Brenda. TFS. Hugs, Coco xx
ReplyDeleteBeautiful page Brenda! The good thing about renewal is we go through it everyday... :-) xxx
ReplyDeleteSIMPLY GORGEOUS Brenda!
ReplyDeletefabulous techniques !
Beautiful way to start the new month of April! Brenda, I love that background and all the texture all blended together so beautifully! Love the flowers and can almost imagine your sitting in your garden! Wonderful art journal page! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteGreat way to start a new month Brenda with a beautiful page for your journal. Annette x
ReplyDeletehttp://nettysartadventures.blogspot.co.uk/
amazing Brenda, so many layers
ReplyDeletehugs x
Beautiful so much fabulous layering
ReplyDeleteLove the flowers they remind me of bright marigolds
Can't wait to see more flowers
Jools x
Fabulous inky painty background with so much detail thanks for sharing the steps and how too, flowers look great against this background a fabulous AJ page Brenda.
ReplyDeleteMaggieH
Beautiful as always!! What more can I say . . . big hugs, Sam and Poppy xx
ReplyDeleteFabulous piece Brenda, love the embossed flowers and the black shadowing really defines the flowers and leaves. Sue C x
ReplyDeleteBeautiful project, love the background which makes the flowers stand out. Great quote as well.
ReplyDeleteYvonne
Gorgeous background Brenda! xxx
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!!
ReplyDeleteGroetjes Karin
Beautiful Brenda and thanks for sharing how you pit it together too! ~Diane
ReplyDeleteThis is just beautiful, love it!
ReplyDeleteRosie x
A gorgeous mixed media creation.
ReplyDeleteLove the layers on this (needed that run through!) and the delicacy of the final background against the dramatic flowers. Jenny x
ReplyDeleteGorgeous flowers Brenda and I love the way you have created the background.
ReplyDeleteHappy crafting, Angela x
Fantastic as always, Brenda! This background looks absolutely amazing. Love all the layers and the beautiful flowers. Thanks for the step by step photos!
ReplyDeleteGaby xo
Wow! Really ... Wow!! So many incredible layers and depth. Fantastic techniques. I must get into my craft room and play!! I am terribly inspired by this project Brenda. Alas ... I must go to work now!! Hopefully this evening I will have some time to play with these ideas. Beautiful make -- Mary Elizabeth
ReplyDeleteLove this!!!! and the sentiment is brilliant!!! Hugs Juls
ReplyDeleteSo true and what a gorgeous way to say it! Love the flowers! Beautiful piece!!!
ReplyDeleteLove seeing how that gorgeous background developed, and what a wonderful sentiment to share. Just lovely!
ReplyDeleteI love PaperArtsy Stamps and others products! I've seen Leandra at the Version scrap (french show) and your creation is wonderful!!!! bizz
ReplyDelete