Tuesday 27 August 2013

Alpha Challenge - Now it's O!

Over at the Craft Barn it's Alpha/Dictionary Challenge and  the letter is 'O'. If you would like to find out more, please click HERE! I really did not think there would be time to play with this one, but I seized my journal and made a start and then it was impossible to stop. For my word I chose 'Orison', which is an archaic word for a prayer. In keeping with a word that came from Old French, I wanted to create pages that looked as if they are from a palimpsest, an old document that has been written over many times.
I started by painting my pages with Snowflake Fresco paint from Paper Artsy. I had some beautiful tissue decorated with musical notes from my dear friend Kezzy, which I tore and stuck on with Matte Medium by Claudine Hellmuth. The stamp you can see is just resting on the page - later I placed it somewhere quite different: behind the little door on the right hand page under the butterfly! I stamped it onto some Paper Artsy tissue paper that I still have, squirreled away! The stamp is one of the few wood block stamps I own. My son bought it for me as a Christmas present and the main image is of Saint Matilde! This is my daughter's name - not Saint - just Matilda!
I became so carried away, adding my layers of paint, stenciling Grunge Paste, stamping and adding tissue stamped with images that I then coloured and sketched over, that I forgot to take step by step photos! Some blog friends have suggested I make a video of my journaling. I should really try because I get so involved I forget everything! Please just click on the images if you would like to see in more detail.
I applied layers of Paper Artsy Frescos in Pumpkin Soup, Smoked Paprika, a touch of London Bus, Chocolate Pudding, Tinned Peas and Baltic Blue with Snowflake to 'knock back' colours and mute them a little, using a sanding block to scrape off layers in places! I also used for stamping, Black Archival and Coffee Archival. Here you can see how I mixed some Paper Artsy stamps - Hot Picks and Ink and the Dog (Petals) as well as one of  the latest PA minis with a Non Sequiteur image. I bought this set in a clearance sale: I don't think the brand exists any more, or if it does it has been taken over by another company. I do love finding unusual stamps in these sales as well as collecting stamps by my favourite designers.
I also applied Grunge Paste through a Crafters' Workshop harlequin stencil and picked it out in Treasure Gold White Fire. In this detail there is also a butterfly from some gorgeous tissue sent me by my dear crafting friend, Kezzy. The script is from the Non Sequiteur collection and is stamped in red Versafine.

I edged the doors in Green Amber Treasure Gold and used tiny green pearls for the door handles.

I used a white Posca pen to highlight the butterfly and to write the word 'Orisons' on my journal pages. Here is another of the Non Sequiteur images. I loved them and used them on Christmas cards last year, but I've never been able to incorporate them in anything since I became more 'into' craft - not until this journal page!
This close-up gives some idea of the colours and layers I built up.

Here is my dictionary definition made into a little scroll to go with my palimpsest page!I stuck on an actual dictionary page from my tatty old dictionary and then sketched around it with Posca and Sharpie pens.
You can just see a little bit of the music tissue here and my Saint Matilda stamp behind her door along with another of those Non Sequiteur images; a Paper Artsy mini of bricks and lots of script. I was quite pleased with how the whole thing blended and it did seem like a palimpsest to me. I am off now to look at some other contributions to the Alpha/Dictionary Challenge! Thank you for stopping by and taking a look.

14 comments:

  1. Wow!!! This is beautiful Julie Ann! x

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  2. what an amazing page!! If you don't make the wall of fame for this, I'll come and finish your kitchen (fingers crossed I don't have to, lol!) This is beautiful.

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  3. Beautiful beautiful page, I love every little detail of it. The colors are so gorgeous. The blue and the reds work so wonderful with the sepia and gold. Stunning.
    xx Monique

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  4. Ow and by the way, I woukd watch your video's =)

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  5. Good lord for someone who didn't think they would even start this is too much, but for someone carried away by the process just stunning. I'm glad I'm not the only one who buys stamps for a purpose and then finds it hard to use on other projects, but I think that is the beauty of art journalling, you can keep reinventing images and create unique pages. Fabulous pages.

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  6. A video oh yes pleaseeeee, I'd love to hear your lovely voice with the britsh accent and seeing you create would be like being right there with you, but I'm sure that will be in the future when you have a bit more time and space, kitchen being done, I'll be patently waiting.Now on to another fabulous page in that fantastic journal you have been creating, the colors you blended look fabulous together, love how you colored all the images, it does look like an palimpsest,that's a terrific word, looooove the background with all the texture and the script in different colors, love the little doors and the handles so kool,brilliant idea to put the words into the scroll, I agree with Helen, this belong in the wall of fame, thanks for sharing your creative process, the photos are good enough for now :O). Have a great day my friend..

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  7. Goodness gracious sakes alive!!!! This is a masterpiece - I mean it.
    Every thing is just wonderful together - Brilliant!! Yes, yes - videos please!!!!
    Sandy

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  8. A video yes Please....this is a work of art you are so talented..the details are amazing..Fabulous pages... Hugs May x x x

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  9. Wow, what a fabulous page...lots of lovely detail/layers...Love it!! ...and a super word choice too!

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  10. Oh Swoon these pages are superb and magical and the layers are amazing and what else can I say super. BJ

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  11. What a stunning page!!!
    Thanks for playing with us at the Craft Barn
    Izzy

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  12. Utterly stunning pages, Julie Ann - I'll be back to study these in detail... so much to see and love, and a medieval look that absolutely thrills my heart, like a magical illuminated manuscript. One of my favourite things in Craftyblogland EVER...
    Alison x
    "Nymph, in thy orisons, be all my sins remembered."
    Sorry, had to!

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  13. You've done it again Julie Ann - my favourite O page - just stunning. Love all the layers - you've achieved the palimpsest look beautifully. Gorgeous work. MMx

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  14. Wow wow wow I absolutely love it, truly gorgeous. All the texture is awesome and so glad you love the tissues. I love how you have added the image behind the door and all the colours with the gold looks amazing :-) hugs Kezzy xxxxxx

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