Tuesday 13 August 2013

Alpha Dictionary Challenge - D is for Damsel!

Life continues busy here in Magpieheaven. Today, however, I was determined to complete a spread for The Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge. If you would like to see the other terrific words and illustrations, participants in the challenge came up with, just click HERE. I chose the word damsel from my dictionary. As some distressing of the page went on, I wonder if she qualifies as a 'damsel in distress'. Please excuse the awful joke and put it down to tiredness!
My damsel, who the dictionary tells me, is a young, unmarried woman, a maiden, is a Renaissance beauty from a  Retro Cafe Art Gallery Collage Sheet. To create the impression of Fresco paintings, I spread an uneven layer of Grunge Paste over my pages. I then painted them with Paper Artsy Frescos in Pumpkin Soup, Smoked Paprika and just a little South Pacific here and there when the GP was dry to complement the colours in my central image. I edged my pages with some Treasure Gold in Green Amber, Classic and a little White Fire. Just click on the images if you would like to see in more detail.
The playing cards, which my young Renaissance maiden may have been using to divine her future or merely to while away the long, hot afternoon are a digital download of vintage playing cards. The two windows behind her are die cut from Tim Holtz Coredinations paper and a Spellbinders die. The script in the background is from a 'Non Sequiteur' plate and I used Versafine red ink for this. The butterflies are cut from my beloved Graphic 45 paper, which I'm still finding it hard to put to the blade!!! Crawling up the page/wall is a black beetle from a set of Stampington Clearly Impressed stamps called 'Butterfly Girl'.
The damsel on the facing page is looking out from a die cut window made from some wrapping paper that resembled an illuminated book and torn pieces of this are also layered onto the page in other places. I also used some Dresden gold foil as a border along the top of my pages and under the window on this page.
 I used one of the die cut windows as a stencil and also Grunge Pasted through a chicken wire Crafters' Workshop stencil to give a honey-comb effect. As well as more butterflies, there are some dragon flies from a Paper Artsy 'Ink and the Dog', Wings plate. These are the kind that are sometimes known as Damsel Flies, I believe!
Here is a close-up of my definition in a Tim Holtz book plate, fastened down with some green pearls. I really enjoyed this opportunity to play for a few hours, even though I had to hurry to clear everything away for the family meal. I shall try to visit as many D words as I can over the next few days. Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting my damsels.

16 comments:

  1. Wow, so gorgeous!!!

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  2. Gorgeous painty effects - and I love the framed definition - lovely touch! The glowing colours are blended so beautifully across the pages, wonderful honeycomb texture and fabulous stamping. And your damsel... well, of course she's in distress!
    Alison x

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  3. I agree with everything Alison said until she got to the damsel in distress. Heck no she is not in distress - everything around her is so beautifully done, I would say she is a princess - an unmarried princes! Love your work - splendid!!
    sandy

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  4. Beautiful pages. I am again loving what you have done with the background and then all the little elements you have used, just bring it together. Fabulous!

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  5. Love your piece! (and the joke - got a chuckle)
    Great description and detail.

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  6. Gorgeous pages Julie Ann..lovely bright and warm colours and brilliant layers!!

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  7. Beautiful. What a gorgeous spread. Love your word choice and your illustration is perfect. So many details to explore. Love the texture of the honeycomb and the collage details are stunning. 10 out of 10, A* from me. MMx

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  8. wow!! It's gorgeous! The colours, the images, the composition and the layers, and teh texture. A candy eye! And it absolutely...Damsel in Distress ;-)

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  9. Simply gorgeous and certainly a damsel in distress - LOL. Love the rich colours and layers and detail. BJ

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  10. Wow wow wow, first off I want to say how pleased and excited I am for you with all the lovely comments you're getting, it makes us magpies proud :O), and very well deserved, this journal page is exceptional work so many elements its a delight to all the senses, gorgeous colors,fabulous texture,love the gorgeous windows, brilliant using one as a stencil,love the trail of cards, the grapic butterflies are a fabulous addition, worth cutting out, love the red script floating around the pages,gorgeous frame around the word,WOW it's a gorgeous piece of art, thanks so much for sharing all this inspiration and beauty, I think I'm having a sugar over load LOL..

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  11. This is beautiful Julie Ann! What a fabulous background...so much to look at! I love it!
    Alison xx

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  12. Wow a great pages - they are so full of colour and detail. I really love the fresco paints and grunge paste! Claire x

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  13. Fabulous pages, love the background colours and all the details and texture, gorgeous damsel stamp.

    Sylv xx

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  14. What a great spplash of colors! Love all the techniques you used for this one and the image is just gorgeous. Great many details on this. Brilliant work. Suzanne

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  15. WOWSER this is truly gorgeous, I love the colours and all the texture is awesome. All the details are fab and your work always inspires me, stunning. Hugs Kezzy xxx

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  16. Beautiful background and collage !!
    Thank you for playing with us at the Craft Barn
    Izzy

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