I Am Excited That This Turned Out As Well As It Did!

I saw a technique on Pinterest and thought it looked intriguing and I gave it a try.  I couldn't find the video or tutorial or whatever it was but I figured it wasn't that complicated and I could remember the steps.  I used Gesso that I added some color to.  I can't remember what I used for color because I did this page about a month ago and I hated how it turned out.   Basically, I scraped the colored Gesso through a stencil using a very thick coat.  When it dried the next day, I had no idea where I was going to go with the page so it sat and sat and sat some more.... Until today.

 When I opened my journal to this page all of the sudden I thought it looked like a tree. So I got my Walnut Stain Distress pen and colored the white space of the stencil.   I should have taken a picture before I did the brown so you could see how plain it looked.. 

Then I used TH Gardern Greens Die and cut several leafy branches.  I colored them with Peeled Paint Distress Markers and the colored the branch part of it with Walnut Stain.  This way it would match the branches of my tree.  After they were colored I used the word stamp with Vintage photo to add some texture to the leaves.

I used this die and cut it from white card stock.  I cut two of the birds off and colored them using Distress Stains and a water brush.  I distressed the outside of the birds with /Walnut Stain.  I cut the "Garden Greens" leaves and glued them to the page

This is the final product.  I added the bird nest by cutting up some threads that I pulled from some burlap.  I stained some of them using "Walnut Stain" Distress stains.  I glued the nest in place with Tacky glue and shaped it as it was drying.  The eggs for the nest came from some items in my stash.  I also took my "Stormy Sky" Distress pen and outlined the background around the branches and rubbed it with my finger to give it a little more color and definition.

I really like how it turned out considering I thought I was going to trash this page.

Window Treatments

I started my project with the thought that I wanted to use the Tim Holtz Window & Window Box Die.

Then I added a window topper using Cricut Ornamental Iron 2 (I cut it at 4 1/2).  I cut it all from black paper and used a white Signo pen to add highlights to all the creases on the window and window box.  I also added highlights to the wrought Iron top with the Signo pen.

 

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 I did the background using brick red acrylic paint that I dabbed through a brick stencil.  I sponged on some brown on top of the red. I dried everything with a heat tool and used Vintage Photo and Walnut stain Distress ink over the brick to fill in the spaces between the bricks.

I stuck the window topper, window and window box to the page using bits of foam tape.  The white foam tape really stood out on the wrought iron window topper so I used my black Pitt brush pen and colored the foam of the tape black and presto you don't even notice it now.

 I used this photo that I found on the Internet for the view inside my window.  I glued some lace curtains with some lace trim that I had in my stash.  Then I glued the window to the picture.  I had to cut the bottom of the picture off to fit the window

Then I used my two favorite Martha Stewart punches to add greenery and flowers to the window box.  I cut strips of each punch from white card stock an colored them with Peeled paint distress marker. 

I used my distress markers in Wild Honey, Fire Brick and Scattered Straw to color the flowers After I colored the strips of flowers, I cut the flowers from the vine so that I could add them randomly through the greenery.  I used this stamp and Vintage photo distress ink on the flowers and vine.  I also used Tim Holtz

Garden Greens die to add a variety to the mix of leaves.  I colored this with a marker of a yellow green color. (I don't know the name of the markers. Just some random markers in my stash.)  I added some stamping to this also.  Then I cut everything to fit in the box and glued everything where I wanted it.  As a final touch, I added bling to the center of each flow.

 Then I added this little bird...also fund on the Internet.  I copy and paste him into a Word document.  Then I sized him to fit in with my page by grabbing the corner grab bar on the image.  Once he was the size I wanted, I grabbed the left grab bar on the image and pulled it to the right, which gives me the mirror image.  I cut him out and glued him in position and this is the final page:

I would love to read your comments.

I Made Sand

This is another Vintage photo that I found on the Internet.  When I saw her it made me think of the children's song, Little Sally Ann.  I cut her out and colorized her with water color crayons.

Then  I thought, surely someone on the Internet has found a way to make sand.  I did a few searches and Of Course, Tim Holtz has a great tutorial on how to make sand HERE  He did it on a tag and I wanted it for my journal.  I wasn't sure how well it would come out but I think the end result is pretty good.  My sand isn't done drying yet.  I was too excited and wanted to get it posted.

This is a closer picture of the sand.

I would love to read your comments.