2021 Topic 15: Journalling Gratitude with ESC {by Autumn Clark}

 2021 Topic 15: Journaling Gratitude

Today we have Autumn with...Autumn!! What a beautiful set of pages in her gratitude journal. Her Infusions technique is one worth checking out and with some clever binding and a gorgeous closure, I think we all can be thankful she's chosen to share this with us!
~ Keren

Hi everyone, it's Autumn Clark from SewPaperPaint with you today, and I'm here to share with you a cozy little mini book I made to highlight a beautiful poem of gratitude by Ralph Waldo Emerson, "We Thank Thee."

When I consider gratefulness I am always reminded that even the air we breathe is something to be thankful for. Gratitude changes our outlook on what we have not and re-frames our hearts to know that we have all that we need. Not only are the words of this poem written beautifully, but the imagery they provoke are equally beautiful. And because I am a huge hoarder fan of Raquel's Scrapcosy stamp line, I knew her stamps would correlate with the poem perfectly!

I wanted to use fall colors for this album and ordered some vintage sari ribbon for my closure.  I then picked out some beautiful earthy Infusions that I thought would match it.  I chose The Sage, Olive Tree, Golden Sands and Rusty Car.  I used my favorite new method where I mist water onto my kraft mat, then sprinkle on the Infusions, then spritz again with water, then spritz my paper with water and dip!  That's how I was able to achieve the sections of color.  And I spritzed again if I needed to blend the color further and let it run.  I made ten square panels this way.

 

I stamped all of the verses with the PaperArtsy {Ink & the Dog} Collection (Words Plate 2).  This is a great stamp set for journaling!  I love the larger sized grungy font.

 

I used an older black ink pad so my stamping wouldn't be too intense, then stamped my heart out and watercolored each image right over the Infusions backgrounds.  I used my very first Scrapcosy stamp set, PaperArtsy Eclectica³ {Scrapcosy} Collection (ESC05), focusing on the mushrooms and snail.  Oh how I love them!

 

I tried to pick the backgrounds that best worked with the imagery.  Here I used PaperArtsy Eclectica³ {Scrapcosy} Collection (ESC23) for the first time.  I just love these extra large blossoms and they were such fun to color!

This line from the poem really moves me. I am so thankful for beautiful grass and am reminded of childhood spent running and lying in the grass. To make my autumn field I used stamps from PaperArtsy Eclectica³ {Scrapcosy} Collection (ESC17) and from PaperArtsy Eclectica³ {Scrapcosy} Collection (ESC26). I love how the Infusions resemble a moody evening sky.

  

This spread is my favorite!  It just makes me happy to see those golden autumnal colors!  And given any chance I can use this darling bird stamp, I will. He is from PaperArtsy Eclectica³ {Scrapcosy} Collection (ESC19) and the lovely flower is from PaperArtsy Eclectica³ {Scrapcosy} Collection (ESC20).

 

When I first saw the squirrel from PaperArtsy Eclectica³ {Scrapcosy} Collection (ESC25) I squealed!  I adore him and am so happy that he sits on the final page of my little book. The leaves are from the mushroom set ESC05 I mentioned above.

 

 

Finally, I made a stacked binding with scored kraft cardstock and attached my Infusions pages in the proper order. Then I assembled a soft fabric cover, made with a rugged, woven cloth similar to cross stitch material.  I used cotton batting between the chipboard and cloth to make the book feel softer.  I made this cover the same way I did on THIS post, though I attached the pages differently. This time I simply adhered the nestled pages to the inner spine with redline tape.  I used an 3/8" gutter between all of the pages.

 

Once everything was in place, I added a pop of color for contrast to the front cover.  I used spray mica ink and PaperArtsy Large Stencil {Tracy Scott} (PS210). I put paper to mask off everything but the front cover before spraying.  The first time I added wet media to a handmade cloth cover I was terrified, but because the batting is beneath it and soaks up the moisture (to a degree; so don't go crazy!). I then dipped a paper doily in a tiny bit of brown ink with a lot of water and crinkled it up while heat setting. I folded it in half and added some sisal fibres to the base, then layered carefully watercolored and fussy cut images from PaperArtsy Eclectica³ {Scrapcosy} Collection (ESC26). Originally I was going to use the label stamp for the back of my book, but as I was holding them I realized they could layer together like shown so I went for it and love the fullness with the greenery on the sides. I know this is a long post, but I hope you enjoyed reading about my process and are inspired to pull out your PaperArtsy stamps to create your own gratitude journal today.  

One thing I am most grateful for is the ability to be creative in my home studio.  It is such a blessing to be able to sit down and make things as a form of expression and therapy.  Journaling can be the best therapy! I encourage you to think of how you can use your stamps, stencils and Fresco paints to express your feelings. Even more so, express your thankfulness! We can always find something to gripe about, but choosing gratitude can bring change in our minds and hearts. And choosing creativity as a form of stress relief is both healthy and productive. So why not have a play with Infusions and stamps today?! Just let go and have fun!  If you're not into bookmaking, you can certainly find a wide array of premade mixed media journals to work in, or try what I did years ago and just make journal pages on recycled chipboard which you store in an altered box. There are no set limits.  

I am certainly grateful for your blog visit today and look forward to being back with you next time.  xx, Autumn

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