Moikka moi! It's Riikka from Paperiliitin here with you today. I'm sharing my project with some of the new Hot Pick items just released. I was especially inspired by the lady in one of the new stamp sets, but mixed her with the geometrical patterns and threw some color in to the vintage palette by creating my own postal stamps.
I often made my art journals with separate pieces of paper mounted onto the journal. But that changed, when I started this new journal as it's stitch bound and I'm hesitant to add bulk to it so I can use at least some of the spreads. I tended to work on spiral bound versions, as they handle the dimensionality I layer on the pages, but as I was craving to try this elongated format, I had to change my way of creating a little bit.
What I really enjoy about the spread is the orientation, the layout but also the tea tones. I'm especially happy how the cabinet card inspired element turned out! If you want to see, how I did that and the "wax seal" on it, please read on!
My main inspiration for this spread was the new Hot Picks set (HP2501). Like I said in the opening paragraph, I also included some geometrics in the mix. For that I used another new Hot Picks stamp set (HP2503) along with a new Hot Picks stencil (PS456).
For the colorants I chose some stamping inks - black and three different colors that made me think of old Finnish stamps: red, olive green and dusty blue. On top of those, I used Infusions Just Walnut (CS25) and two Fresco Finish acrylic paint colors: Chocolate Pudding (FF42) and Little Black Dress (FF19). Quite a limited color scheme!
I started by making the first layer to my background. That seems quite a natural thing to do, but I had another reason for starting with that - drying time!
I wanted to create a look of an old, crumbled paper to the background and chose to use Infusions Just Walnut (CS25) for that. I knew that in order to have "creases" to the surface, I would need to add plastic on top and that way the layer would need quite some time to dry. So, I set to make the layer and then concentrated on the other elements while the background kept drying.
To create the desired look I sprinkled some Just Walnut (CS25) crystals to a small dish and added water on top thus making a watercolor. I painted the colorant to my journal with a large brush and then sprinkled some rock salt crystals to the page before adding a crumbled plastic bag on top. The salt added these tiny dots and speckles to the page while the plastic created the crease-looking texture.
While the background was drying, I then turned my attention to the elements coming on top. I started with the cabinet card inspired focal point. I inked the lady stamp from the Hot Picks stamp set (HP2501) and stamped her on top of semi-thick cardboard. I first thought of using Grey Board, but feared that the pieces I had were too thick to be used in my journal. If I had worked on a canvas or another kind of project, I would have used Grey Board.
Next I then cut the stamped piece loose, rounded the corners and carefully painted a frame for the "photo". My goal was to imitate the look of the cabinet cards I have in my stash. They have narrower borders on the sides and thicker at the top and bottom. I used Fresco Finish Little Black Dress (FF19) to color the frame. The frame not only made the card look more like its inspiration but I was also able to hide parts of the design with the paint layer that did not seem a good fit for this element.
The next step was the most taxing one, where it all could have gone wrong. But, as I set to do it, I thought that I could always just stamp another lady and try again! I'm talking about the coloring part. For the coloring I used also Infusions Just Walnut (CS25). I altered the concentration of the colorant to imitate the broad scale of a vintage photo. I first added a layer to the background, then added the shadows to the lady with a much more diluted color and then went back to make the background even darker. I also sprinkled a couple of crystals of the Just Walnut (CS25) to the background to make a bit of visual texture there.
While the background was drying, I also stamped other little elements to be used when making the composition to my journal. You can see all of them gathered in the photo below. Let me guide you through them.
On top, there's the postage stamps stamped, but not cut yet. For the stamps I chose the Tour d'Eiffel stamp from the Hot Picks set (HP2501) and used ink colors that reminded me of the ones they used in old Finnish stamps. I left quite a gap between each stamp so I could then cut them loose and turn into stamps. More about that a bit further down the post.
Next on the photo, to the right is a teeny tiny wax seal. For that I used the same Hot Picks stamp set (HP2501), but this time I played with embossing powder. I first stamped the image to a piece of cardstock and then carefully cut the shape loose. I then added three coats of embossing powder on top producing a thick layer. I then re-heated the powder and pushed the stamp to the molten powder thus creating the impression of the seal to it. The effect is subtle, but you still can see the heart in the middle.
The third element in the photo are the little keys. For those, I painted a piece of cardstock using Fresco Finish Chocolate Pudding (FF42). This was to create a base, a shadow color. On top I then stamped the keys from the Hot Picks stamp set (HP2501) and embossed those using golden embossing powder. The end result was the keys having a darker base color and gleaming little details.
I'm happy how the elements turned out and especially love how the different concentrations of Just Walnut (CS25) work on the cabinet card. What could have been a bit lighter, though, was the background. I was after an old paper look and the result was more like leather. On the other hand, the visual texture shows up more as there's more contrast between the lighter and darker areas. Also - the Just Walnut (CS25) wash was just the first layer on the background - there was more to come!
By now the background had finally dried and I was able to start layering on top of it. I first added a geometrical pattern there using a new Hot Picks stencil (PS456) and a brown ink. I wanted to keep the color palette quite limited, still drawing inspiration from the old paper I had thought about when starting.
I used the same ink also to stamp another geometrical pattern to the background. The square stamp I used was from another new Hot Picks stamp set (HP2503). To add some contrast, I also used black ink and a sentiment stamp on the vintage Hot Picks set (HP2501). I stamped the saying repeatedly both the right way up and upside down so it wasn't about the text anymore but more about visual texture. I clustered the text areas near the places where I was thinking of adding the focal points to draw the eye in.
To emphasize the old paper feel - or more over, a fountain pen written letter feel, I added some splashes of black to the background. I used Fresco Finish acrylic paint Little Black Dress (FF19) for those, just diluted the paint with water so I was able to squeeze the droplets out of a watercolor brush.
After drying the droplets and also trying to heat set the black ink and the stenciled brown ink, I then added some white touches to the background as it really needed some light back. For that I used white embossing powder. Even though I tried to dry all the previous layers, the powder still stuck partially to the stamped text. I brushed most of it off, but still there was some odd speckles here and there, when I then heated the powder. The motifs I used for the white flourishes are also from Hot Picks set (HP2501).
Oh, by the way, if you are wondering about the yellowish or orange hues on the left page, they are bleeding though the previous page. This journal I'm using has quite thick pages, so I didn't think the ink would go all the way through, but obviously I was wrong!
I was going for a linear, horizontal element with the added white ornaments. I then emphasized that with some handwritten text running from page to page. The scribbles are actual words as I feel that the rhythm of actual sentences work better than just undulating lines.
Another element I added to highlight the horizontal tension between the two pages, was the little postage stamps I had made. I cut the Eiffel towers loose using decorative scissors, that made the edge look like a postage stamp. I then used a collage medium (a fluid gel medium) to adhere the stamps in place, scattered from one page to the other.
What you also can see in the picture below, is the starting of the main composition. I added the little wax seal I had made to the cabinet card and added a piece of twine underneath it. To add something underneath the card, to further tell the story of the two lovers writing letters to each other I now had on my head, I added a piece of old paper underneath the card. It had this beautiful old writing on it but as the paper actually was a receipt, not a love letter, I hid most of the words, just showing a tiny bit of the script.
Next up was adding the keys and making yet another little element to the cluster. I cut the keys loose from the background and inked the edges. The keys between the letter layers seemed nice and I added another for balance to the other side, but now the white flourish was being almost totally covered. I also had this idea of adding some lace to the project, but none of the pieces I had in my stash felt quite right. So, I made some lace of my own! For that I stamped the flourish from Hot Picks set (HP2501) to a piece of vellum and embossed the pattern again with white embossing powder. I then cut the element loose and used it to add a touch of lace to the cluster.
As you can see from the finished project or the detail photos a bit further down, I also made another cluster to the left side page. I used a piece of the letter there together with a lace element and a key and postage stamp.
To finish the project, I added a strip of journaling in. It's actually the same phrase that the stamp set had, but the composition of the stamp didn't fit the linear composition of the project. So, instead I used my old type writer, crumbled the paper a bit and then adhered it in place using a collage medium.
So, do you like this vintage inspired spread? The background could have been a touch lighter, I admit, but on the other hand, the letter now shows up more, tucked behind the photo as the background is darker.
I'm especially happy about that tiny faux was seal as I think it adds a great little detail to the cabinet card inspired piece. I'm also pleased how I incorporated a story to the project, thinking about two love birds maybe even an ocean apart, sending letters and their cabinet cards across the sea.
I often use similar composition in my art journal spread projects. There's a bigger cluster, the main focal point on the other page and then a balancing little one on the opposite page. As you can see, I used that in this project as well. Why I placed the card on the right side, you might ask. Because of the lady's gaze. I wanted to add more air, more room for the gaze and thus placed the card on the right. Another reason might be me being right-handed as I often favor the right page over the left one for the main composition.
Both of the clusters have similar elements, so they echo each other. Like in this particular project adding that tiny piece of twine made a big impact. It emphasizes the horizontal line and adds some contrast to the cluster. It also hooks the two clusters together better than the other items.
If you are not into journals, you can use the same elements in cardmaking as well! Or maybe you are an ATC kind of crafter? How about doing a set of ATC-sized faux cabinet cards? The main composition could be turned into a small canvas as well, should that be your favorite type of project to do. I mean, the possibilities are endless and stretch as far as your imagination!
Oh, and if you are not a tea kind of person and crave for more color, just use another Infusions to make the first layer or even a mix of couple colors. That alone will change the project more colorful!
Thank you for stopping by today! Wishing you a fabulous day!
