Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Four Tags, Six Canvases and Two Journal Pages

Had to do some tags with a wedding theme, and decided to use the Graphic 45 Romantique papers I've been hoarding saving.  Except for the bride image in the scallop circles, they're all the same, and here's a closer look at one:
I ran some Core'dinations paper (dark brown with a coral core) through my Big Kick, using a new SU! embossing folder called Vintage Wallpaper.  Very pretty.  Sanded the raised areas.  The bow on top is one of those bright brassy cheapo charms, and I toned them down with some shell pink and espresso alcohol inks,  The little bride and groom image inside the oval charm blank is from the Graphic 45 pad, and I covered it with glossy accents. 
I punched the bride image using the SU! scallop circle punch, and layered it with foam dots on top of two more scallops, these punched with the new SU 2 3/8" scallop circle punch.
The sentiment is from Wendy Vecchi's Homemade Art set, and I stamped it on the coral side of some Core'dinations scraps.
One of the swaps I recently joined is a 5x7" canvas swap at ATT.  I have to make 6, and Sharona, the host, will assemble collages for all participants, similar to the chaos swap.....except that all the canvases are the same size and done in landscape orientation.  I started working on this a while ago, and finished this past weekend.  
I love these collaborative projects, and tried to include many techniques and products in my creations.
The background is a collage of dictionary pages, lightly inked.  The large label was cut from grungepaper, using Tim's Styled Labels die.  There are two designs on the die, and I used them both.  I inked the labels with vintage photo distress ink, covered them with vintage photo embossing powder, and heat set.  Then, to add a little patina, I dabbed the pieces randomly with the distress embossing ink pad, drizzled some Ranger verdigris embossing powder from the Antiquities line over top, tapped off the excess, and re-heated the piece.
I topped it with a keyhole (with a tiny picture under the hole).  The label isn't really attached to the canvas with those tiny staples (I used sticky tape); they're just there for effect.
Over to the right....grungepaper border cut with Tim's Brackets on the edge die, embossed with Diamonds in the Rough Cuttlebug embossing folder, and inked with wild honey  and vintage photo distress inks. Next to it, a strip from one of Tim's Lost and Found papers.
Other embellishments:  two tiny bottles wrapped together with wire and decorated with a resistor, attached with sticky tape.  A key given a rust treatment with distress ink and distress embossing powder, and another key from my stash.
The leaves are cut from Tim's Regal Crest die....I just cut them apart into different lengths.
Under the four fragments on the bottom are elements from Lost and Found again, except for the largest fragment, which covers the eye from Tim's Oddities stamp set.
Finished it off with a corner in the upper left hand......well, corner!
Oh, and I attached a bit of chain underneath the large label.  I thought I'd have a charm dangling from it, but I think I'm going to just leave it as is.

My Frida Kahlo journal group got off to an on-time start, and the first one I received was Elena's.  I have a month to complete her pages and send it on, but as sometimes happens, I had an idea, and ran with it.  I've found when I don't do that, I usually just lose the whole thing.
I was thinking about the haphazard way we sometimes save the little bits and pieces that we call memorabilia. Some are stuck into a picture frame or around the edges of a mirror.  Some are in a box, maybe a vintage cigar box, and we open it up, we see a collage of photos, ticket stubs, dried flowers, postcards, documents.  I wanted the pages I did for Elena to have that look.  Here is my two page spread:
And each page separately:


22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh WOW WOW WOW WOW Eileen...these are all SO SO SO GORGEOUS!!!! You always amaze me so much with your beautiful creations!!!

Lori said...

Good Lord, where do I start? You do realize you could have milked this for at least three separate posts, right? rofl. The tags are stupendous, love the embossing the paper, the sentiment, everything.
The canvases - awesome! So glad I have the Verdigris powder.....
The journal, spectacular, I know Elena will love it!

Sherri Auld said...

Just gorgeous!! Every little last detail. Thanks for sharing.

Helen said...

WOW you've been so busy, and all of them are just incredible.

Sue Young said...

Eileen:your 5X7 canvases are...magnifique!!!So beautiful!Gret job! Sue

Dorothy said...

Oh my goodness Eileen!!!
these are stunning!!! I love them all!!

Kerry said...

Good Grief! Not sure where to start except Wow, absolutely fantastic. Everything you've done is beyond words. The tags are awesome - I love that Graphic 45 paper! I will use it now! The canvases, I love every inch of them - the detail is fantastic. And the journal pages - are spectacular! Well, someone said you could have done 3 posts with all this -- I think you've outdone yourself. Every piece is outstanding - as always! Thank you for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Love Love Love the canvasessss...the tagsssss all your projects!!!
You are so inspiring.
Thanks for sharing.
Nancy Mayer (So.Cal.)

Kathy Eddy said...

Wow, gorgeous, and spectacular! that should cover the three very well. Love, love, love the canvases. I wanted to play in this one but couldn't get any time of to go and try to find the canvases. It's at least an hour or hour and a half to any craft stores from here. Maybe next time!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful, beautiful work, Eileen. Your tags are my favorite. They are just amazing.

Carol P

OhSuz said...

Eileen, how lovely those wedding tags are! Just gorgeous! And your canvases are simply stunning! You are so very talented! Suzie

teri said...

I can see you were inspired with all of this. I especially love the Frida work - it really feels like something that would be found in a room somewhere rather than something that was made for a project, you know? Love that.

Angie Hall Haviland said...

OH WOW, Eileen!! ABSOLUTELY STUNNING new ART!!

Bethan said...

good grief, WHERE do you get your energy from.....send me a bottle of what ever you're on!!!

Fantabulistic work..as ever!! lovelove love it all!!

Nancy said...

These are all wonderful! I don't have the verdigris EP - going to have to get some!

MarleneMAZ said...

All I can say is WOW!! your work is fantastic. I am also in the canvas swap and was not going to look at yours because I have almost finished mine and did not want to have to start over after seeing yours, lol!

Ashlie said...

Eileen, your work never ceases to amaze me. It's so inspiring to see what you create. I only hope to one day be as creatively talented as you!

Love from Harrisburg,
Ashlie

Patzee said...

4 Gorgeous Tags, 6 Amazing Canvases, and 2 Superb Journal Pages add up to AWESOMENESS! These are jaw-droppingly beautiful.

Art By Wanda said...

You sure know how to kick out the art!!! All fabulous projects!!!

Celeste said...

Absolutely stunning works of ART.... Love them all...

Sherry Goodloe said...

Ooooooooh Eileen! You have been a creative FOOL! And I mean that in a GOOD way of course. Everything is just WOW to the 10th power! Everything is AWESOME!!

Elaine A said...

Eileen -

What can I say? YOU DID GOOD!!!! What I love about your work is that each time I look at it, I see something new. Just wonderful, fun pieces of art!

Elaine Allen