Exhibit 156: Vintage Botanical Alphabet

Another experiment, as I try to discern the wily ways gesso interacts with inks, sprays and paints.   In a previous make I happily sprayed away on a page that had been painted with white gesso, only to discover upon drying that nothing of the sprayed pigment remained.  

This time, I decided to take advantage of that to create a lacy background with DecoArt Media crackle paste, I love the white foreground this paste creates, against all the amazing crackles that can readily be covered with virtually anything - DecoArt's own antiquing cream, Distress or other sprays, gelattos..... the field is wide open.  

First, I applied DecoArt Media Crackle Paste to a page that had a white gesso layer, using a long Prima stencil.  This is after I sprayed with ink but shows the stencil layout. 

Once the crackle paste was dry, I used Distress Stain Sprays in Walnut Stain, and Gathered Twigs.   I sprayed heavily, let dry, and sprayed again, wondering if I could achieve some color in the paper (not the crackle paste).

And the answer is "sort of".....extremely light, but pleasing.  But more pleasing is the color absorbed by the crackle paste.  You can see from these photos that despite intense sprayings in the darkest colors of Distress Spray (Walnut Stain) and Ranger's Adirondak Color Wash Spray (Espresso), the paper treated with gesso just soaks it all in.....who knows where it goes?

But all of these lovely sprays have colorized the beautiful DecoArt Media Crackle Paste!

So now the background was complete.  I knew I wanted to enter the Artistic Stamper's challenge Alphabet Soup , A Vintage Journey's challenge Special Numbers , and the Monday Challenge at Simon Says Stamp (as well as posting on Brenda's non-challenge art journal blog-hop).  So now, need to add numbers and letters!

My imaginary trunk (from my equally imaginary townhouse) yielded an old alphabet primer, catalogued as #156.

The number plate is a faux enameling technique from Shelly Hickox.  I used liquid pearls as the "brads".

The background paper was created using three Distress Inks: Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo and Gathered Twigs, plus Picket Fence Distress Paint and generous sprays of water.... this is all from Laura Bomber's beautiful Alice In Wonderland make.  I made my pages a bit darker by using less Picket Fence.

I then stamped the alphabet stamps - obviously this little primer has had many pages go missing.  The stamps are from Serendipity Stamps (Floral Alphabet) and heat embossed using Lindy's Stamp Gang Midnight Copper embossing powder (it is very fine and great for these types of intricate images).

Inside are some beautiful botanical alphabet stamps....

Here is a close-up of some of them:

This primer needed some covers.  I used Lindy' Stamp Gang Bayou Boogie Gold spray on both sides of the front cover, spraying and drying several times. The front cover was made by stnping a beautiful Michelle Ward flourish stamp with Versamark, and heat embossing with Stampendous Victorian Bronze.

The inside front cover was stamped with an intricate Penny Black stamp in Archival Coffee.

The back cover is attached to the page, so only the inside shows.  It is embossed with a Brenda Walton Sizzix folder, and sprayed with Tea Dye and Gathered Twigs.  Once dry, I highlighted with a bit of Olive Gold from Treasure Gold.

The pages were inserted and secured with a bit of textured gold paper, and the coveres secured with a grunge board  Hardware Finding, which is painted in Ferro Iron Gold paste.  The entire little book was glued to the background, which is heavily sprayed with Frayed Burlap, Gathered Twigs and Vintage Photo, and cut at both ends with the Tattered Doily edge die.

To hold the book closed, two Antique Handles were cut from acetate, painted with Copper and Gold Mixative alcohol inks, and embossed with the matching folder.

And here is the final product!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and please do comment - I love hearing from you!