Hope.

I seem to be making a habit of being 'late to the table' with my posts recently. Apart from my job as a teacher keeping me busy, the only other excuse I can offer is that my attic workroom is pretty cold in the winter. The central heating in our house doesn't extend quite that far and it's very hard to leave the side of the lovely log fire burning in our living room. Enough excuses ! In the spirit of being better late than never, I'd like to share this journal page which I've just finished as my DT piece for the eclectic Paperie eTeam Challenge.
 Andie is hosting the challenge and she has chosen the theme of 'Hope'. There is only one day left but you might just have time to join in. In any case I'd certainly advise you to hop over to the blog and see some of the fabulous projects. Andie has created a beautiful layout with the most gorgeous detail.
I decided to finish a journal page I'd started at the beginning of the year. It remained unfinished until the other day when I had a 'light bulb' moment, with the realisation that 'Hope' is exactly what the beginning of a new year is all about!...... Time to get that Page finished!
I started by spraying some Dylusion Inks onto a page which I'd previously applied Studio Gesso.

Lots of nice drippiness with these sprays ! I then stamped out 2014 using Tim's big number stamp set and black Archival Ink and embossed them with clear embossing powder and then....... I got stuck ! bold, black, stark, shiny numbers. Hmmmm ! what to do next so I put my journal away and waited for inspiration to strike. Fast forward to  three weeks later and a renewed interest in my fabulous but neglected Twinkling H2O Water Colour Paints. These gorgeous metallic paints, proved to be perfect for painting on some fireworks. It's a good idea to spray the surface of the paints with water first and allow it to soak in for a few minutes before use. I used my Tim Holtz water brush to paint with.

I felt that the page was at last starting to come together, that is until I decided to add a bit more bling! I have a big dense roll of gold transfer foil that I acquired several years ago. I placed a piece over the embossed numbers and covered with a piece of paper, then ironed over the surface with a fairly hot iron. Eeeeek ! the embossing melted and the gold transferred beautifully but it had spread out and just about obliterated the numbers. Oh what to do now? I felt I'd ruined  the page. Still, I consoled myself with the idea that the whole purpose of an art journal is to experiment, therefore I just couldn't leave it there. So out came the number stamps, more Black Archival ink, and some black embossing powder.

Here's how the numbers look now. I rather like the way they have turned out, almost like they're on fire. Some of the gold has also transferred onto the page and created a lovely texture. Distinct possibilities for future projects ! I used a Dymo label maker to emboss the word 'Hope'. I considered using larger text but with such huge numbers I thought it would be too much and I just really like that little label. A small word that means so much! x

So, if you have a few minutes spare and want to create something on the theme of Hope, or maybe like me, you've started something  and just need a little incentive to finish it, get it up loaded to the eclectic Paperie e Team Picks Challenge, before midnight on the 29th of January EST. We would love to see what you come up with and you will also be in with a chance of winning a $15 gift certificate for Kim's wonderful eclectic Paperie shop. She has a great selection of the new items from CHA as well as old favourites. Here are some of the products I've used.

Dylusions Journal	Dylusions Ink Spray - Cut Grass	Dylusions Ink Spray - Fresh Lime	Dylusions Ink Spray - Crushed Grape	Dylusions Ink Spray - Bubblegum Pink
Dylusions Ink Spray - Lemon Zest	Dylusions Stencil 9x12" - Diamond of a Border	Claudine Hellmuth Studio Gesso	Archival Ink - Jet Black Ink Pad	Ranger Super Fine Embossing Powder - Black
Ranger Super Fine Embossing Powder - Clear	Tim Holtz Water Brush - Detailer Brush