Colour, Texture, Shape

Hi everybody! It's time for a new challenge over on the Stamps and Stencils blog. Our host this month is the very talented  Ruth and she has something a little different for us. Ruth has constructed a mood board with lots of gorgeous colour, texture and shape. I think you'll agree that there is plenty of creative inspiration here.

This is what Ruth has to say........

'Maybe it's the colour palette ranging from cream and peach through to gold, warm browns and soft greens that inspires you...or you want to choose different colours and use fabric, lace or metal in your project as texture? As for shape, what about flowers, leaves and architecture or the design elements that are gothic, steampunk or romantic? Whether your inspired by one or all of the pictures, please share your mixed media creations with us, the only restriction - you must use a stamp or stencil somewhere in your project. Can't wait to see what you're inspired to create!'

My project for this challenge, is an 'upcycled' sketchbook.  Can you guess which of Ruth's pictures I have drawn my inspiration from?

This is how it started out......

It's an A5 sketch book, with a kraft cover, bought from Hobbycraft, for the princely sum of £1. I think these are great value and once they've been given a makeover, they make lovely gifts for crafty friends. The kraft cover is a great substrate for working a little mixed media magic on !

 I began my transformation, by firstly adhering some book pages to the covers, with matte medium.I brushed a thin layer of white gesso over the surface, before adding some light stencilling around the edges, using Distress Paint in Frayed Burlap, through a Tim Holtz 'Flourish' Layering Stencil. I'm afraid I didn't take photos through the process so I have included some close up shots ...

Once my background was dry, I added the peach coloured rose,which is taken from a layer of a printed paper napkin, again, adhered with matte medium.

I really like the way that these kind of 'transferred' images retain their transparency. The next layer, was to add some stamping. I chose the birds and the text, from from Tim's 'Bird Feather' set of stamps and used black Archival Ink. I finished off  by blending a little  'Potting Soil' Archival ink, around the edges. In order to complete the 'upcycling' of my humble sketch book, I added a strip of 

co-ordinating  fabric to the spine of the book. I then punched a couple of holes all the way through the middle of the book, threaded a length of dyed seam binding through, and tied it into a bow on the outside. I think these final touches add an extra bit of smartness to the finished book. 

If you would like to join in with this month's challenge and need a little more inspiration, please hop over to the Stamps and Stencils blog and take a look at the fantastic projects by the rest of the team. We would love to see your creations ! x