CSI Case File #11 – Dandelions

Happy Saturday! You just have to see the gorgeous inspiration panel for this week’s CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration challenge. Check the site out to see the work of the rest of the DT. This is case file #11:

And here's my layout:

I loved the sweet inspiration photo and the idea of sprinkling letters over the background. Of the evidence items I used: sprinkle letters over your page, butterflies, paint and string. Of the testimony: this is partly a story about my own childhood memories of blowing dandelions, I also sprinkled the journaling across the page.  Close-ups of each page:

These photos of my son blowing dandelions were just perfect for the colour palette. As you can see I was very inspired by the inspiration photo. The background paper is BasicGrey Basics ledger paper (one of my all time favorite collections). First, the dandelions were white embossed. Then I stamped letters (I used the letters from my son’s name and from the word ‘maskros’=dandelion) using Ranger Archival Vermillion ink, which is waterproof (a necessity for the following steps). The circles were stamped with Archival ink Chrome Yellow. Next step was to apply gesso on top of the background using an old plastic card, and then green paint as grass. I ‘hacked’ the page a bit with the plastic card to create grass texture. When this was dry, I misted the bottom of the pages and a bit here and there with a mixture of Weathered Wood and Tumbled Glass reinker, mixed with water and Perfect Pearls. When that had dried, more circles were stamped using Archival French Ultramarine ink, and some meaningful text stamps, with both the blue ink and with black ink. Yellow splotches were stamped here and there to add a bit more of the yellow.

I just loved the butterflies with the strings on the inspiration photo. Different butterflies were stamped with Stazon on modeling film, and then coloured on the other side with alcohol inks (Sailboat Blue, Stonewashed, Sunshine Yellow, Citrus, Raisin). I love modeling film, it is so cool. Each butterfly was heated and then molded to look like they are fluttering across the page. I glued a piece of string to each one and attached some with staples and the rest with Glossy Accents.

Some more close-ups:

 

Journaling: ‘When I was little, I used to love to blow dandelions, and we often made a wish too. There were tons of them in the park close to our house. We also used to make necklaces from the ‘stems’ which are hollow and can be threaded together. However, they gave off a brown liquid that had a tendency to stain clothing. There are a lot of dandelions on the grass where we live and I taught you how to blow away the seeds. You think its lots of fun and we do it almost daily at the moment. A little bit of everyday magic.’

Thank you for looking and have a fabulous weekend!

Anna-Karin

Supplies: Hero Arts: Silhouette Burst H5312, Silhouette Spray G5311, Dandelion G4917, Sketch Circle B4343, Be Happy Every Day C2707, Three Artistic Butterflies LP215, Earth Flowers CL428, Antique Engravings CL383; Darkroom Door Essentials 1 Collection; Crafty Individuals dandelions; Reprint splatter stamps; My Favorite Things Where Flowers Bloom, Pearls of Wisdom; Artistic Outpost Playtime; Ranger Archival ink: French Ultramarine, Vermillion, Chrome Yellow; Distress Ink reinker Weathered Wood, Tumbled Glass; Perfect Pearls, Stazon Jet Black; Ranger Seafoam White embossing powder; Alcohol inks: Sailboat Blue, Stonewashed, Sunshine Yellow, Citrus, Raisin, Red Pepper; Stamper’s Anonymous clear modeling film; string; MME patterned paper; baker’s twine; Authentique stickers; October Afternoon letter stickers.