Imagination rules the world: CSI #36

Happy Saturday! During September CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration is teaming up with Once Upon a Sketch and you can expect a month completely packed with inspiration and creativity. And don't forget about the design team call, you can find my post about it here. Here's the first case file and sketch:

And my layout, using a photo of me as a child crafting together with my mom at the kitchen table:

From the evidence I used: mesh stamp, letters as embellishments, tone on tone, elements that float across the page. And from the evidence: my journaling is partly scattered across the page, hidden among the random letters.

The base of this layout is watercolour paper, since I didn't want the paper to warp. I first stamped an 'art' text stamp using Archival Ink Coffee here and there on the background, a mesh stamp with Archival Ink Saffron, and a bubble wrap stamp with Pale Ochre. Instead of mounting the stamp on an acrylic block, I held it in my hand when stamping, giving a more random impression. Archival ink is waterproof, which was important here so that it wouldn't smear in the later steps.

The I die cut a whole bunch of letters using three different dies (Word Play, Inside Out and Typeset), and using cream, brown kraft core, orange/brown and yellow papers. I glued them down on the paper with multi-medium. When they were dry I mixed white acrylic paint with some water and dry-brushed across the page.

The little girl with the balloons was stamped with Coffee ink on manila cardstock and coloured with coloured pencils.

I love this 'imagination' stamp from Paper Artsy and decided to use it as a title, it was stamped on manila cardstock and distressed a bit. The flowers were die cut with the Fringed 3D Flower die by Eileen Hull, out of canvas. I smeared differend colours Distress Stains on my craft sheet, misted the flowers with water and dragged them through the ink. The edges were frayed a bit and the flowers layered together.

The banner was cut from various patterned papers and manila cardstock. An art definition stamp was stamped on the cardstock flags and words describing the photo on the others. The scalloped text stamp in the background was stamped with Saffron ink on manila cardstock.

The journaling is written on the tag behind the photo, it translates: 'Such a wonderful photo of me in the kitchen. Mom and I were crafting together at the green kitchen table. I am probably around 2.5 years old. My toy farm is also standing on the table, and some chocolate. I am painting with paint stored in baby food jars. Mom is making plaster figurines - Snow White and the 7 drawfs. They turned out wonderfully and I still have them. I am so grateful that my mom encourage crafting so much. How cosy it looks there at the table.'

Thank you for visiting! I hope you will play along with us this week!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:
Stamps: PaperArtsy MN48; Stamper's Anonymous Tim HOltz Classics #4 and #4. Mixed Media: Prima girl with balloons
Dies: Sizzix: 3D Fringed Flower, Cupcake Stand & Penant, Word Play, Typeset, Inside Out
Inks etc: Archival Ink: Coffee, Saffron, Pale Ochre: Distress Stain: Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, Rusty Hinge, Scattered Straw: Distress Ink: Vintage Photo
Papers: Prima ledger paper, 7Gypsies; BasigGrey Basics; Ranger manila cardstock; canvas; Core'dinations cardstock; watercolour paper
Other: vintage buttons, lace trim