CSI case file #95 - Mixed media double pager

Hello everyone! We have another wonderful case file for you at CSI:Color, Stories, Inspiration this week. Lots of opportunties with this one:

 

 

 My layout:

I thought the combo fit really well with these photos of my son in his christening dress, but more than that, I wanted to write the history of this dress. My grandfather was christened in it, as well as my mother and many other family members (not me unfortunately, someone had made a gift for my mom when I was born and I was christened in that dress instead). The dress was about 105 years old when these photos were taken.

 

From the evidence items I used: paint, distressing, flowers, and book pages, and from the testimony I was inspired to document an old memory.

 

He has so many different facial expressions on these photos, I wanted to use all of them, so I made a double pager. The background is mixed media starting with a layer of gesso on watercolour paper.  

The journaling is written on a bunch of tags tucked behind the photos. This is one of my favourite ways of adding a lot of journaling, partly since it is easy to just reach into the page protector and take out the tags to read. The border piece is Karen Burniston's new Banners & Borders set.

After applying gesso to the background with a palette knife, I pressed a leafy embossing folder into the gesso to create more texture. I painted the background with Distress Paints, mixing the paint to match the two blue colours in the palette. I watered down the paint and started with the lighter blue. The darker blue was painted in a band across the page and misted with water so that it started to drip down the page.

When the paint was dry, I stamped the background here and there with a dot stamp and French Ultramarine ink and with swirls and Blue Cornflower ink. I love Archival Inks and that they work so well on many different surfaces. French Ultramarine and Blue Cornflower ink was also sponged over two different stencils to add more detail to the background.

I applied light molding paste through two other stencils, this damask one is by Prima.

When the hearts were dry, I dry-brushed just a tiny bit of brown paint on top.

 

For the title I die cut a left over gelli print with Karen Burniston's Sassy Labels & Stitched Frames set. This stitching addition is so much fun. I planned for the stitches to be embossed, but wasn't thinking and placed the stitching die on the wrong side of the paper, so they are debossed instead. The title was stamped with alphabet stamps and Blue Cornflower ink. The blooms were die cut from Core'dinations cardstock, more leftover gelli prints and dictionary paper using the Holiday Greenery die by Brenda Walton. It particularly like the different leaves on this die.

 

You can see the impression of the embossing folder in the gesso better on this photo, it gives a great subtle texture.

Thank you for looking! I hope you will join us this week in the challenge!

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:
Surfaces: Daler & Rowney watercolour paper; Core'dinations Tim Holtz Color-Core cardstock; dictionary paper
Dies: Sizzix: Banners & Borders, Sassy Labels & Stitched Frames, Holiday Greenery
Embossing folder: Sizzix: Garden Set
Stamps: Hero Arts: Flourish Background CG119, Tiny Ink Spots S5637
Ink: Ranger Archival Ink: French Ultramarine, Blue Cornflower
Paint: Distress Paint: Broken China, Salty Ocean, Chipped Sapphire, Mustard Seed, Peeled Paint
Medium: Golden Artist Colors: Light Molding Paste, Gesso
Stencils: Jenni Bowlin: Silhouettes; Prima: Damask 6 x 6; The Crafters Workshop: Spilled Hearts, Mini Cherry Blossoms