V for Virago

I wanted to create another entry for The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - V and found a small scrap of dictionary on my table left over from my first page The word on it - Virago. Now I had no idea what that meant - all I could see was the word 'aggressive' which didn't seem promising. But once I looked it up, the ideas came. I do like to find something out of the ordinary!

The background for this page just happens to be similar to my other 'V' page as I had put out too much purple paint at some stage and used it up through the same stencil in a couple of journals. I used images which show books about strong women and pushed it back with gesso, making sure the definitions where still visible. The circular definition is an image of a necklace and the sculpture is a bronze found outside the Casale Monferrato. I used grey Gelato to grunge up the border and added some journalling.

V is for Grandma?

The current alpha challenge over at The Craft Barn is 'V'. For me that stands for Grandma - Violet was her name and even though she left us many years ago it is nice to have a reason to dig out the old photos and create this tribute to her.
Weren't those early photos amazing?!

E for Equal

This post is for The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - E

While ripping up my dictionary page for my first post for this challenge, I was looking for something else on the page to inspire me and came upon the word equal.
The background is a napkin with a very regular, equal spotted pattern, pushed back with gesso. Then came some stamping with the small equals signs.
I used the butterfly and circle to represent symmetry and the two equal sides of the image. Then the two mathematical equations were stamped onto the page, a large equals sign made with the scraps of dictionary page and the die cut people representing equality.
There was still something missing so I found and image of scales which represent equality as well as justice.

E for Ephemeral

This post is for The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - E.

I started by covering the page with images from Ephemera's Vintage Garden, applied gesso over the top and then some stenciling. I then used other ephemera as my focal images and added some detailing with die cut flowers, shaped and pearls added.I had been experimenting with my new Jacquard Pearl Ex Powders - still figuring these out and made lots of smudgy images but thought they could still be useful and had some pieces that I though fitted here.

X for Kisses

Being away for a few days and still not having entered The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - X, I had to think carefully to produce this.
I had only taken a colouring book and my Derwent Inktense pencils with me. A quick visit to the local craft shop to stock up and I had some napkins and a few stickers to add some text and pattern to the page.
I chose a page in the colouring book that had only some blocked rectangular shapes and some red and blue zentangling that I could add to.
Quite liking the simple outcome - think it would make a nice card if I printed it out.

The concept of the page is hugs and kisses as in oxoxox.
Definition - X 4 Kisses.

007

This journal page is for Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - At the Movies and even though they are technically zeros, we do say double oh! - so also for The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge 'O'.

The back ground had been waiting for a while - made with my own arrow stencil and silhouettes, both done with left over paint. I found used old poster images and thought the black figures looked like Bond Girls. I used some gesso and pink paint to blend these in. I was thinking of movie reels when I made the black circles, but then once the pink lines where added, they really looked like the cross-hare of a gun sight - so still fitted with the 007 theme.

Sorry - want to make sure I follow the rules ("...either the dictionary definition or one made up by you.") for The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge 'O', so have made a addition.

O is for Opera House

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to to Sydney, with two of my children, for a concert in the Opera House. We had an amazing time there together and so I decided to create a page to remember it by.
I started with some notepad 'money' in the background, toned down with some gesso. I then used mope up baby wipes and patterned paper to create stylized harbour bridge and Opera House. Some ink drips, a bit of stamping and stenciling and panoramic views of the inside of the concert hall.

This is for The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge 'O'.