A memory book

Looking through my cupboards the other day I found some Tim Holtz grunge board 6x6 album pages and I decided to make a mini album. However, things didn't work out that way and what I have ended up with is more like a completed scrapbook for a vintage trip to Paris! On one of the pages there is  a photograph of my grandmother and I have imagined that this might have been something she might have made when she was young.

On all of the pages I have used distress stains as this fits in with the current challenge at A Vintage Journey which is being sponsored by County View Crafts . I am also entering this into the challenge at Simply Create Too, which has an old or vintage theme for its current challenge. There are lots of photos here, so apologies for that, but I hope you like them.

Rather than write loads about what I did, I will just explain how I used the distress stains on each page.

Front cover

The background was made by dragging Manila card through scattered straw and antique linen distress stains, which had been put onto my crafting mat and spritzed with water. Once this was dry I stencilled distress stains using the Tim Holtz Gothic and Burlap stencils and another one, which I don't have the name for. I also used stains for colouring the ribbon.

Pages 1 and 2

Page 1

The tag for this page was spritzed with Distress ink and when it was wet I crumpled it up so it became wrinkled. I then uncrumpled and dried it. Once it was dry I lightly sponged more DS over it so that the wrinkles all showed up. The little heart is worn lipstick DS which was covered with Rock Candy crackle and the little label used yet more scattered straw DS, which is my favourite at the moment. I love the dried lavender I have used on this page, which came from a flower press I bought from a charity shop a few years ago and was full of dried flowers and leaves.

Page 2

I stuck some decoupage paper to Manila card using Modge Podge and then I sprayed it with water and added DS to it. I love the effect where some of the paper took up very little stain, but other parts of the page has lots of stain. The background card was laid into distress stain spritzed with water and then I stencilled through a Tim Holtz stencil and one of fleur des lisle that I made myself. The feather was made by diluting stain and using a brush to paint. I really like the effects of these two together.

Pages 3 and 4

Page 3

This is a photo of my paternal Grandmother, Eileen Cooper, nee Smith who I never met as she died 4 years before I was born. However, she and my Dad look so alike that I feel as though I know her. As far as I know she never went to Paris, but as I put this project together it was her I imagined as the person collecting the bits and pieces and making the book (My daughter says I am ever so slightly mad!). On this page I used DS for the flowers and leaves as well as making the age spots on the background and the frame.

Page 4

The brown background for this one was made with various brown DI stains - I believe they included vintage photo and walnut stain. The front image is a Justrite stamp and I used a brush to watercolour the image using faded Jeans DS and a variety of greens. The little label was Vintage photo DS. I love the simplicity of this page, although if you look closely you will see that I stuck the front image on upside down and the background script is therefore upside down. Luckily, the browns are dark and so the mistake is not immediately obvious!!

Pages 5 and 6

Page 5

This was the last page I made and it took me ages to decide what to do, but when I found the little Paris images I knew immediately that I wanted to include a piece of Tim Holtz' photo strip, which I love. I used DS less on this page than any other, but I used it to colour the ribbon and the background of the label. I like the combination of browns and blue and I like the addition of the embossed card stock.

Page 6

One of my own favourite memories of Paris is the magnificent Rose Window in the Notre Dame Cathedral. I loved the way the light poured through the window, lighting up the inside of the building. I was unsure about including this page as it is so different from all of the others as it is so bright, but I tried to age it and tone it down by using Vintage Photo distress ink over the top of the image. The window was coloured in using undiluted stains and a paint brush. It took ages to do and made me remember being a child and doing colouring in!

Pages 7 and 8

Page 7

I used distress stains for the background of this. the colours included Pumice Stone and Victorian Velvet. I then used Victorian Velvet distress ink which I stencilled through the Tim Holtz Harlequin layering stencil and then clear heat embossed it. The tickets were cut from a Tim Holtz die and I added the stamping including the Eiffel Tower stamp. The background of the tickets was also distress stain. The images were from a Prima Pad called Cartographer. 

Page 8

I wanted this page to be a collection of bits and pieces that might have been collected during a trip to Paris. The background is also from the Prima Cartographer pad and I added Vintage Photo and Frayed Burlap stains to it. The man at the  front was cut from a Tin Holtz paper and I coloured him in with very diluted stains, I loved the faded look of it.

Back page

This was completed in the same way as the front cover

I ended up really liking this little book as it is something that I have not done before and I was pleased with the way it turned out.

What I am enjoying about entering challenges is that I am trying out new things and practising things that I have done before. I am very new to all of this and I love learning all of the techniques and I think I am gradually becoming more adventurous in what I do.