I'm travelling into a new way of working, a new country, a new language, and a new hobby which I'm passionate about. Come with me for some of the journey...

Saturday 8 June 2013

A world of private dreams

Hello everyone!  Hope the sun is shining on you wherever you are this weekend... and if not, just take yourself off into a world of private dreams, and enjoy the sunshine there instead!

Sorry, I've been slightly infected by the pages I'm sharing with you today.  They were inspired by the new challenge from the House of Bears this month.  If you've never visited, I do recommend it - they're probably the most creative bunch of bears you'll ever meet.

They issue a Literary Challenge each month, and this month they've given us an array of wonderful quotes from Jane Eyre to stimulate our creative imaginations.  The one which jumped out at me was this: 
"She is in a world of private dreams, not here with us."

You'll find all the challenge details here, but without more ado, I'd like to show you what they inspired me to create.






I'm so grateful to the Bears, as I really wasn't in a crafty mood when I happened upon their challenge post, and it was their inspirational quotes which got me back to the craft table after a long (enforced by work commitments) absence.  


I've a feeling I may be playing more than once this time around, as I am with some more Ss for Simon Says Stamp and Show... Stencilling, Shimmer and Sunshine.


And it wasn't just the quotes... I also took a leaf out of the bears' book (almost literally) by doing some art journalling.  

The bears journal all the time - with incredible spontaneity, playfulness and freedom - and it's not something I do very much, though I often think I should do more.


I started by gesso-ing the pages of an actual book (as suggested by the extraordinary Froebelsternchen Susi - another huge inspiration, though I'm not attempting to do what she does!) rather than working in one of my journals.










Then I added some Grunge Paste through my birthday stencils from That Special Touch, the daisy and the foxglove.

From the moment of reading this particular quote, I knew that the subject of the sentence would be the wonderful girl from the Classics #5 stamp set.  








She always looks as though she's not quite present, but off somewhere in some world of her own (as I frequently am myself...)

I cut a mask too, so that I would be able to layer paint and stamping around her.















Then I set to with the Fresco paints by PaperArtsy, including the yummy new Cheesecake and Vanilla colours (nearly said flavours there!)...  














I hope I've captured a real feeling of warm sunshine by using them as part of my sky.  And I love that you can still see the book text underneath... where there is any!




I used a sponge to apply most of the background colours, and then a brush to add in the grasses and greenery.














I used some Tim Holtz texture stamps to add depth to the blue distance.












The quote is stamped on watercolour paper which I painted with the Cheesecake Fresco paint, and then inked green at the bottom and turquoise at the top - so that each word echoes the colours of the whole page.
















I used the brush again for some textural accents around the borders of the sky.














I layered in some hedgerow stamping (of course) using the wonderful Artemio Hedgerow Plants.















I didn't pay too much attention to whether it stamped over or between the textured plants - I wanted the random feel of an abundant natural meadow.














I used some of the little Tim Holtz grasses for extra texture.










I painted the foxglove (not in foxglove colours) and the daisies, layering up Fresco colours for a fresh, random look.


I added some more texture paste butterflies using a stencil by Magenta - the one you all fell in love with on the Flutter By, Butterfly panel.


I dabbed Perfect Pearls mica powder in Pearl onto them for a shimmery barely-there look.


They are, after all, only in her imagination.


And the bee got the mica treatment for his wings too.








The three main butterflies represent her own projection of herself into this world of private dreams - they are "her" in this other world she inhabits. 










So to link them to the girl, I used the same colours on her eyes and lips as on the butterflies themselves.














And as they get further into the world, retreating from reality, they become less and less "whole", more and more fantastical...






 ... even starting to disintegrate into the picture, so that she can merge with her dreams and stay in this calm world of sunshine and nature forever.








I hope these pages give you even half as much pleasure as they give me... I've needed my world of private dreams in the last few weeks, coming to terms with fitting my crafting desires around an less-than-yielding work schedule where - for half the week - I'm not even in the same town as my craft table.


So these pages feel like an expression of something important - not least my craving for sunshine! - and it's all thanks to those bears!

I'd like to enter this in the following:
The House of Bears challenge for June: Jane Eyre Quotes
Simon Says Stamp and Show are playing the Letter S - I have Stencilling, Shimmer and Sunshine
At Stamping Sensations they want to see our Summer Blooms

"She is in a world of private dreams, and not with us."
from Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë

They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.
from Eleanora, by Edgar Allen Poe


“Yet there are moments when the walls of the mind grow thin; when nothing is unabsorbed, and I could fancy that we might blow so vast a bubble that the sun might set and rise in it and we might take the blue of midday and the black of midnight and be cast off and escape from here and now.”

from The Waves, by Virginia Woolf


68 comments:

...the yorkshire fox... said...

...superb work Alison, so much detail and texture, I love it, great depth of colour to your pages too, and yes Susi is one taleneted lady...have a wonderful weekend...Melxx :)

Helen said...

Oh Alison, this is absolutely beautiful, so dreamy and soft. I love the meadow you've created, with all that texture. I could just lie down in the grasses right now and dream... hope you have a creative weekend. xx

Inkypinkycraft said...

some great ideas here , gorgeous texture and just fab! hugs trace x

Jenny Marples said...

Beautiful Alison. These pages evoke such tranquil feelings through calming colours and textured flora/fauna. Love that melting butterfly and the way the sunshine seems to pour through this onto the shiny/glimmering elements. Hugs, Jenny x

Astrid Maclean said...

Beautiful spread, love the hedgerow effect of the stencils and the stamping and as Trace said, some great ideas here!

brenda said...

This has a wonderfully ethereal feel to it Alison, just beautiful.

Have a good weekend.

B x

chrissie said...

Wonderful of the quote Alison. Off to follow the link to find out more about the challenge.

Have a nice weekend

Love Chrissie xx

Deborah said...

So much wonderful texture on your journal page, Alison. Not heard of the Bears before - off to have a look.

barbarayaya62 said...

How much I like these words! And then you work often with my favorite colors, any shade of green and blue, gorgeous too! BArbarayaya

froebelsternchen said...

I feel very honored that you describe me as inspiration!
Thank you so much Alison.. I feel proud!
this spread is just wonderful dear Alison and also the two tags below ( I missed visiting the last days - but was sooo busy -sorry)

Thank you also for the link- have to check out immediately!

Have a good weekend my friend!
It´s the first sunny day...I enjoy!

May said...

Gorgeous pages Alison, The colours & textures are divine... your attention to detail in everything you create is fantastic...The butterflies are just outstanding...Love it all... you have a wonderful sunny happy weekend... Hugs May x x x

House of Bears said...

Oh my, this is just FABulous. We love the texture, and the way you've painted the individual elements of your masking, of course we love the face stamp, as we also have this.

The idea of the butterflies becoming less whole is brilliant, we really like that concept.

Thanks for joining in with us, we're so glad you did.

Carol Q said...

gorgeous Alison. looks like it was very enjoyable to create too.

toni said...

Stunning work Alison, you've added great depth to your composition , i feel as though I could run my fingers through those wild flowers and grasses !

Tincan Crafter said...

Alison this is so wonderful. My favourite thing was when you disintegrated the butterfly so that it merged reality and dreams - that was so poetic. The grunge paste adds so much delicious texture and I loved all the dreamy colours. Absolutely wonderful.

Cestina said...

Oh I just love this.....

And thanks for reminding me about the Bears' challenge. I had my eye on one of those quotes....off to see if I can make something of it.
x

sam21ski said...

This is simply amazing Alison, all that texture - wow

Sam xxx

Marjie Kemper said...

Oooh lah lah! Such beautiful pages. Love how you've done the butterflies and added so much texture.

Redanne said...

Hi Alison, in my book there is nothing more beautiful than a butterfly...I love the ones you created on this gorgeous page, especially the melting one. Love the depth you created and the gorgeous colours - it does all feel very dreamy. Hugs, Anne x

Alie Hoogenboezem-de Vries said...

What a lovely nature feeling...gorgeous, soft pages Alison with so many great details!

Have a nice weekend, Alie :-)

Martina said...

Your page is gorgeous and artistic, dear Alison! It takes my breath away!
Fantastic piece of art!

Keren Tamir said...

Wow Alison I love this whimsical art journaling page. Utterly fantastic.

Dorthe said...

Wonderful feeling of my childhoods meadow ,(just outside my parents house! ) I love your sunshine and dreamy girl! So lovely, Alison!
xo,Dorthe

pearshapedcrafting said...

Love your meadow, looks like a perfect place for private dreams! My favourite lady there too, although mine is on an Inkylicious stamp. Altogether beautiful! Chrisx

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

What beautiful pages Alison! I love the sunshine and stenciling, and the face is wonderful...so thoughtful! This really invokes lots of thought actually. Love the texture and outdoor freeing feeling! Thank you so much for sharing your S inspiration with us this week here at Simon Says Stamp & Show!

pinky said...

Wow that is so gorgeous. Thanks for joining us at Stamping Sensations.
Pinky

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness, this is amazing!! SO inspiring!!

Craft Addicts - Tracy Evans said...

Sunshine on a page, absolutely gorgeous Alison. The texture is fabulous, something I always love to see. Love your delicate flowers and touches of colour. The face image from Tim is a lovely touch to your pages. Thanks so much for joining in the Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge. Tracy x

craftytrog said...

These pages are simply stunning Alison! Love them...so inspiring! xxx

Sandy said...

"If you go out in the woods today you better go in disguise" wrong bear? Your quote sounds kinda like me!! Your pages are wonderful Alison and I am so glad you are keeping this on-line journal. One day I will be able to go back and reread what you have created - or at least I hope so. I do love these pages even though it has nothing to do with bears having a picnic!
Sandy

Netty said...

A Literary Challenge was made for you Alison......You describe everything you make so beautifully. Terrific spread; my favourite part in this spread are the wonderful grasses which go up to make this beautiful field scene. Enjoy the weekend, Annette x

Dianne said...

It's been lovely and cloudy for the last few days so I've been happy^-^ For all those sun lovers it's shining off your page, from the Literary Queen Alison, its got your name written all over it. Loving all the texture,the dreamy quality of it, my fave those hedge grows, its darn exciting to see you at your desk again and creating. I had been to see the bears for a WOYWW day, love the cute bears showing their makes. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful creative day..

Nan G said...

Fabulous! I think I will join her in that far place. A wonderful dreamscape, butterfly. Hugs

Sophie said...

Wunderschön, Alison.
Es sieht richtig märchenhaft aus :-)

Liebe Grüße von Sophie

Brenda Brown said...

Superb colours, textures and images to create your dreamy pages Alison. This is a place to let your imagination wander and connect with your dreams, a beautiful natural place indeed.
Hope you are having a good weekend.
hugs {brenda} x0x

Anna-Karin said...

This is beautiful and so dreamy Alison! Love the textures, text peaking through, colours, sentiment and great stamping. Thanks so much for sharing your s-inspiration with us this week at Simon Says Stamp and Show!

Anonymous said...

That´s really fantastic! Love the fabolous texture and the colour sowieso!
Have a nice sunday

Chris said...

Your pages are gorgeous Alison and I love the soft and dreamy feel of them and the soft colours and delicate flowers and grasses. A real shame that I missed you by a day at the Craft Barn it would have been fantastic to meet you...hopefully another time. Hugs, Chris x

Julia S-W said...

Love the layered stamping, the stencil work which gives great texture to your piece. Her face is quite haunting isn't it? I think we've probably all had that look at some time or another when we're not quite in the real world, just entering a private place in our thoughts. Lovely pages and I think Susi is amazing too.
Juliaxx

junemac2 said...

What a beautiful page spread full of life and summer its gorgeous. Thank you too for your lovely comment on my blog. its so good to be around again.
have a lovely week
hugs June xxx

Claire said...

Wow what a gorgeous dreamy project, you've really capture the feel of a lovely meadow in the sunshine. Beautiful artwork
Claire xx

Candy C said...

Alison...this is such a lovely couple of pages that you so beautifully and skillfully created in this book. Love the embossed foxglove and daisies. What a pretty stencil! Your colorful background that you've stamped and blended is so pretty...and you're right. You've really achieved alot of depth with it. he butterflies are so sweet and of course, Tim's beautiful lady from Classic's #5 is such a haunting face. Love how you've used her on these pages. Thanks so much for sharing your creativity with us at Simon Says Stamp and Show. <3 Candy

Kasia said...

Beautiful page! Love your meadow :)

Paper Profusion said...

You have transported my own dreams to past summer meadows Alison. This is very beautiful and wonderfully created. Have a lovely week that I hope you can spend at your own desk. Nicola x

catherine said...

Love this Alison and all the elements to it. Such beautiful colours too
x catherine

cathylynn said...

Visiting your blog is like going on another journey with much pleasure. You sure have a way with words and making a story of each of your creations. Love it all and you are great inspiration. Thanks so much for sharing with us all!
Hugs, Cathy-Lynn

Kim x said...

WOW this is just amazing Alison.
I couldn't be away from my craft table for half the week so i guess there is something to be said for working in a local petrol station. Not rocket science but at least when I walk home I leave work firmly behind.
Thanks for all the lovely comments that you have been leaving me. I have been so busy with DT work recently that the computer is very much bottom of the heap.
hugs Kimx

Hettie said...

This is beautiful Alison! This is one of the BEST, no I mean THE Best art journal I have ever seen! Wonderful. I may now give it a go myself now!
Hugs
xx

Gio said...

This is a truly masterpiece Alison. Can't stop to look at every details. Love especially the texture and the face and the shade and ...

BJR said...

The first words that came to mind were..."WOW"! You portrayed the saying perfectly! I love your blog, by the way.

Terry said...

I am sorry to be behind on visiting, but my hubby took the week off and cramped my free time! Ha! This is extremely gorgeous! Love the garden scene with that lovely face! Hugs!

Margaret said...

Once again, you have achieved the mood you were after! This has the definite feel of sunshine, yet the softened edges lend it the dreamy state as well. The texture and color of the flowers is gorgeous and the quotes blend perfectly onto the pages.

Chrissy said...

This is fantastic Alison, I love the dimension and colours and the beautiful plants,flowers,and butterflies..gorgeous.

Luv CHRISSYxx

Unknown said...

Beautiful pages. Great imagery, fab colours and a lovely message. Chris xxx

Matilde said...

What an amazing page! I love all the stamps and the composition! Hugs! :)

Silvia(Barnie) said...

Wow, these are breathtaking pages.

Sue said...

This is beautiful, fabulous stamping xx

Anke said...

Wonderful Alison, so lovely.

Hugs
Anke

Gibby Frogett said...

Absolutely stunning...thanks for all the info and great close up photos which were fabulous to see all the finer details... Gill x

Katja/MezzaNotte said...

Woaw, what a great page! You do a lot creative stamping!

Redanne said...

Many congratulations on your well deserved win at Simon Says Alison! Hugs, Anne x

Chris said...

Congrats on your win at SSS Alison and again, your journal layout is fabulous, it's a well deserved win! Chris x

2amscrapper said...

Congrats for your Top 3 win at Simon Says. So well deserved!

Lin said...

this is a gorgeous very dreamy page...lovely..x

Maura said...

Beautiful journaling page! Congrats also on being chosen top 3!

HeARTworks said...

Thanks for the step by step instructions. I'm always intrigued by those! And a little envious because I never remember to stop and take a picture!!! Patsy from
HeARTworks

Kezzy said...

Wow such an in depth journal page, it's amazing how you have captured the whole accents of her dreams, the butterflies fading away is truly inspirational. Stunning work :-) hugs Kezzy xxx

MorningAJ said...

This is so pretty. And you have put so much work into it. It's lovely.