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...

Wednesday 23 March 2016

Encore - Field Notes

Encore Posts
While I'm away, there are some scheduled posts with new creations coming your way, but I'm also taking the chance to do some catching up here at Words and Pictures.   Projects which made their first appearances elsewhere for Design Team duties or Guest Designer opportunities, but which only had a sneak peek here, are being gathered together in the pages of my virtual scrapbook.  I'm calling them "Encore" posts and they're formatted differently (all the way down the centre), so you can spot them easily.
Please don't feel that you have to comment all over again!

There's a new project for you in a few days time, but for now we're Encoring again.  This tag was made as part of my Design Team work for The Artistic Stamper, and here's what I wrote back in July 2014.
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I'm here with a Victorian naturalist's field notes from his day's excursion in the fields... and we're back to the neutrals!  It's a simple stamped tag, using Katy Leitch's fabulous Jumbo Flowers along with one of the Stampers Anonymous Classics releases from earlier this year.


I kept the stamping simple over a background of Fresco paints and crackle glaze.  I couldn't resist a spot of clear-embossing though!


The flowers are done in Potting Soil Archival, which seems an appropriate enough colour for botanical sketches.  This is the Bouvardia, tucked away at the bottom...


Here's the Flowering Branch...


And the Camellia...


The insects are stamped in Jet Black Archival...


... carefully labelled to keep track of genus and species.


In between, you might catch sight of the sparkle of some handwritten notes about what he's found.


I stamped the Calligraphy Mat #9 in Pumice Stone Distress Ink, and then clear-embossed it.  I love the dewy shimmer as it catches the light, so I don't mind the occasional places where it's spots rather than writing - just more dew drops!


There's some simple embellishing - a word band attached with rustic twine, and the pen nib with which he's been scratching his field notes in his journal.


At the top some seam binding, dyed with Pumice Stone and bound with more twine, is fastened with a Muse Token celebrating the new knowledge he's acquired in today's nature ramble.


The whole thing is matted onto black card to give a little extra definition, and that's your lot.


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Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I should be settling in to the new time zone by now, and I hope I've found some time to come visiting some of you and see what you've been up to.  I'll be back here in a few days with a brand new project to share, but for now... Happy crafting all!

One thing I did was grow up as an ardent naturalist.  I never grew out of my bug period.
E.O.Wilson

It is not the strongest of the species which survives, nor the most intelligent which survives, it is the one which is most adaptable to change.
Charles Darwin

21 comments:

Brenda Brown said...

A wonderful collage of those beautiful stamped images and gorgeous neutral tones. Xxx

Fliss said...

Glad to have an encore Alison as this is really stunning and love those colours and all the little details.
Sorry not to have visited for so long, life has been rather hectic lately!
Fliss xx

Lauren Hatwell said...

Absolutely gorgeous! I love this sort of thing. It's like one of those lovely journals put together by intrepid victorian ladies (and gents) full of notes about things they've seen on their walks. Lx

chrissie said...

A wonderful 'encore'. I always loved these sort of pages in nature books and your tag captures that completely.

The E.O. Wilson quote reminded me that when I was young I had a passion for moss and collected little pieces of different types and grew them in a tin box. As I lived in a large industrial city these little bits of nature were my treasures. I still love the look and feel of moss.

Your 'words' always have such meaning Alison

Love Chrissie xx

Astrid Maclean said...

The stamps you used for this tag were always some of my favourite AS stamps, - used to perfection here!

Rita said...

Absolutely stunning tag Alison. The textures are fabulous and the stamps are perfect. Hugs Rita xxx

Pamellia said...

Gorgeous Alison! Love the aged background and the subtle embossing pattern! That jumbo flower stamp is amazing, looks great combined with the small critters! hugs :)

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

GORGEOUS...I LOVE the neutral tones...the black and brown are stunning!

Paper Profusion said...

Golly you're reminding me how the blogging years are flying by!! Beautiful tag. Purchase made last night thank-you! Nicola x

Helen said...

such a hectic life you have jetting here there and everywhere! love this project, such a treat to see it again.

craftytrog said...

Love those neutrals Alison! Gorgeous tag! xx

Redanne said...

Definitely worth the encore Alison, the neutral colours are so very you - and so very beautiful! Anne xx

pearshapedcrafting said...

Oh Alison! Not only do I remember this fabulous tag - it is on my craft room notice board and calms and inspires me every day, so I will say Thank You once again! I do hope you are enjoying your travels! Hugs, Chrisx

Gio said...

For me your encore posts are just brand new because I don't remember them, so I still appreciate and admire them, today like in the past. Carry on with these posts, Alison!

maj. said...

An amazing artwork Alison, love the beautiful details !
Happy Easter!!!

Dorthe said...

This is BEAUTIFUL, dear Alison, love the jumbo flowers together with bugs and butterfly`s and even more your written clear embossed words. It gives a fantastic effect with light.
Wonderful in neutral colors.
Dorthe, xoxo

Diana Taylor said...

Just stunning - I love everything about it, the beautiful neutrals and those wonderful flower stamps (which I have but have never produced anything as beautiful as this with them!). LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Hettie said...

What a beautiful tag Alison. I love the neutral tones here. The stamping looks great.
Thank you for visiting earlier. I am such a bad blogger right now. I have not been in my craft room recently due to being tired after early starts and long drives, and in bed very early. But will hopefully settle now that training is over so mind overload will be calmer! I did spend some time painting in my craft room yesterday which was lovely.
Enjoy NY.
Happy Easter to you.
xxx

Sue said...

This is really beautiful, love the neutral colours xx

Pawsitively Creative said...

Encore, encore! Wonderful and subtle techniques used on this lovely tag. The handwriting is my favorite part but sous everything else as we. Wonderous and fantabulous design! Hugz ~Niki

Anke said...

WOW WOW WOW I love this tag, absolutely stunning, so beautiful.

Hugs
Anke