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 17 April 2013

Flower Girls

Hello all, and welcome to another Artistic Outpost bloghop.  The team have been working with the theme(s) Flowers or Women... well, I have some girls rather than women, but there are certainly flowers, so that should be okay!

I hope you'll have time to hop round and see the amazing work from my fellow teammates - I'm so proud to work alongside these wonderful artists.  Here's the full list:


But since you're here, here's mine!


My piece is created on a 7 x 5 inch canvas board (canvas on a thin, hard board; great for stamping on, and pretty cheap to buy!).



I love the trio of girls from the Paperboy set.  They've had a Hard-Knock Life if ever anyone did,
and the strength they've built to survive is so evident in their faces.

But since our theme was flowers, I thought I'd see whether it was possible to give them a softer, sweeter setting, and let them have a rest from their hard life for a while.




Well, it didn't really work out quite as planned (pink and pretty, lovely papers, delicate tinting of the image), and there were plenty of discards along the way.


But eventually the girls and I came to a compromise.

They kept their strong, unadorned Coffee Archival presence, and I got to add lots of  texture and vintage style embellishing around them.  And of course we ended up ditching the pink in favour of Vintage Photo and Gathered Twigs!

I like the background I ended up with: lovely painty texture against the canvas...









... some shabby Harlequin texture paste with added gesso and gilding...





... partial stampings of the floral flourish from the Serenity set ...


... and some subtle crackle for extra definition around the edges.










The girls are in the centre of one of Tim Holtz's embossed frames, trimmed down.

And the sentiment calls into question that old nursery rhyme which consigns girls to the rather limited "all things nice" category - better a whole lot of spice than too much sugar I believe.





I've added ephemera in the form of the vintage label from the Secretary Pool set, and the Postcard stamp from the Ephemera Backgrounds.  Love how the AO stamps mix and match so deliciously!


There's a genuinely old lace doily in amongst the lacy die-cuts, adding character in a lovely way.






My flowers got some inking with Gathered Twigs DI and a good coat of gesso for a distressed shabby look.






I mounted the larger flowers on some filigree metal pieces, which got a little rub of Treasure Gold White Fire for extra oomph.


There's plenty more of it in action around the place adding that hint of gilded, faded glamour.









As you can see, the sun came out in all its glory for these photos - temperatures over 20 degrees, but due to plunge back down to 8 by the weekend... that's just taunting us, I think!

Hope your week is going wonderfully, and that you've time in it for a bit of hopping round to my amazing Artistic Outpost teammates.  All the hop details are here should you lose your way, and they'd love to see you.  Thanks so much for stopping by, and I'll see you again soon!




What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Slugs and snails
And puppy-dogs' tails,
That's what little boys are made of.

What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
And all things nice,
That's what little girls are made of.
Traditional

58 comments:

Kjersti said...

A beautiful vintage card Alison! Love all the texture and beautiful stamps! Have a nice day!
Hugs Kjersti:)

toni said...

Hi Alison another beautiful piece, these Artistic out Post stamps really suit your style,you work them a real treat, love the vintage style and the lovely layered elements x

Inkypinkycraft said...

Alison this is gorgeous , love the distress browns and this make shows off everything I love about your makes...just beautiful hugs trace x

Brenda Brown said...

Glorious Alison. Your compromise is the epitome of hardship, friendship and good times together. The wonderful textures, colours and subsidiary images help to tell the story and this is a fabulous piece of art.
Hugs {brenda} x0x

chrissie said...

Amazing piece Alison. The flowers look so right on it with the brown edging. I would never have thought of mounting them on metal shapes--what an inspiration you are-thank you

Love Chrissie xx

Anke said...

Wonderful Alison, so lovely. Great vintage work.

Hugs
Anke

May said...

Gorgeous work Alison, Love the vintage feel. full of wonderful texture & fabulous detail... Hugs May x x x

Craft Addicts - Tracy Evans said...

Hi Alison, love how you have mixed the AO images, they work beautifully together. Lovely vintage feel to,this piece. Love the texture on the harlequin background and your flowers are gorgeous as is the image. Tracy x

Sophie said...

Guten Morgen, Alison,
das ist eine tolles Werk, eine großartige Arbeit.
Es gibt soviel zu sehen und zu bestaunen.
Der Hintergrund ist phänomenal.

Sophie xx

Helen said...

Alison, as always this is beautiful!! I bet you could do pink (proper pink!) if you really wanted to though...!!

brenda said...

You've certainly achieved a fabulous Vintage feel here Alison, it cold have popped right out of Victorian days.

B x

Suzanne C said...

Wonderful texture on the canvas. Love the layers in the neutral colros! The flowers add a lovely soft touch to frame the girlfriends!

Evil Edna said...

beutiful and full of spice. EE

cathylynn said...

Alison this is totally beautiful! Love your combination of stamps and all of the lovely textures. Great vintage look with fabulous details. Another gorgeous creation by you!
Hugs, Cathy-Lynn

Kate Yetter said...

So much beautiful detail. your background texture is subtle but so effective. A lovely piece, Alison.

Redanne said...

A truly gorgeous vintage piece Alison, I do love that girl stamp and also love the wonderful flowers. Hugs, Anne x

Karen McAlpine said...

Love the effect you get with the texture paste! Gorgeous project!

Gerrie Johnnic said...

I love reading your posts! Beautiful art with texture and value, lovely.

House of Bears said...

They're not girls, they're young women, so definitely count :) love this, especially your flower, as handmade flowers are our latest fad.

Lisa Somerville said...

Stunning canvas - so many fabulous details! Love the added doily under your beautiful flowers!

Yvonne Garner said...

A true work of art! I love ever scrumptious detail. Bravo Alison!

Terry said...

Beautiful vintage feel, Alison. Love the texture and all the pretty flowers embellishments, so perfect for those girls! Hugs!

Netty said...

Gorgeous vintage hanging Alison, loving the design and beautiful embellishments,hugs Annette x

Anonymous said...

You definitely achieved a sense of sweetness to this piece Alison.
I see them as three sisters possibly living on a homestead.
Beautiful textures.
Wishes
Lynne

Sarah said...

So full of delicate, vintage goodness...beautiful, Alison!

monique said...




Elle est superbe
bravoooooooooooooooooo

Claudia N. said...

Love your canvas, Alison!

The texture and all the layering and stamping are beautiful! Love your choice of colours (as always) and that Coffee Archival is just awesome!! A perfect colour to stamp with when it comes to photo stamps!

Hugs,
Claudia x

sam21ski said...

Gorgeous canvas Alison

Sam xxx

Carol Q said...

how beautiful Alison - a lovely delicate feel to this.

catherine said...

This is such a beautiful vintage looking piece Alison. love the layout and the image
x catherine

Dorthe said...

Just beautiful- wonderful sepia tones, and fantastic flowers,- I love the embossing in the background made with paste,-and the doily giving the most romantic feeling- such a gorgeous piece,Alison!
xo,Dorthe

Katherine said...

Love it so vintagey and beautiful with loads of texture and dimension.

Dianne said...

I love the colors you ended up with, not a pink girl:):), all those different doilies are fabulous, such inspiration always thanks dear and have a wonderful day..

Sandy said...

Aren't post cards the greatest!?! Outside of admiring your wonderful artwork and creativity, I am most appreciative of your tutelage.
Sandy

Janny Jager said...

A very nice and beautiful canvas Alison with a lot of beautiful details.
Love it.
Greetings Janny

Neet said...

As always, something wonderful from the creative hands of Alison. Love the subtle colouring and the ephemera especially.
Hugs, Neet xx

Alie Hoogenboezem-de Vries said...

A great canvas, Alison, with gorgeous layering, colours. The vintage look is great on this canvas. Top!!

kind regards, Alie :-)

pearshapedcrafting said...

If you keep producing such inspiring pieces with this set of stamps I just know I'm going to have to buy them!! The flowers and the amazing background are a joy! Chrisx

Hettie said...

Wow! Love this Alison. What a fabulous looking piece!
Hugs
xx

Marjie Kemper said...

Love the stamps you chose ! What a great combination of textures (especially those flowers and the lace... yum!)

Cathy L. Calamas said...

Oh my goodness, what a wonderful trio of sugar and spice. Love this. Gorgeous layers.

Bärbel said...

Liebe Alison,
aus dieser Leinwand ist ein wunderschönes Stück Kunst entstanden. Die schönen Stempel begeistern mich ebenso wie die vielen Akzente, die Sie zusätzlich auf dem Bild setzten.
Liebe Grüße, Bärbel

Bärbel said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Silvia(Barnie) said...

A fabulous project, great texture and detais.

craftimamma said...

Oh my, this is wonderful Alison! I love all the texture and I'm glad you ditched the pink, lol! I love the girls' hats and the colours you have chosen to use are perfect for the image. The flowers look fabulous with the gesso and inking. Altogether a beautiful vintage looking piece.

Hugs
Lesley Xx

Keren Tamir said...

this is fabulous Alison!! love the project!!

Nan G said...

Fabulous piece, butterfly! I love your story lines!

Astrid Maclean said...

Oh I am glad I kept going, this is stunning!!! Love how you have used all the different elements together with those gorgeous girls!!

Linda Coughlin, the funkie junkie said...

The way you have built up your background is sensational. Love the sepia color palette and all the yummy lacy vintage style embellishments. Fab use of The Girls, just a lovely little canvas!

Lucy Edmondson said...

Love the Spice colours, and the way you have achieved yet another different look with this stamp set - I am just beginning! This is beautiful!

Lucy x

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous!
F x

Martina said...

Wow, this vintage card is awesome, dear Alison! I love your work. It's always very surprising and unique!

Unknown said...

Not sure about the sugar and spice, they look a bit mischievous lol. Love the antique look and the pretty flowers Alison. Hugs

Sue said...

Another beautiful piece Alison, I love these distressed faded flowers and the little hints of treasure gold xx

Bonnie Irvine said...

Great combining of these fabulous stamps to create such a lovely collage. The flowers are beautiful as is the gilding. Love those girls.

Margaret said...

This is such a wonderful vintage piece! You have created a wonderful home for the girls and I love the questioning of sugar and spice! I'll take spice any day!

Kezzy said...

Wow Alison this is amazing. All the texture and the flourish is gorgeous. Hmmmmm not sure pink is your style lol, I love how you have made it elegant but still managing to keep your style. Happy Crafting :-) Kezzy xxx

Unknown said...

Oh my! This is breathtaking Alison, simply gorgeous. The blending and gilding, the colour work, the imagery, composition, everything, it's fabulous! You are a wonderful artist! Chris xxx