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...

Sunday 25 July 2021

To live in the country

Hello all!  Yes, I know, I still haven't got around to catching up with the lovely entries for the Summer Countryside theme I'm hosting at Art Journal Journey.  The week just seemed to slip away from me.  But I have just spent my Sunday morning creating another journal page full of countryside peace and calm to add to the entry list.

Ironically, having moved to a village in the Czech countryside, I've found that the agricultural communities are actually very noisy during the summertime... someone is always chopping or mowing or sawing or hammering something!  Ah well, it still hasn't changed the joy of fulfilling my longtime wish to live in the country.

That's the dream the words on this collaged page are celebrating...

The stickers from Tim Holtz's Clippings set came up trumps yet again!

I started with a scraped-on coat of Watercolour Ground - this is a textured paste which converts any substrate to take watercolours and water-based mediums beautifully.  A couple of spritzes of Distress Ink Spray - Speckled Egg, Bundled Sage and Mowed Lawn - gave me a loose impressionistic summer countryside landscape for the background.


And of course I just love the texture all by itself too!

I added rough stampings of the lovely Vines and Roses background stamps (TH again) in combined Olive and Leaf Archival.  No choice but to be rough, given the gritty texture of the paste, but again, I wanted to keep just the impression of rambling roses in the countryside.

The glorious washi tape is by Paper Garden - amazing lilies of the valley and beautiful soft green tones.

It provides the architectural bones for the collaging to come.

That collaging includes some lace and some ephemera from the Field Notes pack as well as the tiny Snippets version.

This gorgeous rose is one of the elements included along with all the amazing little labels and posters and specimen lists.  I think I've mentioned that I love the Field Notes ephemera!

There are some offcuts from the Tim Holtz Wallflower Paper Stash in the mix too, and a couple of snippets of diecut Crochet trims leftover from some tags I made which I've yet to share here (soon, I hope).

I couldn't resist using another of my cabochon clocks marking the summer time...

... and the circular motif is echoed with a bit of Idea-ology mini flair in the shape of this delightful clover.

A few splatters of Speckled Egg Oxide and white acrylic paint finish things off and that's pretty much your lot for this page.  I hope you like it.

I'm going to go and enjoy some actual summer countryside now, while the sun is out, but I'm aiming to pop round to visit the Art Journal Journey Summer Countryside entries very soon... after all, we're nearly at the end of the month!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I'll see you again soon.  And in the meantime, happy crafting all.

In summer, the song sings itself.
William Carlos Williams

I'd like to share this as a second entry at the Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge for their Funkie and Frilly theme - lace and flowers again should cover the frills, and I think the clock and the flair are pretty funky!

19 comments:

craftytrog said...

A beautiful soothing page Alison!

Helen said...

how beautiful this is Alison!

pearshapedcrafting said...

What an absolute dream of a page! The background texture really gives stamping a different look and along with the lace, the ephemera, those beautiful cool colours and washi tape that I will just have to investigate, it makes for a most beautiful piece of inspiration.
As for countryside living it has changed since my days of being brought up in the wilds of Lincolnshire. sawing was the gentle sound of a two man hand saw, a mower was pulled by a chugging tractor or done with a hand pushed mower.
Have a good week, Hugs, Chrisx

My name is Erika. said...

I love the effect of the watercolor ground Alison. I have a jar I picked up marked down and wasn't quite sure what to do with. Now I know. And I had to laugh at your comment about how noisy the countryside is in the summer. It is true. Either nature sounds or man made sounds, it isn't quiet. Your journal page is beautiful with so many great details. Thanks for adding another page. Hope life is going well. Hugs-Erika

Neet said...

A simply gorgeous page Alison. I love your composition and the background is just perfect for a summer in the countryside.
Hugs, Neet xx

Cocofolies said...

I love this gorgeous new floral composition, how beautiful...
Great watercolor texture, and your use of this washi tape is just perfect Alison! xx

Laura Gilhuly said...

Beautiful page...so full of textures! hanks for joining us at The Funkie Junkie Boutique!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

What a stunning beauty. The texture you got from that watercolor ground really gave it a beautiful appearance. That washi tape looks perfect for your background, too. This is a charming entry for your theme at Art Journal Journey. Even if the countryside is a bit loud, it's still better than the noises and pollution in the city.

Christine Alexander said...

Beautiful Journal page, I loved seeing the process ♥

Let's Art Journal said...

Another beautiful page! The textured background looks so pretty with the greenery and layers of ephemera over the top - perfect 😁. Happy and creative wishes! Hugs, Jo x

Mac Mable said...

What a beautiful page and so very pretty. The texture from the 'ground' is a wonderful base for the fabulous elements. We have the seagulls where we are and that means an early start to our day! Thank you for the inspiration Alison x.

Veronica Lee said...

Wow! How very beautiful! Love your journal page.

Trillian As said...

I love your page. It is really beautiful.

Etsuko said...

Beautiful page Alison, love the light colours. xx

Meggymay said...

An absolutely gorgeous page. It looks so calming and peaceful, a perfect inspiration for your AJJ theme choice.
Yvonne xx

nwilliams6 said...

Lovely. All your pages are soothing and always beautiful too. Love tthe details, textures and layers. I live in the country after wishing to for years so this speaks to me.... TFS!

Craftyfield said...

Subtle and beautiful as usual Alison! x

Suzanne C said...

I always enjoy watching what you create through your photos and the end project. This is so serene and lovely! Thank you for joining us again and playing along at The Funkie Junkie Boutique!

Lowcarb team member said...

That's a lovely page.

All the best Jan