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This is a unique challenge blog where we are inspired by and focus on the Vintage; shabby; mixed-media; art journaling; industrial, timeworn and steampunk genres and encompass the talent, flair, expertise and ideas of many artists that we are inspired by. We welcome all types of projects - cards, journaling, assemblage, layouts, albums, atcs, altered art in fact whatever you want to share (as long as it is in good taste).

Monday, 28 September 2015

Destination Inspiration - Last stop for September - Terminal 4

Hello, Nikki here, and welcome to the last stop on our September journey. My fellow travellers have shared some wonderful creations this month using the nominated contents of our luggage. As a reminder we are travelling with:

Product - Distress Inks
Technique - Wrinkle Free Distress
Featured Colour - Wild Honey
Substrate - Anything 3D

Let's review the inspiration to date:
Terminal 1 - Astrid with her wonderful, autumn toned altered box for her alphabet stamps:
Terminal 2 - Alison gave us a masterclass of craft, imagination and story telling:
Terminal 3 - Julia shared a fabulous little house full of glorious details that just makes you smile:

And so for our final stop this month I have created a reverse canvas shadow box incorporating Tim's Bird Silhouette die.

I began on the reverse side of a canvas and used tissue tape to cover the outer edges to hide the staples. I then added some texture paste through Tim Holtz clockwork stencil. I changed the colour of the frame at one point but this is how it ended up - I painted it with brown acrylic and once dry - dry brushed gesso over the surface to catch the embossed areas. I then took my wild honey paint and dry brushed again - the colour showing over the white gesso.

Next I used the wrinkle free distress technique to colour some card - far more than I needed of course! The first was just wild honey and scattered straw but on some I then added some browns for contrast. I die cut the bird silhouette out of the wild honey piece and added a little vintage photo around the edges. I also die cut the bird out of mountboard and painted it brown before gluing the two elements together.
I took one of the slightly darker wrinkle free distressed pieces of card and added a little picket fence distress paint by placing the paint on my kraft sheet, spritzing a little and swiping the cardstock through it. This became the background for the shadow box.
I also cut some branches out of my distressed card too. I added some small talk chit chat stickers to complete the piece.


A new journey will begin in October with a new kit big so do look out for the first Destination Inspiration post of the new month next Monday.
In the meantime you still have a few days to enter our September challenge - Home Sweet Home.

Reminder... we are seeking two new Creative Guides
If you would like more information and details please email Brenda...  brenda_brown25@hotmail.com by Monday 5th October.

See you soon

Friday, 25 September 2015

Welcome Annette to AVJ and new Creative Guide call

Happy Friday everyone. It's week 4 of our September schedule which means lots of inspiration and a magnificent tutorial from our Guest Creative Guide - I'll let her introduce herself and what she is sharing today.


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Hello everyone, it's Annette Green from Melbourne, Florida, USA. I'm proud and honored to be your Guest Creative Guide today here at A Vintage Journey.

My creative journey began when I was very little when I realized I had a talent for drawing. I entered contest after contest and actually won quite a few! Although I graduated college with a degree in the business side of Advertising, I quickly adapted to graphic design instead, and spent 15 years doing so. When my daughter was born, I stayed home full time to be a mom and began scrapbooking, quilting, cross-stitching and stamping. I loved it all! Over time, I have evolved into a full time paper crafter, designer and instructor and love every single day that I get out of bed in the morning because I'm doing what I love!

I first heard about this Tim Holtz guy way back when he created his first series of his 12 Tags of Christmas. I was totally and completely in love with his style! His products are some of my all-time favorites. I absolutely love all things vintage and distressed, so his products really speak to me. I incorporate so much of his line into everything I make. To see more of my creations, please visit my blog aptly named Annette's Creative Journey.

For the current Home Sweet Home challenge theme, I chose to create a welcome frame/home decor piece for the table in our foyer. Something for everyone to see when they enter my home. Fall is my favorite time of year, so I gave it a warm, Autumn feel.



My creation started with this thrift store frame I found for less than a dollar.


I took out the glass and cleaned it well, then painted the frame with two coats of white gesso.


Once the gesso was completely dry, I painted two coats of the new Ground Espresso Distress Paint. I made sure to leave streaks so it resembled wood and had a distressed feel. Once the paint was dry, I sealed it with a coat of Glue & Seal.


For the background in my frame, I cut a 4 1/4" x 11" piece or Ranger Mixed Media Cardstock and used Tim's Distress Ink Blending/Spritz & Flick technique to blend warm earthly colors like Forest Moss, Fired Brick, Fossilized Amber and Rusty Hinge.


In addition to the Spritz & Flick, I misted some water onto the large stamp in the Papillon set (CMS106) by Stampers Anonymous and stamped it onto the Distress background, letting the water do its magic. Once this was heat set and completely dry, I added a few spritzes of Perfect Pearls Perfect Copper Mist.


With the glass for the frame now clean, I stamped the leaves from the Falling Leaves set (CMS097) with Timber Brown Staz-On ink and set that aside to dry.




With Forest Moss Distress Paint, I painted the Letterpress letters spelling out Welcome, having to cheat a bit for the first E, using the ampersand. I did two coats of paint for this too.


Next, I die cut Kraft Core cardstock pieces from the Tattered Pinecone and Tattered Leaves dies, and gave each piece a light sanding.



I used Tim's Faux Tea Roses technique to create small distressed flowers and starting assembling my frame, using hot glue.


I veined my leaves, inked them, and spritzed with more Perfect Pearls Mist, using various colors like Perfect Copper, Heirloom Gold, and Forever Green.


I wish you could see this detail in person. The stamped leaves seem to float above the background layer. The photo just doesn't do it justice.


Here's another look at my finished Fall Welcome Frame, which is now sitting on my foyer table. Thanks for taking the time to follow my tutorial. I hope you've enjoyed it. And thanks for having me here today!

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This is utterly delightful Annette and we are so pleased you have shared this wonderful frame with us. The stamped flowers on the glass look stunning over the inked background - such a great idea. Thank you for taking the time to create such a special project to share with everyone.

One more week left folks to join in the current challenge 'Home Sweet Home' and a new challenge beginning next Friday at midnight (BST). We look forward to seeing you here again.

For anyone who may be interested we are looking for
  two new Creative Guides 
to join our talented team. If you would like more information and details please email me at brenda_brown25@hotmail.com by Monday 5th October. Many thanks.

Have a great weekend.

hugs Brenda and the AVJ Creative Guides. xxx



Monday, 21 September 2015

Destination Inspiration - September - Terminal 3

All Aboard at Terminal 3!   Greetings fellow travelers!  Julia here today as your AVJ Creative Guide this week for our Destination Inspiration journey!  We always travel light for these journies - and for each Monday in September our trunks contain these 4 essential items:
1.  Product - Distress Ink
2.  Technique - Wrinkle Free Distress: Compendium of Curiosities Vol 1 Pg 33
3.  Color - Wild Honey
4.  Substrate - Anything 3D
Well - 3D is right up my train track - I LOVE making 3D items - and I'm also joining in with  Jennie's AVJ September Challenge Home Sweet Home - here is what I created with my Essential Items!
I made my house using the Sizzix Where Women Cook Box House die along with window and door dies from Where Women Cook Windows and Movers and Shapers Mini Openings Set