Over at Try it on Tuesday our new challenge which runs for the next two weeks is Use Book Paper, so we would like to see some book, newspaper or magazine print papers of some sort on your creations.
My Design Team teamies have created some amazing inspirational pieces for you too, please pop over to Try it on Tuesday and take a look. I decided to use book pages to create the background for my Agapanthus art journal page – I hope you like it!
I selected some Flora and Fauna pages from a Pear’s Encyclopaedia, cut them into rectangles and collaged them onto the page using Liquitex Matte Gel Medium. Then I stamped some faux stitching around the edges of each collage piece using black Archival Ink and some new stamps by Urban Stamps which the bargain price of £1 each set at a local craft store. I also stamped a small stitched flower and a frame from the same stamp sets using the black ink again. Then I covered some of the page with a thin coating of white gesso using my finger to add a bit of depth. The agapanthus flowers are from a napkin which I separated into a single napkin layer, fussy cut and stuck in place using the Liquitex Matte Gel Medium; I love the way the napkin has melted into the background so that the text and stamping shows through. Next I created the butterflies with another new stamp set, this time from Kaisercraft, by stamping them onto Daler Rowney Mixed Media Paper using a VersaMark Watermark stamp pad, covering them with black Papermania embossing powder, shaking off the excess and also tapping the paper to make sure any stray powder was removed. I used a heat gun to melt the embossing powder by sweeping the gun over the stamped images, until the embossing powder melted to a glossy finish and became smooth and dimensional. I also covered some antennas, for the butterflies, that I made from wire with the black embossing powder following the same process whilst making sure I did not touch them until they were cooled as using the heat gun meant the metal wire got very hot. The butterflies are coloured using Sherbet Lemon, Sun Yellow, Tangerine, Poppy Red, Fuchsia, Violet and Antique White Derwent Inktense pencils; I picked the colour off the tip of the pencils with a wet paintbrush and then applied the colour to the butterfly wings. To finish, I stamped the sentiment from the same Kaisercraft stamp set, using black Archival Ink, into one of the frames, it reads “You are the reason I smile” and arranged the butterflies with the antennas so that their wings were folded upwards to add dimension to the page; they are stuck in place using glue dots.
As you probably know, we have been sorting out and replanting our flower beds – you can see some photos of our beds here. We have also been visiting local garden centres – Barton Grange has the best displays.
These glass agapanthus inspired my page; they can be found outside the garden centre, aren’t they amazing!
I love the blue agapanthus and bought some for our garden, I planted them into some pots so they are easier to over winter.
The water feature is beautiful too, don’t you think? …
… and inside we saw these pretty butterflies, which made me smile! So of course butterflies and the wording also feature on my page too (grin!).
As T Stands for Tuesday, we popped into Light Ash Farm on the way home for my favourite cup of green tea and a huge piece of Lemon and Poppy Seed cake (yum!) – Happy T Day!
Challenges
I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs, like Try it on Tuesday, as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:
I’m pleased to join the lovely Chris from Pearshapedcrafting, who is hosting the Arts for Art’s Sake challenge over at Art Journal Journey as I had fun using my new stamp sets to create this page.
Over at Moo Mania and More the theme is Butterflies so I’m pleased to join their challenge too.
Being inspired by agapanthus and butterflies which make me smile, I’m also joining the Get Sentimental challenge over at A Vintage Journey with my Art Journaling and Mixed Media Style page.
Over at Paperbabe Stamps and their challenge is It Flies so I’m happy to join them with the butterflies that I created for my page.
I’m also pleased to be able to join the In The Summer Garden challenge over at Country View Challenges with my Agapanthus page.
Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.
Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:
- Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
- Pébéo White Gesso
- Tsukineko VersaMark (Watermark Stamp Pad)
- Papermania Embossing Powder (Black PMA4021006)
- Derwent Inktense Pencils (Sherbet Lemon 0100, Sun Yellow 0200, Tangerine 0300, Poppy Red 0400, Fuchsia 0700, Violet 0800, Antique White 2300)
- Docrafts Papermania Urban Stamp (Craft Collections – Pastels PMA907222 and PMA907223)
- Kaisercraft Clear Stamp (Ma Cherié CS241)
- Pear’s Cyclopaedia 2007-2008 Edition
- Caspari Napkin (Royal Horticultural Society – Agapanthus)
- Thin metal wire
- Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
- Stix 2 Mini Craft Dots
Wow, Jo, a wonderful page and beautiful photos.
Have a nice day
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Thanks so much dear Rosie and have a nice day too! J 😊 x
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Fabulous page Jo, love how you used the book pages for your background and the use of the napkin worked just beautifully here!! Lovely photos too!
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Thank you Astrid! The napkin melted into the book paper beautifully, I was pleased with the look too 😁. Wishing you a happy new week! J 😊 x
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Thank you for linking also to MOO MANIA & MORE, dear Jo
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Thank you dear Rosie! J 😊 x
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Wonderful piece Jo, love the delicate colours. Those glass agapanthus blooms are wonderful, and your cake looks very good indeed. Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie
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Thank you and I hope you had a Happy T Day too 😁. Enjoy your week! J 😊 x
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Great page Jo! The napkin flowers really pop off the script background. Lovely garden center to browse through. And oh my- that truly is one large slice of cake! Happy T day!
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Thank you Linda! It’s a great garden centre to visit 😁. The cake was so good too – Happy T Day! J 😊 x
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Wow that page is really fantastic Jo! I love how you used that pretty napkin! And such fantastic photos! I love the photo of you for TSFT! So lovely and that friendly face! The cake looks so yummie!
Happy T-Day, happy AJJ, happy TIOT and happy Moo Mania & More!
You just made me happy to link to all the challenges! Thank you for your great support of the challenges always , I appreciated this very much! Happy week Jo!
Big hugs, Susi
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Thanks so much dear Susi! It’s a pleasure to join in the fun, I always enjoy joining you at these challenges 😁. I hope you are having a lovely week and wishing you a very happy T Day! J 😊 x
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This page is so wonderful Jo !! I really like the background with the old book papers. The stamps are very cute too, as well as the napkin with the flowers. And the butterflies give it such a happy and full of life charm. I also like the photos you have so kindly shared, how interesting! Thank you very much. This cake may has been very tasty!
I wish you a nice day, big hugs, Caty
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Thank very much Caty! Using the book paper was such fun with the napkin and butterflies 😁. Wishing you a nice day too and enjoy your week! J 😊 x
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It’s a beautiful page Jo, the agapanthus flowers are lovely and the background is too. That garden centre looks amazing and I’m so jealous of that enormous piece of cake!
Joan
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The cake was pretty big, wasn’t it …luckily they do take out boxes …lol 😉. Thanks so much and have a great week! J 😊 x
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A stunning page Jo and I love the print background. The napkin flowers look beautiful and the butterflies look like they are flying from the page.
The garden center looks a super destination. I would love to have a pond like the one in your photo….dreams are good.
I think I would be smiling as well seeing that piece of delicious cake, its a happy photo.
Have a good T day Jo.
Yvonne xx
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Thank you Yvonne! The garden centre always has the most amazing displays, it makes me dream a lot …lol 😉. I hope you are having a good T Day soon and enjoy your week! J 😊 x
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Your page is gorgeous! You should design for gift wrap companies. The blue agapanthus glass display is stunning. I’m thinking that would look so cool in my Zensical garden =^,.^= I like the water feature, too. That lemon cake looks so good. Happy T Day!
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Many thanks! That’s a lovely things to say and it would be fun to design gift wrap. The agapanthus glass display would be perfect in your Zensical garden …lol 😉. Happy T Day! J 😊 x
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Beautiful page, Jo! The garden center is amazing – especially the glass agapanthus. You captured your day perfectly on paper.
I made a series (my 1st) of ATCs just for fun. One of them has your name on if you’d be kind enough to send me your snail mail address to eileen @ theartfulcrafter . com (take out the spaces).
Happy T-day! Hugs, Eileen
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Thanks very much Eileen! I always love looking at the glass agapanthus and water feature at this garden centre, so beautiful 😀. Glad you had fun creating your ATCs, I don’t create them myself and I would love to receive one of yours, that’s so kind of you. Happy T Day! J 😊 x
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Terrific! Can you e-mail me your snail mail address?
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what a wonderful homage to this great plant. my friend also has a blooming agapanthus, i´m so impressed by its beauty. love your page… and the glass one is a hoot!
happy t-day!
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Thanks a lot! Agapanthus are so pretty, ours have just started opening so I hope to have flowers soon …lol 😉. Happy T Day! J 😊 x
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Your butterflies perfectly grace those lovely flowers. None of our garden centers have displays nearly so elaborate. Wow! I don’t eat breakfast, but your tea and cake look so tasty I’m tempted to join you right now 🙂 Happy T Tuesday!
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Thanks so much! This garden centre is known for its displays and it has won Destination Garden Centre for 6 years in a row 😁. I’d happily share that big piece of cake with you this T Day, pull up a chair and I’ll pour the tea …lol 😉. Happy T Tuesday! J 😊 x
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Beautiful artwork! And nice capture of the pretty butterfly… Have a lovely day!
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Thank so much and I hope you had a lovely day too 😁. Enjoy your week! J 😊 x
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I’m not sure what impressed me more about this journal page, the way you fit the napkin so perfectly, or the grid background. Combined, they make a sensational entry. It also made me so happy that you shared it at Art Journal Journey, too.
The garden centers here can’t begin to compare with the one you visited this week. I’m sure you not only got some good ideas, but also that lovely agapanthus plant.
That looked like a HUGE amount of cake. I bet it went well with your green tea. Thanks for sharing your beautiful journal page, your trip to the garden center, and your tea and lemon poppy seed cake with us for T this Tuesday.
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Thanks so very much! The cake was huge, I couldn’t eat it all, luckily they do takeaway boxes …lol 😉. Happy T Tuesday! J 😊 x
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That is one beautiful garden center. I love that gorgeous tiered tree in the front.
A lovely journal page with a very natural feel. I am loving those colorful flowers backed by your book paper. That lemon poppy cake certainly is huge.YUM!
Happy Tea Day,
Kate
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Thanks very much! It’s a lovely place to visit and the tiered tree is gorgeous, isn’t it 😁. This café is well known for its large pieces of cake, nearly everyone who visits leaves with a takeaway box/doggy bag …lol 😉. Happy Tea Day! J 😊 x
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A fabulous page Jo, love the way you layered the text in the background creating interest for those beautiful agapanthus.
Barton Grange is a lovely Garden Centre, I visited there a few times with DD when she was at Uni in Preston, they have lovely plants and gifts, I would have loved to have seen those glass agapanthus, just stunning. Shame she didn’t know about Light Ash Farm, your cake looks delicious. (We had coffee in the garden centre).
Avril xx
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Thank you Avril! So pleased you have visited Barton Grange too, it’s an amazing place! Light Ash Farm is known for its cakes, they have quite a few to chose from and the pieces are always huge …lol 😉. Enjoy your week! J 😊 x
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This is a fabulous page Jo! I love the stamping and you are right the Agapanthus does appear to have melted into the page! Thank you so much for linking this to AJJ for my theme! We love Barton Grange – although we don’t get there as often as we used to! Might have to get there soon and see those glass agapanthus! Your cake looks delicious although it wpuld have to be coffee for me! Happy T day Chrisx
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Many thanks Chris! The café has lots of choice and all the food tastes delicious, I’m sure you would find something you would enjoy with your coffee 😁. Wishing you a very Happy T Day too! J 😊 x
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Such a beautiful art journal page Jo… I love agapanthus .. also called Lilly of the NIle.. I had them in CA but here they just wouldn’t over winter.. AND the deer would probably eat them.. Happy T day! Hugs! deb
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Lol … glad we don’t have deer in our garden then 😉. Thanks so much and Happy T Day wishes! J 😊 x
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truly wonderful journal page…love the combination of text and those beautiful blue flowers. I can see why the glass sculpture in the garden inspired your page…gorgeous! and wow, that is a really big piece of cake, and my favorite flavor too…Yum! happy T day!
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Thanks very much 😁. The café is well known for its huge cake slices …lol 😉. Happy T Day! J 😊 x
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Hi sorry I am a bit late in the day to visit all the T friends-I needed to go food shopping and then friends stopped by.
Wow your page is very beautiful Jo I love the script in the background too very nice
The gardens are amazing!! Love the glass sculpture especially Lovely place for inspiration. That is huge piece of cake-ha ha looks delicious.
Happy T Day wishes Kathy
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Thanks so much Kathy! Sounds like you had a busy T Day, I hope you had a lovely time with your friend 😁. The café is known for its huge pieces of cake and luckily they provide takeaway boxes …lol 😉. Happy T Day wishes ! J 😊 x
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Oh Jo this really is such a pretty work of art, who could not be inspired by that glorious glass Agapanthas. A magnificent beast which you have replicated to perfection. I have to say my favourite is the watering can in the wall..!!
Thank you for sharing over at Paperbabe Stamps.
Hugs & Best Wishes Tracey xx
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Thanks so much Tracey 😁. Hugs and have a happy and creative day! J 😊 x
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First of all thank you for already stopping by my blog! Secondly, what a gorgeous art journal page. As always, I appreciate you sharing how and with what you made it. Thirdly, great metal art at your garden center. Lastly, oh, please give me some of that lemon poppy cake! Wowzers! Thanks for a great post; see you next week!
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Fabulous page Jo. Those agapanthus are gorgeous on your page, and in that cool statue, and I am happy to now know what those flowers are called. 🙂 You have some cool garden art to show us today besides the agapanthus. And that cake-wow0it sure looks good. I just finished dinner and a few bites of that would sure make happy right now. Happy T day-yes, I know it is late so I hope it was a good one. Hugs-Erika
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Many thanks! The cake was so yummy, I’d be happy to share with you …lol 😉. I hope you had a great T Day too! J 😊 x
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The book pages look very effective as a background to the agapanthus – lovely journal page! That lemon and poppy seed cake looks very delicious! It takes me back to my childhood. My grandma often used to make it!
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Thanks so much! I love how little things can propel us back to our childhood, mine would be Frank Sinatra as I use to waltz with my Grandad around the room when we visited. I bet your Grandma’s lemon and poppy cake was delicious 😁. Thanks for the smiles and have a wonderful week! J 😊 x
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Hi Jo what a great page. I too love agapanthus or should I say agapanthi..lol. I love the colours and design of your page..a great memory of your day out. The cake looked delicious too! Xx
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Ps I should also have thanked you for joining in with our in the summer garden challenge I’m hosting over at Country View Challenges! Xx
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It’s a pleasure to join your challenge and you chose such a great theme this month too 😁. Have fun! J 😊 x
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Thank you Jane and have a lovely day! J 😊 x
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A really fab. The flowers and the butterflies looks so lovely! Have a great day
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Many thanks and have a great day too! J 😊 x
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Your Agapanthus page looks really gorgeous, very good design. I love that kind of flowers very much. Last year I had an Agapanthus plant in a big pot and it has had nearly 30 blossoms,but the plant died in winter. Now I must look to get a new one. The Agapanthus fountain in the Garden Center looks amazing, I love it. Your wonderful photo of the butterfly looks so good.
You with your always so friendly smile and yummy cake and tea make me feel good and hungry too. 😉
Big Hugs
Sabine
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What a lovely page Jo! I couldn’t believe how the napkin flowers looked, without any apparent edges! Couldn’t believe the size of your cake either… or be allowed to eat it..
Thanks for joining us at Country View Challenges!
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Thank you, I enjoyed creating this page and the napkin just melted in place …lol 😉. Happy weekend! J 😊 x
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Lovely ! Thank you so much for participating in our July Challenge !
Corrie x
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Thanks you! It always a pleasure joining you at Country View Challenges 😁. Have a great week! J 😊 x
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Hey Jo, boy could I use a bite of that yummy cake! 🙂 Your journal page is so beautiful, I would swear it is digital! What gorgeous layering and a great idea with the b/w background. The butterflies are dancing off the page! We’re so happy you shared with us at A Vintage Journey. Big hugs, Autumn
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Thanks so much Autumn! I love how this page turned out with the book paper background and the butterflies were fun to create 😁. Sending you happy and creative wishes! Hugs J 😊 x
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