My sister kindly bought me a beautiful rusty style robin garden decoration, as you may know I love robins and it really makes my day when I see them in our garden so this was the perfect gift. I wanted to capture it along with the words she wrote on the note that she gave me with this gift which reads “now you can have robins in your garden all the time” (grin!).

For the background I stamped the pink blossoms using black Archival Ink and a blossom stamp from Stampendous; they are painted using Twisted Citron Distress Ink for the leaves and a mixture of Fired Brick Distress Ink and White Linen Dylusions Ink Spray for the flowers with additional touches of Putty colour from a Winsor & Newton Promarker. I applied Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink using a blending tool through a doily stencil randomly around the flowers then I spritzed the stenciling with water to re-activate the ink to give a washed out effect.

For the robins, I drew around my robin garden decoration using a pencil onto some mixed media paper and then spread Ranger Texture Paste in-between the drawn lines using a palette knife to create the rust texture. Once dry, I gradually coloured the texture paste to build up the rust effect using quite a few layers of Sanguine and Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush markers and Rusty Hinge Distress Ink. Next I cut the robins out of the mixed media paper and I applied some Orange Soda and Mango Faber-Castell Gelatos by scraping them over the raised areas of texture paste and smudging the colour with my finger which finished the rust effect wonderfully.

For the sign, I cut a piece of white cardstock to size and stuck the message that my sister had written on one side of the card. I coloured the other side using a Sanguine and Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and attached the four seasons stickers from Graphic 45 over the top. I then framed the front and the back edges with texture paste using a palette knife and I also used the texture paste to cover a brad too. When dry, I add a piece of cotton string to the sign and then coloured both the string and the texture paste using the Sanguine and Dark Sepia markers and then the Orange Soda and Mango Gelatos to create a rusty effect.

Next I attached the sign by the string to the page using the brad; this allows it to be turned over to reveal the message from my sister which reads “now you can have robins in your garden all the time!!”; which is why I chose to list all the seasons on the other side (grin!).

The robins look so pretty in my garden; I have placed them just outside my kitchen window so I can see them all the time and as you can see they are so beautifully rusty – perfect!
I hope that you are all staying safe and well!
Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.
Challenges
With rusty texture that I created, I’m pleased to join the Texture challenge over at Art Journal Journey that I’m hosting this month; thanks to everyone who has joined so far!
I’m so happy to join the Staying In The Background challenge over at the The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog with the pretty stamped and stenciled background that I created on this page.
I’m also happy to be able to join the #128 – Dimensions challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with the rusty elements and signage dimension on my page.
I’m joining the Complimentary Colours challenge over at Country View Challenges with the blue background and rusty orange of the robins.
I’m also pleased to join the Animal Antics challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with the robins and butterflies on this page.
I’m also joining the Favourite Stencil (and why) challenge over at the As You Like It Challenge with my stencilled background; I love the pretty doily pattern that this stencil creates as it looks so delicate, this stencil is also versatile as it can be joined together to create one whole doily or just used randomly as I did on this page.
Here is a list of all the scrap materials used to create this art journal page:
- Stampendous! Stamps (Cling Blossom Spray CRP136)
- Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
- Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Twisted Citron, Fired Brick, Blueprint Sketch, Rusty Hinge)
- Dylusions Ink Spray (White Linen)
- Winsor & Newton Promarker (Putty 0618)
- Craft Sensations (Deco Stencil Set 154892)
- Daler Rowney Mixed Media Paper
- Robin garden decoration
- Ranger Texture Paste
- Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt Artist Pen (Sanguine 188 B, Dark Sepia 175 B)
- Faber-Castell Gelatos (Orange Soda, Mango)
- Pritt Stick
- White cardstock
- Graphic 45 Cardstock Stickers (Seasons Decorative Stickers 4501629)
- Message from gift
- Recycled string
- Craft Sensations (Brads CRO550/A)
A super card. Thanks for joining AYLI challenge. Elaine
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Love your rusty robins – the ‘real’ ones in the garden and those on your beautiful journal page. Great rust effect, well done. Have a great evening, hugs, Valerie
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Wow…that’s amazing. It looks exactly like your sister’s gift. Impressive 😍
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Wow what an awesome gift from you sister-and I am loving all that rust too! Beautiful journal page-hugs Kathy
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Just love the robins, and the gorgeous texture you created. Would love the garden sculpture as well.
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I love this garden element. What a cool way to have bird-watching all the time 🙂
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That’s a lovely gift from your Sister Jo looks great in the garden with the sunlight hitting that rich redness, fabulous replication in your journal page looks just as good with your textured stencil work, Fantastic!! Robins are such sweet little creatures, I get to see them most mornings when about as they come eat from my birdfeeder outside my kitchen window along with the house sparrows, blue tits and more recent the Great Tit. All beautiful in their own right and the only visitors we are getting right now.
Another delightfully dimensional creation, thanks again for sharing over @ Paperbabe stamps Jo. Keep safe & stay creative Hugs Tracey xx
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Wow Jo. You did an amazing job creating the robin garden piece for your page. It really makes a fabulous addition to your page. And I like the actual garden piece too. Your English robins are very cute birds. Have a great Thursday. Hugs-Erika
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This made me smile so big, siblings, huh? I “only” have a brother, but we´re the same.
Beautiful robins and a great piece of art, too.
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A fabulous page Jo and what am amazing effect you achieved on the rusty robins, the look just like the real one in your garden. Love the muted background too.
Have a great day.
Avril
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Wow! I love your page Jo, the texture and rusty effects look great! And such a beautiful garden ornament too, I love our little robin visitors. We see and hear lots on our morning walks 😍
Hope you’re having a great week!
Alison xx
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Jo, I love your dainty background to show off those rusty robins! You nailed the robins! they look just as wonderful as the gift from your sweet sister! You are a lucky girl! How sweet that you included her note on your page, too! I’m so happy you played along in our Staying in the Background challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique blog with this gorgeous page! Hugs!
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Oh, that’s beautiful, I love this cute couple of birds on your journal page with the great background and tag with the inscription!
I wish you a nice weekend, hug, Elke
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Wow, Jo, this is amazing!!! Your texture is soooo well done. I know you will enjoy this!!!! Fabulous. Huz
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Dear Jo, what an amazing post. Just wonderful. Thank you so much for visiting my blog.
Have a wonderful weekend
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Gorgeous page, I love all of the textures and the rusty robins are so cute! What an awesome gift from your sister.
Tammy x
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Awesome page, Jo! I acually wondered why you would glue the real lawn ornament onto your page. You outdid yourself on this one. Have a great weekend. Hugs, Eileen
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Amazing page, Jo! Love your rusty Robins!
Thank you again for playing along with our September challenge over at Country View Challenges.
xx Evelyn
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