Mistra Hoolahan: Seasons Calendar Album

Sunday, 15 April 2012

Seasons Calendar Album

Hi everyone! I created this calendar album for Donna Salazar Designs using her Spring in Bloom Collection Papers and Artistic Papers.

For the covers I tore up offcuts of the Spring in Bloom papers and decoupaged them to the Zutter Covers, added some lace with impasto and then once dry, dry brushed the whole cover with white Gesso so you can just see the papers showing through. I added some butterflies cut from the papers and the rose was made using Spellbinders Rose Creations die with some thin loose weave fabric stiffened with ribbon stiff so it holds it shape.

The pages were punched with a Zutter Bind It All and then bound with tied Twill, Ribbons and Tulle.

I used the Artistic Papers Spring in Bloom and Calendar pages to create the calendar album. All the pages were given a colour wash using Smooch Spritz, Mix'd Media Inx Reinkers and Gesso {I have a little technique tutorial to share with you at the end of the post}

The calendar was grouped into seasons and each season set treated with different colour washes. I added chipboard months on top of some Zutter Corrugated Board for each month within the seasons. The seasons were cut using Spellbinders Donna's Alphas.

Quotes were added throughout to match the seasons... the quotes too were treated with watercolour washes after printing out.

I also cut some butterflies using the Spellbinders Wonderful Wings Die, as well as cut out lots from the Spring in Bloom papers.

Colour Wash Technique

You will need:

GCD Artistic Papers

Smooch Spritz {at least 2 colour tones}

Mix'd Media Inx Reinkers {at least 1 colour}

Water Spray

Distress the edges of your Artistic papers. Spray your SmoochSpritz onto a craft sheet or glass work table, allowing the colours to overlap.

Add a drop of the Mix'd Media Inx Reinker here and there, this goes a long way so you'll only need a small amount.

Place your Artistic paper over the top, lightly press down and then remove.

Allow the colours to drip... if you want more colour in particular spots dab it back into the colour wash again.

Then just dry the sheet off, either naturally overnight or with a heat gun. The colour intensifies on the edges, in the distressed edges. The colours will also fade significantly during the drying time... leaving a beautiful colour washed background.

Thanks for visiting, take care and