Harvinaisen Kaunis Elämä: December 2021

Saturday, 18 December 2021

Christmas Skies - Art Journaling for Finnabair

Hello dear Finnabair friends,

Christmas themed vintage art journaling is one of my favourite things, and listening to the Christmas carols, having some candles, and cinnamon scented coffee to go with it, is always a bliss…

Here’s a journal spread I created for my Christmas journal.

I tidied up my desk and used as many leftovers from my previous projects as possible, and that is how I ended up using just the materials I used…

First, I glued some vintage papers with Soft Matte Gel onto the pages, to attach the separate pages into a journal spread, and then primed everything with white Heavy Gesso.

Next, I used Machinery and Dandelions stencils with Modeling Paste to create a starry winter sky effect and painted the pages with a soft layer of Impastos Pitch Black and Dark Chocolate to highlight the stencil designs.

Next, I used prints, laces, and die cuts to decorate the pages, and as a final touch, added some Golden Dragon Effect Paste and Gold Metallic Flakes, and finally sprinkled Snow White Impasto paint on top of everything.

Here’s a video of the process: https://youtu.be/_PVRzlHf8j4

I wish you a sparkling and blessed Christmas time,

Emilia

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-basics-heavy-gesso-white

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-dark-chocolate

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-pitch-black

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-snow-white

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-basics-modeling-paste

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-extravagance-golden-dragon-effect-paste

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-extravagance-gilding-glue

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-ingredients-metallic-flakes-gold

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-finnabair-stencil-dandelions

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-finnabair-stencil-machinery

12 Days of Holidays with Prima and Finnabair - Vintage Christmas Tags

Hello Prima and Finnabair friends,

I made vintage themed Christmas or Holidays tags that are easy and quick to create, with a cup of coffee and some Holiday cheer.

I used Prima’s Memory Hardware self-adhesive chipboard tags, but you could also create ATCs or greeting cards, if you like. Also, as it is 6^th December and we celebrate the Independence Day here in Finland, I wanted my tags to be very Finnish vintage ones, but you could use Prima scrapbook paper and ephemera, and even soft pastels if you like. The idea is the same!

Here’s how I did it.

First, I took the protecting layer off from the tag and pressed a vintage book sheet onto the tag and cut it to the right size. Next, I added a lovely dimensional layer with Finnabair Irish Tapestry Stencil and Modeling Paste, and let it dry properly. The wonderful Icing Pastes in colours of Gold, Silver, or Pearly White would go perfectly with the festive theme, too, but I wanted my layer to be subtle, vintage looking one. (If you don’t have any stencils or pastes, you can skip this part, of course.)

After the paste had dried completely, I added a thin layer of white Heavy Gesso to the tag. This is for priming purposes, but also for making the background to be a bit softer looking and the vintage text not so visible. (The book I took the page from, was about the love life of lobsters in the 1880’s, after all.)

A word about the priming just in case if you are not familiar with gesso. If you are using scrapbook paper and your colour theme would be pastels or other soft, clear colours, you might not need this part at all, especially if you are not going to add paint over the tag. But as I am using vintage paper that is a bit fragile and will absorb everything immediately, I wanted to prime it. A layer of gesso will make sure that I can control how the paint will react with the background I am painting. You don’t need a thick layer of gesso, just a thin coat will do. (If you watch the tutorial video about these tags, you can see it: I painted one tag without priming it with gesso and two with gesso, and the result underlines my point very, very clearly.)

After letting the gesso dry, I mixed Finnabair Impasto paints Pitch Black and Dark Chocolate to create a vintage looking, dark and warm brown, and with a very wet mix and a very wet brush, painted the tag all over, and then wiped most off with a baby wipe. This step makes the stencil pattern to rise up from the background so, so prettily, and makes the whole tag look lovely vintage.

Next step was the fun decorating part. I used Finnish vintage papers (printed versions), with coffee dyed doilies, and botanically dyed lace, but the choices are endless. You could use die cuts, ephemera, trinkets… I attached the papers with two sided 3D tape and glue.

As the final touch, I added some Finnabair Golden Dragon Effect Paste here and there, with Vintage Gold Metallique Wax around the edges, and sprinkled some Impasto Snow White paint all over the tag.

Here’s the link to my tutorial video: https://youtu.be/g1n9DwmWF9Q

Wishing you magical, inspired, and sparkling Holiday moments,

Emilia

MATERIALS USED:

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-basics-heavy-gesso-white

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-dark-chocolate

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-pitch-black

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-snow-white

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-extravagance-golden-dragon-effect-paste

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-metallique-wax-vintage-gold

https://www.primamarketinginc.com/product/memory-hardware-self-adhesive-chipboard-tags/

Friday, 17 December 2021

Art Daily Cafe - Frozen Fractals

Hello, Art Daily Cafe friends,

I loved the idea of Frozen Fractals and jumped into the chance to make a project with my daughter we had planned to do for some time now: a Cinderella pumpkin. Here’s how it was done…

First, I covered the whole papier mâché pumpkin with Finnabair tissue scraps, using Soft Matte Gel, and primed it twice with white Heavy Gesso. I tried to make some kind of ornamental curls for the pumpkin with hemp cord and Modeling Paste, not succeeding that well, but it was better than nothing, and using air dry clay, we made lots of stars and ornaments with moulds, glued them into the pumpkin and let it dry overnight.

After adding some Mini Art Stones to the places where the clay had dried a bit uneven, I primed everything with gesso once again, and then we painted the whole pumpkin with Impasto paint Manor Blue.

Next step was to paint the pumpkin with blue Metallique and Opal Magic paints, and the ornaments with golden ones, and let it dry again. Then I added some Impasto paint mix of Pitch Black and Dark Chocolate over the ornaments to get them a bit highlighted. As a finishing touch we used lots of waxes (my daughter loves to use the waxes a lot) and added some sparkle with Golden Dust Jewel Paste.

And our Cinderella pumpkin was ready! It really is a pretty one, looking like a frosty winter pumpkin, sprinkled with magic.

Inspiring creative moments,

Emilia

MATERIALS USED:

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-basics-heavy-gesso-white

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-basics-soft-matte-gel

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-basics-modeling-paste

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-dark-chocolate

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-pitch-black

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-snow-white

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-manor-blue

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-metallique-light-patina

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-metallique-ancient-coin

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-opal-magic-pink-blue

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-ingredients-art-stones-mini

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-metallique-wax-white-pearl

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-metallique-wax-vintage-gold

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-opal-magic-wax-vintage-silk

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-extravagance-jewel-effect-paste-golden-dust

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-finnabair-mould-stars-and-moons

Art Daily Cafe Inpsiration

Hello, Art Daily Cafe friends,

Here is an art journal spread for your Art Daily Cafe inspiration. The pages are from my very special and personal Grace Notes journal that I have created, page by page, without planning anything ahead. I have just let my heart and hands do the creative part for me. All I have done is listened to my favourite music very, very loudly and then, when the page was finished, I typed or wrote a line from the song that had played right there.

Here’s how it was done…

First, I primed the pages with white Heavy Gesso, using a large brush and then added tea bags, botanically dyed cheese cloth, ribbon, lace, and die cuts with Soft Matte Gel, and added another, soft layer of gesso to make the background looking an inviting canvas to play with. I also mixed some Mini Art Stones with gesso and added some on the pages.

Mixing Impastos Pitch Black, Dark Chocolate, and Manor Blue, I then painted with very random, large brush strokes and wiped most off with a baby wipe. With black ink I stamped some background images to the pages, and the background was ready.

I wanted a dried common yarrow on the page because its meaning is so wonderful. (Symbolising courage, healing, strength, and everlasting love; it suits pretty much every art journaling theme I create…) I attached it, along with some linen cord, with Soft Matte Gel, and then stitched very rough hemp yarn through the pages.

When the pages were almost-but-not-quite finished, it was time to pick a line or two from the song I was listening to at that precise moment. I ended up with lines that also fit, in a way, for the November Art Daily Cafe theme of Under Cover of Night: in the darkness, there’s always a glimmer of hope. And as the shiny effect, there’s also some Gold Metallic Flakes I glued using Gilding glue.