Stepping out into something new is exciting and scary all at the same time, but if we never face our fears, we’ll often miss out on exciting opportunities. Of course, this is a crafting blog so I’m speaking of stepping into something new in the crafting world. Yes, this is a minor example although the principle goes for anything new in life you’re stepping into.
So far, in my crafting world of Chanti Art Creations, I have made many cards, posted pictures of them, uploaded YouTube videos of the process of making them, and written blogs about them. So far it has always been cards. Today I am sharing an art journal spread.
You may think that shouldn’t be a scary thing, but our inner critic is sometimes our own worst enemy. I have dabbled in my art journal for a little while now and believe me, my first few entries were pretty ugly as I was just starting out in it and learning what techniques I like and which ones I don’t like as much. Only those closest to me have seen my book.
As a part of the fall design team for my local scrapbook store, Aall Scrapbook Essentials – Home I was given a pack of ephemera to use that has so many beautiful pieces in it. It’s the Simple Vintage Essentials – Take Notes Bits & Pieces by Simple Stories. There are 42 pieces of ephemera in this pack, and I couldn’t come up with a single card idea. Oftentimes an idea jumps out at me, but this time nothing was coming to mind. I mulled over it for some time, trying to come up with a card idea using this beautiful product. The only thing jumping out at me was the image of a pen with the words ‘tell your story’ on it.
Songs often speak to me and this phrase instantly brought to mind a song from Hamilton. It’s the song ‘History Has It’s Eyes on You’ and a part in the song says, “Let me tell you what I wish I’d known when I was young and filled with glory. You have no control who lives, who dies, who tells your story.” That part always hit me when listening to the song or watching the musical. As we go through life, we see people all around us living out their stories. Some live theirs loudly. Some live theirs quietly. Some want everyone to notice their story while others want to keep theirs out of the spotlight. There is no right or wrong in this. What it made me think of though, are the ones who are afraid for others to see their story. Many are timid and insecure, feeling that their stories maybe aren’t worth being seen. Perhaps they feel their story is insignificant and should be hidden. I think everyone’s story is valuable and every story, whether glorious or painful, has lessons that we can learn from.
So as this art journal spread began to take shape in my mind, I searched online for a quote that would fit and I found a great one. There was no author’s name given so I couldn’t add it. The quote says this: Ever read someone’s story and think, “This is exactly what I needed to hear today?” Your story will do that for someone else. It is so true. Sometimes the things we think are insignificant in our lives are just what someone else needs to hear. Don’t be afraid to share your story.
To begin creating this art journal spread, I chose several pieces of ephemera from the pack that would fit with this theme. I created a cluster with a clip board, a due date slip, a couple of pens, a piece that says ‘for the record’ and a piece that says ‘my story’. I used scorched timber distress oxide ink around the edges to give it more of a vintage feel. I positioned them into a cluster and glued them together so it would be easier to add to the page later.
I used the same scorched timber distress oxide ink and a blending brush to add color around the edges of the pages. Next, I used a Tim Holtz Ledger Script stamp with the same ink and stamped bits and pieces of it randomly over the already inked edges. To make the quote stand out, I found a scrap piece of beige scrapbook paper and wrote the quote with a brown pen. I wanted to stamp it, but I tried on a scrap paper with alphabet stamps, and it wasn’t lining up properly. I don’t know how to write fancy, so I was a bit apprehensive to have my own chicken scratch on there, but I felt it fit with the whole idea of the page. I needed to let go of my own insecurity. I had to tell my inner critic that my writing is fine, and I should not be embarrassed by it. It’s a little thing, but if we don’t address the little things, they become big things.
I tore the paper around the quote to give it that nice, distressed look and then added the scorched timber ink around the edges. I wanted to add a bit of color to this page, which is basically brown and white, so I chose a pale blue to give it some contrast. I used tumbled glass distress oxide ink which I blended onto some white cardstock. I glued the quote onto it and tore around the edges of the now blue cardstock. I added more tumbled glass ink to the edges.
Next, I stamped some branches with the tumbled glass ink. The branches are from a gorgeous stamp set called Instant Artist Reflection by Stamps By Me.
To add some texture to the pages, I used my Paper Rose Distressed Mesh stencil and added glitter paste through it along the inked edges. I love how sparkly it is! I also dabbed some tumbled glass distress oxide ink onto my glass mat, spritzed it with water, and with a paint brush added some splatters onto the pages.
Once everything was dry, I adhered the paper with the quote slightly off center. Before gluing down the ephemera cluster, I dug out some gold glitter tulle I had in one of my craft bins, rolled it up a bit, and glued it down to the right-hand corner, gluing the ephemera cluster right on to it. I glued the pen with tell your story along the top left of the quote. I added a few hearts from the pack as well as a small strip that says, ‘be brave’. I’m really pleased with how this turned out. I definitely do see beautiful art journal spreads online and am wowed by them. I know that as I continue to experiment, I will learn so much more and also become more confident. This whole journey of Chanti Art Creations has been a journey of me stepping out of my comfort zone, facing my fears and insecurities, facing my inner critic that can be really harsh at times, and being courageous enough to show my work to the world. So, if you’ve made it this far, and if you’ve been encouraging me in my art journey, thank you! I appreciate you!
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