I love looking at this tiny diorama of a wedding inside a walnut shell. I think I have a thing for all things miniature. It also has good memories for me as I bought it during a really great trip to Mexico City with my now-husband.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Ephemera Friday: Postal!
Hi lovelies,
I'll admit I know nothing about stamps, but I just love the engraving and colors of this small selection of U.S. postage. I hope you enjoy! And don't forget to click through to download a high res file for your projects if you like.
Toodles,
Frau S.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
I've heard of a rabbit in a hat, but...
Hello my sweets!
I thought I'd share with you a little pressie for being MIA for so long. I've been busy, but haven't forgotten about you, and I have some ideas coming up for you blog friends. Please enjoy this cute little doggie in a hat. These illustrations were used as advertising in the late 1800s. It's authentic Victorian ephemera from my collection and if you click through to Flickr you can download the largest size in high res to use in your own projects. I'll also be posting another goodie for your projects on Ephemera Friday, so stay tuned.
Kisses,
Frau S.
I thought I'd share with you a little pressie for being MIA for so long. I've been busy, but haven't forgotten about you, and I have some ideas coming up for you blog friends. Please enjoy this cute little doggie in a hat. These illustrations were used as advertising in the late 1800s. It's authentic Victorian ephemera from my collection and if you click through to Flickr you can download the largest size in high res to use in your own projects. I'll also be posting another goodie for your projects on Ephemera Friday, so stay tuned.
Kisses,
Frau S.
Monday, January 16, 2012
I'm still here
Hello lovely people,
Please excuse my unscheduled hiatus from blogging. Time has gotten away from me, but I will be back very soon with some goodies. Kisses,
Frau S.
Please excuse my unscheduled hiatus from blogging. Time has gotten away from me, but I will be back very soon with some goodies. Kisses,
Frau S.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Working With Ephemera II: Choosing
Hello lovely people of the Interwebs,
Technical difficulties made me late with last week's art journaling post, so this week I will post 2 PIPs instead of the one I had planned!
I want to share with you another spread in progress to show you how I select my ephemera. I did this one in another Full Tilt Boogie book. This one I made out of a ledger cover, so it has an oblong shape.
I started out with this surface--some white paper taped to watercolor paper on the left, and a page from a NASA booklet. I glued this black line graphic which I cut out from a magazine.
I drew some grey scratchy lines on the watercolor paper, but ended up covering it up. Now I'm trying to decide what kind of paper I want to paste onto the left page. I have pulled 3 black and white images based on their size. I usually start with size when choosing ephemera in my stash and then try some different pieces to see what looks best to me.
I choose this image of a satellite dish thing because it goes with the rocket thematically, but I also like that I'll be able to write on the black area with my white pen. I am considering balance and weight, contrast and color, but mainly it's an unconscious process.
At the same time I'm thinking about framing the rocket with this bit of vintage ledger paper that a friend on the web sent me. I don't usually l like everything to be from the same era, so now we have a mix of new, vintage, and antique.
Then I was thinking I could add numbers, sort of like a countdown to blast off kind of thing and I can also write about that. I got this incredible booklet free in the mail, I don't know from where, about an Eames font and it has tons of great images and type.
I decide to cut it into two parts and glue down 1-8.
I'm liking the way this looks now, so I add some masking tape, journaling, black lines, and a couple pieces of decorative scrapbook paper. I finish by stamping the date, but my date stamp is unreliable so the first try didn't come out well. Oh well, I'll just go buck wild with the date stamp until it's clean of ink.
This is from the journal I'm working in currently. Excuse the artificial lighting, but I was working at night. Here I've decided I want to use a large vintage photo from my stash. I'm deciding between these two:
The facing page is a little see-through window, so I need to take into consideration which picture looks better through the window. I decide on the little girl because its larger and more graphic.
Here's what that facing spread ends up looking like, by the way.
I have watercolor paper on the opposite, so I want to use some wet media with my collage this time. I just got this new stuff--the chevron stencil from Balzer Designs along with Distress Stain--so I use it to make a subtle background.
I add my girl photo with my trusty masking tape, a scrap of an illustrated dictionary, and a scrap of wallpaper. I'm just grabbing pieces now based on color and tearing them into the right sizes.
I add more paper scraps to frame the photograph and cover the frame with an old Nebraska highway map.
Finally, some journaling over the blank area of the photo and I stamp the date and time (sunrise). Done!
I always seem to set up the collage first and do the journaling, if any, after that. I usually consider a page done when I add the date.
I hope it is fun for you to see my process--I have so much fun making these things! Next week: Working with Ephemera III: Mixing Old and New
Toodles,
Frau S.
Technical difficulties made me late with last week's art journaling post, so this week I will post 2 PIPs instead of the one I had planned!
I want to share with you another spread in progress to show you how I select my ephemera. I did this one in another Full Tilt Boogie book. This one I made out of a ledger cover, so it has an oblong shape.
I started out with this surface--some white paper taped to watercolor paper on the left, and a page from a NASA booklet. I glued this black line graphic which I cut out from a magazine.
I drew some grey scratchy lines on the watercolor paper, but ended up covering it up. Now I'm trying to decide what kind of paper I want to paste onto the left page. I have pulled 3 black and white images based on their size. I usually start with size when choosing ephemera in my stash and then try some different pieces to see what looks best to me.
I choose this image of a satellite dish thing because it goes with the rocket thematically, but I also like that I'll be able to write on the black area with my white pen. I am considering balance and weight, contrast and color, but mainly it's an unconscious process.
At the same time I'm thinking about framing the rocket with this bit of vintage ledger paper that a friend on the web sent me. I don't usually l like everything to be from the same era, so now we have a mix of new, vintage, and antique.
Then I was thinking I could add numbers, sort of like a countdown to blast off kind of thing and I can also write about that. I got this incredible booklet free in the mail, I don't know from where, about an Eames font and it has tons of great images and type.
I decide to cut it into two parts and glue down 1-8.
I'm liking the way this looks now, so I add some masking tape, journaling, black lines, and a couple pieces of decorative scrapbook paper. I finish by stamping the date, but my date stamp is unreliable so the first try didn't come out well. Oh well, I'll just go buck wild with the date stamp until it's clean of ink.
This is from the journal I'm working in currently. Excuse the artificial lighting, but I was working at night. Here I've decided I want to use a large vintage photo from my stash. I'm deciding between these two:
The facing page is a little see-through window, so I need to take into consideration which picture looks better through the window. I decide on the little girl because its larger and more graphic.
Here's what that facing spread ends up looking like, by the way.
I have watercolor paper on the opposite, so I want to use some wet media with my collage this time. I just got this new stuff--the chevron stencil from Balzer Designs along with Distress Stain--so I use it to make a subtle background.
I add my girl photo with my trusty masking tape, a scrap of an illustrated dictionary, and a scrap of wallpaper. I'm just grabbing pieces now based on color and tearing them into the right sizes.
I add more paper scraps to frame the photograph and cover the frame with an old Nebraska highway map.
Finally, some journaling over the blank area of the photo and I stamp the date and time (sunrise). Done!
I always seem to set up the collage first and do the journaling, if any, after that. I usually consider a page done when I add the date.
I hope it is fun for you to see my process--I have so much fun making these things! Next week: Working with Ephemera III: Mixing Old and New
Toodles,
Frau S.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Holiday Ephemera
Hello friends!
I wanted to share some ephemera with you last week, but my computer was not cooperating. So, instead of waiting for Friday, I give you this vintage greeting card. Tis the season!
I will be posting my next art journaling installment shortly. Toodles,
Frau S.
I wanted to share some ephemera with you last week, but my computer was not cooperating. So, instead of waiting for Friday, I give you this vintage greeting card. Tis the season!
I will be posting my next art journaling installment shortly. Toodles,
Frau S.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Inspiration is Everywhere
Magazines are so lovely and inspiring these days. I can always go to my beloved stacks for ideas.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Ephemera Friday: Buffalo Ammonia
As in Buffalo, NY rather than ammonia made from buffalos.
Have a great weekend!
Toodles,
Frau S.
Have a great weekend!
Toodles,
Frau S.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Working with Ephemera I: Pages in Process
Hi lovely readers,
Today I thought I would share one of my journal spreads with you step-by-step to give you an idea of my process of collaging and journaling with vintage and new ephemera. I will be working in this journal for the next several examples. I learned how to make it in the marvelous class Full Tilt Boogie by ingenious Mary Ann Moss. The pages are made from a variety of new papers and vintage papers bound together into an antique photo album. This spread started on a Canadian train travel booklet page and a polka dot scrapbook paper.
I had already glued in these lens images and text from a vintage camera directions booklet and a few days later used the Homage sticker that I just got in the mail with something I bought. I knew I wanted to use a vintage person on the page, so I cut out this girl from an old Etude magazine from my pile of vintage magazines.
I was thinking this might be a mostly red and yellow page, so I liked the red tint to the photo. I'll probably use the boy in something else down the road, so I'll keep what's left of the cover. Yep, I cut right into it and glued the real thing into my book because these magazines are not rare or precious to me.
Although it looks vintage, this bookplate is actually a new card from a scrapbooking collection. I wanted to make it look like the girl was holding it. Probably should have cut out that left hand a little better, but who cares. So I glued the two pieces down together.
I cut this stocking ad out of a vintage playbill a while back but couldn't find a place for her. I thought she would be fun in this spread. I decided I could lose the text at the top of the ad and just cut out the girl and the logo. I also really wanted to keep the "buy war bonds" bit. In this case, I scanned the ad before I used it because I really liked the image and may want to use it again. However, I did cut out the image and glue the real thing onto the page.
I fiddled with her placement for a while. I normally like an image that is partially cut off like this one on the left to be anchored by the edge of a page or some other image. But I did not like the look of her too close to the bookplate because those images competed.
So I thought I could run a line of tape up the page and anchor her to that. I chose between the red and white masking tapes.
I used some of the red tape but didn't like it, so I put a piece of white over it. Oh well!
So, I wasn't crazy about this area so far, but I liked the leg against the camera lenses, so I glued her down.
I felt the images on that right page still needed some a anchoring, so I doodled a frame with my cheapo acrylic in red. I also drew some thin black lines on that image of the shore just because it was fun.
I extended the red paint a bit to the left page to keep the composition balanced, embellished the doodle with some Sharpie paint pens, and added some lines and journaling to the book plate.
Finally I added some journaling and stamped the date. And this is how the page looks now! I can't say it's one of my favorites I've ever done, but I'm pleased enough. Since I enjoyed the process, I'll consider it a success. I can always go back and change things later if I decide.
This was fun. I love sharing these pages with you! Thanks for stopping by and having a look.
Next week: Working with Ephemera II
Kisses,
Frau S.
Today I thought I would share one of my journal spreads with you step-by-step to give you an idea of my process of collaging and journaling with vintage and new ephemera. I will be working in this journal for the next several examples. I learned how to make it in the marvelous class Full Tilt Boogie by ingenious Mary Ann Moss. The pages are made from a variety of new papers and vintage papers bound together into an antique photo album. This spread started on a Canadian train travel booklet page and a polka dot scrapbook paper.
I had already glued in these lens images and text from a vintage camera directions booklet and a few days later used the Homage sticker that I just got in the mail with something I bought. I knew I wanted to use a vintage person on the page, so I cut out this girl from an old Etude magazine from my pile of vintage magazines.
I was thinking this might be a mostly red and yellow page, so I liked the red tint to the photo. I'll probably use the boy in something else down the road, so I'll keep what's left of the cover. Yep, I cut right into it and glued the real thing into my book because these magazines are not rare or precious to me.
Although it looks vintage, this bookplate is actually a new card from a scrapbooking collection. I wanted to make it look like the girl was holding it. Probably should have cut out that left hand a little better, but who cares. So I glued the two pieces down together.
I cut this stocking ad out of a vintage playbill a while back but couldn't find a place for her. I thought she would be fun in this spread. I decided I could lose the text at the top of the ad and just cut out the girl and the logo. I also really wanted to keep the "buy war bonds" bit. In this case, I scanned the ad before I used it because I really liked the image and may want to use it again. However, I did cut out the image and glue the real thing onto the page.
I fiddled with her placement for a while. I normally like an image that is partially cut off like this one on the left to be anchored by the edge of a page or some other image. But I did not like the look of her too close to the bookplate because those images competed.
So I thought I could run a line of tape up the page and anchor her to that. I chose between the red and white masking tapes.
I used some of the red tape but didn't like it, so I put a piece of white over it. Oh well!
So, I wasn't crazy about this area so far, but I liked the leg against the camera lenses, so I glued her down.
I felt the images on that right page still needed some a anchoring, so I doodled a frame with my cheapo acrylic in red. I also drew some thin black lines on that image of the shore just because it was fun.
I extended the red paint a bit to the left page to keep the composition balanced, embellished the doodle with some Sharpie paint pens, and added some lines and journaling to the book plate.
Finally I added some journaling and stamped the date. And this is how the page looks now! I can't say it's one of my favorites I've ever done, but I'm pleased enough. Since I enjoyed the process, I'll consider it a success. I can always go back and change things later if I decide.
This was fun. I love sharing these pages with you! Thanks for stopping by and having a look.
Next week: Working with Ephemera II
Kisses,
Frau S.
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