Thursday 1 January 2015

Ringing in 2015

Happy New year everyone and welcome to 2015. I hope it's a good one for everyone.

Just before Christmas I was chosen as the winner over at the Frilly and Funkie blog with my Christmas box book I made for my son. This is the link to my project which was a real labour of love. The challenge prize is to be their Guest Designer. Frilly and Funkie have a new challenge which runs for the next 2 weeks and it is an anything goes theme so do join in. This is the link for the challenge. For those of you who are first time visitors to Jane's Journal can I give you a very warm welcome and I hope you enjoy having a browse around my blog.

Now I have one of those brains which likes to take time to consider what to make for GD posts. I like to jot down ideas for a couple of days.  I knew my post would be put up on New Year's day and I eventually  decided that it had to be something inspirational for the year ahead and also to "ring in the new year". As my winning Christmas piece was made for my darling son I decided that I would make another piece for him....a 2015 wall hanging....for no other reason than "just because".

I also appreciate that life during the any year is never a smooth journey, there are often changes of direction and focus but life is there to be lived and enjoyed. I wanted to include some little inspirational phrases on my piece to look at and to remember during the year when life gets a little busy.

I made a fun festive shadow box which I showed in my Christmas Eve post and the one part of the frame we did not use was the mount. This is made of strong board and I decided to use this as my base and I gave it a coat of gesso to seal it. I then added some tissue tapes, vintage dictionary pages and some texture paste through my Dutch Doobadoo stencil (a win last year)
I wanted to "age" my frame so I added some cracks with my Visible image crackled stamp using archival ink.
Next it was time to colour my frame and I used a mixture of distress ink and paints, acrylics and some bronze gilding paste.


 I always love getting inking and my hands were brown by the time I finished it.

I wanted to used Tim's weathered clock die on my piece so I gave this a coat of antiqued bronze distress paint. I also added some crackle paint which you will see later on.
I also wanted the effect of looking through a window into the new year and seeing flowers in the garden and sunshine so I "made" a window using a Tim floral sheet and some vellum which I stuck onto another piece of mount board
As it is the new year I wanted to "ring it in" I used Tim's bells die and had fun aging my die cuts with different distress inks and paints.
I added some metal Ideaology quotes and some string. I didn't have the correct colour string so I dyed some with my inks.
 I also wanted butterflies to feature as they are always to me a symbol of beautiful new life through their metamorphosis so I stamped and embossed some Visible image butterflies and fussy cut them out. I made the card I stamped them onto using distress inks and the wrinkle free technique.

So armed with all my components and a few other ideas, which always occur as I start to put things together, I set to work and put on my creative hat. 

Here is my finished wall hanging

 and some close ups and other thoughts behind my composition.

The bells are ringing in 2015.  I added some charms too to represent time and having the keys to you family's heart forever.
The view through the "window" represents a summer garden and the endless beauty of nature..."smell the flowers while you can" and live life to the full.  The chit chat words are to remind us what we have to be thankful for. I added some "leaded lights" to the window using coffee stirrers which I aged using ink and crackle paste

The sentiment is a Tim Holtz stamp and one of my favourites. The photo below shows up the details of the crackle paste on my weather clock and the pretty butterflies.

an "arty pose"


and one more look


I love entering challenges and I would like to enter my piece into the following ones;

A vintage journey ring out the old ring in the new I think my step by step explains how I was inspired by the poem, I am looking forward to the new year and all the challenges it may bring in life and crafting!
Natalie and Amy all things new my new is the great butterfly stamps and the weathered clock die.
Loves rubberstamps something old/something new my old are the tags/words and the new is my butterfly stamps and weathered clock die
The Mirror cracked recycle/upcycle something I recycled the mount from a picture frame which I used for a shadow box.
Mixed Media something new for the new year my "new" was to alter a frame mount and upcycle it into a wall hanging. I also used several new products; my butterfly stamps, the bells and the weathered clock die.
Cute card Thursdays anything goes
The Artistic stamper new beginnings
Simon says stamp anything goes
Winter Wonderland fussy and fancy

I hope you have enjoyed your visit here and that you can take some of the words I have added to my wall hanging and hold them in your heart during the year ahead. Thanks to the Frilly and Funkie team for having me as your Guest Designer today,

I think these words are an apt conclusion to my post;

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.” 
― Edith Lovejoy Pierce


Happy New Year, take the time to enjoy it. Remember to open that book and live life to the full, the first chapter is yet to be written.........

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

29 comments:

  1. Dear Jane,

    Happy New Year! What a year 2014 was - and here's to even better 2015! Congratulations for your win, you will enjoy so so much being a GD and creating all things new. And this wall hanging of yours is fantastic - just a promise of a wonderful times ahead!

    Lovely year to you and yours from all of us here!

    Yours,
    Mia

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  2. Definitely a piece that will serve to inspire throughout the year. It's wonderful to have you join us as a Guest Designer at Frilly and Funkie with this beautiful hanging. Love the way the layers have built around the frame and how the butterflies dance across the window. Thank you so much for joining us at A Vintage Journey too, and have a happy, creative New Year. Jenny x

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  3. What a lovely wall hanging and a lovely sentiment too for your lovely boy!! :)
    I love the start of a brand new year. :)
    Happy 2015, happy January and happy pre-spring my friend,
    V x

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  4. I simply love your window Jane. So many textures and details.The colours are stunning, too.
    So glad you join the fun at The Mirror Crack'd challenge.

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  5. Oh this is utterly fantastic. I just came from Frilly and Funkie. It looks great there, but I am so inspired by all your step by step close ups. Seeing all the tiny details really allows me to see how fabulous this really is! Your background is wonderful and I LOVE the window - brilliant design! I'm so delighted that you were our guest designer this week at Frilly and Funkie. Thanks so much for giving our visitors this wonderful piece to inspire them. Wishing you and your family the happiest of New Years!

    Hugs,
    Linda

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  6. SENSATIONAL Jane! Happy New Year to You!
    I hope it's a good one for you and yours!!

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  7. Jane, another work of art from you! I so enjoy seeing what you come up with.. you're very talented.
    ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  8. Hi Jane! This card is gorgeus! So interesting to see how you make all the details. It's beautiful! I wish you and all your family Happy NEW Year! x Teje

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  9. What a stunning design and wonderful sentiment...how special that you made it for your lovely son! Wishing you and your family a very Happy New Year, dear Jane!
    Helen xox

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  10. What a gorgeous wall hanging! I love how you altered it and that crackle stamp is really cool. Thanks for joining us at The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge.

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  11. Gorgeous Jane, thanks for the tutorial, it's always nice to see how things are put together. Thank you for sharing this with us at The Mirror Crack'd, Angela R. x

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  12. Absolutely fabulous Jane, a great piece of art from the mount board frame, wonderfully detailed and thought through. I love the window effect looking out onto the garden, the beautiful bells and the saying inside the weathered clock, all brilliantly put together. I am sure your son loves this.
    Thanks for linking to AVJ.
    Hugs Brenda xxx

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  13. Jane your wall hanging is amazing! Great techniques and I love all the detail, and what each element represents. Fantastic quotes and such an inspirational project. Helen xx

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  14. Amazing frame - so much work and detail in there.
    Thanks for playing along at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.
    Hugs,
    Caryn xxx

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  15. The colors and textures on your frame are just beautiful! what a wonderful ring in the new design with your lovely bells! thanks so much for joining us in the AVJ challenge! Julia xx

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  16. What a beautiful piece Jane. I love the whole feel of it and the sentiment is so true. I have lost two very dear friends within two months of each other and I realised reading your sentiment that both of them have lived great lives and that's what's really important.

    Thanks for joining us again, and for inspiring me to be grateful for what they gave me rather than to miss them because they are gone!

    Lin
    The Mirror Crack'd

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  17. What a beautiful creation. Love it. Thank you for sharing your talents with us over at Loves Rubberstamps. Hugs Nina

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  18. Happy New Year to you and yours, Jane. Love that frame stencil and of course, your finished work. Here's to a healthy, happy, creative 2015.

    Anne D.T.xx

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  19. Fabulous work Jane so cleverly created

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  20. love your altered frame/hanging! the paints look so great on all that texture you added. but what REALLY grabs me are those embossed butterflies! how stunning and eye catching! Happy New Year! Thank you so much for playing with the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge!
    -Rachel
    rwkrafts.com

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  21. Love your altered frame!! LOVE the vellum to create a window effect! All your details are amazing and thanks for the step by step!! Thanks for joining us in this month's Mixed Media Monthly Challenge!

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  22. Wowser Jane. I am on catch up and have been over at Frilly and Funkie too. Your step by step is brilliant and the finished result is fantastic, absolutely love all your techniques used and your window with the vellum is simply gorgeous. Thanks also for joining in the challenge at A Vintage Journey and good luck.
    Julie x

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  23. Really love that layered textured frame, and a great tutorial too. The bells look fabulous! Thanks so much for joining us on A Vintage Journey.
    Alison xx

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  24. Gorgeous you are so talented-Elaine
    http://ourcraftfair.blogspot.com/

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  25. WOW - so many gorgeous details in this piece!

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  26. Congrats Jane, with your second Pinworthy badge.
    Julie xx

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  27. Gorgeous! Thank you for joining in The Artistic Stamper Creative challenge this month :)

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  28. Wow. This is beautiful. Thanks for joining the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge!

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  29. Oops - didn't notice that I should also have said thanks so much for playing along at The Artistic Stamper Creative Challenge.
    Alison x

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Jane x