My Story, I Will Journal (Part I) by Lynne Moncrieff

This week I am sharing some of the journal I worked on for the recent HOCHANDA shows. 

I still cannot believe I have been lucky enough to have stamps made from my jottings. 

Many moons ago, long before I discovered stamping, I began a notebook with the intention of filling it with an image I was drawn to from a magazine and on the opposite page, writing a positive message that came to my mind, based on the image. This notebook became tattered but for some reason, I always kept the pages. I could never imagine that some of those would, all those years later, be formed into stamps. Other Affirmations, such as “they carry secrets on their wings” was a title for a blog post, again a long time ago but certainly more recent compared to that notebook, which would be from the late 1990s. 

With the Affirmations being quite personal to me, it heightens the sense of disbelief that they are now stamps. 

Thank you to That’s Crafty! for making it all possible and for those of you who have so kindly shared your feedback with me. 

This post is photo heavy – you have been warned! 

Supplies

That’s Crafty! Clear Stamps Lynne’s Affirmations Sets 1 and 2

That’s Crafty! Surfaces 6”x6” White/Greyboard Journal (with tabs)

That’s Crafty! Surfaces Acrylic Shapes

That’s Crafty! Word Series Stencils – Journal and Time

That’s Crafty! Dinky Stencils – Bubble Background, Star Shower

Gesso – White

PaperArtsy Infusions

Grunge Paste

Memento Tuxedo Black

Mister Bottle

Foam Brush

Glue Stick

Gel Medium

Acrylic Stamping Block

Sharpie Black Paint Pen and White Paint Pen

Black Watersoluble Pencil

Extras:- Found papers/re-cycled materials, re-cycled sari silk ribbon, vintage book

Preparation of white/greyboard pages

Apply Gesso, varying the application to provide texture. With a glue stick, adhere torn pieces of book page, work randomly yet at the same time, consider balance. Also adhere other found papers. Onto this, apply more Gesso. 

Apply Infusions, also staining calico, sari silk ribbon, corrugated cardboard, anything that catches your eye!  Leave all to dry. 

Spread out all the pages, deciding which Affirmations to use on which pages, whether the colours and effects of the Infusions suited an Affirmation relating to flying/soaring, the stars or something more grounded.

Notes

Working with two pages side by side, I would adhere torn mop-up papers and other stained papers so it appears as though it is only one 6”x12” page I am working on. When the double page spread was completed, I cut down the centre. This provided a better flow to the pages.

All Affirmations were stamped onto Gesso’d book pages. For some, I doodled a box around the word tiles to give definition. 

All stamping and stencilling was carried out after adhering the papers to the pages.

Cover

Adhere stained corrugated cardboard, calico, etc. Onto vintage book page painted with Gesso, stamp “My story, I will share”. Tear into two pieces, dismissing the word “share”.  Adhere to cover, layering acrylic shape over “I will”, edging with Sharpie pen. With the white paint pen, stencil Journal, edging with black pen. Beneath this, scribble circles with watersoluble pencil.

Below are some variations to the pages.

Pages One and Two – Fly Ever Upwards, It’s Your Time To Soar

Stamp birds across mid-section. At the far, right side, rotate the stamp in a different direction, as though the birds are flying towards the others, upwards to the sky. Add wisps of handmade paper which had been stained with Infusions.

Pages Three and Four – When My Head Is In The Sky, My Feet Are Grounded To The Earth

Onto the upper left side tab, I adhered the word “grounded” – inking up only this word from the Affirmation, again stamping onto Gesso’d book page.

Pages Five and Six – A Handful of Stars I Wish Upon

Stamp and stencil stars, stencilling with black watersoluble pencil or black paint pen. I also randomly stencilled Bubbles Background, the white paint pen was used for the centres with freehand black circles around the outer edge. The fabulous stencil from the Word Series – Time, was stencilled with black watersoluble pencil.

Next week I will share the remainder of the journal, until then….

Wishes,

Lynne