Let Your Dreams Blossom by Gill Humphry

Today I have another play with the Ring Bound Journal and for this one I decided to see how well the pages would cope with layers of Decoupage Glue. I started by taping two adjoining pages together and then using a brush added some Cerulean Blue ink across the central parts of the pages. 

I then selected a Garden House Tulip Rice Paper and tore the script area into three pieces. These were then adhered in place (the lower part crosses the two pages). The Cerulean Blue ink is water reactive so it will move a bit with the decoupage glue but I felt this would add to the over all result.

Next I selected elements from the 12 x 12 and 8 x 8 Garden House paper collections. I deliberately chose to work across the two sizes as the sentiments in the smaller paper set were a better fit for the pages. All of the paper elements were then edges with Vintage Photo Archival Distress Ink. Having chosen my paper elements I had a play positioning till I was happy with the arrangements. Starting with the right hand page I added the large oval framed tulip from the paper to the page and then using more decoupage glue added some of the cut out tulips left from the rice paper over the top.

I then added one of the sentiments from the paper collection and finally the butterfly from the rice paper.

For the left hand page I added the remaining tulip from the rice paper chopping off part of the leaf and adhering it along the bottom of the page. Next I added lots of the framed flowers layering them over each other before adding my cut apart sentiment.

To link both pages and the elements I then added some stencilling in the "white space" areas using cerulean blue ink through the Post Card stencil. The pages were then edges with ink using Borders 2 stencil to create an irregular edge - you could just as easily use Borders 1. Finally I added splatters with watered down White Allegro Paint. I am pleased to say that the papers stood up really well to the layers of decoupage glue and paint splatters and I do hope you like my finished pages.