To Celebrate My (New) Love of Tea ……



It will come as a HuGE surprise to my family and close friends that since Christmas I am often seen with a cup of tea in my hand. At the age of 61 I have finally found a tea which I liked and doesn't leave me shaking my head and gritting my teeth! And what is this amazing brew …… Vanilla Spiced Chai … which Terry got as a Christmas present and sadly hasn't had a look in!

But I digress and should be saying hello and welcome to a new challenge at A Vintage Journey where you might like to raise a glass …… or cup of tea …… as we celebrate our second birthday. Things are changing at AVJ which I am sure will be enjoyed by all of you as we widen our challenges to encompass a broader range of products, genres and artists. There are more details on the main blog post here as well as the details of this month's challenge which we hope will be FuN! 


Destination Inspiration Travel Bag

For our birthday challenge we thought it would be fun to challenge you to use the products in our DI Travel Bag this month.  You’ve seen how the Creative Guides have used the products in the past and you will see how they use them this month too. So join us in using the following  products and enjoy the journey!

Substrate: Board (eg grey board, coaster board, cardboard)
Main Colour: Lilac or Pale Purple
Technique: Rust Effects (perhaps using rusting or embossing powders or rust coloured paints)
Product: Something Metal

With tea on my mind and some beautiful Tim Holtz spoons received in a wonderful box of goodies from a special friend following CHA I just had to use the Travel Bag products to create a hanging celebrating my new love.



I started with my greyboard which got a couple of coats of gesso before I used the DecoArt Crackle Paste through a lovely doily stencil bought following Finnabair's workshop a couple of years ago.



Then everything got a spritz of Dusty Concord and Wilted Violet Distress Spray Stains, but with LOADS of water to keep it pale and in keeping with the colour requirement.



Now I am sure you would not believe that this rusty looking leaf is actually a white paper clay moulding ! I had some great fun using different techniques on paper clay bits and pieces and this worked really well. This post is too photo heavy already but if you pop back tomorrow I'll share a short tutorial on how I did it.



I wanted lots of layers on this hanging so made a tissue pocket which I decorated with a doily and some lace.



When I was sitting with my feet up in the summer following my first foot surgery my lovely friend Brenda sent me a fabulous package of die cut cups and saucers and I have had great fun playing with them. This one got some DecoArt crackle treatment using Weathered Wood Crackle.


And then it was time to start layering everything on my board using the tissue envelope to hold everything together.


Little tickets were tucked into the pocket along with the tags.



The last element I needed to add from the Travel Bag was some metal and so the gorgeous little Tim Holtz spoon was just perfect.



And the arty shot! 

I do hope you will join us in our birthday challenge and find that using the DI Travel Bag goodies is a fun way of putting together a project.  My fellow Creative Guides have come up with some amazing projects which you will find on our challenge blog post here, along with all the changes we are making to our challenges for the coming year.

Thank you for joining me today on this another scheduled post as I am still in Ireland! probably a bit music-ed out but hitting the second traditional folk festival of our stay on the west coast. 

Have fun whatever you are doing!

Jennie x




Comments

Julia Aston said…
What a beautiful hanging Jennie - love all the layers of sweet design - and that photobooth girl is just the cutest - wonderful cracked teacup and spoon - how nice that you now have a tea that you love too!! I have a vanilla chai K cup every morning when I get to work! Julia xx
Love it Jennie, really beautiful x
Jenny Marples said…
Oh I am SO glad you broke down the photos into shots of the individual elements as they all blend so seamlessly on the final project that there's a danger of missing the beauty of each - the teacup, the little leaf, the crackle stencilling. Love it! Jenny x
Brenda Brown said…
I adore your very pretty card Jennie and love how you have used the contents of the travel bag, that very crackled cup is amazing.
Hope you are having fun on your Irish break.
Have a great weekend.
Hugs Brenda xxx
Ruth said…
Stunning, simply exquisite Jennie, love the soft palette, all the gorgeous detail...the spoon...wow! Look forward to the details, and on the subject of tea, haven't tried vanilla but I love a cup of spiced chai myself. Hugs Ruth xx
Nikki Acton said…
Only Jennie could make this travel bag look so sensual and elegant! Beautiful work xx
Astrid Maclean said…
Fabulously put together Jennie, what a great collage card! I absolutely love what you did with that paper clay leaf! As I actually own that mold I now really look forward to tomorrows tut.

Hope you are having a super time in Ireland and don't drink too much tea lol!
Redanne said…
This is such a wonderful interpretation of Nikki's travel bag Jennie, the crackle on the cup is just superb! Hope you are still enjoying your time away. Hugs, Anne xx
Julia S-W said…
This is so beautiful Jennie and so you! I adore the soft tones and the myriad of gorgeous elements which go to make this such a stunner. The crackle is wonderful and perhaps my favourite is that little clay leaf - I like making my own embellishments from clay too and I adore your leaf. Julia xx
Lys said…
What a rich tag, Jennie, full of textures (i love the crackle cup!) and full of thoughts too: it broke my ready made idea that every English lady loves tea... Great tea lover am I since very young... Have a happy Irish stay!
A Pink said…
A really beautiful hanging to celebrate your new found love for Tea. Love the crackle textured background enhanced so delicately with the muted tones , the tissue tape pocket is such a wonderful idea and no tea based project would be complete without a teacup (yours is a beauty) tea bag, ( loving the teabag tag) and of course the silver teaspoon.
You really have picked up the travel bag and made great use of the contents offering a fabulous dose of inspiration .
hugs x
Sandy said…
Love this - how much fun to look at every jot and tittle and wonder how in the world you designed this so perfectly. I especially love the picture of the young lady - isn't she the cutest!!!! I did not know about these spoon but they look fabulous.
I will have to try your tea - Wonderful mixed media piece Jennie!!!!
Sandy xx
Deb said…
Beautiful Jennie, amazing layers (love that little pocket!) and the crackle finish on the tea cup is wonderful. Love all the ephemera bits and bobs you chose to embellish your lovely piece with, perfect choices to celebrate your new found love of tea and AVJ's second birthday! Thanks so much for sharing it, Deb xo
S@ndy Diller said…
Great way to celebrate a new love. I have yet to find a love for tea so perhaps their is hope for me yet. Love you project!! Sandy xx
Absolutely stunning, Jennie - what incredible detailing and textures and embellishing - it all works just perfectly. I love your little rusty paperclay leaf, and the tiny spoon is adorable. Brilliant collaging to create a magical hanging celebrating your new love. I'm not a tea-drinker either, but Vanilla Spiced Chai sounds like it might be right up my street too!
Alison x
Suzanne C said…
Gorgeous! I love the beautiful texture you built into the tea cup and the tiny spoon!