Celebrating the Journey

Sometimes I can't believe the creative journey I have been on and still wonder where it will lead me. Today at A Vintage Journey we are celebrating our fifth birthday - and what an amazing five years they have been both in terms of friendship and creativity. I have been so very lucky to have been on team of Creative Guides since the very first day and through their wonderful support, friendship and talent I too have grown in that five years.


Brenda is our host this month and she is asking us to  Celebrate the Journey by including the word or any images that depict a journey or even something that shows a creative journey.



I was curious to see what I had made as my very first project for A Vintage Journey back in March 2014. So here is the tag I made.

For the first couple of years we were very Tim Holtz based and so the tag is heavily influenced by his products I used at the time.

It was only as messy as the Wrinkle Free Distress! I had not heard of gesso, crackle pastes and all the wonderful mixed media products I use on a daily basis now.

I decided to take a few elements from that tag and make a journal page depicting MY journey over those five years.


I have re-used the Sewing Room Mannequin, the Distress Doily Die and Tim's Wrinkle Free Distress Ink Technique. I also used the same Distress Inks Victorian Velvet and Dusty Concord but thought the Wilted Lilac way too light and substituted Seedless Preserves instead!


I started with a layer of gesso, tissue tape and crackle paste before using Distress Spray Inks to get the colour on the page - with plenty of water!


Background stamping with some of my favourite little stamps came next, along with some splattering with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Actually this is a stamp ..... after seeing my desk after a splattering session once I decided to invest in one!


I have used the Wrinkle Free Distress Technique on the dress, along with a Distress Glaze Resist. Over the years I have been an avid collector of ticket stamps. The ones on the left were a very early purchase from Crafty Individuals and still get used over and over.


Tim's spirtz and splatter techniques were used on the distressed doily but I resorted to DecoArt Weathered Wood on the mannequinn.


More collaged tickets from my huge collection. And FINALLY I am using my favourite photograph from the Photobooth Collection.


This was such an enjoyable creative play and I really love how the journal page emerged.

I do hope you will join us in our birthday challenge and I would recommend you hop on over to A Vintage Journey now to see the amazing array of fabulous projects from the wonderful team of Creative Guides.

As always thank you for joining me and have a lovely weekend.

Jennie x


Comments

Brenda Brown said…
Oh Jennie what a wonderful way to celebrate your journey and celebrate it in style. I love how you have echoed your first project for AVJ, the colours and design are gorgeous. It’s been an incredible 5 years of development and who would have thought back then we would have blossomed and grown as we have. Thank you for continuing your special journey with the team and being such a stalwart member and wonderful friend. Huge hugs xxx
Annie said…
Such a lovely post and so nice to have taken ideas from one of your first projects Jennie x I adore your journalpages and the beautiful layered details. It has been a pleasure sharing the journey with you and to have been able to meet on a couple of occasions xx Here's to our next meet and I wish you a Happy Anniversary xxx

Huge hugs
Annie xx
Astrid Maclean said…
Oh Jennie this is such a lovely spread with all your hallmark clever touches! Love the pretty soft colours and the wonderful composition! Such a great idea to go back to your first AVJ project too!
This has been an incredible journey and I have felt so honoured and happy to have been part of it since its conception together with our original team and all those that have joined us along the way. We have all grown in so many ways and I have loved every minute of having been part of your journey. From the early Tim Holtz inspired days to the full blown mixed media, shabby and vintage style inspired projects, it has been a real pleasure to follow you in your creative journey and to have become your friend!!! Here is to many more years to come!
sarascloset said…
Jennie, your AJP's are lovely! Your trademark soft, shabby style just makes my heart melt, and your colors are stunning. Your collages look so perfectly at home on the delicate backgrounds and really tell the story of your journey starting 5 years ago at A Vintage Journey. I've enjoyed seeing the details of your pages and reading your post--what a lovely story and trip down memory lane. PS I never knew there was a splatter stamp that looks like real splatter. Sending big hugs to you!
An absolutely gorgeous page spread, Jennie. What a wonderful idea to look back at that first AVJ project and use it to inspire your birthday project. I love the vivid colours amongst the gentle neutrals - especially that fabulous inky dress form with its lacy trim - and your layered collaging of ephemera and stamping is pure perfection. Happy AVJ Birthday! It's an honour and a delight to travel with you.
Alison x
Redanne said…
Such a brilliant idea to use elements from your first AVJ post Jennie, it must have been a real trip down memory lane for you. I have loved seeing how your work has developed over the five years and it has been such a pleasure getting to know you. Your spread is wonderful, full of delicate vintage charm and such a lovely way to celebrate AVJ's birthday! Hugs, Anne xx
S@ndy Diller said…
What a great way to celebrate the journey, by coming home again. Love the way you went back and used some of the same elements from your first post. Such a lovely page. Hugs, S@ndy
Jennie this really is one big celebration, *Happy 5th AVJ Birthday* How lovely to look back over the years and see how creativity has evolved just like those friendships. It shows in your journal pages just how much you have enjoyed every inch of this page play. What would we all do without Gesso eh??
Thanks so much for sharing this walk back over time.
Hugs Tracey xx
Nikki Acton said…
What a wonderful journal page (s!) - and so clever to reflect your first AVJ project. The tones are still very Jennie but I love how your style has evolved! A fabulous composition with lots of subtle layers guiding the viewer around the page - perfect!
A pleasure to know you and create alongside you. Nikki xxx
Hazel Agnew said…
This is so delicately beautiful Jennie. so understated and wonderful use of colour. it reminds me that I need to scale down and not throw the kitchen sink at everything.
gorgeous creation. xx
Deb said…
What a fabulous idea Jennie to revisit your first AVJ project and I adore seeing where your own personal creative journey has taken you over the years. A gorgeous, feminine and understated journal spread that echoes the original inspiration so beautifully xo I can't thank you enough for all of your support and inspiration over the years as we've traveled the road together as Creative Guides, your talent, generosity and caring nature have made every step a joy. Here's to many more years of travels! Deb xo
Julia Aston said…
What a lovely idea to revisit your first AVJ post and recreate using all the vintage skills and products you have learned about over the years since AVJ started - two beautiful pages here Jennie!
A Pink said…
YOur journal spread is absolutley gorgeous , Jennie . It has such beauty, balance and harmony and as with all your creativity is oh s pleasing to the viewing eye. Such a great idea to take from your first AVJ project as your starting point too.

Thanks you so much for being such a great teammate and lovely friend, Jennie. I feel honoured and humbled to have been able to share the AVJ journey with you since I joined the team.
Heres to many more happy creative AVJ years together .
HUgs


Apologies for my later than expected arrival - time has done nothing but elude me over the last week or so . x