Tree Lore

'Sweet is the lore which Nature brings.'   
William Wordsworth

Once Upon a Teatime for Somerset Place

Is there anything more relaxing than a journal or a book in hand and a cup of delicious tea nearby? Usually one should be careful not to spill a drop on the pages while reading or writing, but how about adding a tint of your brewage directly and on purpose on the paper? If art journaling is also your cup of tea, used teabags may also serve well as tiny memory keepers. Just prepare a teapot and relax in the most creative way. Just have a look and enjoy the whole process on Somerset Place blog.

Have a lovely winter day my dear readers from the snowy north!

Winter Notes

Notebooks are always welcome when the New Year is just around the corner. As the old meets the new, I decided to mix the very first 7 Dots Collection with the latest one. Shouldn’t everyone be delighted with such gift?

I used:
7 Dots Studio – Dreamer – City Lights, Cold Country – As It Was Before, Lost and Found – Element Stickers 6×12, Die-cut Elements 6×12, Clear Stamps, Domestic Goddess – Alpha Salt & Pepper

I’m never fed up with new notebooks. You could have seen those I made in green and blue, so it’s time now for some pink ones. They will suit one and all.

I used:

7 Dots Studio – Yuletide – Element Stickers 6×12,  Lost and Found – Element Stickers 6×12, Die-cut Elements 6×12, Clear Stamps, Measuring Tape Stencil, Soulmates – Welcome to happiness

A snowy wonderland is already here, so have an amazing winter weeknend!

 

Amanita Muscaria - Finnabair Creative Team

I bet you know a mushroom named Amanita Muscaria – it's a common toadstool. The red one with white dots which is known for being extremely poisonous. Despite its bad fame, it is regarded as the house of fairies and one of the most picturesque woodland inhabitants.

Here's how it inspired me:

I started with preparing a messy background from creased vintage pages. I glued them with Clear Gesso to a canvas panel and then sealed the whole with the mentioned medium getting it ready for some colours to come.

A bit of White Crackle Paint added in chosen areas resulted in even more distressed look. I cut out a few mushroom-shaped figures from thick paper and covered them with Light Paste which offers a fantastic effect, both fluffy and dimensional.

I glued down the mushrooms with 3D Gel to the panel and added some colours. I used watered down Gelatos which stuck great to the all the mediums I used.
When everything was dry, I decorated the background with old-fashioned patterns of stamps from 'Old Town' set. Then I applied a spoonful of Modeling Paste under the caps and below the mushrooms. Its thickness also helped to attach a few woodland elements such as berries and a snail shell. When the Modeling Paste was not completely dry and still sticky it was able to grab a pinch of white Glass Beads along with silver and black Micro Beads.

To finish the mushrooms I added some lace under the caps.

Afterwards, I engraved some gills with a match below the caps, spilled tea onto the canvas to make some stains and attached silver Mica Flakes here and there. Finally, I fixed the flower frame from Mechanicals Labels set just below the forest composition.

Have a wonderful New Year. May it bring a lot of prosperity, fulfilment and happiness.

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