Make This Journey, All The World Is Bright...

Hello friends...

Hope you've all had a great weekend and if you're in the UK, then I hope you're enjoying the long weekend and having a fun Bank Holiday Monday! As always, the start of a brand new week means that we have an exciting new challenge beginning over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and this week our theme is called ~ ADD SOMETHING METALLIC! The week, the DT are also showcasing Brutus Monroe products within their projects and even though it's not necessary for to us, it might give you some ideas of how to use these products if you decide to join us for this exciting challenge!

For my project, I created a canvas panel all about a travelling salesman, the quintessential English gent...sauve, dapper and very sophisticated. The inspiration behind this project actually came from my Dad, he wasn't a salesman but he was an advertising and marketing director who travelled the world a lot when I was little and to this day, he's always telling us the stories of his travels, that took him far and wide, so...this piece is for you Dad!

Let's begin the brand new SSS Monday Challenge...

As a starting point I cut my canvas to measure 18 x 22cm and painted the board with Black Soot Distress Paint, before running the Tarnished Brass Distress Crayon around the outside, blending out the colour with my finger.

Moving on, I then cut a panel of paper from the Correspondence paper stash, slightly smaller in size than my board ~ I wish I could have multiples of this design because I just love it and adore the fact that it has the Union Jack on it.

Prior to machine stitching a border around the outside, I then cut a strip of the same paper but used the reverse side which I stuck down the left hand side of the larger panel.

To add some vintage charm to the paper, I applied some Distress Crazing Medium over random areas of the panel, allowed it to dry and then scribbled over the top of the crazing with Gathered Twigs. I then used a water brush to just move the colour around, not using a lot of water but just allowing it to sink into the crazing. Use a cloth to wipe away any excess water.

After matting my panel onto gold metallic card, I then mounted the layers onto the painted canvas board.

Now to start making all those layers and to begin with I cut my globe that you can see in the background using the Destination die and cutting the image from Mixed Media Heavystock Card. To add some texture to the die cut, I smeared a really thin layer of Grit Paste over the surface, allowed it dry and then using a Versamark Ink Pad, dab the ink over the surface of the die cut and sprinkle a generous amount of Gilded and Gilded Sparkle Embossing Powders over the top. Tap away the excess and heat emboss until it becomes molten.

Using foam pads in the centre of the globe to create a domed effect, attach the embossed die cut to a piece of card, covered with gold Deco Sheet and trim away the excess. Adhere the die cut to the panel using Matte Collage Medium and then outline the edge of the globe with a Black Soot Marker Distress Ink, blending away any harsh lines with your finger.

Now every travelled gentleman needs to chart his journey and I did this by adding some pins and some cotton thread. The pins are basic dressmakers pins that have white heads but I coloured these using Candied Apple and Black Soot Distress Paint and then cut the pin down slightly to a size that suited the project. I then just wrapped some cotton thread around the pins and ended the journey beneath the paper doll by attaching the thread using a little bit of tape to secure it in place.

To create the advertising sign for my dapper gent, I mounted one of the Keepsakes Ephemera pieces onto the smallest Vignette Panel using Matte Collage Medium and then once the medium was dry, ran the Gathered Twigs Distress Crayon around the edge, again blending away any harsh lines of colour. To complete the sign, I added two small Hardware Heads, which are painted with a combination of Black Soot, Evergreen Bough, Antiqued Bronze and Rusty Hinge to create the ultimate rust effect. I also tucked a London ticket stub behind my little sign, placing it in the top right hand corner.

Attach the advertising sign to the panel, placing it so that it sits over the top of two Etcetera Bracket Trims. You can see how I created the crackle effect on these in a previous blog post, HERE. I also added a Metal Gate, which I placed on the opposite side of the sign and which will eventually be behind my paper doll.

My gentleman is lightly colour tinted with Distress Marker Pens but then I added something for him to hold ~ a piece of Mummy cloth, dyed with Antique Linen Distress Spray Stain and an offcut of material, draped over his arm and held in place with a mini pin.

Attach the paper doll onto the panel with foam pads to add some height and dimension to the piece.

It's now all about those details to bring this story to life and I just layered up those embellishments, starting with a Compass Coin and Game Spinner, painted with Distress Paints for a rusty, vintage look.

I added a Star Adornment, painted with Candied Apple and Black Soot Distress Paint.

I also placed some moss along the bracket trim to ground my dapper gent and added some Bouquet Findings....

...and some small buttons, arranged in a cluster in front of the advertising sign.

The final finishing touches include some Clippings Stickers and some hardware accents.

...and last but never least, I hung a key which once again was altered with the combination of Distress Paints that I've used previously and added a story stick.

As always I hope you've enjoyed the creative process behind this piece and loved the techniques I've used to add character and a vintage charm to all the elements.

Don't forget, you can find more inspiration from my talented teamies over on the challenge blog and every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today and hope to see you again soon, love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Brutus Monroe: Gilded Sparkle, Gilded Ultra Fine Embossing Powder
Tim Holtz/Sizzix: Destination

Distress Paint: Black Soot, Evergreen Bough, Antiqued Bronze, Candied Apple, Rusty Hinge
Distress Crayons: Gathered Twigs, Pumice Stone
Distress Marker Pens

Idea-ology: Hardware Heads, Snippets, Clippings Stickers, Paper Dolls, Star Adornments, Vignette Panel, Keepsakes Ephemera, Metal Gate, Bouquet Findings, Compass Coins, Game Spinner, Story Sticks, Hinge Clips, Locket Keys, Mini Pins, Index Clips

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Crackle Texture Paste, Gesso, Distress Collage Crazing Medium, Versamark Embossing Ink
Prima Hardware Accents
Surfaces: Dapper Paper Stash, Correspondence Paper Stash, Distress Mixed Media Heavy Stock Card, Media Board, Etcetera Bracket Trims

Tim Holtz Media Glass Mat

Heat Gun
Palette Knife
Pins, moss, buttons, Mummy Cloth, Deco Sheets and material all from my own stash