PaperArtsy Challenge - Fragile Papers

Over at PaperArtsy they have given their challenge a makeover and the new format is great. Their first topic is Fragile Papers and there are some amazing examples to inspire us.  Now I consider myself to be relatively new to mixed media and Art Journaling even though I've been dabbling for a while.   I'm always on the lookout for new learning opportunities and grabbed at the chance to have a go.  I've joined a couple of Facebook art groups and needed to decorate the cover of a new Art Journal I'm going to be working on over the year following weekly prompts so I did this - 

I started by applying tissue paper (plain and printed) and mulberry paper (with ranger glue 'n' seal) to the cover  which I had first painted with gesso. I added grunge past through a heart stencil and once all this was dry I spritzed with perfect pearls in pink and turquoise - you can see this in the top right corner on the main pic above where the light picks it up. 

I applied distress inks through a stencil I made from a die cut, stamped with PaperArtsy stamp (words2) and randomly applied more distress ink.

I added some script stamping to the background before adding a cluster of bits and pieces - is this called ephemera? The base layer for this is a page from a pocket dictionary (so more fragile paper) coloured with more DI, then there is some lace, burlap ribbon, die cut pieces, an old stamp (which isn't as florescent pink IRL as it looks here!) and some dew drops as well as the title in die cut letters on a piece of distressed corrugated card. 

I finished off by rubbing some Gold wax round the edges of the journal cover and over some areas of the cover to catch some of the texture and adding a strip of washi tape down the left hand side to neaten this edge by the spiral binding.

I loved working on my Journal cover - I have a habit of fixing on the end result and trying to get there as soon as possible  and all in one go (my crafting time is limited) but that often leaves me dissatisfied with the finished work as I usually feel there is something missing. I took my time with this and enjoyed the process rather than just trying to 'get it done' and am happy with the result !  Thanks for stopping by...Happy Crafting..Esther xx