A lesson in patience

I don't know how long most people spend on a single journal layout but this one was about a month in the making.  Simply put, I got stuck.  I created an extremely textured background using various handmade papers.  The scraps were different in size, texture & thickness.

Sorry, such a bad photo.  My camera takes horrible pictures.

The large tan pieces have smooth pieces of mica embedded in them.  The black and white pieces have actual threads.  There are a couple of pieces of burlap paper with wonderfully long strings and even some paper made with coffee grounds so it has a pebbly texture.

Once everything was secured and sealed with gel medium and thoroughly dried, I decided to paint it blue.  True blue.  Truthfully, TOO MUCH blue!  I worked on the background off and on for several weeks and it just wasn't speaking to me!  I added some lighter blue paints and some blue Gelatos and I still didn't like it.  I looked at the page over and over every time I walked through the room.  I finally decided it needed some tans and browns and that's when I got re-inspired.  And once I threw in some metallic bronze paint things started coming together.

I used several stamps and stencils to give the background some texture and even a pencil eraser and paper towel tube.  The diamond grid looks bright in the photo but it's Brilliance ink and is more subtle to the eye than to the camera.

I like chipboard shapes but some of them can be pretty thick and cause issues in a journal, especially if you will be stamping on subsequent pages.  So I very carefully tore this one in half so I had two identical butterflies.  I used a die set of a lock and key and cut shapes out of the butterflies.  After the holes were cut the butterflies were coated with paint, metallic blue Gelato and bronze embossing powder.

Then I used the same dies on card stock and once they were inked up, I placed them in the butterflies.  Tan paper was attached to the back of each so that the painted background wouldn't show through.  I cut out another key to go near the saying at the bottom.  A dollar store doily and one of Tim Holtz's journal tickets were inked up and added as well as a few die cut butterflies.

It took a lot of steps and a lot of time, but I like the end result and I hope you do, too!

I will admit that I came to the Doctor Who party late.  I started watching when Chris Eccelston revived the Doctor.  I have friends who were watching back in middle school but I hadn't discovered science fiction back then.  To me, SciFi was something my big brother watched on Saturday afternoons and didn't have anything to do with me!  It wasn't until I got a job at the Detroit Public Library that a friend and co-worker (Thanks, Gail Gilman!!)  encouraged me to read my first fantasy book, The Complete Compleat Enchanter by L. Sprague deCamp.  Great book!  And it started me on the road to fantasy and science fiction in a big way.  I still prefer the humorous stuff to the technical, which could be why I enjoy Doctor Who so much.

I bought this chipboard book kit at Create and Craft and had to buy chipboard pages from Scrapbook.com because I outgrew the kit.  I don't imagine that I've finished it...but I am done for now.  And I thought I'd share the project with you.  I hope you enjoy my little tribute to #10 and #11.

The Tardis is chipboard that has been painted and assembled.  The starry background from page three shows through the starburst cut-outs.

The black background and Doctor die-cut came with the kit.  I added the sticker numbers since it is the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who.

The starry background, black pocket and plain tag came with the kit.  I found two images online and added some textured yarn and a crown charm.  The saying is from Viva Las Vegastamps.

Here's how it looks with the tag in the pocket.

The castle background came with the kit.  I found this great image of Matt Smith in TV Guide.  The saying is by Inkadinkado.

I love this wonderful Britannia background that came in the kit and I just happened to have a Big Ben die-cut in my scrapbook stuff.  The blue police box stamp is from Viva Las Vegastamps and the little chipboard key is from Globecraft & Piccolo.

Another fun background from the kit and the Dahlek die-cut, too!  I added some card stock gears and a game spinner for a little fun.  Saying by Viva Las Vegastamps again.

The Doctor die-cut is the only piece on this page from the original kit.  I thought this background paper was very fitting for the last Time Lord.  And, of course, the fez is one of the things Matt Smith's doctor was known for!  The clock at the top and the glasses are buttons and the "Time Lords" headline is from TV Guide.

Don't Blink!  This weeping angel die-cut is from the kit.  G45 paper provides a fun background.  I found the Sparrow & Nightingale logo online!

The kit came with chipboard letters and I painted them all in the recommended white pearl color.  They said KEEP CALM AND DON'T BLINK.  But if I had used them all my pretty (scary) angel would have been covered up!  The spooky background came from the kit and I found this lady by Googling "weeping angel".

Nothing from the kit on this page.  Someone went to the trouble of making this computer wallpaper with the Tardis and I just love it!  I added a strip of Washi tape, a stamped image of a space helmet and some sticker letters.

Again, a computer image for the background.  I was a little disappointed that no Cybermen came with the kit and I really wanted them represented, so back to Google I went.  Same with the sonic screwdriver.  Luckily, a different edition of TV Guide had this great photo of Matt Smith wielding one.

The back cover of my book.  Why? Read the caption on this great kit background!  "Listen to that sound of truth.  We love you."  And the perfect spot for this image of David Tennant - my FAVORITE Doctor!  The saying is by Inkadinkado.

So, that's my tribute to the good Doctor.  Everyone has their favorite(s) and these two are mine.  And I am SO looking forward to the new guy, Peter Capaldi!  Keep the great episodes - and inspirations - coming!

And keep the comments coming, too.  I love seeing them.  It's like getting happy mail.