Thursday, April 21, 2016

More than words April challenge

Hello folks !

I spent the few last days trying to finish a layout for the More than words challenge, but life (and kids) get in the way and I wasn't able to put the finish touch (always the title...) until today !

The challenge this month is to use a mood picture and the word "escape". I had the perfect picture for that, taken during my Istanbul trip two years ago, inside the harem of the Topkapi palace. I enjoyed so much visiting this palace, and read so much about the harem, my imagination was spinning.

This windows inside the harem is a great illustration of the challenge's word and mood. There was no physical escape possible from the harem, only imagination and intricate plans for power allowed women to escape their condition. Seeing the outside is hope to go out, but don't forget there are more walls waiting for you...

Anyway, here is the layout !


Let's start with the background... The base is a Prima Marketing paper from the Vintage Emporium collection. I added coal baseboard paint (Tattered Angels) by spraying and applying with a sponge. Next I use a stencil (Tim Holtz) with black pen (Faber-Castell) to draw the design around the edges. I apply some Gold and Sun Sisters glimmer mists with a brush around this pattern. then I draw the birds with a mask (Prima Marketing) and colored them with gray Copic markers.
With gold ink, I stamped (Prima Marketing) some scriptures on the black zone. Using a brick stencil, I applied Platinum crackle paste (Prima Marketing) on the black areas. The white grid is a rub-on from Sizzix (was on an incredible sale two years ago, so I bought it...never know when you gonna use something...).
And all of that my friends was only for the background...
Let's take a closer look :


The metal embellishments were covered with Antique Gold high impact paint (Tattered Angels). You can see a grunge board die cut (Tim Holtz) covered with gold crackle paste (Prima Marketing). And I scribbled a little bit on the flowers (Prima Marketing) with a black pen (Faber-Castell).


Lace (Hobby Lobby, sewing section) was sprayed with Sun Sisters glimmer mist with few spots of bittersweet baseboard paint (Tattered Angels) before adhering it with Fabri-Tac. The small black flowers were gold (like the tiny one above the lace), but I covered them with black high impact paint (Tattered Angels) and made a center with Perfect Pearls (Ranger). Those too are glued with Fabri-Tac.
The last, the title, was cut in white cardstock and painted with Sun Sisters glimmer mist (Tattered Angels).

I do like the result. It's a great mix of decorum and dark mood, like the harem...

See you soon for another post...

14 comments:

  1. I absolutely love your story and how you drew your inspiration! And these bright colors are stunning! Thank you for playing with us at More than Words!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Valia for taking the time to read my post and for the nice comment !

      Delete
  2. FANTASTIC page Valerie... Thank you for joining us over @ More Than Words! x

    ReplyDelete
  3. What an awesome picture and layout! Thank you for playing along with us at More Than Words!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow fantastic layout! Thank you for your participation to more than words challenge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Valerie ! It was a fun challenge for me !

      Delete
  5. Oh my, your layout is amazing !! Beautiful details and interesting way to use the "escape" part of the challenge ! Great job !!Thank you for joining us at More than Words !!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Helen ! I'm glad this challenge help me scrap this picture !

      Delete
  6. I love this! The care and detail you put into your work (thinking the process thru) is wonderful. A harem truly a prison in need of escape! Well done!! love it! All the best from MTW! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh wow - this is wonderful! I love the symbolism of the harem window. So glad you could join us at More Than Words.

    ReplyDelete