Friday 1 December 2017

Winter Wonderland- A Vintage Journey December 2017

Hi Everyone and Welcome

Happy December to you all! According to the calendar The Christmas countdown and Winter season both start today and so does our new Challenge over at A Vintage Journey. Lovely Sandy will be your host this time with the challenge "Winter Wonderland'. 
Here's what Sandy says :

'For the month of December let's think of the season as well as the holiday with Winter Wonderland. As the song goes, sleigh bells ring, snow is glistening! Let's see some snow, snowmen, bare trees would be nice or some snow covered pines in the meadow. Whatever Winter Wonderland means to you in your vintage, shabby, mixed media; art journalling; industrial or steampunk style'.

I bought a Kaisercraft advent calender a fair few years ago now and had all good intentions to make it ready for the following Christmas but yes, you guessed it - that never happpened! So I saw Sandy's challenge as an ideal opportunity to finally unearth it from the undergrowth (my stash) and rectify my unfinished business of yesteryear. I constructed and altered the calender with paints, mediums and papers and created a Snowy Winter wonderland scene in the central window box . 
I got so caught up in the creative process that I didn't get any process shots but hopefully the photos I do have, will, with a little narration speak for themselves .

Kaisercraft make a few different styles of this sort of advent calender. I had trouble sourcing any on their website but I did find this link that shows you a few of the different styles available on the market. They all come flat packed so you have to 'self construct'- that is assemble the calender structure itself and each one of the 24 boxes. Believe me there were times when I thought I was going to 'self destruct' during this process when things weren't going as smoothly as I planned and I knew I had a deadline to meet but I carried on regardless in the hope that it would come together in the end - I think it did! 

The main Calender structure 
This was primed with gesso and painted on all sides (inside and out) with white acrylic paint. The outside walls of the structure were then painted with silver acrylic paint 
and crackled with White Deco Art crackle paint . Once the cracks start to form they reveal the colour of the paint beneath - in this case silver. 
The boxes
These were each adhered together before being primed and painted with white acrylic paint. I then selected 3 different papers that I thought would compliment the colours and tones in the focal paper - the 'winter forest 'that would set the scene for my Winter Wonderland. Only one of the papers is from a Christmas collection pad- the type print from Tim Holtz Christmas paper pad ,2017 release , the other two are from 'Engraver' paper pad by Prima Marketing. 
I cut them to size (8 of each paper) and adhered them to the front of each box, trimming around each of the box front indents by hand.
The Winter Wonderland 
I came across this fabulous 12x12 scrapbook paper of a wintry forest by Kaisercraft and knew it would be be perfect for my project.
I measured, cut and adhered the main panel in place and then because I'd cut from the middle of the 12x12 I was able to use the remaining edges of the paper for the sides and top of the window box ensuring I lined them up well to achieve a continual flow of the forest.
The base of the window box is covered with Tim Holtz Grit Paste and DecoArt Snowtex, sprinkled while wet with a little Distress Stickles glitter- just to achieve the odd twinkle and glisten here and there. 
The 2 gates are mdf, primed with gesso, painted with Tim Holtz Ground Espresso distress paint, DecoArt Paynes grey media fluid paint
and finished off with a touch of snow!L
Looks like someone's managed to snag a selfie ...
Meet Buster and his best pal Jake who have enjoyed a fun filled day cross-country skiing in the Winter Wonderland - ok Jake skied, Buster ran! 
Either way it was one of those 'Remember the Now' kinda days
Snow buddies forever!
My 'Winter Wonderland' project!
I'm not sure at present whether I will use this as an Advent Calender or as a storage unit, so have held back on adding numbers to the drawers until I have decided?? I'll keep you posted :) .

I hope I have offered some creative inspiration and that you will look to joining in Sandy's challenge. Be sure to stop by A Vintage Journey to see the gallery of wonderfully inspiring 'Winter Wonderland' projects created by some of our very talented Creative Guides.

As always at the end of the challenge there will be one lucky winner chosen by Random. Org who will receive our Sponsors Prize who this time is 

The Creative Guides will also choose 3 Pinworthy Winners who will not only win a Pinworthy badge to display on their blog but will also be invited to join us as a Guest Designer for a future challenge.

I would like to enter this project into the following Challenges:
(Create a Mixed Media holiday project with your interpretation of our inspirational photo) 
The 'colour tones' and the 'glisten' in the photo were my inspiration

Thank you so much for stopping by today, for your follows and for always being so kind and generous with your comments. It always makes my heart happy to know my creativity is appreciated. 
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend
Take care
and 
keep on the happy side
Amanda
xxx

22 comments:

  1. Love this Amanda and it's so timely. Makes me want to sit in front of a warm fire. Thanks for sharing your great talents with us. Hugs, Sandy xx

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  2. Hi Amanda xx Your Advent Calendar is stunning and I so love the wonderful details you have incorporated right down to those little snowballs.....Love It !!!!

    TFS and sending huge hugs
    Annie xx

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  3. Your winter wonderland creation is amazing Amanda, I adore the fabulous scene in the centre with the gorgeous snow buddies together and all the fabulous boxes and the beautiful sepia colour tones. Brilliant xxx

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  4. WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW ....... STUNNIG!! Love how the tones compliment Jake and Buster main picture LOVE THIS PROJECT XXX

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  5. Absolutely stunning Amanda. I adore your snowballs and the fantastic scene you set. Wonderful wonderful attention to detail and the monochromatic is fantastic. Adore this. Tracy x

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  6. how perfect is that background paper? fabulous project! Helene

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  7. What a delightful project Amanda! LOVE the framing of little boxes each decorated - and that wonderful winter scene continuing right up the sides of the box. Your boy and dog as well as the fence make it all so dimensional! Julia xx

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  8. Fabulous, fabaulous project Amanda, and such a great idea! One of the nicest Advent calendars I have seen in a long time! The crackle looks amazing and what a wonderful photo in the center of it all... Fantastic wintry project!

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  9. This is a real beauty Amanda - spookily enough I have just finished one as a commission and like you it had been stored away for many a year! I love the forest scene in your background, it is just perfect... Hugs, Anne xx

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  10. Oh Amanda, where do I start, I adore this! Love the colours you have used and the crackled frame with the hints of silver peeking out must be gorgeous in real life. That background paper fronted by Jake and Buster in that wintery setting is just perfect as is the sentiment you chose. Thank you so much for sharing it, Deb xo

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  11. I absolutely AdORE what you have done with this Advent Calendar Amanda. It is just stunningly beautiful and so amazingly different in the neutral colours. Your inner wintry wonderland scene is just unbelievably beautiful. Inspires me to do something with mine which has been sitting in the cupboard for the last few years as well ! Jennie x

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  12. Holy cow, Amanda! This is the prettiest advent calendar!You have done an exceptional job with making this a stunner in neutrals! the papers work so perfectly together, and that 'wallpaper' is the perfect backdrop to the snow buddies frolicking in this winter wonderland! I am squealing in delight over how incredibly realistic your snow and fence look! Really a favorite for me! Huge applause! Sending hugs!

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  13. Amanda, this is amazing! It's so clever how you've created the depth and dimension of your forest, with the fences leading the eye inwards, and the drawers all look fabulous with those wonderful papers. A fabulous monochrome piece, which will grace any mantlepiece or shelf over the Christmas countdown. Brilliant!
    Alison x

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  14. Oh I love this! The center scene is fabulous, and love the advent boxes!

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  15. Amanda, every last detail of this project is incredible! I absolutely love the scenery paper as your background and every gorgeous printed pocket. The boy and dog are the perfect focal images! This is truly over the top beautiful and inspiring! Thank you so much for making my day! Merry Christmas, Autumn

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  16. I love these advent calendars and think this one looks fabulous in monochrome.Thanks so much for entering at Country View Challenges - good luck and hope to see you again! Teresa DT xx

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  17. Gosh! I just love this! The monochrome is perfect. Really stunning work. Thank you for sharing it with us at Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge Blog this month.
    Good luck
    Lynda x

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  18. Wow, your advent calender is wonderful! I love the design and all the details that you created - amazing 😁. Happy December! J 😊

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  19. Oh wow this looks amazing, love the colour combo and all that awesome texture! Thanks for joining us aCreative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge Blog!

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  20. STUNNING!! Love this Amanda! The forest paper is an absolutely perfect backdrop for the whole project!! Gorgeously made and designed. I'm sorry to have been missing so much this year. Wishing you and yours a very peaceful and happy Christmas and a wonderful 2018. Nicola x

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  21. I love the dimension you got with the background, boy and dog and the fence. Really nice touch wrapping background around corner. Thanks for playing along at Mixed Media Monthly.

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  22. I never get tired of seeing this, Amanda! Huge Congratulations on your Honorable Mention at Mixed Media Monthly! Hugs!

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