The House of Winter

Title: Žiemos Namai (The House of Winter) 

[click on all photos to enlarge]

(for more images and details, please click below on 'Read more')

This altered photo frame mini book was crafted to showcase the two winter landscape photos. I wanted the photos to be the focal point of this project. Thus, the photos are 5x7" and take up most of the page. I've protected the photos from rubbing against the opposing page by placing equal size transparencies over the pictures, and securing them with eyelets. To unify both pictures visually, I have repeated the same elements on both pages: the roof stamped image, mica sheets, tin evergreen trees, and brass snowflakes. Underneath the photos I collaged music sheet and hand-made paper, using glitter matte medium. When the medium is applied to the top tissue layer of the thin hand-made paper, it makes the lyrics and notes of the music sheet more apparent--almost like you are looking at the music sheet through a layer of ice. The glitter in the matte medium (which is applied to the entire project) gives this piece a glistening snow effect.

These two photos were taken with a point-and-shoot camera at a nearby park. Nothing extraordinary in itself, but when I applied a few digital techniques (overlays and textures), I got that distressed, aged, frozen-in-time look of more artistic photos. I owe a huge thanks to Jessica Sprague for hosting a promotional free digital techniques class. Her amazing step-by-step tutorials made digital photography techniques much less daunting.

(Template image is from this book: In This House: A Collection of Altered Art Imagery and Collage Techniques, by Angela Cartwright). To make your own house project, simply click on the image to enlarge, and then print it on standard printer paper. House image will print approximately 10 3/4" H x 8" W (27cm x 20.5 cm). I've used this as a template to trace onto chipboard. Each facing page was completed, and then glued on to the sturdy chipboard for support.

Techniques: The test tube I used for the cover of this mini album, is packaging from the KI Memories 'color lab' scrapbooking product. I've altered it using Distress Embossing powder (I've used that on the test tube lid, star, and the fence...anywhere you see rusted texture). I've stained the tube with Ranger alcohol inks (blue and green). Inside the tube there's silver glitter and a note.

For the cover of this mini album, Miss Winter's face was stamped with StazOn solvent ink on gessoed canvas. On her head I placed a white veil of snow adorned by a clear snowflake and glass button to mimic ice. On the cover I used a heavy pulp textured hand-made paper that had grass embedded in it. It reminded me of lifeless grass peeking through patches of snow. I've applied the glitter matte medium, only on the edges of the cover to give it a hint of snow's shimmer.

I've tried using "Snow effects" paste that is supposed to mimic snow, yet when I opened the jar it was all dried out :( To improvize, I've used molding paste applied with a pallete knife on the berries and fence.

Credits: I'd like to thank a fellow scrapbooker that I found at SIStv gallery, Xtina, for the gorgeous photo overlay that I've used for the 1st photo of this post.