Destinations at A Vintage Journey

Hi everyone and welcome! I'm hosting the latest challenge over at A Vintage Journey this month. So many people are taking trips to far flung places or exploring locations closer to home right now. With this in mind we would love to see creations based on a destination or place of your choice. Tim has provided stamps themed around the United States, Great Britain and Paris but don't let this restrict you! Let your favourite destination inspire you. Our challenge is a monthly one and a randomly chosen winner will receive a £20 gift voucher from our very generous sponsor, Country View Crafts. We also award our Pinworthy badges to the Top 3, chosen by the Creative Guides.

(click on each image for a closer look)

I was particularly inspired by a single strip in Tim's 'Cityscapes' stamp set and worked on recording my thoughts and feelings about the city in question in my journal. The city is of course Rome and though I've not yet visited (it's on the bucket list!) the intense heat here in the UK at the moment definitely triggered all sorts of colours and images in my mind. It also gave me a reason to play with the new Distress Micro Glaze - WOW!!! (and since playing with this stuff myself I see Tim has added it as one of the ingredients for his July tag! Timing...

Back in 2013 Tim Holtz led an Artful Adventure in Tuscany, Italy and clearly those memories stuck with him, with a few of the stamp sets released since that time echoing recurring themes and designs. For my journalling I headed away from the vineyards, olive groves and green rolling hills of Tuscany and dove straight into the hustle and bustle of Italy's capital city.

Imagine the heat, noise, dust and dirt of an historic place trying to cope with the demands of modern life; traffic jams were probably not considered when the Romans built such landmarks as the Colosseum!!! So many architectural gems crammed into one city - the Pantheon, Circus Maximus, the Trevi Fountain, basilicas and piazzas, and of course the vast number of tourists they bring all vying for space in the soaring temperatures of Southern Europe. And for the current inhabitants of this incredible city the reality of everyday life and work, only enjoying their ever present surroundings as the evening sun sets and different attractions delight the senses.

So if I've not been there how come such a vivid description? As well as our mini heatwave causing a rush of blood to the head! I remember well the years of living in another historical city, London. Same amazing scenery crammed in cheek by jowl, same hustle, bustle, dirt and dust, same influx of traffic and tourists, and all the while those of us who scurried to waiting desks like worker ants had no time to fully appreciate all that surrounded us.

Hopefully I've captured some of this 'vision' in my journal, with warm yet sun bleached colours, architectural details and travel ephemera, Remnant Rubs and Small Talk stickers provoking thoughts and those tiny 'postcards' grabbing the attention of onlookers. That's where the Micro Glaze came into it's own; colouring the cityscape with various Distress Inks allowed for the layering and blending of marble and terracotta tones. I used a fine nib brush to cover these parts with the Micro Glaze before dipping the postcards into a mix of Tumbled Glass and Tattered Rose Distress Stains. Of course the Glaze worked perfectly to form a resist, leaving the 'painted parts' untouched! LOVE it!

Now, you've visited Rome vicariously with me, it's time to move on to the next of your Destinations, a task with which my fellow Creative Guides will be happy to help you with. Hop on over to A Vintage Journey and let them whisk you off to more far flung places. And then we need you to return the favour by sharing your favourite destination with us to be in with a chance to win.

Looking forward to seeing you soon. Take care of yourselves, Jenny xxx

Distress Paints, Inks, and essentials, Idea-Ology, Sizzix Dies and Tim Holtz Stamps can all be purchased at Country View Crafts.