fashionista clipboard

Here's a new project that I just completed ... it's a mixed media collage clipboard and I'm not sure where it is going to end up but I think that I will hang it up in my little display area at Scrapbook Queens for a while this summer.

I have been in a creative mood the past couple of days and really wanted to use these fabulous scrapbook papers that I bought at Scrapbook Queens about a month ago. The papers are from Basic Grey's  Sweet Threads collection ...

 

and I knew that I would use them in a mixed media piece at some point this summer. I was inspired to use the papers when I stumbled upon Julie Nutting's new book ...

it's called Collage Couture and it's amazing! Julie used a lot of different Basic Grey papers in her projects in the book ... including the sweet threads paper I have been hanging onto!

I've been using scrapbook papers as clothing in my mixed media collages for years but I have always painted the bodies, faces and hair and just used the papers for the clothing and accessories. What I loved about Julie's book is that she shows you how to use paper for the bodies too ... what a great idea! She still paints the hair and features of the faces so there is still some painting but not as much. It's like playing with paper dolls - remember how much fun you use to have doing that?

So here's my little project in a bit more detail ...

 I covered my clipboard in various papers, a little paint and some distressing inks to create my background. Then I added a "paper doll" that I designed using Julia's basic techniques. I love the idea of using pages from one of my old dictonaries as the body for my little fashionista.

.... here I've removed my notes so that you can see the clipboard a little better ...

The circle is actually a piece of sheet metal that I covered with more of my "sweet threads" paper. I wanted to be able to add smaller papers with a magnet to the bottom half of the clipboard and this worked perfectly.

So after adding a little bling, some vintage jewellery, a few flowers and vintage buttons and of course some lace and ribbon ... my piece was ready to be used to organize and display some of my papers and a photo ...

here it is again! I think that these would be great to make for a home office or studio. I may make these with my daughters for their bedroom study areas ... I can see a bunch of them grouped together like a fashion show! I'm also going to work on some similar projects that I can teach in the fall ... I'll keep you posted on that when I have more details worked out.

I hope that I have inspired you to check out the new Basic Grey papers at your local scrapbooking store and maybe take a look for Julie's new collage book at your local bookstore!

Happy crafting!