Tuesday, November 11, 2014

With Solemn Remembrance and Respect


In Flanders Fields

Lt. Col. John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.



We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.



Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

The many, many men and women who have served or are serving our country deserve so much more than the simple thanks I have to offer today. Your courage, bravery, and honor are deeply respected.

In my family, there are many veterans and I'd like to take the time to thank them each.

Paul Dennis Mead, cousin


 Ryan Wiberg, cousin


Dakota Krout, cousin


Bradley Koehn, cousin


Jacob Wolf, almost-little-brother


Not pictured: My grandpa, Paul Mead - gone but not forgotten

Today is Veteran's Day here in the U.S. and a day of solemn remembrance and appreciation. The card I made today uses poppies and is a thank you card, in honor of the men and women who have served our country.

I got in a new product to try. I love embossing paste so much (if you want to see some tutorials - check it out on the blog post Playing Around With Embossing Paste) that I decided to try my hand at using gesso. 

Gesso is similar to embossing paste, in that it's used to create mixed media projects and texture. Most commonly, gesso is used to prep canvases for acrylic or oil paintings so that the canvas doesn't soak up all the paint. 

To use gesso, I started by mixing some of it with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink, because I didn't want it to be so stark white. 


I stamped a background stamp in Vintage Photo, and then stamped over that with a poppy image from a very old Martha Stewart stamp set using Festive Berries and Fired Brick DIs. Then I applied gesso over a portion of the card.

I let the paper dry on a flat surface and then brushed over it with more Vintage Photo. The gesso that was applied over the stamped poppy absorbed some of the Distress Ink, because DIs are reactive to liquid. I think it created such a neat effect. 


Lastly, I added some Perfect Pearls (perfect gold) to the center of the poppies to give it a little shine, and tied the whole thing together with a thankful tag and some coordinating ribbon. 


I also stamped a sentiment on the inside:


If I were comparing embossing paste to gesso, here's how they'd rack up:
  • I like the texture of embossing paste better. It's almost like shaving cream, while gesso has the texture of runny glue. 
  • Gesso is more see-through than embossing paste. Which can be cool if you want an image to shine through.
  • Gesso dries faster, and creates a harder surface
  • Embossing paste has more dimension. Since it's not quite as runny, it can create more height
  • Embossing paste is far easier to clean! Gesso gets everywhere and is not as easy to scrape off a mat and back into a jar. 
So that's my brief analysis. I'll have to play around more with gesso because I love, love, LOVE how this card turned out.

I'm sending it over to the following challenges:
(As a side note, I want to say thank you to Sweet Stampin' and Allsorts for calling attention to such important people)
Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Poppies or Red for Remembrance
Mixed Media Mojo - November challenge - Thankful

Thank you for stopping by. Don't forget to thank a veteran today! Follow my blog and leave me a comment and I'll be sure to return the favor!

P.S. - I have a little giveaway going. If you'd like to enter, go to my Featured Friday blog post. 



26 comments:

  1. What a perfect card for Veterans Day. What a nice post for your cousins remembering them and their service to our country. Heartfelt thank you to all our enlisted service people and to our Veterans.

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  2. Lovely, Becca! God Bless our Veterans! XOXO-Shari

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  3. This is a great card and a lovely way to remember. You have many cousins who are sacrificing themselves to help others. My dad fought in WW2 and was wounded near the end of the war. he was part of the liberation of Holland. My mom is German and suffered greatly through the war and after. I lost 2 Uncles(her brothers) during that War-one was 1 yr old and the other was 19. He was shot by the Russian army along with 170+ others while recuperating from their wounds in a hospital. We must remember and strange as it sounds, many vets understood the German soldier too-War is war and it is hell.

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  4. Beautiful post, Becca, and a gorgeous card! Can't wait to see more, teamie ;) xx

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  5. This is beautiful Becca and perfect for Remembrance (as we call it over here). Carol x

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  6. What a beautiful card and tribute to the Veterans. I also like your review on Gesso vs Embossing Paste. I only use Gesso when I am trying to just cover up something lightly. It will cover better if you do it in coats too. Not my favorite thing to work with but I love the technique you used with it. I might have to give it a try. (I, too, prefer embossing paste!!)

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  7. This is a wonderful tribute to Veterans! Your card looks amazing! I read with interest all about your experience with Gesso. Have never tried it. I am new to embossing paste as well, but I enjoy it. Your card certainly has a lovely effect! I like the inside too - great sentiment!

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  8. Such a stunning card!! I really love your take with the paste on it too! Thanks for sharing that!!
    A special thank you to your family members for their service. Thanks for this wonderful post! HUGS :)

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  9. What a wonderful way to honor the veterans and the perfect day to do it. Blessed to all that have served or still serve, my heart is with you today and every day. Your creative process is enlightening and something I will have to try. Thanks for playing with us at Mixed Media Mojo! ~Niki (DT)

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  10. Beautiful card Becca, love the poppy and the interior sentiment is lovely.

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  11. A beautiful post and tribute to veterans!
    Love your gorgeous card and thanks so much for explaining how you did that. Very lovely.
    Lynn

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  12. A beautiful Remembrance card. Lovely poppies and effective technique. Thank you for joining us at sweet Stampin' this week.
    Chris
    x

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  13. Wonderful card, thank you for sharing your lovely family story, a great day of remembrance and thankfulness for everyone.
    I enjoyed your write up of your process. Have to try tinting the gesso as you did, love the vintage coloring you made. Perfect card and textures. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Mixed Media Mojo!~kim

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  14. Awesome card, thank you for sharing your story!

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  15. fabulous post Becca. Your card is fabulous.

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  16. beautiful card - I have also added Stickles or glitter to my embossing paste - makes for some yummy shine
    thanks for joining us at Mixed Media Mojo

    Barb Housner (DT)

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  17. A truly beautiful piece of artwork Becca.

    Thank you so much much for joining in at Allsorts this week.

    B x

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  18. Lovely card!! I love how u added texture and text is a fab addition :)

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  19. Beautiful card, gorgeous stamping and l have enjoyed reading your post.
    Thank you for sharing at Allsorts 'Poppies/Remembrance' challenge this week and good luck x Susan x

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  20. Oooohh wooowww I must try that Gesso too agree with you the effect is neat and adorable..woow woow wooowww..if I visit you ..again I learn much more...thats why I love to visit you my friend you made manythings and many creative idea...love this post Becca....
    hugs, Monika

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  21. What a beautiful tribute to your family members Becca. Thanks so much for the gorgeous message you left on our blog at Sweet Stampin' and on my personal blog too. Your gorgeous gesso and poppy make is so elegant and gorgeous! Thanks so much for joining our 'Red for Remembrance' challenge at Sweet Stampin'. We look forward to seeing more of your gorgeous makes in future challenges. Hugs, Wends x Sweet Stampin' DT

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  22. One of my very favourite poems of all time. I love the tribute to your own family members as well!
    (And now I kinda want to try gesso...just because. I channeled you yesterday getting inky and messy!)

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  23. What a fabulous post Becca with all of the photographs and the poem. Perfect for this weeks theme at Allsorts too. Thankyou for joining in with such a lovely design. Jo x

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  24. This is so beautiful! Great techniques. Thank you for joining us at Sweet Stampin' this week. Sammy-x

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  25. Beautiful posting and your card is truly awesome. Fabulous technique Becca.

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