Saturday, 15 September 2012

Let's tell off for play - Leporello

This project is the result of (at first) totally bored and annoyingly uninspired play with a single set of playing cards my son won at a tombola and which were quite unuseful for play.

I haven't been creative (but wanting to be) for days and suffering from a nasty cold and nothing inspirational seemed to have crossed my mind for ages (sure, you know this feeling too...brrrr!). So I fiddled around with these cards (which on their backs were awfully ugly - some advertisement from a bank was printed there) and decided to give them a treat with AAI, because I hoped the outcome would turn the switch of inspiration.

Well - they looked treated with AAI afterwards.
Still not too inspiring. Hmpf. Then I browsed through my scraps, my stamps, my paper stashes - NADA, NIENTE, NIX! No spark of an idea in range of vision. Then I remembered my collection of wafer pictures or "Oblatenbildchen", as we call them (reprints from sheets that were popular around 1900). I had always wanted to do something special with them, but never had an idea. Till now!

They have been long stored treasures and very precious to me, as I got my first paper doll from my grandma, when I was just a girl. It was a self-drawn and coloured one and came with a large chocolate box full of self designed dresses from almost all periods of historical costume history. I started designing my own dresses then and made a "daughter" for my Grandma's paper doll, which I copied many of her dresses for.

Since then I love and collect paper dolls, construction papers and Oblatenbildchen (not all of them, but the ones with pictures from the second half of the 19th century and untill around 1930), as I love the time-warp they provide, when looking at them and imagining how children played with them in former times. Paper toy theaters are one of my hobbies too because of that.

The sheet with the children in gorgeous dresses and toys from the time around the turn of the centuries  with them finally hit the switch! I also remembered the lovely antique English Lesson Book from Hedwig Knittel, "Little by Little", from 1912, which my great aunt once was taught English with. There were nursery rhymes in it and I was sure, I would find some appropriate rhyme for my project.

I colour-copied the "Oblatenbildchen" and cut out the children's images. Then I treated four more playing cards (as I needed five in whole) with AAI "rust", "sunset" and "juniper", stamped a Tim Holtz stamp with columns and numbers with gold on after the inks had dried and covered this with a layer of paper tissue, using Mod Podge. After that layer had dried too, I mod podged some scraps of a paper napkin onto that and sprayed the cards with Glimmer Mists and Maya Mist. Some more paper napkin scraps - done!

During all the drying time I stamped a lovely hinge from Crafty Secrets' stamp set "Hardware" with archival black ink onto white card, which I had first covered with Glimmer Mist. Then I cut them out and stamped them with sepia on the back with the same hinge image, as I knew these parts would be seen from both sides, when my project would be finished.

I also needed five backgrounds for the inner sides of the leporello booklet, so I cut out five pieces of white card, exactly the same size as the playing cards, inked them with Ranger distress inks "spiced marmalade", "mustard seed", "shabby shutters", "rusty hinge" and "pumice stone" and sprinkled water on them afterwards to get this wonderful stained look. A touch of Glimmer Mist was added to get a bit of bling too, which fits nostalgic projects very well, I think.
The golden arches were also stamped with combined stamps from the "Hardware"-stamp set mentioned above.

I tiped the tell off rhyme at the computer and printed it onto white cardstock. Each line was cut out separately and inked with "broken china" and "vintage photo". Then I glued the backs together with the pre-folded hinges, using a ruler to keep the cards in line.

I collaged the images of the children and the lines onto the backgrounds and glued the dried cards onto their counterparts. Wallaaa!

The whole leporello is held together by a thin leather string, which simply has to be tied around. It kind of looks like a small package, so I enter Fashionable Stamping Challenges ' "Good Things Come in Small Packages" with this project too. I am also entering ABAC's and Craft-room 's challenges with this project, where "Texture" and "Childhood Memories" are the subjects.

Hope, you (and they ;) like it:




49 comments:

  1. total schön ... meine Güte! Und jetzt verstehe ich es auch .. Seidenpapier und Serviette...klasse!!!

    lg Susi

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    1. Danke recht herzlich, liebe Susi! :)

      Busserl aus Wien,

      Claudia x

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  2. Claudia what a great idea and of course I like your transformation very, very much! Children are so cute and backgound is incredible!
    Hope your healt is fine now!
    Hugs

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    1. Oh, Ana,

      this is soooo lovely of you! Thank you so much!

      Hugs,
      Claudia xxx

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  3. Like it? Ich liebe es!! A wonderful creation with such character... those hinges are an amazing touch! Visiting your blog always leaves me so full of inspiration - you are an amazing artist...
    Alison x

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    1. Your great laud almost makes me blush, Alison! ;)

      Thank you so much for your encouraging words. They really mean a lot to me, coming from an amazing artist like you are!

      Hugs,

      die amelie xxxxx

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  4. Ob die Bank versteht, das die Karten so.....1000 mal besser aussehen? (:o)

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    1. Schmunzel, Elly,

      an die Bank hab ich ja üüüüüberhaupt nicht gedacht... :D
      Herzlichen Dank für deinen lieben Besuch und die gute Laune, die du mitgebracht hast!

      Busserl aus Wien,

      die amelie xxx

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  5. Gorgeous piece of art.
    I have come back home after a week in France & just can't get into my crafting at all. I have tons of things I have not yet blogged & ideas galore in my head, but it is very cold here in the UK after hot temperatures everyday abroad & I just want to curl under a blanket & read. But each year i make a minibook of all the books i have read through the year, so I suppose I am crafting in a way!!

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    1. It took me a while too to get back into crafting after my holidays, Paula Jane!

      Seems like all the new impressions gathered in different places than the usual ones, first have to find their new places and have to be "integrated" in one's mind and thoughts, to continue the creative work. So, yes - you ARE crafting. It is part of creativity, just to gather impressions and let them settle down.

      Thank you for your lovely visit! I hope, you have enjoyed your stay at Pariiii!

      Hugs,
      die amelie xx

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  6. Claudia, ich habe mal wieder Schnappatmung. Was für ein traumhaft und wunderschönes und einzigartiges Werk. Du hast supertolle Ideen, die Du auch grandios umsetzt. Hut ab

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    1. Wie lieb von dir, Rosie!

      Danke herzlichst! Ich freu mich, wie immer, sehr über deinen Besuch!

      Busserl,
      Claudia xx

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  7. Brilliant idea for how to use useless packs of cards. And so imaginatively achieved. Our move is uncovering a number of packs - I shall leave them suggestively on butterfly's worktable :-)

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    1. :) Gil,

      what a great idea! *lol
      Thank you for stopping by!

      Wishes,
      die amelie xx

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  8. Claudia, your Leporello is wonderful!SOmetimes ideas need time to form and gel and you have done a fabulous job from a ho hum intial product. I totally enjoyed reading your thought processes as you developed your art. Thank you for joining in the ABAC Challenge.

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    1. Thank YOU, Julie,

      and your team from ABAC for the challenge, so I could show my project! So glad, you enjoyed reading my thoughts and about the making of!

      Hugs,
      die amelie xx

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  9. These are waaaay cool!!! Thanks for joining us this week at ABAC :) :)

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  10. Das ist ja wohl ein supergeniale Idee, dein kleines Leporello sieht total schön aus. Die Hintergrundstruktur gefällt mir super gut und überhaupt alles an dem Werk. Vielen Dank für deine Teilnahme bei FSC.

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    1. Freut mich sehr, dass es dir so gut gefällt, Silvia! :)

      ICH habe zu danken: für die Challenge und den lieben Besuch hier!

      LG,
      Claudia

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  11. This is a fantastic project - just love the aged, vintage style and glorious pics of children...Thanks so much for sharing with us at FSC..Esther xx

    If you wanted you could also enter this over at
    http://craft-roomchallenge.blogspot.co.uk
    as it fits our childhood memories theme....

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    1. Thanks for the hint, Esther!!!

      I would love to enter this challenge with my leporello. So glad you like it!!!!

      Hugs,
      die amelie xx

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  12. A beautiful piece of vintage style art which I love - all of it!! If I listed everything here, I would take too much time! I'm so glad you found a use for your ugly cards and made it into something which can provide visual pleasure.
    Thanks so much for sharing it with us at ABAC and I wait with anticipation for your next entry!
    Juliaxxx

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  13. What a fabulous project, the AI inky background really compliments these vintage images, and such beautiful images too. Love the whole project and those hinges ae a great touch.
    Thanks for sharing with us at FSC
    Avril

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    1. Thank you, Avril,

      for leaving this lovely comment with me! :)

      Greetings from Vienna,
      die amelie x

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  14. Very very inspirated work! I love it so much.
    Chris CESAR

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    1. So glad, Chris,

      that you stopped by! Thanks for the nice laud!

      die amelie x

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  15. What an absolutely fabulous makeover you've given those playing cards - a stunning vintage feast for the eyes.
    Thanks for sharing your creation with us at FSC.
    Fliss x

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    1. Thank you, Fliss,

      for this awesome laud and the visit!

      Hugs,
      die amelie x

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  16. Wow what a beautiful project, I love the way you've altered these playing cards. The backgrounds are beautiful and I love those hinges. A lovely little treasure! I hope your cold is better now and thanks for joining us at FSC
    Claire xx

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    1. So kind of you, Claire!

      Thank you!

      Claudia xxx

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  17. Wonderful use of the playing cards to make this little book and I love the aged effect.
    Thank you for sharing with us at FSC.
    Wishes
    Lynne

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    1. Thank YOU for this challenge, Lynne,

      and for your lovely visit!

      Hugs,
      die amelie xx

      Delete
  18. Wow, this is so beautiful! I love how you've used these cards and images, and your story is just as wonderful! Thanks for joining in with our Childhood Memories theme over at the Craft-Room Challenge.

    Maria xx

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    1. Thank YOU and your wonderful team for the really lovely challenge theme!

      Hugs,
      die amelie x

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  19. Hello Amelia...so pleased I popped along to comment ...this is a truly stunning project and I loved sharing your memories. I too loved paper dolls...life was so much simpler back there. Thank you so much for entering the "childhood memories" challenge at the Craft Room..Wishes, Suzanne :)

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    1. Thank you, Suzanne,

      for this lovely visit! :)
      Childhood memories are always filled with joyful simplicity. You are right!

      Hugs,
      die amelie xx

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  20. Wow! Absolutely fabulous creation!
    Thanks for sharing with us at Craft-Room Childhood memories challenge.
    Good luck, hope to see you again;-))m

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    1. Thank you very much, Leikkaan Mervi!

      I enjoyed your challenge so much! :)

      die amelie x

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  21. This is so cool! Your whole blog is cool!! You have a new follower :-))

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    1. So I have the great pleasure to happily welcome you "aboard", Linda!

      Hugs,
      die amelie xxx

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  22. Great way to deck out a plain deck of cards. Thanks for joining us over at ABAC.

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  23. Oh my, what fabulous work for the bears to admire. You really are talented. We love the distress inked and sprinkled effect, also the vintage artwork. We too love paper dolls.

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    1. Thank you, Bears,

      for your lovely visit! So glad you stopped by and that you like my leporello!

      Hugs,
      die amelie xx

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  24. this is just gorgeous! thanks for sharing at Craft room challenge, Debi x

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    1. Thank you, Debi,

      for your visit and the laud!

      die amelie x

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  25. Congratulations on your Spotlight over at FSC - so much deserved for this gorgeous concertina!
    Alison x

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    1. Thank you very much, Alison! :))

      Wishes,
      Claudia xx

      Delete

Thank you so much for your visit and especially for taking the time to leave me a short comment! This is highly appreciated! xxx