Painted Mini Album (B71B)

General supplies for making album base: pages made from "Today's Story" cut-apart cards from the Echo Park Photo Freedom System; standard office hole punch; upcycled toy linking rings used to bind album; pony bead upcycled from old jewelry.

This month the challenge theme at Berry71Bleu is "you color my world."  I think that the people who add color to our lives are often unsung heroes.  This includes people who support their communities by creating fun, family-friendly activities.  In the case of my family and community, the staff at the Como Park Zoo and the local libraries do so much to enrich our lives via their outreach programs.  So, my project for the "you color my world" challenge is a painted mini album about a fun day out that was co-sponsored by the zoo and the library.  

In this post I'll first walk you through the album (which has only six pages), and then I'll explain my various painting techniques.
 

Supplies for page one: banner stickers by Doodlebug; phrase sticker by Bella Blvd; alphabet sticker negatives by Lawn Fawn; die cut by October Afternoon; stamp by My Mind's Eye; ink by Hero Arts; watercolors by Angora; acrylic paint by Plaid.

Title: "Discover Africa"
Page one: "Summer fun creates lasting memories."
 

Supplies for pages two & three: labels and blue photo corners by October Afternoon; zigzag photo corners by Bella Blvd; watercolors by Angora; zebra sticker by Doodlebug; lion sticker by Creative Imaginations; pen by Creative Memories.

Page two: "First, a map game and a story about a zebra."
Page three: "Then ambassador animals...a hedgehog and a SNAKE!!!"
 

Supplies for pages four & five: labels and sticker negatives by Cosmo Cricket; die cuts by Lily Bee; word sticker by Bella Blvd; stamps by My Mind's Eye; ink by Hero Arts; Distress Stain & pearlescent paint by Ranger; pen by Creative Memories.

Page four: "When A. sees snakes he feels compelled to mimic them!"
Page five: "We also had the chance to view African plants."
 

Supplies for last page: die cut card by October Afternoon; label by Cosmo Cricket; elephant stickers by Creative Imaginations; all other stickers by Bella Blvd; stamp by My Mind's Eye; ink by Hero Arts; pen by Creative Memories.

Page six: "Thanks for all the fun, Como Park and Hennepin County Libraries!  Bravo!"

And now for a few notes about my painting techniques...
 

On page one, I used green watercolor paint to stencil over the background paper, using the negative from an alphabet sticker sheet as my stencil.  I also brushed some yellow watercolor paint along the edges of the page.  After the watercolors dried, I dry-brushed some bright orange acrylic paint onto the edge of the page and also onto the photo itself.  This album uses pint-sized phone photos, and the paint helped the small photo stand out on the album cover.
 

On page three I added a splash of color with a yellow/orange/green watercolor wash.  These watercolors add excitement and interest to the page, yet they are still light enough to be the base for my journaling.
 

My final technique was to use sticker negatives as stencils again, but this time with Liquid Pearls paint.  After the Liquid Pearls dried, I carefully cut along the edges of two of my painted butterflies, so it appears that these butterflies are holding my photo to the page.

I hope that you had fun viewing my mini album.  I certainly had fun creating it!