A Journaling We Go: Inspired by Words (page 1)

~

~

**Scroll down or click HERE for the Color Throwdown challenge post.

Hello, everyone and welcome to our latest E-Team blog hop!  You may remember that last time we revealed how we had designed our journal covers.  And Daisy challenged not only the E-Team but everyone to create a journal cover.  Based on those entries, we added 2 guest designers for this blog hop!  Please be sure to welcome Melody Schwartz and Marjie Kemper as you travel along the hop today.

Now here are the business details before we get started:

• Visit each E-Team blog participant PLUS the guest bloggers to leave a comment to win a $25 eP gift certificate. Comments can be left from May 23-May 28th.
• Two random winners from the blog hop will be chosen. GC winners will be posted on the eP blog on May 29th.
• Join the E-Team in our journal adventure and post your journal page on the eP blog.  We are going to pick 2 people to join us next month! You have until Sunday, June 3rd, to upload your journal page inspired by this month's quote.  We'll pick and announce the next E-Team guest bloggers on Fri, Jun 8th.

On to the creative stuff!

Here is our inspirational quote for this month:

"A woman is like a tea bag - you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water."  ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Since this is my very first journal page, I decided to start simple and stay pretty literal.  Baby steps, folks!

My first creative step was to make some tea!  Yep.  You read that right!  I boiled some water, threw in 3 tea bags, let it steep to get pretty strong, then set the tea bags aside to dry out and put the tea in a container to use later.  When the tea bags were dry, I opened them up and emptied out the tea leaves, then just flattened them with my hand.

I painted my journal page with the tea, let it dry, then repeated the process several times until I got the color and coverage that I wanted.

I printed a teacup template that I found on Pinterest onto some patterned paper and cut that out, then drew an outline around it using a Copic multiliner pen.

Next I drew some curvy lines with a pencil to represent steam coming from the cup.

~

       
~

I painted the steam with some pewter Twinkling H2O paint and then inked all the edges of the page with some Ranger Distress Stain in frayed burlap.  I created random dots on the page using my Dylusions  Dotted Flowers stencil and the stain as well as some Claudine Hellmuth Gesso.  I also spritzed some of the flower border using Ranger Distress ink in tumbled glass.

~
       
~

Then I sponged the edges of the tea cup, added the tea bag tag to it and wrote the quote using the Copic multiliner pen on the tea bag.

~

~

I needed to add some more "oomph", so I sponged behind where I was putting the tea cup and other random areas, lightly stamped the flower from Studio 490 Forever Art stamp set,  then highlighted the steam with a white Sharpie paint pen.  The large circles that look like teacup stains are where I dipped an empty toilet paper tube in some Distress stain and stamped it onto the page.

I also used my multiliner pen to outline the page, some of the dots, and the steam.  I created some shadows by making dots with the pen.

~

       
~

And TADA, I declared my very first journal page finished!

~

~

~

~

I hope you enjoyed experiencing my process, now please travel on to visit the other E-Team members and guests to be totally WOWed by their creations:

~

~

Linda's feeling a little under the weather so she's not participating this time.  But please stop by her blog to show her some love and share some healing thoughts!

I'm so grateful you stopped by to visit today!  I hope you have a wonderful second half to your week!!

Comments

[Patti n SLC]

Your journal is wonderful..Love the concept of real tea for stain. Lord knows it has stained enough of my tableclothes!

[lacyquilter]

This is fabulous, Broni!

[SusanK]

I love your take on the theme! So simple, yet so complex in all the layers of details.

[Noreen]

The tea colored page is a great background for the quote, and I like the actual tag from the teabag.

[Maggie]

This is something I'd like to try however I haven't the foggiest idea of just how to get started...papers, journals, ink, paints, etc...truly inspiring :)
I've visited all the requested sites but did not leave a comment on each one...was I supposed to comment on each blog?

[Daisy]

Love how organic your journal page is. The doodling is fabulous as is the final page.

[Marjie Kemper]

How fabulous! The teacup is wonderful and I love all the subtle work in the background. The steam is so real looking!

[susan schultheis]

Sorry, Eleanor, but in my opinion, WOMEN ARE ALWAYS (AND HAVE TO BE) STRONG!!! Love the journal page.

[Lorelei Wojcik]

Absolutely the steam from the tea cup!! What a fun page.

[Victoria Sturdevant]

Fantastic! Your page is perfect for the quote - strong & calm!

[Starla]

Love this! I cannot wait to see how your journaling creativity grows!

[bethann d]

clever, really took inspiration from the quote

[Barb]

Loving the tea stain look, layout, everything, too cool!

[Danielle]

Love this Broni! The tea stain and tea quote are fabulous!

[Cassie K]

what an amazing first journal page. Great job with the tea theme

[jengd]

Absolutely beautiful! I love the style and those wonderful muted colors!

[Carol E Brooker]

Great page, love the teacup went and got it, thank you for sharing your page and leading me to the tea cup.

[kathy/NorthCarolina]

Great job, Broni! It would be very intimidating to create a journal page with the intent of sharing it with others. I like all the subtle layering here. Fun!

[Rosann]

I love your page !! Such a creative idea... who would have thought?!

[Suzanne Bouchard]

I love your page Broni and I find your choice of tea as a dye very clever.

[Joan Ervin]

What a brilliant idea to use the tea to color your page and I love the hilights on the steam...love the sentiment tag and the cute little cuppa tea, too!!!!

[Nadia]

Very beautiful page.

[Kathy Eddy]

Nice page and doesn't it feel good to have that first one done!

[MaRyKaY]

well your first journal page turned out very good indeed. I love the lil hand doodling with the multiliner's on this page. very nice

[rush]

love how you interpreted the quote!

[Micki]

OMG, genius Broni!!! To use the tea itself to paint the page..... genius! I LOVE your page, the doodling, the cup and especially your handwriting. :-)

[Johanne L.]

This is a great journal page. I love it. You did awesome for your first one. Thanks for sharing,

[Michelina]

Love the way you created the journal page. Inspirational!! thanks for sharing

[Bette Roehsner]

Wow Broni! I love how you used natural materials to paint on your journal! The teacup is so cute that I'd like to use it on a card for a friend who loves tea. Bette

[KimMJ]

That has always been one of my favorite quotes and I really love your interpretation! Beautiful job! TFS

[nise]

WOW! Tea stained / painted page, the tea bag tag and your steam are awesome. Love your doodled border around the page. Rip it outta the book and frame it!! Thanks for sharing and totally inspiring me.

[Dee in NH]

Awesome page!!! I love the tea stained paper and the tag is a perfect touch with the tea cup!

[heaney]

gorgeous tea-stained project....!

[Cathy Yamashita]

What a great journal! I love the monochromatic look.

[Bunnyfreak]

Love that you used tea to die the page.