Thou comest, Autumn....

If you've never had a chance to read Longfellow's poem about Autumn then you're missing out....it's one of my favorite poems about my favorite season so I thought I'd share it with you today along with a scrapbook layout I created around the poem.

Autumn

Thou comest, Autumn, heralded by the rain,

With banners, by great gales incessant fanned,

Brighter than brightest silks of Samarcand,

And stately oxen harnessed to thy wain!

Thou standest, like imperial Charlemagne,

Upon thy bridge of gold; thy royal hand

Outstretched with benedictions o'er the land,

Blessing the farms through all thy vast domain!

Thy shield is the red harvest moon, suspended

So long beneath the heaven's o'er-hanging eaves;

Thy steps are by the farmer's prayers attended;

Like flames upon an altar shine the sheaves;

And, following thee, in thy ovation splendid,

Thine almoner, the wind, scatters the golden leaves!

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

and my version of Autumn....

The entire lay-out was enhanced by using Perfect Pearls and Perfect Medium for most of the elements on the page. Even the photo of the barn/fields were covered with Perfect Pearls which in turn created a "painted" effect. It doesn't look like a typical photograph anymore, it more closely resembles a painting of an idyllic Autumn on the farm.

Supplies:

Perfect Pearls - Ranger

Perfect Medium - Ranger

Rubber Stamps - Clearly Impressed, PrintWorks; Fancy Pants

Cardstock - Bazzill, Scenic Route

Wire

Ink Jet Photo

Computer Generated Poem on Acetate.

Instructions:

1. Smear Perfect Medium over a large sheet of white cardstock.

2. Immediately dust with desired colors of Perfect Pearls. I used Green Patina; Perfect Gold & Perfect Bronze. Brush off excess powders.

3. Stamp large flourish & leaves again using Perfect Medium.

4. Dust stamped images using desired colors of Perfect Pearls. I used Heirloom Gold for the wheat; Forever Green & Perfect Copper for the leaves and Rust on the flourishes. Brush off excess powders.

5. Pounce Perfect Medium over the entire photo to be tinted.

6. Using the paint brush included in the Perfect Pearls set, carefully "paint" the pigment powders where desired. For example, I used Rust on the roof of the barn, a combination of Forever Green and Green Patina on the leaves of the trees. Pewter for shadows and a variety of colors for the fields.

7. Mount photo on cardstock panels & attach to PP'ed background paper.

8. Mount background papers to printed & cardstock panels.

9. Position the acetate poem over the left side of the lay-out and poke holes in all layers (acetate, printed & cardstock pieces).

10. Thread wire through all layers of your project and weave in and out creating desired patterns with the wire.

11. Once you have finished weaving the wire through all holes, add a decorative swirl/flourish to the excess wire.

Fun huh?

I really do love playing with Perfect Pearls. There are just so many fun ways to incorporate it into loads of projects if you just give it a think :)

Soooo, when was the last time you got your Perfect Pearls out and played?