A Walk Down Memory Lane for the 4th of July

Have you ever come across something that brings back memories from your childhood?

For years my father had one of those free promotional calendars posted on his workshop cork board.  It was open to a 4th of July spread, and he never flipped the pages, presumably because he referenced the phone numbers or notes that had been scrawled on the page.  Or he just got so used to the calendar being there, he didn't even see it anymore.

When I found this fabulous Eagle and Flag stamp from Viva Las VegaStamps! I immediately flashed back to that calendar.  The details of the page were fuzzy, but the image of my father, standing in the garage, sorting his tools was very strong.  Dad's been gone some 30 years now, and I cherish every memory of him. I decided to recreate the calendar as closely as I could . 

VLVS! Stamps Used: 

Eagle And Flag

Other Supplies:
Kromecote A2 Cardstock
Miracle Tape
Molding Paste
Clairefontaine Cold Pressed 300 lb Watercolor Paper
Faber-Castell Gelatos-Red, White & Blue
Star-shaped Punchinella
StazOn Jet Black Inkpad
Distress Inkpads-Old Paper, Tea Dye
Marvy Brush Marker-Navy Blue
AD Marker Bleu Cobalt
Brush, water and Scissors
2B Pencil

I started by stamping my eagle image on Kromecote paper with StazOn and cutting it out, rounding off the corners.  I ran the Tea Dye distress pad over the surface to age it.

Setting the eagle aside, I  lightly traced the punchinella circles and measured off the stripes onto the watercolor paper.  I dipped my gelatos in water and painted the circles blue, and the alternate stripes in red.  I remembered those circles on that calender, but couldn't for the life of me remember what was in them.  I  finally decided to add stars.

I cut my circles from a strip of punchinella stars (you can buy it at Gauche Alchemy), and held each one down, firmly, with one hand while I used a finger from my other hand to cover the circle with molding paste.  I gave it a few seconds to set, just a little, and pulled the punchinella away.  I repeated this for each blue circle, and then did the same thing in random spots over the page.

Miracle tape was used to adhere the eagle to the page, and I used the Old Paper and Tea Dye around the edges of the watercolor paper to distress it.  Something still seemed missing, and I remembered there were lines of some kind on my calendar page.  I also needed something to tie the eagle into the layout, so I added the lines with Marvy and AD Marker.   I ran the Navy Blue marker around the edges as well and scribbled in some fake phone numbers (we were a Mohawk 5 phone number in those days), and a few notes in pencil.

Overall, I'm very happy with this piece--it brings back lovely memories each time I look at it.  The plan is to add matting, and a year-at-a-glance calender at the bottom.  Then I'll put it up in the garage, and I'll celebrate the 4th of July with my father for years to come.

For more of my work with Viva Las VegaStamps!, Amazing Mold Putty, zentangle-inspired art, and daily links to tangles, tutorials, and giveaways please visit my "Life Imitates Doodles" blog.   ~ Sandra Strait

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