Join Lizzie Jones as she takes you back to Ancient Rome!
You can check out Lizzie’s entire Ancient Rome Pinterest board HERE.
We’re starting our Stamp-a-faire journey by heading back in time to Ancient Rome! The Ancient Roman Era is known for its detailed visual art works. The Romans particularly admired fine painting, intricate mosaics, and grand sculpture. These mediums were greatly valued and often included in public spaces as well as the homes of wealthy citizens. Cameo glass works were also popular around this time. They were largely affordable and enjoyed by a majority of the population. Highly developed silver work and jewelry, on the other hand, was a privilege of the rich.
In addition to purely visual works, the era is also distinguished by its functional artwork. Architecture, currency, metal casting, and pottery were all adorned with carvings and reliefs. They depicted a wide variety of subjects, from military heroes to gladiators and pastoral scenes. The Romans appreciated these works as much for their aesthetic value as for their role in historical preservation. Everything from walls to oil lamps and coins portrayed the valors of the day, many in the act of battle.
The Ancient Romans were also directly influenced by the artwork and architecture of Ancient Greece. Mythological figures were a favored subject. Gods and goddesses frequented the works of Roman artists for hundreds of years. Botanical motifs, like the acanthus and laurel leaves, were also borrowed and modified to reflect Roman tastes. They, along with patterns such as the “Egg and Dart” and structures like winding triumphal columns and arches, helped give Roman architecture its signature form.
Now that you have a little background about the era, let’s get on to a couple of fun challenges that incorporate elements of the frescoes and mosaics that are so characteristic of the era!
Below you will find a Spotify playlist that has been put together just for this era! There’s enough music to entertain you for nearly two hours while you are working on your challenge projects!
Now onto the challenges!
Colorful painted frescoes were greatly admired in Ancient Rome. They portrayed everything from urban scenes to landscapes and people. Follow along with the video to see how embossing paste transforms basic cardstock into a plaster canvas. You can get wonderful results with outline stamps and your favorite coloring medium or keep it simple with solid stamps. And you’ll just love the texture of your finished pieces!
Use the techniques in the video to create your own Faux Fresco. Use outline stamps and your favorite coloring medium to replicate the appearance of painted plaster. Or try solid stamps on your textured surface for an old, weathered look.
–Now it’s your turn! Create a project that features some type of “faux fresco”. You can choose to re-create an exact project from the designer above or design your own. Your project must also incorporate at least one Papertrey product.
–Post your project on your blog, in your gallery or on any other photo-hosting site (such as photobucket or flickr).
–-Add your project to the InLinkz list below.
–You will have until 7am EST, Tuesday, August 26th, to add your link to the list to be eligible to win. And you can enter as many times as you like.
Romans favored mosaics for embellishing the walls and floors throughout their architecture. These beautifully tiled pieces often depicted mythological and historical scenes, but were just as regularly geometric patterns that varied in complexity. You can achieve tiled designs in your projects using one of today’s easy techniques!
Try your hand at one of the Mock Mosaic techniques featured in today’s video. Use self-adhesive foam to create a custom tiled stamping block. Die cut a scene using the Mosaic Tile Die or a cover plate. Or create a mosaic stencil with clear cardstock or vellum that you can use for sponging, misting, and more!
–Now it’s your turn! Create a project that features some type of mosaic. You can choose to re-create an exact project from the designer above or design your own. Your project must also incorporate at least one Papertrey product.
–Post your project on your blog, in your gallery or on any other photo-hosting site (such as photobucket or flickr).
–-Add your project to the InLinkz list below.
–You will have until 7am EST, Tuesday, August 26th, to add your link to the list to be eligible to win. And you can enter as many times as you like.
–As a reminder, you will have until 7am EST, Tuesday, August 26th, to add your link to the list to be eligible to win. And you can enter as many times as you like.
–TWO randomly selected winners will be chosen from ALL the entries within this list on Tuesday, August 26th. The winners will be posted on our Tuesday night Stamp-a-faire winners page at 9pm EST. The randomly selected winners will each get a $25 PTI gift certificate to spend however they like!
Thanks for joining Lizzie on this journey! We look forward to seeing your projects!
Great videos and techniques, Lizzie!
Thanks, Lizzie, for wonderful video tutorials, techniques and especially for the stencil technique. I’d been making mine with paper but I like yours soooo much better. Great Cards!
You did a really nice job on your techniques, Lizzie. I thought the videos were great. Thanks so much.
Love all your cards, Lizzie! Very inspiring techniques.
Great job on the techniques and the video. Hmmmm… thinking of all the things I would like to try with them. Thanks Lizzie!
Thanks Lizzie! Fabulous techniques for the faux fresco and mock mosaic!
Wonderful techniques! Thank you for the great tutorial and inspiration!
Great cards, I love all of the techniques. I tried to make a stencil with my mosaic die yesterday in preparation for today and it didn’t work well. I need to try again.
wow oh wow…ideas abound… thank you
Lizzie – awesome instruction! I love the technique of turning a cover plate type die into a stamp using sticky back foam. Beautiful work with the embossing paste techniques too!
Great videos /tutorials and techniques Lizzie!
I love these techniques. TFS
I better get busy-want to try these techniques for some fun textures.
I need to let my stuff dry a bit, I just keep smearing stuff all over! But fun playing with a new die and texture. Thanks for the early morning messy challenge!
Very cool! I’m off to play with my embossing paste for the first time!
Wonderful and informative, Lizzie! Made the stencil, embossed with paste, and drying now. Think I’ll try the foam technique too!
Great job on the videos Lizzie!
Beautiful cards with these two techniques, Lizzie! I will definitely give both a try 🙂
The mosaic cards are brilliant! 🙂
Holy Cow!!! Love the musical bonus lol. And soooooo many ideas I’m late to the Renaissance AND the Regency…. scuttling!!
Lizzie – great techniques. So fresh and new. Love the idea of creating stucco with the embossing paste and the mosaics are amazing. Thank you.
These mosaic techniques are stunning! Cannot wait to try them out!
Very cool technique. New use for sticky backed foam!
Lizzie.. Thanks so much!! Fantastic videos and technique tutorials. It is such a help having these for reference. I love the mosaic effects. The cover plate die, the stamps, and the papers in the kit are all outstanding.. I hope the papers might be available to purchase at a later date.
the fresco was my favorite technique of the day. Love the look.
I have never tried texturing before. It’s fun to try something new!
Love the second card tutorial from Lizzie. I pretty much CASED hers. My die cut right through the backing from my Xyron machine and I pretty much had to puzzle piece the entire design! LOL! Love it though!
I love your mosaic technique, thanks
Great techniques! I love the faux mosaics! I’m off to play.
Lizzie, Thank you so much a wonderful video and great inspiration. This was so fun — even though mine looks more Asian than ancient Rome. I think I need that cover plate!!
Such a lovely technique — never thought of it before. Your cards are terrific.
Love these techniques!!!! I love that mosaic cover plate!
This little mosaic die and challenge are totally addicting!!
Lizzie, this was by far my most favorite of the eras and mostly because of what you designed! I loved the techniques…embossing paste, mosaic, watercolor everything was awesome! And easily applied to our daily card making!
wow your cards are just amazing thank for all the wonderful ideas
I think this was my favorite era because of the types of techniques that Lizzie showed us. Thanks, Lizzie
Lizzie, these tutorials are spot on! Did mosaics for years, and translating them to paper are a joy to learn! Thank you for making it so easy!
Great inspiration and technique using the embossing paste and sticky back foam!
Great designs for this era. Love the sunflower.
Oh my goodness gracious! You are brilliant. I love the idea of using multiple layers of clear cardstock to make our own stencils. With your history lesson and the Spotify play list, I felt like I only needed a toga to be completely transported to ancient Rome. Thanks for the journey!
Thanks, Lizzie! I’ve been wanting to work with embossing paste for over a year and you finally pushed me into it! Got it a little too thick, but will learn. Thanks for the fun inspiration!
I loved the mosaic techniques. I will have to get a new cover plate to be able to do them.
Loved these techniques. Can’t wait to play with the embossing paste more.
We enjoyed doing both techniques, especially the fresco!
I live history so the Roman cards were fun!!!!
Wonderful technique and such lovely cards!!!
<3 J
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