Barnum's Big Top and all the fun of the Circus

Good morning followers old and new, friends and all in blogland.  Another two weeks have flown by and another Craft Barn Alpha Challenge, this time the letter B.

So many Bs to choose from but one word stood out and I had just the stamps to use on the page.  I have been sorting through my crafty bits and bobs and trying to use some of the things hidden away and forgotten, I found these stamps (Oxford Impressions "Big Top") last week and they were out just waiting to be used.  My chosen word is Barnum the American Showman, philanthropist, author/publisher and politician who's circus was established in 1871 and merged with J. A. Bailey (another B) in 1881.

My page was started with the red stripes which are supposed to represent the circus tent, then a layer of gesso to tone it down a bit.  The stamps came next, they were stamped in black Stazon and coloured with red, orange and yellow acrylic paints.  The "B" was coloured with distress inks in spiced marmalade and fired brick and edged with broken twig.  I used a Dylusions stencil to add the diamonds using DIs and again added gesso to tone down the colour.  To finish I added a little piece of thread under the tightrope walker and drew round the definition with a fine liner.

 

 

Another letter completed, will have to look through the remaining letters in the dictionary and see if I can get a few ideas for the letters still to come, I may even get a page done in the first week of a challenge if I am lucky!  But then again I always work better when I only have a little time and am under pressure.

A big thank you for all your comments on my last pages,  looking forward to seeing what all the other talented ladies have come up with this time, popping over soon to have a look.